It’s no accident that the Moroccan feels reminiscent of a Tangier den of iniquity. The dimly lit interior riffs on its predecessor, Bordello, which was named after the brothel that allegedly once occupied the space. Located between the Arts District and Little Tokyo, the 250-capacity nook has cultivated a vibrant, genre-agnostic scene that spans electronic to hyperpop. It’s a perfect underground antidote to LA’s increasingly corporate live-music landscape.

Billing itself as the longest-standing independent live-music venue in Silver Lake, this tiny dive bar (once a gay cabaret) was a creative nexus of the early-2000s indie-music boom, helping catapult dozens of local bands to wider acclaim (Silversun Pickups, Rilo Kiley, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club). More recently, the venue’s owners have put an increased emphasis on booking diverse acts that reflect its queer roots and local Latinx community.

This all-ages, volunteer-run performance space a few steps from Skid Row might be the most influential creative nexus of the last two decades. It was here, inside this alcohol-free locus, that LA’s punk renaissance bloomed, with bands like No Age, Mika Miko, and Abe Vigoda spreading the DIY gospel like Fugazi and Black Flag before them. And it’s still roaring: With cheap tickets and fiery energy, it remains a magnet for young avant-garde artists and fans eager to explore new sonic frontiers.

In the 2010s, indie music’s center of gravity shifted from Silver Lake and Echo Park to Northeast LA. But until the opening of the Lodge Room in 2017, Highland Park lacked an outpost for its nascent creative class. Enter this historic Masonic chamber with wooden walls and mystical vibes. Over the years, it has hosted breakout performances from Phoebe Bridgers and Sudan Archives, and shined a light on legends like Cortex, Brian Jackson, and Roy Ayers in its thrilling Jazz Is Dead series.

This former silent-movie theater in Westlake is home to the beating heart of LA’s psychedelic-rock scene (the heavier stuff, specifically, not the ubiquitous soft-edged stoner jams). Since opening in 2015, it’s been sanctified by Television, Mild High Club, and Ty Segall, the latter of whom became a local legend during a synapse-melting residency in 2019. With wide-open sight lines, multiple bars, easy parking, and immaculate sound, it’s hard to imagine a better small venue.

This indoor-outdoor oasis could win the award for LA’s best slept-on venue. With food trucks, string lights, and a luxurious open-air courtyard, partnered with an industrial live-music club, it feels like someone plucked a bar out of Austin, Texas, and planted it in the Arts District. In addition to hosting themed dance parties (’80s bangers, 2000s hip-hop), it has served as the jewel-box hideaway for two of the city’s best rap showcases of the last half-decade: PayDay LA and Don’t Come to LA.

Known as a launching pad for early-aughts acoustic singer-songwriters (Sara Bareilles, Ingrid Michaelson), The Hotel Cafe has become its own sort of subgenre. Since opening in 2000, this former coffeehouse—just off an alley on Cahuenga Boulevard—has booked national tours and released albums under its own imprint (Adele’s 2008 set made the cut). Still, locals know the secret is to stay curious; some of the most important names on the schedule are the ones you don’t recognize yet.

For more than a half-century, this Studio City jazz club has hosted practically every great virtuoso to breeze through LA and was so beloved by Prince that he had his own seat. Founded by session keyboardist Don Randi of The Wrecking Crew (The Beach Boys, The Monkees, Nancy Sinatra), this tucked-away sanctuary with the dancing spud sign is a must for serious heads—jazzbo Clint Eastwood was an audience fixture for decades. Definitely order a baked potato.

Opened in 1996 by Paul and Perry Tollett, the brother duo who went on to found the Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals, this cozy venue in laidback Pomona helped create a bona fide live-music scene in the suburbs east of the city. Fans jumped at the chance to see top-billed bands like Tool and Queens of the Stone Age in an 800-capacity room. Through the years, its all-ages entrance policy has helped it incubate the local punk scene. Note: It’s about an hour drive outside of LA.

As LA’s oldest blues club, Harvelle’s might be the last remnant of an endangered tradition once found at hole-in-the-wall venues all over the city, including Leimert Park’s Babe’s & Ricky’s Inn. This Santa Monica institution is where generations of music fans have piled into cherry vinyl banquettes, ordered a few beers, and listened to funk, soul, R&B, and blues ensembles even as the Westside’s live-music scene has all but dried up. Consider it the last bastion of cool west of the 405.