Portsmouth's music scene

Music festivals and venues in Portsmouth

We're lucky enough to have two major music festivals right on our doorstep - Victorious Festival and Isle of Wight Festival - which bring acts like Biffy Clyro, Wet Leg, Jamie T and Muse to the south coast.

Southsea is home to smaller events showcasing local and upcoming talent too - check out Icebreaker, Golden Touch and Night Currents at iconic grassroots venue, the Wedgewood Rooms.

Other local venues include:

Portsmouth Guildhall - a historic venue hosting live music alongside comedy, theatre and exhibitions.
Pie and Vinyl - a record store and pie shop in one, with a regular line up of intimate in-store gigs.

Explore Pie and Vinyl

Portsmouth's unique music café

Hear from Pie and Vinyl owner, Steve Courtnell, and student Cerys, on why they love the record café and Portsmouth itself.

The passion was born through the love of music, but of course, 10 years ago, perhaps a physical format didn't have a life.

I wanted to create an experience.

The vinyl record, I think, is an experience.

It forces you to listen to it.

And then I thought of incorporating a food element.

So like a kind of a café culture where you sold music and we also played good music in the shop.

I think it's a really cool concept.

I don't know anywhere else that does pies and vinyl together, and I just think it's really cool and creative.

I'm really proud.

I'm Portsmouth through and through.

I love Portsmouth because it is one of the only island cities in the UK.

I'm originally from Cornwall and being by the sea was really important for me and the whole island is surrounded by it.

So whenever I miss home, it's so quick to go to the beach and I love that.

When we go out and we get invited to things like the 6 Music Festival, we do end up being more kind of TripAdvisor's than anything else.

Music in the community

Music groups and theatre

Explore these opportunities to express your musical flair:

Portsmouth Amateur Diary - amateur dramatic (AmDram) societies perform around the city and surrounding areas.
Music in Portsmouth - classical concerts in and around Portsmouth.
Foundation Organ Scholarship - if you're an experienced organ player aged 16-25, you can apply for a year-long scholarship at St Mary's Church.
Batala - samba-reggae percussion band performing at local events throughout the region.

Music charities

Discover how music can benefit communities by supporting these music charities:

Tonic: Music for Mental Health - music workshops, gigs, art groups and projects to help people recover from mental health problems.
Music Fusion - founded by a University of Portsmouth alumni, this is a safe and creative space for young people to connect and make music as a platform for positive social action.