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50 acoustic cover songs that actually work in a UK pub — a gigging musician's setlist

Hey, I'm Aaron — a full-time gigging solo acoustic musician based in Surrey. I play around 200 pub and venue gigs a year, and over time you really do learn which songs reliably work in a pub room and which ones only ever look good on paper.

This is my actual working list. Fifty songs that have earned their place across hundreds of pub gigs — from sleepy Sunday afternoons to packed Saturday nights and everything in between. If you're another gigging acoustic musician looking for a refresh, feel free to nick whichever ones look right for your room.

The unshakeable top 10

These are the songs that never let me down. If I'm playing a brand new venue for the first time and I want to guarantee the room hangs with me, these are the ones I reach for.

  1. Perfect — Ed Sheeran
  2. Can't Help Falling In Love — Elvis Presley
  3. Fast Car — Tracy Chapman
  4. Wonderwall — Oasis
  5. Stand By Me — Ben E King
  6. Budapest — George Ezra
  7. Rolling In The Deep — Adele
  8. Hey Jude — The Beatles
  9. Brown Eyed Girl — Van Morrison
  10. Sweet Caroline — Neil Diamond

90s and 2000s sing-alongs

Songs the whole room shouts the chorus to, no matter who's in it.

  1. Champagne Supernova — Oasis
  2. Don't Look Back In Anger — Oasis
  3. Mr Brightside — The Killers
  4. Use Somebody — Kings of Leon
  5. Sex On Fire — Kings of Leon
  6. Chasing Cars — Snow Patrol
  7. Have A Nice Day — Bon Jovi
  8. Summer Of '69 — Bryan Adams
  9. Livin' On A Prayer — Bon Jovi
  10. I'm Yours — Jason Mraz

Classic crowd-pleasers

The songs that span every age group and never get tired.

  1. Hallelujah — Leonard Cohen / Jeff Buckley
  2. Let It Be — The Beatles
  3. Wish You Were Here — Pink Floyd
  4. Take It Easy — Eagles
  5. Hotel California — Eagles
  6. Free Fallin' — Tom Petty
  7. Horse With No Name — America
  8. Ain't No Sunshine — Bill Withers
  9. Folsom Prison Blues — Johnny Cash
  10. Ring Of Fire — Johnny Cash

Modern pub favourites

Songs from the last fifteen years that consistently land.

  1. Riptide — Vance Joy
  2. Ho Hey — The Lumineers
  3. Shotgun — George Ezra
  4. Blame It On Me — George Ezra
  5. Shape Of You — Ed Sheeran
  6. Thinking Out Loud — Ed Sheeran
  7. Dakota — Stereophonics
  8. Maybe Tomorrow — Stereophonics
  9. Sing — Travis
  10. Wake Me Up — Avicii

The rescue list

If the room has gone a bit quiet, or the energy has dropped, or it's the end of the night and you need one more proper winner — these are the ten I reach for to bring the room back.

  1. Valerie — Amy Winehouse / The Zutons
  2. Don't Stop Believin' — Journey
  3. Hi Ho Silver Lining — Jeff Beck
  4. I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) — The Proclaimers
  5. Country Roads — John Denver
  6. Somewhere Only We Know — Keane
  7. Take Me Home Tonight — Eddie Money
  8. Wagon Wheel — Old Crow Medicine Show / Darius Rucker
  9. Hey Ya — OutKast
  10. American Pie — Don McLean

How I'd actually use a list like this

Three things I'd suggest if you're building a pub set from a list like this — speaking from experience, not from an SEO blog.

1. Don't play them in this order. Front-load your most recognisable songs in the first thirty minutes to hook the room. Save the rescue songs for when you actually need them — they're a lot less powerful if you've already played them.

2. Learn them in the original key where you can. Nothing tanks a sing-along faster than a pub crowd struggling to reach a note because you've shifted the song two keys down to make it easier on yourself. If you can sing Wonderwall in Oasis's key, do it.

3. Leave room for requests. I always leave at least six gaps in my set for whatever the room asks for on the night. A good request played well is worth three prepared songs — every single time.

If you run a pub in the south-east UK and you'd like to book me in, drop me a line at aaronnortonuk@gmail.com. Recurring slots, one-offs, summer-evening gigs, all welcome.

See you out there ❤️

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