Nice old pub dating from the 1600s in sleepy Lübeck. Jever on draught, old motorcycle posters and a…read morebattered piano complement the decidedly smokey atmosphere.

The Markthalle is a bit of a Hamburg metal mecca. If a metal band has been to Hamburg, they've…read morealmost certainly played the Markthalle. It's a mid-sized venue, which (I assume) holds a few thousand people. There's no seating, thankfully, but around the stage the standing area is tiered by quite high steps, meaning that even the smallest person will have a good chance of beign able to see the stage. Tip: The beer is reasonably priced (for a concert venue) at EUR3, but you can easily bring that price down by picking up a few cups which all have a EUR1 deposit, which metallers don't seem to care about so much. Without trying to find any cups, or even moving from my spot, I brought the beer price down to EUR2 per beer :)

Great gig venue just near the Hauptbahnhof in the centre of Hamburg. It's usually metal-focused, so…read morereading the posters with the names of all the upcoming acts is amusing to say the least. If Skelton Warfare or diediedie are your cup of team (I just made those names up), then here's your place. We were here to see the Black Rebel Motorcycle club, and even if you are really short, you can still see them, because it's all tiered standing down to the stage. Great sound quality, good service at the bar, and it's a free sauna too!

So much history here. Imagine this is where all the German greats have played. You are transported…read moreback to when classical music was king. Sophisticated and structured. Pure and clean. When you book a ticket through the Elbphilharmonie website make sure to pay attention to the location. They don't make it clear if the location is at the Elbphilharmonie opera house or the Laeiszhalle. Luckily it's only a 5 minute taxi ride if you make the same mistake that I did. Free concerts on the second Tuesday of the month. At noon but get there early as people scramble for the limited seats.

Here I am "watching" a concert by one of my favourite bands in a seat that cost EUR42 and I'm…read morewriting a review. Why is that? Well, I can't see 50% of the band for one. I can see the bassist, drummer and third guitarist. I can't see the singer, lead guitarist or keyboard player. I'm on the 3rd row in the first balcony. I'd say that perhaps 20% of the audience get a good view. A further 30% can see the entire stage, but from a far distance. 50% will get a very impaired-to-non-existent view (some seats are behind columns/walls). I just don't think that's acceptable for the prices. The sound is admittedly good and the place looks quite nice, but those are the only good points. Other negatives include a lack of atmosphere (due to it being all seated). It's uncomfortably hot as there is seemingly no ventilation if the doors are closed (which they always are during the performance). There's also just one choice of beer, so if you don't like König Pils you're out of luck. I'd say it's the worst concert venue in Hamburg - especially for watching rock concerts. Unfortunately, if the band you want to see is booked here there's not much you can do. I can give them a bad review though.