A primary have a look at Ronnie Scott’s jazzy new upstairs venue

The defining Soho fixture, Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Membership, has reopened following a rebuild that adjustments how the membership operates spatially and acoustically. Lengthy used as an off-the-cuff efficiency area, the room now features as a 140-capacity listening venue designed for increased efficiency velocity, inclusive of lowered ensembles.

Upstairs at Ronnie’s, London

The renovation, accomplished after a year-long closure, reworks the ground plate round proximity and sightlines. Tiered cabaret seating brings the viewers ahead, tightening the connection between performer and listener. The stage is compact and shallow, suited to small teams and voice-led performances, with circulation organised to maintain entry and exit unobtrusive throughout set adjustments.

The inside has been designed by Archer Humphryes, with consideration given to how the room performs acoustically over lengthy evenings. Upholstered banquettes soak up extra reverberation; reflective surfaces return presence and definition. Overhead panels admit daylight throughout rehearsals and daytime use, then recede after darkish as lighting concentrates consideration towards the stage. Supplies and finishes are comfortably restrained, chosen for sturdiness and consistency.

Sound sits on the centre of the undertaking, with a Yamaha grand anchoring the stage and a d&b sound system tuned for even protection throughout the room. The emphasis is on intelligibility at low to reasonable quantity, permitting vocals and instrumental element to stay clear from entrance row to again. This calibration helps a programme construction constructed round a number of units per evening, together with late performances working by way of to three am, with out escalation in quantity.

‘There was a challengingly brief window between the constructing being completed and welcoming our first visitors,’ says Fred Nash, managing director of Ronnie Scott’s. ‘Simply days earlier than opening, we weren’t completely certain the piano was going to make it up the staircase – regardless of months of cautious measuring – so getting it in place with out scuffing the deep crimson partitions felt like a small victory.

For the reason that relaunch, essentially the most rewarding second has been watching visitors’ reactions as they enter the room for the primary time. That sense of heat and intimacy is precisely what we hoped for. The tender orange and yellow tones, mixed with acquainted Ronnie Scott’s particulars just like the desk lamps, create an environment that feels inviting with out distraction. Within the first week alone, we’ve hosted every part from R&B and gospel to classical and Cuban salsa, and it’s been satisfying to listen to every fashion offered precisely as supposed, with clear sound and an actual sense of closeness.’

Programming follows the room’s scale and technical setup, upstairs now hosts two performances nightly alongside late reveals, with ticket costs set beneath these of the primary membership. The 2026 schedule contains modern soul, gospel, vocal jazz, world music and chamber-scale classical codecs, with tasks formed for smaller ensembles and shorter units. Early highlights embody the debut of the Ronnie Scott’s Gospel Choir beneath Daniel Thomas, a piano trio sequence that includes Joe Webb, Ashley Henry, Invoice Laurance and Charlie Stacey, Tomorrow’s Warriors–curated late reveals for rising artists, and a classical sequence designed for lowered preparations.

Later this 12 months, the membership will open The Greene Rooms, occupying the constructing’s higher flooring. Conceived as a members’ and artists’ area, it features a bar, fireplaces, a piano and direct entry from the stage. With its personal street-level entrance and managed entry, the rooms formalise the backstage and post-performance exercise that accompanies the membership’s nightly programme, offering a devoted zone for musicians, visitors and members with out increasing viewers capability.