The history of the modern music rehearsal space
- Trevor Mason
- Jun 18
- 9 min read
Updated: Jun 20
Music rehearsal spaces have been around for quite some time. Although the specific origins are difficult to trace, the history of the modern music rehearsal space dedicated to rehearsing musicians likely developed alongside the rise of popular music in the late 1960s.
When music rehearsal spaces started to emerge, there were various existing spaces that musicians used for practice, although they might not have been specifically designed or dedicated to music rehearsals. The availability and suitability of these spaces varied depending on factors such as location, personal connections and the nature of the music community in a particular area.
Prior to the 1970s, spaces designated for musical practice were typically artist-owned, private homes or classical conservatory rooms rather than commercial drop-in businesses. Spaces like London's Toynbee Studios were built in the 1930s providing community and music rehearsal spaces to the public.
Gerrard Sound Studios
London 1964 - 1990s
From 1961 to 1964, a tiny basement at 19 Gerrard Street was home to Zodiac Recording Studios , giving London’s budding pop stars, a new space to record. In 1964, it was renamed Gerrard Sound Studios with a rehearsal space. Later rebranded as Gooseberry Studios it was used by reggae artists and punk bands, including early demos for the Sex Pistols, looking for inexpensive recording rates.
Physical description
It famously hosted Led Zeppelin's first rehearsal in 1968. Guitarist Jimmy Page used the space to audition the initial chemistry of the band describing the two-hour session as intensely hot, powerful and remarkably exciting. He reported the cramped basement as having "wall-to-wall amplifiers". Musicians who recorded at Gerrard Sound Studios frequently praised its gritty, basement atmosphere and affordability.
In the early 20th century, with the advent of recording technology and the increasing popularity of live performances, musicians recognized the need for dedicated spaces where they could rehearse and refine their skills. Traditionally, artists practiced wherever they could make noise. Some early recording studios built dedicated practice rooms for their artists, such as Chess Records, which constructed an early rehearsal space in Chicago in 1954. However, during this time, rehearsal spaces were often makeshift arrangements in basements, garages or any available location.
SIR
Los Angeles 1967 - present
Studio Instrument Rentals (SIR) pioneered the modern rehearsal space emulating arena and stadium concert stages with dressing rooms. It quickly expanded, opening a San Francisco branch in 1971 and one in New York in 1974. It has since grown to 12 cities across the US.
Physical description
Early locations featured vast, open floors with high ceilings and little sound-deadening foam, allowing bands to test equipment in a lively room. As the rooms developed they had a lived-in feel with insulated walls and carpeting to deaden extreme volume. A mix of touring crews and A-list acts such as Bruce Springsteen and The Rolling Stones loading gear in and out gave an inspiring community-driven "vibe". Today's physical layout acknowledges the transition from studio session musician to performing touring artist.
In the 1960s, dedicated hourly rehearsal studios were virtually nonexistent. Instead, bands practiced in living rooms, garages, local pubs, or rented church and community halls. Professional or semi-pro groups would often rent out unconverted warehouse basements or perform daytime rehearsals in empty nightclubs.
Local and amateur acts usually practiced in bedrooms, garages or garden sheds. This required accommodating family rules, dragging equipment up narrow stairs and keeping volume low enough to avoid complaints from neighbours. Working-class bands regularly made deals with local pub landlords or working men's club operators. If the band agreed to play a regular gig on the weekend, the venue would often let them use a back room or the main hall to practice on off-days.
Many underground music clubs operated exclusively at night. During the day, bands would rent out these dark, empty basements to write and rehearse. Larger touring acts with more gear pooled funds to rent industrial spaces or abandoned commercial buildings. Teenagers and "beat" groups relied heavily on local church halls, YMCA spaces or even classrooms. These were large enough to accommodate a drum kit and PA system, though soundproofing was rarely up to modern standards.
By the late the 1960s, suburban garages became the birthplace of modern DIY music. Thousands of young amateur bands rehearsed in parents' garages, playing stripped-down, raw rock and roll. This movement birthed the iconic "garage rock" sound, characterized by energetic, fuzz-heavy guitars, amateur musicianship and a gritty recording approach.
