The Baths
4 Civic Dr Ipswich
The mid-sized music venue Ipswich has been waiting for.
Located a stone’s throw from Ipswich Town F.C and the town centre, St Matthews Baths Hall rose to prominence in the late 1960s and early 70s hosting sets by rock legendaries like Led Zeppelin, Cream, Rod Strewart and The Move. The venue doubled as a public swimming pool, with boards laid over it when concerts were held.
Its popularity for touring acts fizzled out in the ‘80s, and over the years, The Baths went through a series of renovations. It most recently existed as a gym, until the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forced it to close permanently in 2020.
In 2021, The Baths venue was re-opened as a live music venue for Sound City Ipswich. It saw the likes of Mercury Prize nominees Yard Act, Katy J Pearson, bdrmm, Billy Nomates, Tom Ravenscroft and loads more.
After a huge success at Sound City Ipswich, the venue has continued to be used for live music by the team at Sounds East CIC who also run The Smokehouse and St Stephen’s Church and are responsible for the multi-venue music venue Brighten The Corners.
The Baths has hosted gigs for Independent Venue Week in both 2022 and 2023, and has seen an array of one-off shows under the promotions ‘Brighten The Corners Presents’, previously The Smokehouse Presents. It quickly became a fan favourite venue and also underwent refurbishment, including new toilets and fire exits.
Some highlight performances in The Baths include: Pigsx7, The Orielles, Field Music, This Is The Kit, Porridge Radio, Coops, Lande Hekt, Children of Zeus, Jamz Supernova, DITZ, caroline and many many more.
At Sounds East CIC we are passionate about putting Ipswich onto people’s musical map, becoming a viable touring destination for bigger bands, showcasing the spaces and talent we already have to offer while growing the local music scene and engaging the community.
