Stream live music for free: Virtual gigs & classic shows from Elton John, Little Mix, Oasis & more

The Rocketman launched his Classic Concert Series last month, where he premieres full versions of his "most monumental" performances from the past online every Saturday at 5pm for six weeks. Currently available to watch is his Madison Square Garden, New York show from 2000, featuring Mary J Blige, Kiki Dee, Billy Joel and more. The performances are free to watch on Elton's YouTube channel, though he asks fans to donate to the Elton John AIDS Foundation's Covid-19 Emergency Fund if they're able to.

The Athens, Georgia jangle poppers will premiere their 1999 performance on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury online for 72 hours only at 8pm on Thursday 6 August, which includes renditions of REM classics such as Man on the Moon, Everybody Hurts and It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine). You can catch Michael Stipe and co for free on REM's YouTube channel.

One for mega-fans of the Kings of Manchester Lark this. Oasis e-fanzine OasisArchive has made rare archive footage of Oasis, including an infamous 1994 gig at the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles, available to stream and download for free, though it asks those who do to donate to the Music Venue Trust's Save Our Venues campaign if they can to help save grassroots venues at risk of closing permanently due to the pandemic. 

Like Radiohead and Metallica, Foo Fighters began adding footage of classic live shows from the archives to their YouTube channel for fans to enjoy during lockdown. Yet Dave Grohl and friends must have forgotten their password, as they've only posted three shows, and the last of those was added back in May. That said, there is still over five hours of live Foos to enjoy –  at Hyde Park, London in June 2006; Pantages Theater, Los Angeles in August 2006; and Wembley Stadium, London in June 2008.

The mega-selling group did a socially distanced live set from their hometown of Los Angeles in May. Will.i.am, Taboo, Apl.de.ap and J Rey Soul played for two hours, during which they spoke to fans ('Peabodies', apparently) from around the world as well as performing the likes of Where Is The Love? and Let's Get It Started. You can watch the whole thing back on Black Eyed Peas' YouTube channel.

Eclectic dance music collective Major Lazer began a live-streaming series known as A Very Lazer Sunday in March, where DJs Diplo, Walshy Fire and Ape Drums, as well as a supporting cast, looked to recreate their energetic live shows remotely. The series seems to have come to a close in May, but you can catch up on nine of the 10 instalments (the seventh seems to have gone walkies) across Facebook and YouTube.

The alternative rock giants from Oxford pillaged the archives to post a classic live show on their YouTube channel each week from April to July. They posted 13 gigs in total, all of which are still available to watch, including Astoria, London in May 1994; Live From A Tent, Dublin in October 2000; Coachella, California in April 2012; Summer Sonic, Japan in August 2016; and São Paulo, Brazil in April 2018.

American heavy metal godfathers Metallica are doing similar to Radiohead and posting one of their favourite live performances on YouTube each week. There are 19 shows currently available to watch, including Chicago in August 1983; Muskegon, Michigan in November 1991; Salt Lake City, Utah in January 1997; Copenhagen in July 2009; and Slane Castle, Ireland in June 2019.

When lockdown began, Murder On The Dancefloor singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor began live-streaming her Kitchen Disco, where she performs a number of covers as well as her own songs in her kitchen every Friday. They're a family affair, with her husband Richard doing the filming and the couple's young sons often getting involved. While the Kitchen Disco sadly ended in May, you can catch all the previous discos on Sophie Ellis-Bextor's Instagram.

Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody did live gigs on Snow Patrol's Instagram every week from March until May. He performed covers suggested by fans as well as Snow Patrol songs for 1-2 hours. He chose to take a break during the Black Lives Matter protests in the US (where he lives) and beyond as he didn't feel it was appropriate to play, and doesn't seem to have started again since, but you can catch previous gigs on the Snow Patrol IGTV channel.

Danny Jones, singer and guitarist with pop rockers McFly played acoustic gigs from his kitchen on Tuesdays in April and May, comprised of songs chosen by fans. '#Chooseday' – see what he did there? – usually saw him perform for 30-50 minutes, covering the likes of Bob Dylan, Coldplay and The Weeknd, as well as playing McFly songs. Danny hasn't done a new show since Tuesday 26 May, but you can catch previous gigs in full as well as individual songs on Instagram.

'The Crooner Sessions' saw Take That's Gary Barlow perform duets with other musicians as well as actors, comedians, dancers and even fans on a weekly basis from the start of lockdown until last month. He teamed up with the likes of Craig David, Kelsey Grammer, Nicole Scherzinger, Jason Manford and many more – you can catch up on those performances, and a new song he wrote especially for lockdown, on Gary's Facebook page.

Jarvis Cocker's Domestic Disco, where the former Pulp frontman DJ'ed live from his home via Instagram each weekend, came to an end in May. Sadly only one of the sets seems to have been made available to catch up on, though there is a massive eight-hour playlist of many of the tracks he played which you can listen to for free on Spotify.

The current series of Jarvis Cocker's Bedtime Stories, where he reads an extract from a book of his choice, usually lasting about 20 minutes, in his soothing Sheffield accent to help you drift off, came to an end in June, but you can listen to previous episodes on Jarvis's Facebook, Instagram and YouTube channels.