The V&A is tracing the history of Britain’s grassroots venues and club culture in new free display

The V&A is opening a new free display dedicated to the UK’s lost music venues and club spaces this weekend, featuring everything from handwritten Oasis lyrics and Blur setlists to Hacienda memorabilia and Plastic People flyers.

Opening at V&A South Kensington on Saturday 30th May, ‘Lost Music Venues’ brings together more than 150 objects connected to around 50 British venues and clubs spanning the 1980s through to the 2010s. More than half of the items on display were donated through a public callout for memorabilia tied to now-closed spaces.

The display explores the role grassroots venues have played in shaping British music culture, tracing the rise of artists including Pulp, Blur and Oasis through gig posters, tour artefacts and venue ephemera. Highlights include handwritten Oasis lyrics for ‘Half The World Away’, a Blur setlist from an early Bull and Gate performance that helped secure the band a publishing deal, and Mark Webber’s briefcase from his time as Pulp’s tour manager.

Elsewhere, visitors can see the original sign from the London Astoria loaned by Damon Albarn, flyers from legendary club Plastic People, a pager used to monitor sound levels at Manchester’s Hacienda, and a Vivienne Westwood-designed outfit worn to notorious London club night Kinky Gerlinky.

The exhibition also explores the importance of venues and clubs as spaces for community, creativity and activism, documenting queer club nights, independent music scenes and campaigns to save threatened venues. Material from the 1980 campaign to save the Rainbow Theatre appears alongside items connected to organisations including Music Venue Trust.

Curator Harriet Reed says: “Music venues – be they gig spaces or nightclubs – are not only the lifeblood of the music industry but an integral part of the creative sector. As sites of experimentation, entrepreneurship and artistry they nurture talent and provide vital spaces for connection and community.”

‘Lost Music Venues’ runs from 30th May 2026 until 30th October 2027 at V&A South Kensington. Admission is free.