Popscene used to be a hotspot for me and my friends. The youngins don't bother me so much as the lamers who go there now. Just get ultra-drunk and you won't mind them so much. It's cool cuz bands sometimes hang out there after their shows. One time, my friends and I ran into Carlos from Interpol and played pool with him. I've seen some really cool, intimate acts go through there; The Sounds, Stellastarr* and a lot of guest DJ's. Now, I don't go there because the DJ's have been sucking lately and the crowd tends to be fratboy party-goer's. read more

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! read more

Popscene - Caught a Ghost - Music Venues Near Me - San Francisco, California

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everyone's right...it USED to be a cool club to go to, even just to listen to the great music. on any given thurs. night, you'd hear everything from Chapterhouse to Beastie Boys to T Rex to the Stone Roses. the highlight was when a buddy of mine & I ran into Damon from Blur one night...and gave them a ride back to the Phoenix hotel, i s#$! you not. but sadly, it has become somewhat of a teeny-bopperish, wannabe-ultrahipster type of place. and the lines to get in are obscenely long. read more

This place is dreadful. I haven't been in a long while, but I've heard it is still the same. Lots of pretty good atrists will play here, but the sound is awful. I honestly think you could get a better sound if you put the band in a toilet bowl. Also, the people who work here are dicks. You're probably not going to have fun here unless you're 18 and this is your first show. If a band you really, really, reallllllly like is playing, I recommend going, but just be prepared, it's not gonna blow your mind. read more

Went here once, but kinda was disappointed at how little I could get my groove on here. I don't think I'm hipster enough to have even went here.Not enough booty shaking music, hipsters, and taco smelling armpits. read more

I actually liked the crowd at Popscene tonight. Maybe I've just been hanging out with too many boring people of work age who get annoyed at anyone who raises their voice at a show. Since moving here from Austin, its been hard to find a place with energy and a personal feel. Popscene is pretty cozy and has reasonable entry fees. It is 18+ , which some people feel trepidation over.. but for the most part the crowd here was the indie type and very well behaved.. as well as not bad looking. Whenever they have an up and coming band (like Two Door Cinema Club) playing, you'll find me there. Also, the dance music afterwards was awesome.. a good mashup/mix of 80's and current dance/electronic stuff. read more

Had a great time seeing a fab indie band here... the place was spacious w/ plenty of room to break it down, a cool & eclectic crowd was in the house looking to have fun, and there were seats available for the dancing-challenged. It was probably a bit too spacious considering there were a ton of people waiting outside who could have easily been admitted w/o overcrowding... I don't recommend showing up late to a show here just for that reason. If you do find yourself waiting in line and you have a big group, take shifts sneaking around the corner to snag shots at the Brickhouse so you can keep warm... trust me, it makes the wait much more bearable! read more

normally I'm all about live-band nights at places... but popscene is a hell of a lot more fun when there isn't anyone headlining and the music is just left to the DJs. decent mix of people... straight, gay, boy, girl, scenester, couldn't-give-a-shitster... and (as far as DJs goes) a really refreshing selection of music. be prepared to deal with a line, both to get in and to water yourself at the bar once you do. enjoy your overpriced micro-drinks. :-P read more

Lots people seem to be embarrassed or reluctant to come here because it is 18+. Get over it, the 18+ crowd deserves good shows too :-p. If your 34 and not a perv this probably isn't the spot to meet woman at. If you want to see some good music you are in the right place. This night consistently brings in a lot of awesome acts that no one else does... or at least not until they blow up. If you keep up with new indie bands on the "popier" side of things there is a good chance you will see them here. I am psyched for the Teenagers this week and Vampire Weekend next week. read more

ahhh Popscene.. well this is where hipsters under the legal-drinking age hang out. They have some great concerts there and some great theme nights, but I stopped going at some point as the crowd is really, really young and it's a bitch to get too. Still i think the venue size is great for concerts and popscene has a lot of cool artists before they get huge (european bands/artists like robyn years ago), so a great place for checking out some nice shows. read more

For my friend's 28th birthday, she had requested to reminisce of her younger days and go to Popscene. Most of us had a look of concern pondering if this was to be a pre-cursor to a mini-mid-life crisis but that's what the birthday wanted and that's what the birthday girl was gonna get. Upon arrival, it was immediate the crowd was a decade younger than us, so all pounded a bunch of LCs and/or Long Islands. It made the evening more eventful. Great music. Good dance moves. All-in-all it was a great night. But Popscene is best left to the 18 y/o crowd. read more

