Aint Nothin But The Blues Bar is London’s effortlessly authentic answer to the blues bars of Memphis, showcasing great live music every night for free. This is probably the most happening place in town, outside of the trendy Hoxton scene.

The Venue
Situated on Kingly Street, directly behind Hamleys, Aint Nothin But The Blues Bar is a three minute walk from Oxford Circus tube, although you’ll probably be getting the night bus home as most evenings go on beyond midnight. The surrounding area of Carnaby is a lively place with many bars and clubs to choose from, but by 9pm some of the longest queues can be found just outside here - even on a Monday night - so make sure you arrive early. Prices are typical of the West End but with free entry before 8.30pm and an excellent standard of live music every night you won’t feel too down about spending your money here.

With its wooden flooring and old photos of blues masters hanging on the wall there is a vintage feel about the place, and the warm hiss of old vinyl records playing the blues provides a very intimate and cosy atmosphere between the band’s sets. The tables are packed in tightly and the stage is stupidly small, but they always manage to fit a drum kit and several guitarists on there night after night.

The Atmosphere
An evening at Aint Nothin But The Blues Bar, whatever day of the week, is always a high-spirited affair with great live music that quickly gets everyone dancing. It’s not uncommon to start socialising with complete strangers thanks to the limited seating and the fact that the clientele is largely made up of international students and young professionals looking to meet new people.

The bar can get extremely full and difficult to move around in but this never seems to dampen the good mood, except when staff members politely ask people to stop dancing on the tables.

The Music
Considering the music on offer is nearly a century old, you would think that this would be the OAPs’ alternative to bingo night. Fortunately, the Blues has become cool again and at Aint Nothin But The Blues Bar you can see why. The music merges freedom with raw emotion and encourages listeners to let loose after a hard day of work.

Regular blues jam nights take place where audience members are invited to take to the stage and play the blues. Sometimes there are guest appearances from prominent blues artists such as Ian Siegal, and it's rumoured that even Amy Winehouse put her name down for a blues jam, but made a quick exit when her name was called to take the stage. From classic blues rock trios to ‘50s Chicago blues all the variants of this historic genre of music can be heard here. There are even big bands with horns and keyboards, all miraculously fitting on the minute stage at the back.

The Food
The food is what you would expect: nachos and other simple finger bites for under £5. However, they do serve hot meals and, for such a small bar, it’s difficult to comprehend where they conjure up a cooked beef stroganoff from. They also do a decent Thai green curry and, considering most of the customers at Aint Nothin But The Blues Bar are not here for a meal, the food looks impressive and is reasonably priced at around £8.

The Drink
Aint Nothin But The Blues Bar doesn’t specialise in beer, although they do have some of the more popular lagers on tap such as Stella Artois and Carlsberg, as well as a beer choice that includes Adnams bitter.

They do, however, have a wide selection of whiskey and wine available, which might explain why sobriety can rarely be seen by the time the band has finished their second set. From Jack Daniels and Jim Beam to Makers Mark and Wild Turkey, whiskey is in abundance here with prices averaging £3.50. Nonetheless, the crowd are always in a merry mood as blues and booze seems to be a natural combination.

The Last Word
Depending on how long you stay, Aint Nothin But The Blues Bar is one of the best places in London for a quiet, relaxing drink or a wild evening of live music and dancing.

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