The music lover’s guide to London

London’s been calling rock and roll stars for decade, and its music scene is still thriving today with some of the world’s biggest acts.

Its streets are packed with lyrical heritage, from the former homes of rock and roll legends, to the venues they played in and the pubs they partied in. Whether you take a Bowie walking tour, visit the Beatles’ famous Abbey Road studios, or relax in one of the many hotels and pubs with rock and roll heritage, London will be singing to your tune.

A capital of music

The Jam went ‘Down in the Tube Station at Midnight’, The Clash heard ‘London Calling’, the Pet Shop Boys sang about ‘West End Girls’ and Adele of ‘Hometown Glory’ – London has inspired songwriters through the decades. It’s also been the birthplace of everyone from the Sex Pistols to David Bowie, Madness to Stormzy. Whatever your musical taste, you’ll find it covered in London. From pop stars performing in one of the city’s famous stadiums, to up-and-coming acts in its thriving small music venues.

Photo by: David Jensen and Feast Creative

Jesus Christ Superstar at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre

Spend a musical day in London

Photo by: VisitBritain/Martina Bogglian

A woman sitting on a bench smiling and holding a lollipop

Recreate an iconic album cover

They’re the streets with album names – recreate iconic album covers shot around the capital, such as David Bowie’s The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars on 23 Heddon St, now a place of pilgrimage for Bowie fans. Not far away, you’ll find Berwick Street, which provided the backdrop for Oasis’ seminal album (What’s The Story) Morning Glory. The Clash shot their self-titled debut album in Stables Market, Camden, and you can’t come to Britain’s capital without recreating The Beatles’ legendary Abbey Road album cover.

Photo by: Jill Dalton/Rock n Roll Camden Tours

IMG_20220211_1844371 - Rock n Roll Camden Tour

Go on a rock pilgrimage

Want to follow in the footsteps of your favourite band? Take a London Rock Tour and retrace the journeys of everyone from The Rolling Stones to Queen, the Beatles to The Clash. David Bowie fans can visit the legend’s landmarks with the David Bowie walking tour. You can take the Rock ’n’ Roll Camden walking tour around the borough that inspired artists such as Amy Winehouse and Pink Floyd, or go time-travelling on the Swinging ’60s bus tour, which transports you back to the music-defining decade.

Photo by: Handel and Hendrix Museum

Man playing guitar in front of audience, Handel and Hendrix

Spot the music landmarks

London has around 1,000 blue plaques marking significant historic locations. Discover London’s musical blue plaques, and plan a stroll that takes in the former homes of John Lennon and Jimi Hendrix. Take a walk down Soho’s historic Denmark Street, affectionately known as Tin Pan Alley. Visit Mayfair’s Handel Hendrix House, where you’ll learn about the lives of two very different musicians who lived at this address centuries apart. And behind the Savoy hotel, spot the alley Bob Dylan filmed his iconic ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ video – one of the first ever music videos.

Photo by: thisissoho

Visit a record shop

London is a mecca for vinyl lovers. Flip through the albums at Rough Trade near Portobello Road and at the Old Truman Brewery, off Brick Lane, or visit Reckless Records in Berwick St, Soho, which has been selling second-hand records since 1984. Flashback Records has three stores across London – Shoreditch, Islington and Crouch End – bursting with second-hand vinyl. And if you’re in London for Record Store Day (in April each year) you can catch a huge range of free gigs at independent record shops.

Photo by: The Portobello Hotel, Toby Nima

A part of a hotel room in the Portobello Hotel in London

Stay with the legends

Check in to a rock and roll hotel at one of the many locations with musical heritage. The Hard Rock Hotel, on the corner of Oxford Street and Park Lane, is on the site of a hotel whose former residents included Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan. Chateau Denmark is on the street where the Sex Pistols lived and The Rolling Stones recorded, and Notting Hill’s bohemian The Portobello Hotel has hosted everyone from Alice Cooper to Oasis. Have a drink at Hotel Café Royal’s Ziggy’s bar – where David Bowie held a last supper for his alter ego Ziggy Stardust, with Mick Jagger and Lou Reed.

Photo by: gelatoray

Raise a toast to rock and roll

Take a pub crawl in honour of your favourite musician and see the venues where they performed and hung out. The Dublin Castle in Camden, hosted The Killers, Blur and Amy Winehouse. The Camden Assembly (formerly known as The Barfly) is where Oasis, Coldplay and Franz Ferdinand crafted their art and The Good Mixer in Camden is where the Blur/Oasis rivalry is meant to have begun. In Earl’s Court, The Troubadour is a historic music venue where Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix played, while in Islington, The Hope & Anchor played host to bands such as The Ramones, The Police and The Stranglers.

Top musical attractions in London

From a West End show to a musical exhibition, silent disco to a rocking night out, you’ll be all rhythm and no blues in London.

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