4 stars before I turned 21 and about 3.5 stars now but I will give it the benefit of the doubt. The bouncers are kind of rude and their drinks are overpriced. I got charged 8 dollars for a Screwdriver. And then I went back to get another drink (cranberry and vodka) and was charged 5 dollars. Weird, but nontheless, expensive. And its really hot in there. On the good side, I really like their music and since I go to school in Santa Barbara, I only go to Popscene when I'm back in the Bay Area which means I don't get sick of the music. There are also some good shows. Initimate crowd, small place, good place to go dancing, especially if you're under 21. read more

If you have never been there you should know that its in a small ally on the left side across from this big balck wall. Also Its hard to find parking and the parking lots charge between 10-50 dollars. Mostly 30 though. The place inside is actually really nice. Well priced drinks and clean. read more

Occasionally I get dragged here to attend a show and it's alright. For the most part I avoid this place like the plague because 1) I'm not stuck in the dance music scene from 2003-2005 2) I don't pay money to party with 18 year olds 3) The Sequin Mafia 4) and the bartenders couldn't be snootier. Not only this but most of the establishments in this area of town are irrelevant to me after dinnertime thus this neighborhood is irrelevant to me after dinnertime. Popscene might cater to a better looking crowd than most shitty dance clubs in San Francisco, but this place is mostly just good for when you're wasted, in a cab, and unable to make decisions. Another negative is that they don't serve any fancy drinks, and it's not like this place is upscale, but a regular draft beer is like fucking six dollars. Lame-o. read more

the music set list is always the same and clintele has drastically changed for the worse. I went once, for a change sober there and I'm glad I brought my book. which I read while my friends had 'fun' out on the dance floor. the drinks are overpriced though. not worth it. read more

Popscene is an unparalleled opportunity for SF peeps to see 'on the rise' British (and other) pop/rock bands. Im a 30-suming ex-pat, and get down to popscene every now and then when a band of note comes to town. I hate queuing but deal with the inevitable queue and am not much of a fan of being surrounded by teenagers, but I handle that too. All in All popscene is pretty special, and Ive seen many bands on the rise, and who later go on to play much larger, and more expensive venues (Arctic monkeys, kooks, magic numbers . .) Note: It not unusual to need to get there an hour before doors open for better known bands. read more

I pegged you guys all wrong. There was room to move around plenty of space to stand and nurse my beer, but also welcoming tunes and dance floor to get my groove if I so chose. Apparently you all had just remodeled and from the response of my friends who had visited previously its definitely a step up. Keep up the great work, I will come again! read more

Popscene is small an intimate, I'll give it that. It also has that "I'm in college and under 18 so I have nowhere else to go" feel to it. There are not nearly enough seats in this place and the bar has pricey Pabst Blue Ribbon. The draw here is seeing a great band about as close as you possibly can. I'm talking, so close you can reach out and pluck guitar strings close. Usually this is the starting place in the Bay Area for small up and coming bands. The stage is low, so if you can't get close, and your short, you might not see anything. The sound also leaves alot to be desired. Watch the schedule for great up and comers. read more

i dig popscene, yeah im 21 & like to party. its all about the music! i dont like the staff here, with that monstrous buffoon outside, and the huge shining light before you get to walk in. kind of kills it for me. i like the crowded dingy inside, and love dancing drunk! i dont need to lie to chill..they have awesome venues sometimes. read more

great music and classy venue. love the live music and music choice. an awesome place to go to get away from the top 40 hiphop music scene. rude bodygaurds. even before approaching the front door they were just glaring at my group, then personally did not believe my ID even though I am 20 years old. flicked it, passed it to three different body guards, looked me up and down and after their "examination" let me go in only to say that I maybe should stop wearing skinny jeans. appalled by their disrespect and unfriendly service. i understand they are bodyguards, but you could treat the customers who are providing you with a job with a little decency. read more

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. read more

So they get some good smaller acts, but the venue itself stinks. No advance tickets at many shows means you wait in line longer than the band is on stage. Rude staff, poor acoustics, and an awkward space for seeing a band live. Overall, I'd say wait for whichever band you're wanting to see to come to one of the many better venues in town. read more

