Live Music in Margate

David Bowie cut his teeth as lead singer of The Lower Third, a rock band formed in Margate in 1965, and the city has been shaping musicians ever since. Mike Stock, the hitmaking force behind Stock Aitken Waterman, also traces his roots here, giving Margate an outsized claim on British pop history. Today, the live scene runs deep and varied: the newly opened Drill Shed in Cliftonville brings 750-capacity touring shows, while Dreamland hosts outdoor rock, pop, and dance events on its Scenic Stage. Smaller rooms like Faith in Strangers, Olby's Soul Café, and the Tom Thumb Theatre keep the grassroots circuit alive. Soul, mod, and ska form the city's cultural backbone, celebrated annually through the Margate Soul Festival, Skagate, and the Mod and 60s Revival, with electronic music finding its own foothold at the Margate Arts Club's quarterly Margate Electronics night.