Ardmore Music Hall
The concert hall on East Lancaster Ave, and the reason plenty of people first drive into Ardmore after dark. Long-timers still call it 23 East, after the club that had the room before.
Music in the burbs
Every music spot we vouch for, across every town we cover. Cross a town line for the good ones. That's the whole point.
The picks
- Ardmore Music Hall
- Brandywine Valley Symphony
- Creep Records West Chester
- Electric Avenue Music
- Goodhart Hall
- Havana
- Hop Fidelity
- J.W. Pepper
- John & Peter's Place
- Kennett Flash
- Matones Music
- Maurice W. Foulke Bandshell
- May 23 Clothing and Music
- Medley Arts Center
- The New Hope Winery
- Perkasie Patchwork Coffeehouse
- Pivot Ballroom on the Main Line
- The Royal, Where Music Lives
- Siren Records
- Vinyl Chickie
- Whatever's Hot
Brandywine Valley Symphony
A community orchestra based in Kennett Square, with a season of classical concerts. Catch a performance if that's your kind of evening.
Creep Records West Chester
A record shop and label out of Philadelphia with a West Chester outpost on Gay Street, heavy on punk, metal, and hardcore vinyl. New and used bins, plus the odd in-store set.
Electric Avenue Music
Record store on East Gay Street with crates of new and used vinyl. The staff will talk you into a record you didn't come in for.
Goodhart Hall
Bryn Mawr College's performance hall on the Merion Ave side of campus, a stone building from 1928. Concerts, dance and student theater, much of it open to the public with a ticket.
Havana
Live bands seven nights a week at the bottom of Main Street, running since 1978. Grab dinner on the patio, then stay for whoever's on the stage — often blues singer Christine Martucci — and dance once the tables clear.
Hop Fidelity
Record store on West Market Street with a name that puns hops into hi-fi. Flip through the crates, beer in hand.
J.W. Pepper
A sheet music store on Sheree Blvd, which isn’t a sentence you get to write about many towns. Weekday hours only — bring the band folder Monday through Friday and forget it exists on the weekend.
John & Peter's Place
Ween got their start on this stage, and the room has run live music seven nights a week since 1972. Grab one of 150 seats, order the 8oz burger, and you might catch a name between arena tours playing to a barful of neighbors.
Kennett Flash
A nonprofit listening room off Sycamore Alley where the crowd actually shuts up for the band. Expect singer-songwriters and touring acts on a stage you can practically reach.
Matones Music
A record store on East Main that locals rate through the roof. Vinyl to dig through, with the kind of stock that turns a five-minute stop into an hour.
Maurice W. Foulke Bandshell
An outdoor bandshell that hosts Souderton's free summer concerts, the Concert Sundaes series out on the lawn. Bring a chair and check the schedule before you pack the cooler.
May 23 Clothing and Music
Clothing and records under one roof on W Gay Street, which is exactly the kind of combination downtown West Chester does well. Flip through the vinyl, then try on the rack by the window.
Medley Arts Center
A community arts organization based on the second floor of the Parish House on West Lancaster Avenue. Its calendar of classes and performances lives on the site.
The New Hope Winery
A winery on Lower York Road with a tavern set in a mid-18th-century barn. The Note, its 250-seat music room, keeps a steady calendar of live acts and tribute bands.
Perkasie Patchwork Coffeehouse
A folk and acoustic concert series that Perkasie Mennonite Church has run out of its fellowship hall since 1996, with dessert and coffee in place of a bar. The room stays small and the shows are kid-friendly, so it plays more like a living-room set than a night out.
Pivot Ballroom on the Main Line
A ballroom dance studio and event floor on East Lancaster Avenue in downtown Ardmore. The kind of room you go to in order to learn a step, not just watch one.
The Royal, Where Music Lives
A live music venue on South Easton Road in Glenside, and the name tells you the plan. Check the schedule before you make the drive, since what's on stage changes night to night.
Siren Records
A real record store, open since the cassette era. New vinyl up front, used bins that reward patience, and a staff happy to argue you into something better.
Vinyl Chickie
A record shop on Mt Carmel Avenue, in Unit 2 of the same building as a gift shop and a fitness studio. Vinyl is the whole business.
Whatever's Hot
Racks of rock-and-roll and sports tees, plus tapestries, star lanterns, stickers, and a crate of records crammed into a narrow South Main storefront. Prices stay low enough that you can walk out with a band shirt and a sheet of stickers without thinking twice.
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