These spots blur the line between bar and stage, redefining what a great night out should really sound like.
From Ronnie Scott's in London's Soho to The Troubadour in LA, there's nothing quite like settling down with a stiff drink to the soundtrack of live music. And happily, the latest and greatest spaces that cater to both are going beyond their predecessors with smart cocktails and interiors about as far removed from spit-and-sawdust as you can get: think velvet upholstery and mahogany bars. These venues combine the best of both worlds, meaning lovers of both quality drinks and decent music will have a blast.
1. 12x12, Bangkok
@12x12bkk
Hidden amongst the residential apartments of Bangkok – its entrance signalled by two vintage motorbikes – 12x12 has Thai hipsters flocking in their droves for an ever-changing roster of DJs playing everything from reggae to world music and jazz, as well as the occasional live performance. With an underground vibe, it's no wonder international talent often hits the decks unexpectedly, alongside Thai stalwarts such as DJ Dragon, Krit Morton and Wong Echo. The interiors are eclectic too – every nook filled with curios and objets d'art – while the cocktails don't take themselves seriously, with pours that include Singapore slings, sex on the beach and Tokyo Iced Tea.
2. Scarfes Bar, London
@scarfesbar
Ranked No.37 among The World's 50 Best Bars 2024, it's hardly surprising that Scarfes Bar has made this cut. From its long hardwood bar, roaring fireplace and velvet-upholstered seating to the glamorous drinks menu, it's got clandestine drinking-den well and truly covered. As for live performances, there are sessions every single night of the week, from soul and blues, including jazz siren Kitty LaRoar. Enjoy from the comfort of an enveloping armchair, old fashioned in-hand.
3. Lucerna Music Bar, Prague
@lucernamusicbar
(Image: Jan Nozicka)
A heavy hitter on Prague's social scene, Lucerna Music Bar does what it says on the tin, combining a spacious club with a regular roster of live music, a sleek new bar, and a café by day, no less. Come dusk, the sexy black-and-silver spot switches from coffee and breakfast to DJs and cocktails, the latter of which includes negroni sbagliatos, Magical G&Ts, Orange Mules, Pepper Penicillins and Chocolate Manhattans, to name just a skinful. Next door, the club is best-known for its now-legendary 80s and 90s parties on Fridays and Saturdays – with corresponding music videos shown on wide screens for added nostalgia (think lyrics such as "Backstreet's Back, alright") – together with a mix of student nights, tribute bands, melodic concerts, heavy metal and blues rock. Anything goes, and you should, too.
4. Scorpios, Bodrum
@scorpios.bodrum
(Image: Joahnnes Schwark)
Hot on the heels of its namesake bar, restaurant and beach club in Mykonos, Scorpios Bodrum – part of the Soho House Group – has taken the winning recipe so popular with Grecian hedonists and amplified it for Turkey's jet-set (there's also a hotel at this one). From the beach house to the terrace, live performances come in the form of cultural programming that wouldn't look out of place at Burning Man, from big-name DJs to musicians playing ancient instruments. There's reimagined house, Middle-Eastern electronic, pulsing techno, Afro-Latin rhythms, Greek-inspired fusion and Euphoric dance, amongst other genre-defying sessions, while drinks served up include the bar's signature Scorpios Spritz, Pineapple and Chamomile Highball and Fennel Margarita.
5. Bar Les Ambassadeurs, Paris
@rosewoodhoteldecrillon
Bar Les Ambassadeurs is a grande dame of a watering hole, though its 18th-century frescoes are now complemented by snazzy new decor from interior designer Chahan Minassian. Glamour and drama aside, there's live music every day from 8pm to attract lounge lizards and cool kids alike – everything from pianists to DJs and musicians curated to deliver a sophisticated Parisian atmosphere – while cocktails throw together classics with contemporaries (mushroom old-fashioned, anyone?). The collection of 15 cocktails inspired by memories is particularly innovative, the first volume celebrating the vibrant flavours or spring and summer. Evocative and thirst-quenching.
6. The Stonewall Inn, New York
@thestonewallinn
(Image: Karly Jones)
Needing little introduction, especially to the LGBTQ community, The Stonewall Inn is best known as the birthplace of Pride following its namesake riots in 1969. Having burned down, been rebuilt and eventually declared a National Historic Landmark, it's steeped in history – and booze. Today, it's a hub for a party scene that attracts both queer and straight patrons, not just for drinks such as the fresh and fruity Stonewall Inn IPA (a charity collaboration with The Brooklyn Brewery), but for a jam-packed schedule of drag performances, live vocalists, rotating DJs and guest pianists, plus singing waitstaff.
7. The Caterpillar Club, Sydney
@thecaterpillarclubsydney
It doesn't get more clandestine than this dark spot in Sydney, complete with a cavernous layout made up of multiple spaces within one venue. The bar runs the length of the whole thing, all wood panelling, red booths, candlelight tables, abstract artworks and low lighting, but the crowning glory is one of the world's largest private record collections, proudly on display at the back. There's a happy hour every day from 4-6pm, during which you can double up on retro classics with fresh twists such as an Asian-inspired cosmo and the fizzy blue lagoon, plus elevated snacks such as caviar and waffles. The entertainment is always-on, as you might imagine, from the live house band to the resident DJ and guest-stars like Uruguayan vocalist Gonzalo Porta.
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