London’s Music Scene Gets New Tube Map Heralding Grassroots Venues

LONDON — A new Tube map showcasing the breadth of London’s artists and music venues has been published as part of a campaign championing the capital’s grassroots scene.

The map highlights record shops, nightclubs and historic locations across the city, as well as venues such as XOYO and Electrowerkz to institutions such as the Barbican. London-raised artists including Dua Lipa, Dave and recent Billboard U.K. cover star Loyle Carner also feature.

Each Underground line has been reimagined as a different aspect of the city’s music scene, with the Jubilee line displaying London-made albums, the Metropolitan line showing independent record labels, and the District line listing “25 artists to see in 2025.” The iconic map was designed by Harry Beck and first came into use in 1933.

London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan and Transport for London (TfL) joined forces with media leaders to devise the map as part of the London Creates campaign. Over the next month, it will be displayed at digital exhibition space Outernet London in Tottenham Court Road.

In a statement, Khan said: “London’s grassroots music scene is renowned around the world. From providing opportunities for talented aspiring artists to develop their trade, to giving Londoners a great night out, our venues are an essential part of our life at night and provide a huge boost to our economy.

“However, they have faced huge challenges in recent years, which is why we’re joining with partners across the capital to champion all parts of London’s grassroots music scene. This special edition Tube map is a great way to highlight what a huge impact the scene has on our capital, as we continue to do all we can to support venues and build a more prosperous London for everyone.”

Mark Davyd, founder and CEO of Music Venue Trust, added: “London is one of the world’s great music cities, constantly reinventing itself with new sounds, new genres, and incredible new artists. The network of grassroots music venues in London are an essential part of what makes the capital’s music thrive, delivering an extraordinary range of music, community and life changing experiences at affordable prices.”

According to City Hall, London is home to 179 grassroots music venues, which in the last year have welcomed more than 4.2m audience members, hosted performances by more than 328,000 artists, employed nearly 7,000 people and contributed £313m ($417m) to the economy.

The map was formally published in the Metro newspaper yesterday (May 13). Further information about the campaign can be found at the newspaper’s official website.