An Incomplete Guide to Brooklyn Music Venues

Our intrepid reporter braves blown-out speaker systems and $16 Modelos to bring you the news you need to know.

Art by DJ Short

If you’re reading this magazine, you’re probably just as much of a music sicko as I am, which means that those of you who live in the same cities will likely end up congregating at the same handful of venues. In my four years here, I’ve seen places come and go, from hole-in-the-wall spots like Bushwick Public House to massive venues like the ill-fated Brooklyn Mirage. I’ve set out to provide a rough guide of what to expect at those Brooklyn venues that have survived or recently opened: the highlights, lowlights, whether or not to have a few drinks BEFORE getting there (every single one of them, buddy, we’re in New York). But I also want to hold these places accountable on points beyond exorbitant drink prices: poorly imagined entrance layouts, shitty sound systems, and IKEA-core design principles. It feels as if these venues can do whatever they want and get away with it. I’m hoping that, even from my tenuous perch here at POW, these words could have some impact on getting that Modelo tall boy down from $16 to somewhere closer to $10.

Public Records

My concerts: Actress, Anycia Kim x Tony Seltzer, Loukeman/Vegyn, Peanut Butter Wolf

Train stop: Hoyt-Shemerhorn (A/C, G)

Come if you: are an audiophile, like cocktails

Four words or less: Tasteful Gentrification-Core

An all-around great venue, despite its high ceilings, industrial feel, and general gentrify-design aesthetics. The upstairs bar is for food and cocktails and vinyl DJs, or stopping in for a drink with friends (gulp—prices). Their outdoor space is the Atrium, ideal for daytime performances when the subterranean sound room feels too nocturnal. This is their newest addition, and I’m a fan; it’s where I saw Vegyn and Loukeman sets last summer (Loukeman killed it; I love Vegyn’s music dearly, but his DJ sets have felt uncharacteristically pandering). The crown jewel here is the Sound Room; the system itself is incredible, and the layout feels designed with the acoustics as a priority. Dimly lit in red and heavy on fog, the moody aesthetics fuse with that sound into a singularly intoxicating sensory experience.

Its location in Gowanus speaks to the area’s shifting demographics, the trickle of gentrification that started in the ‘90s becoming a flood post-Covid. It sits on an otherwise industrial block, surrounded by lots that are in the midst of being converted into high rises. This is not a shocking development (pun intended): it’s only a few blocks away from the stroller- dog owner-frequented Park Slope. It slots in neatly with the slew of luxury buildings, breweries, and nightclubs meant to appeal to the “new,” post-Canal cleanup (but still active Superfund site) Gowanus.

Report card

Drinks: C+

Great if slightly too-fancy cocktails, but insane prices for Threes Brewing cans. I remember it being $16 for Vliet pilsner/Logical Conclusion tallboys at some point (egregious), but it’s since changed to $12 for a 12 oz can (feels better but just as egregious). I’ll give them credit for carrying a local brewery, at least. That, coupled with the quality cocktails, balances this score out. But beer drinkers beware—just stop at Wild East or one of the other breweries around here before the show.

Sound: A+ (Sound Room)

The best one on this list, it sounds incredible even when loud. There was a moment during UK legend Actress’s set when he was playing with the low-end EQ on a particularly bass-heavy track, and it felt like the whole ceiling was shaking. Definitely loud as shit, but considering the room itself was being moved by the low frequencies, it never reached true ear-damage decibel levels. Versatile, but ideal for electronic genres like dub techno or house that rely on subtle shifts in EQ or filtering. Even the most minute twist of a CDJ frequency knob is noticeable on this beast of a setup.

Verdict: A-

New-build vibes be damned, this is a sick venue that while lacking in DIY charm, makes up for it with an excellent sound system and multiple spaces. There’s a “Public Record,” of no relation, shockingly close by. Take note, Uberers.

Elsewhere

My concerts: YHWH Nailgun + DJ E, Misogi, Lunice

Train stop: Jefferson St. (L)

Come if you: Follow Hyperpopdaily and/or read Pitchfork

Four words or less: Well-Curated, Quasi-DIY

If an artist is popular online, they’re probably playing here when they stop through on tour. The curation is consistent, if occasionally hypebeasty, and seems to take its cues from social media buzz. Despite being a legit independent music venue (i.e.- not owned by Live Nation), there’s something decidedly pseudo-DIY about this place. To buy drinks, you scan your credit card onto a wristband, and tap your wrist (human ApplePay) to complete the purchase. It feels Ticket Masterish at best and, at worst, designed to take advantage of the drunken masses by fostering a more mindless drinking experience.

