Lit Lounge

East Village, New York –

A quick glance at the grungy façade of Lit Lounge is enough to reveal the venue’s attitude – secretive, grimy, and underground, the perfect reflection of skateboarder Eric Foss and the select enclave of artists who opened this vampiric watering hole to support Fuse Gallery next door.

With a dimly-lit lounge and dance area on top and a raw, raging rock venue below, this bipolar spot is united by narrow winding corridors, one black and darkly classy, the other raw-red and deliciously dingy.

On the ground floor, high-end rockers and hip-hop hipsters draped over black cushions in the alcoves form the backdrop for the swirl of activity at the long bar, where punkish tattooed bartenders whip up cocktails for the parade of go-go dancers, artists, and occasional indie celebs anxious to slink back to their shadowy tables.

A DJ thumping out rock and new wave turns out a high-decibel vibe, but patrons who actually want to dance, make their way to the downstairs dungeon of exposed brick, where a ramshackle stage decked out in quilts and Christmas lights hosts a different band every night.

A crowded and sweaty VIP room provides a short respite from the rowdy action on the dance floor, where a range of post-punk, dub, and death metal keeps patrons on their feet.

For all its underground cool, however, Lit maintains a sexy sense of chill more conducive to tipsy but innocent make-out sessions than puking drunks and pick-up lines, and whether downing drinks to indie beats up top or diving headfirst into the mosh pit downstairs, patrons dressed to impress in their blackest garb know that at Lit Lounge, it’s all in the name of rock.