Five Paris Bars to See Live Music

Thu 5 Dec 2013

From dance clubs to tiki bars, Paris offers a wide variety of bustling nightlife options. But if you’re in the mood for a good beverage with a side of live music, these versatile Paris bars will give you the jolt you crave for a rockin’ night out.
Shake n’ Smash
87, rue de Turbigo, in the 3rd Arrondissement

Photo courtesy Shake n’Smash.

Though it just opened this fall, Shake n’ Smash is fast building its reputation as a hot spot sure to please any crowd. The warm turquoise walls and touches of leopard print give the place an effortlessly cool ambience, while its inventive cocktails and dishes like homemade cannelloni stuffed with goat cheese and spinach go far beyond the standard bar fare. Bands playing acoustic sets and weekly themed DJ nights round out Sn’S as the newest neighborhood favorite of the Marais.

La Bellevilloise
19–21, rue Boyer, in the 20th Arrondissement

Photo via labellevilloise.com.

Drawing a hip and artistic local crowd, la Bellevilloise has been a cultural touchstone of the Ménilmontant neighborhood since 1877. Its airy, fauna-covered bar and terrace are prime spots to have a drink before catching an up-and-coming Paris band in the concert hall downstairs, or next door at la Maroquinerie.

Le Bus Palladium
6, rue Fontaine, in the 9th Arrondissement

Photo by Hanna Puccha, via lebuspalladium.com.

In the dive-bar-rich area of south Pigalle, le Bus Palladium has been reigning supreme as an underground concert destination since the 1960s. Having helped launch the careers of Etienne Daho and Noir Désir, le Bus knows a thing or two about keeping a finger on the pulse of new talent. The space can get crowded and rowdy, but with €8 concerts and €7 beers, isn’t that what rock is all about?

Point Ephémère
200, quai de Valmy, in the 10th Arrondissement

Photo via sourdoreille.net.

Point Ephémère is known primarily as a concert venue and hosts popular indie concerts nearly every night for less than €20. But as it’s situated directly along the canal Saint-Martin, it’s a prime locale for summertime relaxing, and with a spacious bar and ever-changing art gallery inside, Point Ephémère should be considered a hangout destination in its own right.

Le Divan du Monde
75, rue des Martyrs, in the 18th Arrondissement

Photo via faguowenhua.com/blogs.

This former theater has now been converted into a lush bar and concert space. There’s plenty of room to dance on the ground floor, but a quick trip up the stairs to the balcony/loft area will reward you with a spread of red velvet sofas and softly lit chandeliers to set the mood while you enjoy a cocktail or the show below, which can range from burlesque to experimental performance art to all-night DJs.

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