If I could give it a neutral rating, I would. I just came back from a very disappointing trip to this club. That's because they even wouldn't let me in because I only had my ID Card as a foreigner with me and not my passport. I just want every foreigner, who's not familiar with U.S. nightlife, to be aware that he SHOULD NOT forget his/her passport. ID Card or similar probably won't be accepted. I hope my review saves at least another's evening and nerves... read more

Really good, the place is clean, the bathrooms are clean, great floor plan ( sorry architecture major ) umm, good music i must say, a level between pop and electro with hence of dub step. Awesome place to go read more

LOVEd this place when I was under 21. I was faithful between the ages of 18 and 21 - went religiously for two of those years. I went there once after I turned 21 and haven't been since. This most likely doesn't reflect on the club itself, but I just got tired of doing the same thing. Music is great and live performances are very intimate. The DJs are phenomenal! I have to make my way back there one of these days. Security is the greatest. Like any other club/venue you have to flirt with them and go there often for them to recognize you and be nice. Otherwise, they are tough and do their job very well. read more

I went to Popscene for my 20th birthday on the 29th of october. the live band completely sucked, and ruined michael jackson's "Thriller" I have the video as proof. also, I got called a name by one of the staff, the Dj actually. because i asked him nicely if he could play a song, because it was my birthday. I will never go here again. This completely ruined my birthday. read more

im kind of embarrassed to write a review for popscene. it feels like i'm a dance chaperone with all the kiddies running amuck. but, the music/dj's are cool when you're looking for danceable non-hiphop. lots of energy because of the kiddies. but the best thing about popscene is their featured artists! saw mike relm in '06 and steve aoki in '08. DOPE. read more

i love to dance!!! if i could go dancing go out every weekend i would defiantely make popscene my first stop on thursday nights to get the weekend off to a great start. they have a great dj and the dance floor is spacious so you are constantly getting elbowed or nudged yet the floor is not barren so you feel self conscious either. it is just right. although it is 18 and over there doesn't seem to be to many teeny boppers with is good. i definately recommend checking this out. plus many times they have a concert prior to the club opening for dancing. read more

The fact that it's 18+ makes it a good crowd. Sometimes the DJs in between play ok music but my favorite nights are definitely when Miles The DJ is spinning! He's the best! read more

Popscene may have some good music but the bouncers are ridiculous. Some friends who were underage were turned away because the bouncers decided that they'd been drinking (though they hadn't had a drop to drink all night). Their claim was that one of the girl's eyes were watery (a clear sign of drunkness, I guess). I suggest making sure you haven't had anything to drink before going and bringing your own breathalyzer to prove you're sober (if you're under 21, anyway). I have been in once before and it wasn't anything special. The DJ was pretty lame and the crown dull. read more

I used to love this place, it's one fo the few places to dance to rock music and other alternative oriented sounds like techno and 80's although you will quickly find that the same 80's songs get played every weekend. Still I saw the Killers, The Bravery and Bloc Party there before any of them were big in a crowd of maybe 100. Lately as of the last year i've been there maybe once or twice, i've just grown out of it, crowd wise. As many of the other reviews state it's an 18 and over bar which is great for some reasons like I used to take my sister there all the time because she wasn't 21 and wanted to party with me, but let's face it freshman girls in college act like freshman girls in high school when they get away from there parents' eagle eyes and do a little pre-sapping before going in. The security staff and bartenders are all pretty cool I have been effed up out of my gourd here and they were still cool to me and didn't kick me out, just told me to calm down a bit. ha-ha. It's a great place to catch a million one hit wonder pop bands week in and week out, and (with any luck) the occasional gem of a band here or there. read more

i've been going here for years. the only knock on it - and the reason why i only give it 4 stars - is that i feel like a pedophile here sometimes ... because i am old (32) but i tend to look young for my age and 18 - 22 year olds still bat their eyes at me. beware GUYS! you might find yourself in the slammer soon if you hang out here too much. hahaha. but face it people, the youth of today are tomorrow's leaders and trend setters. don't be pissed off at them, but rather try to persuade them towards good music so that in 5 years time, SF will still have good club nights with decent music. i admit, popscene doesn't play their old britpop format anymore (go to leisure for that), but they have been around for 10 years ... and face it, 18 year old kids probably know very little about morrissey, liam gallagher, or jarvis cocker. popscene does do a decent job of mixing the old with the new. they also get really impressive bands from the UK, europe, and canada to come play here who would normally sell out huge concert halls in their native lands. some of the big bands i've seen here were: kasabian, razorlight, futureheads, kaiser chiefs, the stills, the dears, hot hot heat, fields, muse, manni (guest dj - stone roses, primal scream) and the list goes on and on. read more

i think i've probably met the best people here out of all the night clubs i've been to. it's also 18+ so i've been here before i even turned 21 and still had a great time after. the crowd is hip. a good mix of gay and straight boys that know how to dance without getting freaky. it's a good place for a live show or just to go for dancing. the music is a mix of 80's, electronic, dance, and techno which was ear candy all night long. my hips couldn't stop moving. haven't gone in awhile but perhaps i should soon. read more

