The King’s Cross listening bar moves into Level 2 of the Barbican until July 2027, with a full album played start to finish every day at 5pm.
Spiritland opens a listening bar at the Barbican on 20 October
Spiritland, the listening bar that started in King’s Cross, opens a second London site inside the Barbican Centre on Tuesday 20 October. It’s a long residency rather than a permanent move: the Barbican says it stays until July 2027.
So what is a listening bar?
The music is the main event. It’s played on a very good sound system at a volume where you can actually hear it, instead of sitting in the background. At the Barbican the system is built by Living Voice around a pair of R252 loudspeakers.
Every day at 5pm a full album gets played from start to finish. The rest of the programme covers jazz, soul, classical, ambient and electronica, with sets from artists and record collectors, talks and supper clubs.
Food and drink
Expect seasonal cocktails, beer, wine and alcohol-free drinks. The food leans European and Japanese and comes from executive chef Matt Cranston, who has cooked at Lardo in Hackney and The Cow in Notting Hill. Time Out lists oyster mushroom fritti, meatballs with smoked mozzarella and a potato salad with shredded nori among the opening dishes. There’s brunch at weekends. Prices haven’t been published yet.
Opening hours and booking
- Tuesday to Friday: 4pm to 11pm
- Saturday: 12pm to 11pm
- Sunday: 12pm to 7pm
- Closed on Mondays
It holds about 100 people and you book a table through SevenRooms, linked from the Barbican’s page. You’ll find it on Level 2, looking out over the lake and fountains. Barbican and Moorgate are the nearest stations.
Sources
- Barbican: Spiritland Bar
- Time Out: one of London’s original listening bars is opening at the Barbican
- Resident Advisor: new listening bar to open in London’s Barbican Centre
Last checked: 10 October 2026. Opening details can change before launch. Photo: Harry Mitchell / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
