An East London boozer with a basement venue that has hosted early shows from Charli XCX, Courtney Barnett, and Catfish and the Bottlemen.
Published Mar 12, 2026 By Sofia Reeves Last reviewed May 28, 2026 Address 31-35 Coate Street, Bethnal Green, London E2 9AG Nearest Transit Cambridge Heath rail and Bethnal Green tube, both about a 7 minute walk Hours Open evenings, with gigs most nights and many free entry shows. Hours shift around the event calendar, so check the venue listings for the day. Good For Live gigs, Quiz nights, Pizza and a pint Live music Basement venue Free shows Quiz night Pizza Visit Sebright Arms Suggest an edit Ask the editors Reservations are handled by the bar directly. Tell them barsforKings sent you.
The Sebright Arms sits on Coate Street, tucked off Hackney Road between Bethnal Green and Cambridge Heath, an East London corner pub with a basement music room underneath. It is best known as a small venue that books bands on the way up rather than a list of headliners.
The track record is the pitch. The room has hosted early shows from Charli XCX, Courtney Barnett, Squid, and Catfish and the Bottlemen, and many nights are free entry. Time Out and DesignMyNight both file it as a music pub first, which is why it sits on our best bars with live music guide and the London live music guide.
Upstairs is a proper pub with beer, pizza, and a regular weekly rhythm of quiz, pool, and karaoke. Downstairs is the low ceilinged basement venue where the gigs happen, close enough to the stage that a sold out night feels packed.
The kitchen leans on pizza, with vegetarian and vegan options, so a gig night can start with food upstairs before the set. For nearby rooms in the same East London orbit, see our beer bars near me hub.
Getting here is easy. The pub sits a short walk from Cambridge Heath and Bethnal Green stations, in the run of streets off Hackney Road that has long anchored the East London music scene. The Sebright fits that map as the room where a touring band plays before it graduates to Village Underground or the Electric Ballroom, which is exactly why locals watch its listings.