Okay, so grunge is dead. But that doesn’t mean that the local rock scene is dead with it. The scene is just a bit more upbeat, with international groups finding a warmer welcome. Experimental rock groups and other combinations of world, funk and pop music play most frequently at the Showbox, Sit ‘n’ Spin, Art Bar, the Bohemian Cafe and the Crocodile Cafe. Jazzmen and blues masters hold down regular gigs at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Tula’s, the New Orleans, the Tractor Tavern and the Baltic Room. There’s also a lively Irish scene in town, with live traditional and modern music at Conor Byrne’s, the Owl ‘n’ Thistle and Kells Irish Pub. For those who prefer to sit and listen to sophisticated tunes, the elegant Pampas Room or the worn but fervid Sorry Charlie’s may be the place.

If moving more than listening is your thing, there are plenty of dance houses to choose from. The Last Supper Club and Re-Bar are the tops in the hearts of cool house-music aficionados, while Catwalk and The Vogue rule the goth-industrial scene. Swingers head for the Century Ballroom, while unrepentant 80s music fans head for Neighbors. There are even a few temples to country music, including the Timberline. Downunder offers late-night dancing for a young, energetic crowd in Belltown.