Popscene

Aaron Axelsen books the greatest bands and throws an outfreakin’-standing dance party. You want deep cuts? He’s got deep cuts. Stay after the shows and get your dance on.

This place is so cool! I was 40 minutes late, but the concert still hadn’t started. I got up really close. The sound was great and the staff was pretty chill. I saw caught a ghost there, and they were sooooo good! One of my favorite venues, and I’m happy it’s 18 and up and not 21 and up like a lot of other small venues in sf. Would totally come here again!

*After a few visits, I’ll only go when Miles spins* I can’t say I’ve been pleased every time I’ve gone. Its smokey inside and the bar is rather small… but depending on what nights you go, music can be pretty awesome. I’ve seen a few live shows, but DJ nights are my favorites. My personal favorite is Miles the DJ. He always plays some awesome indie hits with good beats that are actually dance friendly. Without my experiences when Miles spins, this place would probably get 1 or 2 stars.

The vibe suffers when Miles The DJ isn’t spinning. Chill spot (for the most part) unless crabby chicks try to ruin the night by being obnoxious. Had some nice opportunities to see artists in a more intimate setting.

Good spot for an intimate show if there’s an artist playing live. Otherwise, this wouldn’t be my first choice to go to on a night out, considering that I’m not a teenager anymore. My favorite DJ who spins is Miles the DJ hands down, he plays great indie sets you can dance to.
Cons: for some reason every time I am here, some type of drama in the crowd breaks out. It is 18+ which explains a lot. Either there needs to be better security or they need to filter out the crowd better. Another con: they charged me $ 3 for a SODA once. First time i have ever been charged anything for a non-​alcoholic beverage in a bar. Extremely lame.
One pro: I remember I lost a bracelet when the place closed for the night, and some of the staff there were really kind enough to help me look for it. Did appreciate that, even though I did not find it :(

Not a kind of club that I would go to again if I’m looking to go dancing with a bunch of friends. This is more of a laid back lounge to go to if you are going somewhere to hook up or to go talk.
PROS:
good music
loved the vibe and the alternative-​look and vibe that was sent off to me.

A tried and tested midweek draw despite the X’ed hands.
Rickshaw Stop is a just plain solid venue but Popscene take it up a notch with an excellent draw, solid acts which are hit or miss (but from my experience more the former than the latter) and drinks that more than make up for any cover.

Fun place, great find in SF while visiting with my boyfriend for the weekend. We got in for $ 7 (although the price was stated at $ 5 for the night, we assumed it was because we went rather late and they had been raising the prie).
It reminded me of college parties, but not in a bad way. Although we didn’t see any live bands, the DJs were pretty good and the vibe was relaxed. Some really bizarre (yet entertaining) music videos were being played on two large projector screens towards the dance floor. It seemed rather empty at first, but as more people came in, the space felt better. Didn’t have any drinks that night — mostly came to just dance and have a simple good time, which I did.
The place was clean and overall enjoyable. Wish we could have come in to see some bands — perhaps next SF visit.

Getting my Brit-​Pop & Indie Music-​Dance on!
SITREP
My buddy Joe Sparks first took me to Popscene when it was at 333 Ritchie in San Francisco back in 1999. It has since moved several times — sometimes it’s own event at a venue, other times as one of the rooms in conjunction with another event at a venue with two rooms — but always it has been provided some of the best, most fun, most frenetic dancing environments.
Now it has found a home at 155 Fell Street.
SETUP
For those who enjoy a mix of music ranging from classic Brit Pop (and yes I do mean the Beatles and Rolling Stones) to more contemporary artists ranging from Oasis in the 90s to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the Killers (these are popular in rotation), then you have found your Mecca.
It should be noted this is an 18+ club, and it’s on a school night (Thursday). So what a great place to find all the bad boys & girls. Gee!
THE LOWDOWN
Still an awesome «party» to enjoy contemporary and classic pop from both sides of the Atlantic!

This is probably my favorite place to go clubbing thus far.
The atmosphere is really chill. Not gross or ghetto at all which is surprising for a place that’s 18+. They played a bunch of songs I didn’t think I would ever dance to. Kind of indie, kind of electro, some remixes of some of my own favorites (Killers, The Strokes, etc). It was definitely fun and interesting.
This time, Foster the People were going to guest DJ. They didn’t get there til maybe sometime after midnight but it was still fun.
They have couches around so if you get tired you’re free to hangout there. Water is free!
The workers are cool, the people who go are cool, the whole place is cool
Planning on going back again sometime.

So many Awesome Musical Acts: Kings Of Leon, The Killers, The Bravery, She Wants Revenge, Vampire Weekend, Muse, Franz Ferdinand, Death Cab For Cutie, Snow Patrol, Tokyo Police Club, The Ting Tings, Ladytron, M.I.A, Amy Winehouse, etc.
Great Music.

