Live Music — Pubs in Ipswich
Discover live music pubs in Ipswich. Browse our directory to find the perfect pub.
Found 24 live music pubs in Ipswich
Cult Café Bar
Orwell Quay, Ipswich IP1 3BY
Cult Café Bar is essentially a students' bar, but is also open to the general public. It's a modern, glass-fronted bar that offers some keg ales and has excellent views of the historic Wet Dock. It has an eclectic selection of furniture and maintains close links with the University that surrounds the location. There's an outdoor seating area.
St Jude's Brewery Tavern
69 St Matthew's St, Ipswich IP1 3EW
A small, friendly Goth bar close to town centre with sawdust on the floor and quirky artefacts. Formerly a photographic studio. It's owned and operated by St Jude’s Brewery. There are up to 20 changing beers and 4 ciders served from a gravity stillage behind the servery. The pub also offers some imported lagers and a selection of bar snacks. There's a function room upstairs and occasional acoustic music sessions, plus TV for sports events. Regular quiz nights take place on Sunday evenings. There's a small outdoor area to the rear of the bar. Occasional themed parties include fancy-dress Halloween and pirate nights. Opening hours Mon-Wed: "from 1600" Thu-Sat: 1400-0030 Sun: 1400-2230
California Social Club
191-199 Foxhall Rd, Ipswich IP3 8LB
A long-established social club, this has a reputation for good Real Ales, with four usually available at any one time. There's regular music in the rear function room, including monthly gigs from the Ipswich Jazz Club. CAMRA members may use the club but must show a current membership card.
Briarbank
70 Fore St, Ipswich IP4 1LB
This is a modern public bar above the Briarbank brewery. The entrance is to the rear, accessed from the yard. The bar comprises a nicely furnished single room with a mixture of raised seating, comfortable bench seating and chairs around several wooden tables. The counter incorporates some barrels into its design and offers a range of Briarbank's own beers (up to 8) on hand pump and keg plus some guest beers There's live music (usually Jazz) on the third Sunday of each month. A second bar is also occasionally used in a small marquee in the adjoining yard during fine weather. Two beer festivals are organised annually - one at Easter the other in late August. Card only payments I.e. no cash is taken at the bar.
Shamrock
2 Tacket Street, Ipswich IP4 1AY
The Shamrock is an Irish-themed bar which opened in mid-2015 in the building that used to house Ollie's Bar. It originally sold Real Ale but we noticed in August 2017 that the beer engines had been removed.
Silent Street Labour Club
35 Silent Street, Ipswich IP1 1TF
Friendly CIU affiliated members club with separate gaming and drinking areas. Quiet snooker room and livelier pool room with sports tv. Membership at very affordable rates. Outside patio area. Central location in town.
Newton Road Conservative Club
Newton Road, Ipswich IP3 8HQ
The Members Bar is well stocked with a variety of beers, wines, spirits and soft drinks including real ale (Adnams and guest beers). It has a large seating area with comfortable, well upholstered chairs. It also has a darts board, pool table and gaming machines. A Function Room has a capacity for 100 people,.
Thomas Wolsey
9-13 St Peters Street, Ipswich IP1 1XF
A Grade 2 listed building converted into a large single bar. It's a popular lively venue. There are normally four well-kept Real Ales on offer, mainly from East Anglian breweries. And they're well-priced. It has a patio area to the side and two nicely furnished function rooms upstairs used for a wide variety of events including story-telling nights, charity quiz matches and meetings. Craft beers on draught plus over 25 bottled beers and 40 quality wines are stocked (half sold by the glass). Games are available including darts. Home supporters only on football match days. It's aimed at being the kind of pub where people can meet and enjoy conversation over a few drinks. Although sport tends to often be shown on large screens, the volume is down, so as not to disturb drinkers. The pub was renamed the Thomas Wolsey in September 2011.
Falcon
1 Falcon St, Ipswich IP1 1SH
Renovation in progress Nov-Dec 2021. Real Ale available. There are two handpumps, though it seems rare more than one is in use; quite often no Live music every Friday.
Black Horse
29 Black Horse Ln, Ipswich IP1 2EF
The pub offers gaming areas and various seating areas including an outside patio. There's often live music at weekends.
