O2 Academy Oxford

The O2 Academy Oxford sits on Cowley Road in a red-brick building that dates back to 1907, when it was built for the Oxford Co-operative Society. The hall was sold in 1990 and converted into the Oxford Venue, and Radiohead played there with the video for their 1992 hit Creep shot there. It later became The Zodiac before joining Academy Music Group and taking the O2 Academy name. The whole building holds a capacity of 1,350, split across a couple of rooms so gigs and club nights can run alongside each other.

These days it mixes touring bands with a steady run of club nights, and the current line-up leans into Afrobeats, electro and R&B crowds. October's calendar takes in RNB VS Garage, a Jeskee x Olympus night with Kepler b2b Burnski, and the regular Fishies sessions running through the month, including a Halloween edition. There's also a Jukebox Halloween special and a night from Fish56Octagon, so there's a decent spread between house, bassline and R&B-leaning parties.

It's a solid pick if you want a mid-sized room close to the city centre, with Cowley Road's bars and food spots right on the doorstep for before or after.