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, The Hollies, Rod Stewart 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 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 lots more.

After a huge success at Sound City Ipswich, the venue has continued to be used for live music by the team at Brighten The Corners - who also run The Smokehouse and St Stephen’s Church - and are responsible for the multi-venue music festival of the same name.

The Baths has hosted gigs for Independent Venue Week in both 2022, 2023, and 2024, and has seen an array of one-off shows under the promotions ‘Brighten The Corners Presents’, previously The Smokehouse Presents. It has quickly become a fan favourite venue and also underwent refurbishment, including new toilets and fire exits to increase to capacity to 340.

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 Brighten The Corners we are passionate about putting Ipswich back on the music 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.