Molotow

The Molotow is one of Hamburg's best-known live music clubs, and it has hosted acts such as Alabama Shakes, The Killers and Die Toten Hosen. It has also had to move several times: from the Esso-Häuser in spring 2014 to an interim home on Holstenstraße, then to the Nobistor, and now to Reeperbahn 136. The club warns that some map apps still show an older address, so use the street number rather than a saved pin.

The new address has its own history. Reeperbahn 136 was home to the Top Ten club, one of the venues where the Beatles played in the early 1960s, and the Molotow's basement stage and bar is called the Top Ten Bar. Upstairs, the main club room has its own bar and stage. Private events can be held in the Top Ten Bar for between about 75 and 250 guests.

The programme is busy and varied. Concerts cover rock, indie, punk and folk-pop, and club nights include themed parties dedicated to the 1980s, the 2000s and indie dance. The club also hosts readings and slams, so check the listings by category on its website.

Tickets are sold in advance through several ticketing platforms, linked from each event page, and the club recommends buying ahead for bands you really want to see. If tickets remain, the box office opens at the listed entry time; sold-out shows have no box office. Prices vary by event. Club events are 18 and over. Concerts are open to 16-year-olds until midnight, after which younger guests must be with a parent.

The Molotow suits music fans, students and anyone who wants a sweaty, authentic gig rather than a polished arena show. Combine a concert with a walk along the Reeperbahn and a stop at Beatles-Platz, at the junction with Große Freiheit, to round off the band's Hamburg story. The Beatles played the Top Ten alongside the Indra, the Kaiserkeller and the Star-Club, and seeing a young band at the same address today is a neat link between the district's past and present. The tourism office also names the Molotow among the Reeperbahn's best-known clubs.