Like Public Records, your concertgoing experience here depends on which stage you choose. I’ve seen most shows in their Zone one, which is smaller and tends to highlight underground artists like Misogi, or up-and-comers like Projectile (fka Kid Smoko). The main hall is for headliners, often artists fresh off a favorable Pitchfork review and/or general industry hype. I saw the neo-postpunk three-piece YHWH Nailgun headline here, preceded by a set from Andean mashup maestro DJ E/Chuquimamani-Condori. The rooftop might be my favorite space of theirs, and is perfect for DJ sets during warmer weather. Seeing Lunice up there spinning Hudson Mohawke songs brought joy to my heart, and spoke to my teenage TNGHT-obsessed self.

Report card

Drinks: C+

The aforementioned wristband thing is an automatic turn-off for me. If they think people not scanning their credit card will make them buy more drinks, they’re probably right. But there’s something off-putting, even vaguely dystopian about it, and makes me feel like this place is purely a money-making venture. Maybe I need to get over my romantic notions of art x capitalism though, I get that these places need to keep the doors open.

Smoking Area: A-

Decently sized little patio area downstairs, to the left of zone one. Room for mingling, or plenty of space if you’re out there to smoke a solitary spliff. Kind of close to the entrance, can occasionally get hectic.

Verdict: B+

This place does a good job of keeping its finger on the wavering, digitally mediated pulse. Its smartly curated programming elevates it above its oddly commercial trappings.

99 Scott

My concerts: Magdalena Bay (DJ set), Loidis/Skee Mask

Train stop: Jefferson St. (L)

Come if you: like raves, going out to dance

Four words or less: Bushwickian Warehouse

This description is as much a reference to its geographical location in the heart of the Bush (“where some people dare to dream that they can learn to skateboard at 39 years old”), as it is to the venue’s demographic. I’m not here to do the whole Bushwick-patchwork-tattoo shtick, I’ll leave that to the Instagram sketch comedy community. But “Bushwickian” feels like a good catch-all for this venue, even if it might be impossible to encapsulate all of Bushwickia into a single archetype. It’s right next to Elsewhere, so the crowds overlap.

Sound: F+

Mid. Actually, worse than mid: butt cheeks. Unclear whether the sound setup itself is the issue, or more likely, the cavernous space makes it impossible to control resonance. Either way, boy, does this place sound like shit. I first saw Magdalena Bay do a DJ set here and wrote it off as a one-night issue. But then I saw Loidis and Skee Mask—both renowned for their sound design—and their set was reduced to a blurred, pounding mess.

If I hadn’t seen Skee Mask at Public Records and been blown away, I might be less critical. I’d never seen Loidis and was fiending to hear some One Day-adjacent microhouse/dub techno played extremely loud. But the sound was so bad that I had to leave after an hour and a half and way too many smoke breaks. Even earplugs (paid for at the bar 😐) weren’t enough to make a difference. The only reason I’m refraining from full F is that I understand it’s impossible to control sound in a massive warehouse setting with glass windows. But there has to be some way to set things up so we hear more than just throbbing, overpowering bass and piercing hi-hats.

Drinks: D+

Terrible prices but nothing out of the ordinary. Aforementioned $16 Modelo tallboys to try and soothe my head from the horrendous sound.

Outdoor space/smoking area: A

I’ll give them credit for a spacious, pleasant smoking section out back. Cigarette possessors beware: someone is guaranteed to ask you for one. A refuge from the barrage of ear damage-inducing 909 kicks in the main room.

Bathrooms: A+

So many bathrooms downstairs, seemingly all gender-neutral. I don’t remember the last time I walked into a semi-empty bathroom during one of these events; the merch line was longer than the bathroom line. Shoutout to them for at least having that side of things figured out.

Verdict: D

This is the venue I’ve attended the least on this list, so maybe I caught them on a bad night(s). But to put it kindly: I will not be racing back here for a show. Not going full F due to the interesting-looking room, spacious outdoor area, and plenty of bathrooms, and I’m giving them a slight break on sound due to the nature of the structure. Still, I would avoid this if the sound of the music itself is a priority on your night out.

