Silverlake Lounge Dive Bar / Live Music Venue

Silverlake Lounge Silverlake Lounge in LA's Silver Lake is a divey music venue with great shows, drag queens, & open mic nights. Hit up this Los Angeles staple with Party Earth. Los Angeles United States 34.0830191154477 -118.273766040802

3.15 8

Silverlake Lounge - Dive Bar | Live Music Venue in Los Angeles.

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4 User Reviews

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User Reviews (4)

Ratings:

Lucas

Adriana

Jonah

Emma

Party Earth Review Drag queens and drums are what patrons can expect at Silverlake Lounge, though not necessarily on the same day. A longtime partnership with LA promotion company The Fold helped bring quite a few notable indie bands to... ... read full review

Neighborhood:

Silver Lake
Address:

2906 Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90026

Get Directions

Phone:

323-663-9636
Links:
Official Website

Hours:

M–F 5pm–2am, Sa–Su 3pm–2am
Recommended as:
- Night Spot

First to review Daniel B.

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Party Earth Silverlake Lounge Review

The Scene

Silverlake Lounge in LA's Silver Lake is a divey music venue with great shows, drag queens, & open mic nights. Hit up this Los Angeles staple with Party Earth.

Silver Lake, Los Angeles –

Drag queens and drums are what patrons can expect at Silverlake Lounge, though not necessarily on the same day.

A longtime partnership with LA promotion company The Fold helped bring quite a few notable indie bands to the Lounge’s stage in years past – including Cold War Kids, The Head and The Heart, and local heroes Silversun Pickups – before they were famous.

Sadly, that partnership ended in early 2012, but weeknights and most Saturday evenings are still all about live bands inside this barebones joint, which is basically just a single black room with a basic bar and a tiny low-set stage.

The crowd is what one would expect in the hipster paradise of Silver Lake, with lots of disheveled boys, quirky girls, musicians, and unkempt creatives gathering to sip slightly overpriced beers – it is a music venue after all – served by the customarily grumpy bartenders.

The cover charge rarely exceeds $10 and is usually free on open mic nights, which feature everything from comedy and storytelling to amateur up-and-coming bands that will be up-and-leaving very soon.

Late night weekends usually host a different set of characters as the bar turns over to mostly Latino drag queens.

Yup.

Dirty, sticky, and a stalwart for music and men in dresses, Silverlake Lounge is here, a little queer, get used to it.

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Tip from Jonah:

Go on Sunday to indulge in $7 pitchers of PBR! And be sure and check the venue’s Twitter feed for the latest band lineup.

Crowd

Musicians, artists, hipsters, emo kids, punk rockers, fans of the band, goth girls, and men who enjoy being a drag, 20s+.
Entertainment / Music

Live bands most Mondays through Thursdays, with early evening shows on Fridays and Saturdays.

Open mic on Fridays at 6pm and Spoken Word on Sundays at 4:30pm. Drag shows dazzle at 11:15pm and 12:15am most Friday through Sunday nights.

Television sets litter the bar area and are tuned to whatever is relevant that day.
Food / Miscellaneous

No food, but menus are available at the bar to order food in. Small parking lot in back. Happy Hour M–F 5–8pm, Sa–Su 3–8pm. Cash only.
Prices

Beer $4–$6, wine $5, rails and shots $6–$8.

What to Wear / Dress Code

Grunge casual: tight jeans, plaid shirts, slouchy beanies, jean jackets, vests over hoodies, leather jackets, moccasins, pashminas, streaked bobs, black-rimmed glasses.
Hot Nights / When to Go

Any time a band of interest is playing, or Fridays to witness open mic disasters and successes.
Close By

Cowboys and Turbans (2815 Sunset Boulevard) is an Indian street food oasis offering tandoori naan pizzas on a secluded secret garden of a patio, making it a perfect juxtaposition to the hole-in-the-wall dive that is the Silverlake Lounge.

Tags:: 20s and upArtistsBudget-friendlyCash OnlyCasualComedyCover chargeCreative / Art / Music TypesDrag ShowFlannel ShirtsGothHappy HourHipsterHipsterHipster StyleIndie RockJeans and T-ShirtLive BandLive EntertainmentLive MusicMusiciansOpen MicPunksTVsThick Glasses

Silverlake Lounge User Reviews

silent471 Jun 7, 2013 3.0 stars I approve You're all morons. One of the best sound systems to hear live music in in L.A. The bookers from The Fold, know their shit and book top notch quality talent. Have you heard of a little band called Silversun Pickups? Yeah, uh, guess where they got their name from? Uh, the liquor store across the street from the Silverlake Lounge you buy beer from before your show. Besides that tidbit of 411, There is only occasionally a cover and that money goes almost all to the bands so stop whining about paying a measely 5 or 6 bucks to see the same bands you might have to pay $50 to see in 2 years after their major label debut. Another thing....if you want a clean, bright and beautiful bar to see a rock band in...I dont really know what to say...kill yourself? Or just head on down to the House Of Blues for shitty band night they throw up every weekend. One night I was at the SL Lounge and Cedric from Mars Volta was there with his girl hanging and catching the local bands. This place is strictly for people who want to see and hear what is fresh and real, the envelope pushers. If you can't get that after your first time here than its just not for you. You stay where you are, Ill stay where I am. No one gets hurt.

Stevie Snow Feb 6, 2013 3.0 stars On any given night.... Amongst dive bars, there is generally an unwritten rule: on any given night, there is an opportunity to experience something great (or, conversely, something terrible). On a particular Sunday night, I was lucky enough to receive the former. I stumbled in unknowingly, but as soon as I walked in I could feel something, and I knew exactly what it was: open mic night. After grabbing a beverage (it was cheap, and it may have been happy hour. And luckily I had cash, as they don't dig on plastic at the Silverlake Lounge), I surveyed the list (it was long. I didn't perform until about an hour or so after I signed up) and met the host, a friendly and slightly stout gentleman by the name of Andy Sell. This local comedian informed me that they run a weekly open mic, comprised mostly of comics, but also musicians, and other random acts (I was lucky enough to catch a girl do things with her body that I am not sure nature intended). It was a cozy environment, and the host made it fun for all. The bar itself is long, and the wall opposite the bar is lined with benches. This design makes it ideal for viewing the stage. There is also a lovely patio area. Overall, I think I will be back. It may not always be that much fun, but with dive bars, I guess it just depends on what's going on that night.

jsunmatthews Nov 9, 2012 2.0 stars Nice Dumpy Local with Bands Ranging from Awesome to Awful Cheap, very simple place, rarely more than a $5 cover charge. It’s a dumpy live music venue that also doubles as a tranny bar on some nights, I think. Gotta love LA. Nothing special décor or drink wise. But they don’t charge outlandish fees to see some local music, and you might be surprised by the band you find. They even do classical here sometimes, normally on Saturday once a month, I believe. Bartenders are routinely jerks, but I’m a dude so girls might have a totally different experience. Go if you know that band that is playing or if you happen to be strolling by and it’s Happy Hour. Don’t drive across town.

Daniel B Oct 26, 2012 3.0 stars Indie Dive With a Few Gems Silverlake Lounge is one of the first places emerging indie bands play before moving on to bigger venues like The Troubadour and The Echo. That being said, you're practically guaranteed to see a bunch of crap. But, every now and then you'll discover something surprisingly good before KCRW picks up their single and they make it big. Some of the great bands that have come through the Silverlake Lounge include Rare Monk and Sad Robot. Even if the music's a bust, the drinks are cheap(ish) and most shows are free. Even for the biggest headlining acts, I've never paid more than a $5 cover.