This was my home for many years on a thursday. and everytime i go home (i live in London now) i always plan my trip so i am there for at least one if not two Popscenes.
I have seen so many amazing bands: Muse, Amy Winehouse, Bloc Party, Kate Nash, The Kills, Wallpaper, Albert Hammond Jr, The Ting Tings, Blaqk Audio, Robyn, Calvin Harris, The Klaxons, Lily Allen, Hot Hot Heat, The Killers, Bloody Beetroots, DJ AM, and so many more
The music is awesome: a bit indie, a bit electro, 80s, mash ups, 60s, soul, a touch mainstream, britpop. basically good music to dance and sing along to.
It recently moved from its SOMO venu 330 Ritch Street to Hayes Valleys The Rickshaw Stop, but frankly while the venue is different — the club and its people are the same.
if only there was something similar out here… *que whistful sigh*

What night did we come out?
Thursday
How was the line?
No line
What did we have?
1 Bottle of Sky Vodka
2 Redbulls
How was the crowd?
Goodlooking
How was the scene?
Dance and Social Scene
What’s the demographic?
Equal numbers of men and women.
What’s the ambience?
City Folks and Hipsters
What kind of music was playing at Popscene?
Performance night with Eliza Doolittle and Plan B
What’s the noise level?
Loud
Will we hang out at Popscene?
Yes

I’ll start off like this: any club who plays «Boys And Girls» by Blur is the club for me! My friends and I went during a Thursday night. It wasn’t too packed nor too empty. The cover charge was only $ 10 for persons under 21, which is really really inexpensive for those still in their late teens. The music was a nice blend of 90’s indie pop, contemporary pop/​rock with a tinge of mainstream tracks. The place was quite small and intimate, so I can’t imagine how hectic (and fun) it is to see their eclectic line of bands that perform live. I can’t say anything about their drinks since I’m obviously not of age yet :).
Overrall, this is the perfect club to dance your butt off if you’re between 18 – 21.

I had a great time here last time I went. There was live music then there was a DJ. The drinks were pretty good!
It’s a fun place to go for a different club scene. Variety of people as well. You all should definitely check it out!

I like coming here every now and then. I’ve only been here about three times in the past couple of years. Last time I came was Halloween 2009 and the only reason I came was to see French Electro-​House act DANGER. This was his first Bay Area performance and he was amazing. The only thing that sucked was that Popscene’s sound system was not loud enough for Danger; the subwoofers were distorted the whole night. Otherwise, it was great seeing that this guy had plenty of fans in the Bay Area.
I guess the crowd is always a little different depending on who’s playing. If it’s just DJs, it’s usually kids and hipsters who want to dance. If there are bands involved, it’s their hipster fans. Danger… Danger attracted young ravers and random nerdy dudes, like me, who love electro house and can’t dance.
Yeah, Popscene can be fun if I’m in the mood for it.

I like coming here because I loooove to dance. Going to hip-​hop clubs is fine, but if you want something different and appreciate other types of music, like me, you will like this place.
I haven’t been able to go to see any bands perform here but from what I’ve heard, its always fun.
There are a lot of different people, varying in age, but its totally fine because everyone is pretty much just there to dance and have a great time!

I went here for my first time last night and had an awesome time! This is a way different experience from your typical hip-​hop/​top 40 club, but I love that. A live band played (Plushgun) and they were great, I’m sure they’ll make it big soon. Loved the music they played, MGMT, Kings of Leon, Vampire Weekend, plus a lot of 80s retro.
I had absolutely no problems with the bouncers, they even held the door open for us on our way out. The bar service was prompt as well. The food window served wings, belgian waffles (?), fries and other munchies that sounded good.
As for the crowd, I love that they dance like they don’t care, so everyone else should do the same, and not be a lame ass and judge others. It’s for a certain group of people, but that group probably worships this place.

My roommate Raleigh always told me Popscene was a great time. Knowing that it was kind of a dance club/​bar and it was 18 and up, I was a little skeptical.
But about a week ago I passed my MCDST certification and boozing and celebration was in order. It just so happened Raleigh and Brooks were heading out to Popscene. I had a cranberry vodka, a shot of Jack and left the house with them.
There was a 10 dollar cover (I actually hear the cover is usually 4 bucks), I paid comfortable in the knowledge I probably wouldn’t be breaking the bank tonight. I just pounded a beer in the alley behind Ritch, and had another vodka cran. And really the best advice I can give before hitting up Popscene is to have a few drinks at home or at a bar.
Because once inside the drinks are expensive, and a bit weak. But once that alcohol hit us, we hit the dance floor and didn’t return till 2am. It gets a little hot with a crowded dance floor, but everyone was friendly and all about having a good time. Parking was easy.

Hmm…18+ club, plays a lot of indie music, blah blah blah. I’m not too fond of this place for personal reasons, but I’m trying to be objective.
If you don’t mind the crowd here, it can be a pretty fun place to come to. If you’re into the genre of music they play, you’ll be happy to hear all of the songs you know playing while you’re in there dancing.
They have a lot of cool bands that come through and cover is pretty cheap. Downside is that the line to this place gets ridiculously long and they pack everyone in there. It gets hot, random water dripping from the ceiling, and lots of being pushed around.
I was in front for Calvin Harris, and there were girls literally pulling on my shoulders trying to get me away from my coveted spot so they could get up front. When that didn’t work, they did the «dancing while accidentally beating your body with flailing limbs» approach. Thank goodness I’ve had crowd control practice, and frantic jumping up and down with my arms in the air while rocking my upper body back and forth got those beezeeys off my back.
Grace: 381 Skanky Girls: 0
Their dance parties are pretty fun too. There’s not as much as the grind and bump going on, and I’ve never been randomly groped either.
Oh yeah, it helps if you dress like scenester when you come here, you’ll fit right in. Especially if you’re older, you can hang out with the 30 year olds who are wearing skinny jeans, mohawks, multiple piercings and tattoos, and huge sunglasses indoors at night.

Last time I be here, I almost got a great grind from a Cross-​Dresser who reeked of the chronic. Best Night Ever.