What Is It Like to See a Concert at bp pulse LIVE?

Finding Your Block

The bowl is one raked tier of numbered blocks, 1 to 17, wrapping three sides of a flat floor, with the stage at the open end for most concerts. Blocks 1 and 17 sit at the two stage ends, and the numbers climb round the back, so Blocks 8, 9 and 10 face the stage head on.

Each block is fed from one of three concourses. Blocks 1 to 7 come off the Lakeside Concourse. Blocks 8 to 11 come off Forum Live, up the stairs behind the Coca-Cola bar. Blocks 11 to 17 come off the Westside Concourse, so Block 11 can be reached from either side.

Bowl-side services sit by block. There are free water stations at Block 3 and Block 15, and the medical centre is under the bowl next to Block 1.

The seats are tight. Reviewers have called them "relatively comfy, if tightly packed in" (2024), "far too narrow" (2025) and short on legroom with too few aisles (2019). If you're tall or need to get out mid-show, an aisle seat is worth more here than usual.

Seated Floor

This is the ticket fans warn about most. The floor is flat, so once the rows in front stand up, a seated floor ticket is mostly a view of backs. Four TripAdvisor reviewers across shows in 2015, 2016 and 2024 said exactly that, including one about 35 rows back who told readers to pick "the sloping sides, even near the back" instead, and one just seven rows from the front who still lost the stage.

Floor seating is laid out in lettered blocks, with B and E in the middle. A widely used fan seating plan warns that sound and lighting desks sometimes sit at the back of Blocks B and E, and two May 2024 reviewers had a screen blocked by "a great big sound or lighting device" without naming the block. If you're buying central floor, buy near the front of it.

The front works. A wheelchair user in Floor A Row A reported a "Great view with plenty of legroom and space for wheelchairs." Past the first couple of rows, the cheaper raked side blocks see more.

Standing Floor

When the floor's standing, it's the best-value sightline in the room, because nobody in front of you is pretending to sit. A November 2018 fan about halfway back said it wasn't crammed and the screens did the rest, and a standing fan at the August 2026 RAYE show called the view good and the sound great.

Under-14s aren't allowed on the standing floor at all, and 14 and 15-year-olds need an adult.

One December 2024 reviewer arrived at noon for an evening standing show and found the line didn't build until about 1pm to 2pm.

Blocks 1 to 3 and 15 to 17: Closest to the Stage

These are the blocks fans name first. "try and get blocks 2 -3 in this arena, which would be near the stage," a 2015 reviewer advised, warning that Block 1 can be side-on. A February 2024 fan in Block 3 Row N was "very satisfied with the view," and an October 2023 fan in Block 2 Row M found the seats "great and really comfy."

The far side mirrors it with a catch. Front rows of Blocks 15 and 16 are good, but a 2023 reviewer in Block 16 found it "restricted viewing" though close, and the seating plan lists Block 17 as a restricted side view for concerts. Back rows of all six blocks are high up.

Value call: the front half of Blocks 2, 3 and 15 is the best seated view in the building for an end-stage show. Check whether 16 or 17 is flagged restricted before you buy.

Blocks 4 to 7 and 12 to 14: The Corners

These wrap the curve between the stage-end blocks and the back. A March 2024 fan in Block 13 had a good view but noticed certain pitches reverberating. An older 2012 review advised avoiding Block 7 where the bowl turns, though that's a single report.

They're the middle band on price and distance: closer than the back, more angled than the stage-end blocks. If you're in Blocks 12 to 14, the Express Bar is close by (see Food, Drink, and Merch).

Blocks 8 to 11: Facing the Stage

Straight on, full production in view, furthest away. Back-row reports are kinder than you'd expect: "Seat at the back still had a good view and great sound" (March 2023) and good views from the higher rows (also March 2023). The counterweight is a February 2024 fan who found the sound noticeably worse at the back, and the 2012 reviewer who felt sitting near the back meant "missing out on the atmosphere."

The seating plan notes Blocks 8, 9 and 10 start flat before rising, so the first few rows here sit lower than the rest of the end. Access is from Forum Live, behind the Coca-Cola bar.

Value call: if you want to stay seated and see the whole show, a back-of-arena block beats a seated floor ticket past the first couple of rows.

Show Deck and Premium Packages

The bp pulse Showdeck is the premium seat product, with its own lounge and bar near the seats, redesigned in April 2025 alongside the 1970s-styled 4/4 Lounge. Reviews say to read the package closely.

On a February 2025 Snow Patrol night, one premium buyer could barely see the singer past "the biggest ceiling mounted speaker you've seen in your life," and found the Gin Bar for their package hidden behind hoarding. Another reviewer that night said the VIP area was still under renovation. A July 2025 buyer paid £250 plus fees for a VIP package and found it didn't include the parking or courtesy drink they'd assumed. At an April 2025 show, one reviewer found "Only one small lift" serving the Show Deck and a long wait to get back down.

Not everyone's unhappy: an April 2023 hospitality buyer called it "fantastic start to finish." Premium here buys a lounge and a shorter bar queue. It doesn't guarantee the sightline, and it doesn't include parking unless it says so.

Accessibility Seating

Accessible Platforms A, B, C and D sit off the concourse, reached by permanent ramps, with a companion seat alongside, a steward and an accessible toilet nearby. The floor is step-free when it's seated. Everything else in the bowl is up 15 or more steps.

Reports from the platforms are good. A carer at the April 2024 Hans Zimmer show sat front row on Platform B and called it "easy to access," with staff checking in during the night, though they also saw staff chatting between Platforms A and B mid-performance. A February 2023 reviewer said the platform "had a good position," and in June 2024 staff moved a wheelchair user to a seat near the stage.

Accessible tickets are sold online through the Accessible Tickets option on the booking page. One February 2026 reviewer on Euan's Guide advised calling instead and rated access poorly for anyone who isn't a wheelchair user, so phone if your needs are specific. The venue lists ten accessible toilets and a Changing Places room, and staff hand out assistive listening devices for free.