Gardener's Arms
77 Fore Hamlet, Ipswich IP3 8AB
A sports bar with many large screens around the single room. Pool table. Regular live music. The pub is owned by same company which also owns Isaac's and the Briarbank brewery and tap.
Duke
212 Woodbridge Rd, Ipswich IP4 2QP
This is a single L shaped bar with pool table and various seating areas including a small outside patio to side and a large new patio to rear of the parking area. This pub has a good selection of real ales from small local brewers including three mystery house beers. Also some bottled beers and draught craft beer. Regular live music sessions at weekends. Live music on Friday evenings and occasionally other days. Please either call in the pub or look at the social media sites.
Inkerman
297 Norwich Road, Ipswich IP1 4BX
A brightly lit bar offering occasional live music, karaoke, pool, darts and Sport TV. Food on ITFC match days includes burgers, pizza or fish & chips. Plus Sunday roasts. Barn is available for band practice, meetings etc
Margaret Catchpole
Cliff Lane, Ipswich IP3 0PQ
Named after a famous local adventuress, chronicler and criminal, this large three bar pub stands close to Holywells Park. The main bar is large room with music, TV and games (including pool) whilst there is a quieter lounge and another curved room to the rear which may now only be used occasionally. The building also retains many original features and is listed on CAMRA's National Inventory of classic pub interiors and is a grade II* listed building.
Rep
11 Tower St, Ipswich IP1 3BE
A popular, lively venue set in a former Victorian Theatre where Charles Dickens sometimes trod the boards. Upper areas still include a large wrought iron balcony. Reopened under new ownership in 2020; details to follow.
Old Times
324 Spring Rd, Ipswich IP4 5NG
A popular, lively, music bar with a pool table and regular disco and karaoke evenings. Sky sports are shown.
Halberd
15 Northgate St, Ipswich IP1 3BY
A single, split level single bar with an interesting collection of bric-a-brack. A large outside patio is partly covered and sometimes used for live music. Inside, the pub is dominated by TV screens showing sport. It can be busy at weekends.
Plough
2 Dog's Head St, Ipswich IP4 1AD
There is a large split level main bar, with a separate restaurant, patio and other seating areas. The Plough is popular with football supporters on match days. Sky sports TV is shown and there is occasional live music.
Red Lion
284 Bramford Rd, Ipswich IP1 4AY
A large, single bar pub with many seating and socialising areas. Darts are played and there are two pool tables. There's sports TV and regular discos and karaoke every Sunday. There's also live music twice monthly.
Selkirk
24 Selkirk Road, Ipswich IP4 3HX
A quiet, modern estate pub with two bars, which incorporates a Gurkha restaurant. The pub is open every day for breakfast. There is live entertainment every Friday. The pub has a toilet for disabled customers.
Steamboat Tavern
78 New Cut West, Ipswich IP2 8HW
A popular riverside single bar pub which features live music and good food prepared on the premises. There's a beer garden, live music including Jazz on Sundays & Folk, Blues & Punk sessions - see the pub's website for details. Suffolk song writers play here monthly.
Suffolk Punch
429 Norwich Rd, Ipswich IP1 5DN
A large Grade 2 listed building close to the railway bridge over the Norwich road. It is a single large bar with an L shaped servery.
Swan & Hedgehog
3-7 King St, Ipswich IP1 1EG
A lively town-centre pub based around a central bar. Since September 2019 it has been run by the same management team as that of the Framlingham Castle Inn.
Woolpack
1 Tuddenham Rd, Ipswich IP4 2SH
This friendly bar has the feel of a country pub, despite only being a short walk from the town centre. Adjacent to one of the entrances of Christchurch park, it comprises a tiny snug at front, flanked by a large lounge and a small public bar. A larger room at the back leads to a small car-park. It usually offers up to 6 well-kept Real Ales on hand pump and attracts a highly varied clientèle. The patio drinking area at the front is also often popular (weather permitting). The pub offers an interesting and varied selection of good quality home-cooked food - including several fish options (they now serve food all seven days a week including breakfast, lunch and dinner). So indoors they offer a traditional pub menu including their very popular Sunday roast - all home made - whilst outside they have a take home pizza menu from their new "pop-up" Zia Marita's traditional Neapolita Pizzeria which is open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings.