Mercury Lounge

06/03/10

Cool spot

by tzsilversmith

Never been before the other night, but went to go see a friend of a friend play. Pretty good venue in terms of space and sound. Beer wasn't too expensive either.

• Pros: Good sound, decently priced drinks

02/03/10

The London Souls (2/2) at the Mercury Lounge

by EvanG

The London Souls rolled into the Lower East Side, Tuesday night, for the second show of their three week residency at the Mercury Lounge. One of NYC’s Austin, TX-esque venues, with bar in the front and stage in the back, the Mercury Lounge is the perfect place (in Manhattan) to experience music in its most raw, underground form. Even with lights low, the room, said to hold 250 people, provided a perfect view of the stage, even from the back wall. As for the sound, I hope you like it loud.

I was able to catch the end of the opening set by The Auctioneers, which was good, although I felt embarrassed for the bassist as he tried to get a slow clap going when the majority of the crowd had one hand occupied with a drink. Around 11pm, the Souls took the stage. I had seen them late last year as openers for the Tom Petty Fest, held at the Bowery Ballroom. They started the set with a few of their lower energy jams, including one of their few recorded songs, “Someday” (full album to be released soon, hopefully). As they took a mid-show break to rehydrate, the crowd entered into a chorus of the “Happy Birthday song,” which was welcomed by lead singer, Tash. After the breather, the set turned to the songs I remembered from the last show, which lead me to describe the sound as having elements of both Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix. They ended the show with the fast paced, “I Think I Like It,” which includes the lyrics, “She’s crazy (she’s crazy), but (I think I like it).”

It may be difficult for even the semi-serious music fan to find a band they know playing at the Mercury Lounge, so check out the final show of the London Souls’ residency on 2/9. Or just pick a random show; it’ll be cheap and maybe you’ll find yourself in on the ground floor of the next big thing.

09/24/09

Ive never been a fan

by lilgertie

Ive never been a fan. Its pretty touristy and a bit sterile. They really dont book good local bands. Its more just for out of town 1990's sounding alt-indie from mid-sized labels who use expensive booking agents and pr. It is not a down-home nyc rocknroll place. Mercury is part of an exclusive loop of clubs including Bowery Ballroom and similar operators.

If you want to see what is really happening in the ny underground scene then go elsewhere. and Definitely dont go there for the sake of drinking.... find a cheaper bar before and after.

However, I certainly give them credit for recently booking "Germs Return" aka the Germs. Also, kudos for surviving so long in their pricey location on Houston street. Ultimately, I prefer to have Mercury there in the village instead of some douchey "night at the roxbury" type club.

01/23/09

Great place

by Urbanlover22

I have to say ive been three times and I love it! they book the best bands and groups and thats where a lot of the break out bands started.

• Pros: The enviroment
• Cons: Just at times its crowded

12/02/06

Space and Music is excellent

by swanderlust

This is an awesome place. Saw Sleater-Kinney here last year and just awesome. It's clean and I like the set-up, bar in front, and behind plush curtains an ample floor to watch shows.