I haven't been there in a few years, but I remember liking the music and atmosphere a lot. Also where I had my first Tokyo Tea. I guess I would prefer the same place, but 21+, which is why I probably won't go back. No offense to the 18-20 crowd, I know you guys don't have many good options (I remember how frustrating it was). Ultimately, I'd rather hang out with a laid back, mid-twenties/thirty-something crowd. And not at SOMA. read more

Wow, what's the chances of my review coming right after another Celeste? That's pretty random. Anyway. I was there last night to see local band Scissors for Lefty. Have never been here before and was forewarned by a friend that its an all ages club so I would probably feel old, even though I'm 25! I am old at heart though. Armed with that expectation, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the crowd was mixed with some of the creepy *old* 30 year olds, 20s and some teenagers. I would have to say I was probably the most uncool person there. Everyone there looked like a hipster, which I definitely am not - I have no tattoos or piercings, I don't have a crazy haircut, don't wear trendy clothes, I don't know much about indie music. For whatever reason, I was really tired all night and not in a great mood even though it was a fun place, great music, and fun crowd. But then this guy went up to my boyfriend and say "Hey, your girlfriend's cute." That made me feel pretty good. read more

I went here not too long ago with some friends. The website said something like $8 for 21+ and $10 for 18+ at the door, but that was a lie. Once at the door, it turned out it was a couple dollars more for everyone. There were a lot of people there, so if you plan on sitting down, I recommend going much earlier. The drinks were not that great and expensive. I didn't expect anything better but I did expect the music to be at least decent. It really wasn't. I mean the first band was pretty good, but the others sucks. I didn't even bother to remember their names. I was with my friends so that was the best part! One STAR for good times with my friends :) read more

in its better days popscene was the place to be for young adults under 21 now a days not so fun, the scenes a little different, less crowded and not so great music. they definitely need to learn to promote their club better because it was EMPTY when we walked in. hopefully they get a better team to promote their club and a better DJ and popscene can return to its glory days. GOOD LUCK read more

my top 20 reasons why I dig popscene: 1. killers 2. muse 3. arctic monkeys 4. klaxons 5. amy winehouse 6. bloc party 7. vampire weekend 8. editors 9. silversun pickups 10. kaiser chiefs 11. wolfmother 12. cut copy 13. snow patrol 14. calvin harris 15. lily allen 16. dandy warhols 17. the libertines 18. kasabian 19. jet 20. the ting tings ALL played at popscene for under $10 bucks before most even knew of these bands! (and my favorite show of 2008: Foals @ popscene in May 2008!) read more

i came to the bay area fresh from socal as a bright-eyed 18 year old college freshman and frankly felt disillusioned with the prevalence of the whole hyphy whatever-you-call-it. i checked this place out once with roomies and fell madly in love. been here about 6 times since then with different company. where else can i get my groove on to new order, a-ha, blur, the smiths and a myriad of other 80s new wave europop gems? well.. maybe porky's, but that's in tijuana and i've long gotten over that scene. popscene is self-consciously hip but surprisingly unpretentious. it's where the uncool can mingle with the cool and no one will give a flying fig. now im 20.. and the last time i partied here.. i did feel ancient next to shrieking high schoolers.. but hey, i was once a frustrated got-no-place-to-go teenager too.. so i don't hate and just dance! read more

If you have nothing to do on a Thursday night and dig pop music this is the place for you. The place is mediocre and that goes along with the music. The place isn't that huge. I've only been here a couple of times and I wouldn't say it's my favorite but I love dancing with the drag queens. OMG they're too much fun! Other than that if you're one of those people that wear odd looking colored clothing and tight ass pants to the point where you can't breathe but still wear them...this place is for you. don't get me wrong I don't have anything against you all. read more