RMS Studios
London 1967 - present
Starting as family-run business, Road Management Services was one rehearsal room and a storage space for equipment. It closed its South Norwood location in 2018–2019 relocating to arches directly underneath Putney Bridge tube station. The original South Norwood location hosted influential acts The Damned, The Boomtown Rats and St Etienne. It continues to be used by major artists including Yusuf/Cat Stevens, PiL (Public Image Ltd) and John Grant. Its vision is more than just a rehearsal space, but a supportive hub for musicians and crew.
Physical description
Musicians and producers have described it as an "old school" rocker and pub-gig space, as well as a great place to "hang, record or rehearse". Built inside a cavernous Victorian railway arch it has curved exposed brickwork and features a unique "snare wall" made of mounted drums and cryptic text scribbled directly onto the walls.
It soon dawned on bands that spaces were needed separate to recording studios and venues. These unique spaces would be custom built to facilitate songwriting, arranging, rehearsal, auditions as well as socialising and testing new gear prior to gigging, touring and recording.
As the music industry grew and professional musicians sought better rehearsal environments, purpose-built rehearsal spaces began to emerge. In the 1960s and 1970s, with the rise of rock bands and the flourishing counterculture movement, dedicated rehearsal studios started to appear in major cities, particularly in areas with vibrant music scenes like New York, Los Angeles and London.
These early rehearsal spaces provided soundproofed rooms equipped with basic musical equipment such as amplifiers and drum kits. They offered musicians a place to practice without disturbing neighbours or dealing with the limitations of residential spaces.
47 Bermondsey Street
London 1968 - 1973
In 1968 The Rolling Stones took a 5-year lease on the basement to store their equipment and instruments. Converted into a rehearsal space, with a state-of-the-art tape recorder, this 'rehearsal space cum studio' spawned demos that became ‘Let It Bleed’, ‘Sticky Fingers’ and ‘Exile On Main St’. By 1971, the facility was used by The Spencer Davis Group, Noel Redding's Fat Mattress and Procol Harum. The cellar studio was rented in 1971 to Jethro Tull to rehearse their classic album ‘Thick As A Brick’. And Pink Floyd spent 1971 -72 composing new material for their 1973 classic ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon’ here.
Physical description
A former tannery warehouse and police station, a developer converted the building into office space with a basement (8m by 15m) in 1968. Most notable for its low ceiling, a little over 2 metres, with 4 square pillars gave it a claustrophobic feel. Small Faces' keyboard player Ian McLagan described the studio as "only a cellar below a flag-maker's warehouse, (but) it was everything to us. It was painted and carpeted, and had a C3 Hammond with a Leslie, assorted guitar amps and a drum kit already set up". Pink Floyd's David Gilmour described it as "A dingy warehouse with a rehearsal room in it". By 1972 the basement was "a very dank and dirty place" remembered Jethro Tull's singer Ian Anderson. Now quiet, the cellar today is a cluttered storeroom that belies the rich history of sounds that were born there.
Over time, rehearsal spaces became more sophisticated and catered to specific needs. They started offering better acoustics, improved soundproofing, and a range of equipment to accommodate various musical genres and band setups. Some rehearsal spaces also provided additional amenities like recording studios, storage lockers and even lounges.
Calotychos Cafe
London 1969 - 1972
Located at 193 Fulham Palace Road it is where the progressive rock band King Crimson began their rehearsals in 1969. The band used the cafe's basement as their creative hub and base of operations for two and a half years. The band wrote, rehearsed and refined their albums In the Court of the Crimson King, along with In the Wake of Poseidon, Lizard and Islands. It served as a launching pad for the band, early managers, label reps and members of The Moody Blues who all trekked down the stairs to discover them.
Physical description
A tiny, cramped and unassuming subterranean space with concrete walls that absorbed the thunder of the early, loud prog rock sessions.
The concept of a commercial, bookable music rehearsal space as a standard business model emerged in the late 1970s. One of the patriarchs of the modern, large-scale music rehearsal facility is New York's The Music Building in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen, established in 1979. It converted a 12-story garment-district factory into 69 dedicated practice rooms for punk, rock and pop artists. It remains one of the most prominent, long-standing multi-room commercial rehearsal complexes in the US.
Across the Atlantic, major staples like Terminal Studios and Mill Hill Music Complex in London also opened their doors in 1979. Mill Hill Music Complex in North London was one of the first dedicated musician collectives and bookable rehearsal spaces in the UK.