Market Hotel

My concerts: Shlohmo, Ryan Hemsworth + Umru etc. (Umru Capacity Series), Ovlov/Anamanaguchi

Train stop: Myrtle-Broadway (J, M)

Come if you: like 2slimey/YhappoJJ and/or Heated Rivalry

Four words or less: Myrtle-Broadway in Venue Form

You can literally hear the J train rattle by outside the window. Beyond the venue’s proximity to the station, it has a lot of overlapping qualities: gritty, loud, diverse, constantly changing. It feels like a microcosm of Myrtle-Broadway, and not in the liminal space-fantasy meme sense that the Dunkin-Checkers-Popeyes lineup has come to represent on the internet. That now-infamous string of fast food chains is celebrated online as an endearing eyesore that gives recent transplants the illusion of existing in an authentic, REAL New York; some vision of a Velvet Underground bohemia-in-rundown-neighborhood scene. The reality is more complicated. Longtime residents view the chains as a residual sign of a grimmer former reality, a reminder of when the intersection’s gritty feel extended beyond a chic in-joke. The venue and station both foreground this jarring collision of transplants in their 20s and 30s and Brooklyn lifers that can only come from an interchange station like M-B.

This notion of the venue-as-station extends even to the shows. The calendar is an eclectic mix of rap (2slimey and YhappoJJ), a rotating series of queer events like 2024’s endless brat-themed parties and, more recently, Heated Rivalry functions (my personal favorite name of these is “Aphex Twinks”), all the way to bands like Ovlov or Greet Death. Most of these shows appeal to the same demographic: young people, and mostly young people who just moved to the city. But then you look at the calendar and see a Berner show, and it’s clear their programming casts a wide net.

Report card

Sound: A-

Very solid. Shlohmo’s REPULSOR and its shoegaze future-bass sounded incredible here when matched with his signature wall projections. Got the job done without familiar issues for loud-ass shows.

Getting inside: C

If there’s one frustrating indication of the venue’s diversity of shows, it’s the intense and oddly touchy security at the door. That coat check/merch area at the entrance can be a brutal bottleneck before or after shows.

Verdict: A-

Endearingly gritty and DIY, without sacrificing a professional setup. Cozy but not tiny, perfectly sized for what it is. Definitely one of my overall favorites in the borough.

Baby’s All Right

My concerts: TAGABOW, Vegyn, Glixen

Train stop: Marcy Av. (J, M)

Come if you: like shoegaze and/or find new music through Spotify

Four words or less: Burgh Box Bar

This is the most difficult one to separate from the pack. Nothing stands out, and that’s mostly a good thing. It’s cozy, but not a shoebox. Big enough that TAGABOW can do their Boiler Room, perform-at-the-same-level-as-the-audience thing and there’s still enough space for the crowd around them (to do their head-nod, barely emotive shoegaze concert thing). It tends to skew toward rock/pop/guitar music shows, in my experience, but I also saw Vegyn here. There’s always a bunch of artists I’ve never heard of on their calendar, and I get the sense this is because their programming leans a bit millennial.

The additional bar and booth-seating area also makes it well suited for events, like Pitchfork’s Bladee zine launch. There’s one bar near the entrance, but keep walking past that one and the stage is in the back, along with another bar on the other side. It doubles as a non-venue bar more effectively than any other spot on here besides Public Records. The calendar is a mix of established artists and newer acts, especially loud guitar-pedal bands (looking for a shoegaze synonym.. anybody?). It’s easy to get to from Brooklyn/Queens off the J or M trains, and right over the bridge if you’re coming from Manhattan (good for you).

Nothing here subtracts from the concertgoing experience, besides that damn ramp placement. To be clear: shoutout to them for being wheelchair accessible. But standing there mid-show and having to constantly move out of people’s way is a nightmarish routine. Maybe that’s just my fault for always ending up in that spot. This is the important shit, people: where NOT to stand at the show.

Report card

Bathrooms: A

i. Easily accessible from the side/booth area (where the merch usually is) down the stairs. I don’t know if it’s because the venue is relatively small, or the bathrooms are kind of hidden from view, but there never seems to be a line. Like 99 Scott, gender-neutral.

Stage lighting/setup: A-

The lights behind the stage are a nice touch, and give photos taken here an immediately identifiable back-lit look. I also like the general stage layout, specifically the way it’s tucked behind the two bars.

Verdict: B+

I have less to say about this one, and that’s not a bad thing—it almost seems to be by design. Their programming doesn’t always speak to me, but overall they do a good job.

In 2026, when hundreds of streams pay artists pennies, it’s more important than ever to support local venues. Lifespans are short for these places; if Brooklyn Mirage is any indication, one (or more) of the spots on this list might be closed in three years. Maybe another becomes legendary, synonymous with a certain scene or era, and 20 years from now someone will look back at this article as a historical document (slow down slow down).

Go check out these spots for yourself, while they’re still here. These are just my thoughts on the venues, after all. You could go on a different night, with a different group of friends, for a different show, with a different special someone, and have a completely different experience. There’s only one way to find out.