Have you heard of the Rock School Barbey? If not, this is the place for you. If you’re a music fan, or even a rock fan, chances are you’ve been there to see one or more concerts. But you need to know that this is much more than a concert hall! It’s much more than rock! It’s a place dedicated to music in all its forms!
The Rock School Barbey is one of Bordeaux’s most emblematic concert venues, and with good reason! It has played host to such big names as Nirvana, Noir Désir, The Cranberries, IAM, the Pixies, Skip The Use and Shaka Ponk! Although the venue focuses on rock, it also offers other musical genres such as pop, hip-hop, rap, metal and electro.
With a capacity of 700-800 people, the venue is big enough for big moments, yet small enough to retain its friendly atmosphere. The venue organizes around 100 to 150 concerts a year, with the promise of a dense and varied program. These events attract both local and international artists! The Rock School Barbey audience is highly diverse. On average, 70% of the audience is under 35, but there are young people and families too!
What’s the story?
Driven by a passion for rock, it’s been almost 25 years since Rock School Barbey plunged into music education to offer a new way of practicing music. There was a real need for an alternative to traditional music learning, and in just a few years, the Rock School system has become an essential part of popular music practice.
In this way, the place was created around several fundamentals: immediate access to the instrument, the absence of “curricula” and exams, the urgent need to acquire rapid autonomy, accessibility to all audiences and the exploration of popular music on the move.
Why is it more than a concert hall?
-
The Rock School offers training
In addition to hosting talented artists, Rock School Barbey also trains talent!
In fact, it’s a place for musical training! Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced musician, you can take classes in singing, guitar, drums, bass, computer-aided music, beatmaking, keyboard, writing, creation, production, percussion and even DJing! And if instruments aren’t your thing, you can also learn to rap! For young people aged 11 to 17, Rock School Barbey even offers teenage weeks to learn and share music in a group – with, at the end of the week, a performance to make them shine on stage!
-
Rock School offers springboards
If the learning curve is long behind you, and you’d simply like to find ears that recognize your talent and a stage to perform on, the venue offers multiple springboards to boost your musical career! Rock School Barbey is deeply involved in the development of Bordeaux’s local music scene. It offers artistic residencies for local bands, providing them with optimal conditions for rehearsing, recording and performing.
Bordeaux is bursting with emerging talent!
-
The Rock School offers events
And that’s not all! The Rock School also organizes (or hosts) musical flea markets, festivals (Festival ouvre la voix) and carnivals (Carnaval des deux rives)! It also maintains partnerships with other cultural venues in the city, as well as with festivals and events connected with the music scene. It’s almost as if they’ve never finished touring the world of music!
In 2025, the venue plans to welcome talents such as Danyl + Noham, Opalyne, Jyeuhair, Davodka, Nada Surf, Yoa, Jhaneration, Adé and Theodora!
In a nutshell
To all music lovers, to all future music stars, to all those who support the Bordeaux music scene and to all those who like to discover multifunctional, hybrid and inclusive venues, Rock School Barbey is “The place to be”!
1 Rue du Comte de loire, 33800 Bordeaux, France