Underhill Studios
London 1971 - late 1970s
One of the first professional rehearsal studios in London. Situated at 1 Blackheath Hill in Greenwich the studio opened as a cheap two-roomed studio. Most notably, Bowie’s band held rehearsals here in 1972 to prepare for "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust". Other performers including Jeff Beck and Genesis rehearsed here.
Musicians have described it as a raw crucible for glam rock and punk. Lou Reed, Iggy Pop and John Cale regularly sat in on rehearsal sessions. Punk band the UK Subs praised it as a reliable studio and New Wave icons Squeeze and members of Dire Straits recalled it as a formative workspace during their early pub-rock days. Music historians and fan archives reflect on Underhill as the starting point of the professional rehearsal industry in London, before bands transitioned to established major label spaces like Manticore Studios.
Physical description
Early artists described the space as a modest and no-frills layout. Bands remember hauling gear down into a tight subterranean workspace. The studios are now store rooms for the chemist’s that sits on the corner.
By the 1980s, dedicated rehearsal hubs grew exponentially around the world to cater to emerging underground music scenes, giving rise to facilities like Vulcan Studios in Liverpool and The Music Studios in London.
Today, music rehearsal spaces are prevalent in many cities worldwide, serving as crucial hubs for musicians of all levels to practice, collaborate and prepare for performances. These spaces have become an integral part of the music industry, supporting artists in honing their craft and fostering creativity.
Manticore Studios
London 1973 - 1984
The former cinema's auditorium located at 392 North End Road in Fulham was converted into a rehearsal space by Emerson, Lake & Palmer. In 1973 Yes started the rehearsal sessions for "Tales From Topographic Oceans" here. David Bowie rehearsed there in 1973 to prepare for an American TV broadcast. By 1976, Motörhead gathered at Manticore Studio to rehearse and record their Manticore Tapes material. Led Zeppelin famously tested a 30-input mixing desk there during their 1977 US tour rehearsals.
Physical description
The seating in the cavernous main auditorium was removed to create a massive rehearsal floor. The original cinema stage was left intact for staging live show setups. Musicians and commentators noted the cavernous, full-stage setup allowing bands to work on complicated live reworkings of songs. The building was later disposed of by ELP, becoming retail space before being demolished in 1984.
The establishment of dedicated music rehearsal spaces addressed the need for more consistent and purpose-built facilities that catered specifically to the needs of musicians and bands.
Unit Rehearsal Studios
London 1974 - mid-1970s
Located in Pentonville Road, Kings Cross near the Scala Cinema it had two small rehearsal rooms. Pink Floyd congregated there in 1974 where guitarist David Gilmour helped to write one of the band's greatest works Shine On You Crazy Diamond. The band rehearsed there several times before embarking on a short tour of France.
Physical description
During the early 1970s musicians remember it as a no-frills, utilitarian and gritty fixture of the local music scene. The site was situated just steps from King's Cross Station, but was demolished years ago to make way for the King's Cross Thameslink railway station. Some local historians link Unit Rehearsal Studios to Argyle House located at 29-31 Euston Road.
The modern music rehearsal space has its origins in the cramped basement rooms of London’s Soho district during the mid-1960s. As rock and pop music grew in popularity, demand for dedicated rehearsal facilities expanded rapidly. By the late 1960s, entrepreneurs on the US West Coast began developing larger rehearsal venues to accommodate increasingly successful bands, often designing spaces that mirrored the scale and technical requirements of international tours, arenas and festival stages. At the same time, smaller rehearsal rooms continued to thrive, preserving the sense of community and collaboration that had defined the early rock and pop scene. For many emerging and established acts alike, converted industrial and commercial spaces served a dual purpose: providing secure storage for equipment while functioning as practical rehearsal environments.
Today, many "traditional" rehearsal buildings are now tailored for long-term hires, offering high-level acoustic treatment and specialized recording gear. Also the transformation from a simple rehearsal space to a recording studio has significantly increased efficiency and artistic freedom for musicians, allowing for a more seamless transition from practice to professional recording. Although many spaces are long gone, the history of the modern music rehearsal space has developed alongside the economy associated with popular culture and music. Without these early iconic music rehearsal spaces perhaps much of the music we listen to today will be very different.
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