World

World’s best gig cities

World

World’s best gig cities

Have you ever flown overseas, just to see a band or your favourite artist play live? And if not, would you?

Research from the flight-finding legends at Skyscanner has revealed that 40% of Australians would happily fly overseas, just to see their favourite artist live.

While there’s more than one Swiftie in the get lost office (and probably a few closet ones) as well as stadium gigs, we also fuck with the grimy and the grubby, sticky-floor type pubs, ridiculously elaborate Asian concerts and karaoke, warehouse raves and absolutely any music spot with an open fireplace.

Here are our eight favourite gig cities from around the world. What do you think?

Galway, Ireland

Galway isn't just about pints and pub crawls; its music scene is the heartbeat of Irish craic. You mightn’t catch Tay-Tay on her world tour here, but you will get lively traditional sessions in snug corners around the heart of the town, fiddles and harps and someone named Conal or Aoibhinn singing a sweet, sweet tune by the fire. Music echoes through the cobbled alleys of this awesome city.

2. Nashville, USA

READ: OUR NASHVILLE FEATURE

Reminding you why Tennessee whiskey and tunes go hand in hand. Home of honky-tonks and the Grand Ole Opry, Nashville strums its way into music lore, and a list of the best music cities in the world can’t be complete without it.

3. London, United Kingdom

Old London Town, where The Clash clashed and where Adele rolled in the deep. London's venues span from the Royal Albert Hall's poshness to gritty Brixton dives, tiny bars in Camden to the bright lights of Wembley Stadium. It’s a punk, pop, and posh collision. Do football chants count as music?

4. Seoul, South Korea

READ: Our feature on South Korea

O.K, this is a different kid of gig town. Seoul tunes into a dial that no-one else does. K-Pop billboards, Hongdae's neon lights, Gangnam's slick beats, underground punk gigs in cramped basements and futuristic EDM in towering clubs - this is a city pulsing with musical chaos. Plus, if you go to Seoul and don’t end up belting out karaoke to friends and strangers at 3am, did you really even go?

5. Berlin, Germany

Pay homage at the Techno Mecca, where beats thump in abandoned power stations. Berlin's clubs have redefined (and continue to redefine) western nightlife with DJs spinning till sunrise, and people expressing themselves in a way they probably can’t anywhere else. Currywurst on the way home.

6. Havana, Cuba

Rhythms of salsa and son permeate Havana's sultry nights. Buena Vista Social Club is a major player, but this city’s music spills onto Malecón’s seawall and into mojito-fueled jam sessions.

7. Johannesburg, South Africa

The Afro Beat hits hard here. Music permeates through this city; every single person here seems to move like they’re in Lil Nas X latest video clip. Rhythm can be found on dusty street corners in Soweto as much as at glitzy upmarket clubs in Sandton, where well-dressed club goers party LATE into the night. JoBurg is the biggest example of why music is for anyone and everyone; whether you’re cashed up or you’ve not got a brass razoo to your name, you’ll be able to find a rhythm here.

8. New York, USA

A concrete jungle where dreams are made of, and where gigs happen every single second of every single day. The biggest of all gigs happen at Maddison Square Garden, but you’ll also find dive bars in the Village, abandoned warehouses hosting raves, and heaps more. New York lives, breathes, and probably sweats music.