Velvet Lounge Dive Bar / Live Music Venue

U Street Corridor, Washington, DC –

A quintessential dive bar with a knack for booking some of the best up-and-coming and niche bands DC has to offer, Velvet Lounge makes up in attitude whatever it lacks in décor.

Once past the flashing neon martini glass outside, patrons will find themselves in a cramped and narrow space, rubbing shoulders with the rotating cast of colorful local artists, musicians, and hip college students who show up to chat over $3 Natty Bohs.

While a few dilapidated, low-lit booths provide space to hang out in the back room, most of the action takes place either in the bar, where local DJs spin an array of musical styles for packed crowds of sweaty revelers, or in the sparse upstairs space where local bands take to the tiny stage to entertain a loyal following of music lovers.

A small cover charge wins concertgoers an eclectic lineup of everything from avant-garde noise troupes and soundscape composers to bands playing jazz, post-punk, and Americana, not to mention the occasional bigger-name act.

The place may not be much to look at, but the Velvet Lounge knows how to deliver when it comes to hot music in an up-close-and-personal setting.