Five LA Underground Music Venues Where You’ll Actually Have A Good Time

For those who consider themselves #notatourist or simply prefer the road less travelled, we’ve teamed up with Visa to avoid the usual landmarks and crowds and try some local delicacies and must-see-sights that are outside of the ordinary ‘tourist’ attractions.

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For the uninitiated, a night out in LA’s notoriously temperamental music scene might go like this: you go to the Viper Room and see Ron Jeremy. You buy an $18 cocktail that smells like bargain store turpentine and watch the ghost of Bret Michaels writhe around the stage until you have to go home in an ambulance because your ears have stopped breathing.

For a lot of people, that’s the only LA experience they’ll ever have. But it doesn’t have to be — here are five spots to catch live music in Los Angeles that’ll turn your expectations around.

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The Bootleg Theater

Where: 2220 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90057

The Bootleg Theater is an absolute gem. When it’s not hosting some of the best local and international music acts, it’s presenting live theatre. The Fold (The Bootleg’s booking company) has an exceptionally refined ear, and over the years I’ve been privy to some incredibly intimate sets by the likes of Haim, Blake Mills, Damien Jurado and Soko.

There are two rooms to catch a show – the smaller, less ventilated (read: hot box) first room where the bar is located, or the bigger space out back with both standing room and a tiered seating area. Usually the bigger acts will play the latter stage, which is great news if you are over 30 and want to see your favourite band without having to book an early morning appointment with your chiropractor. The décor is modest and rustic, and the cute little reclaimed wood bar serves up a well curated list of vino and, inexplicably, a huge variety of Japanese ales. Insert bootlegged joke here.

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Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Where: 6000 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90038

You wanted ‘underground’ music venues, right? Can’t get much deeper than six feet in the dirt. Sure, the Hollywood Forever Cemetery is internationally renowned for its all-star burial cast, including George Harrison, Jayne Mansfield and Charlie Chaplin Jr, but did you know it also plays host to some of the best and biggest music gigs in LA?

There are two locations within the venue you can see a show: either the slightly eerie, part-tomb-part-chapel Masonic Lodge, or the Lawn Stage inside the cemetery. First, if you shrug off the strange, occultist vibe the crucifix-embellished thrones and medieval candleholders littered around the room exude, The Masonic Lodge is a pretty magical place to catch a show. The beautifully crafted stain glass windows set a quaint little scene for an intimate performance, and the acoustics in the 150-capacity room are pretty impressive.

The main attraction, though, is catching a show on the lawn inside the cemetery. The cemetery allows patrons to bring picnic rugs, food, alcohol, and all the fancy cheese knives your heart desires as you and bands like Tame Impala and Band of Horses try to wake the dead.

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The Echo/Echoplex

Where: 1822 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026

Without playing favourites, The Echo is probably the best venue in Los Angeles. Its sister venue, Echoplex, is also a great place to see a show. The Echo presents small-to-mid-range acts like Ty Segall, while its bigger boned sibling, Echoplex, shares its sound system with bigger names like Jenny Lewis and Warpaint.

The tickets are always decently priced (The Echo’s shows never cost more than $15-$20, while Echoplex caps at around $40), there are roomy beer gardens out the back of both, and you can order a slice of East LA’s favourite pizza, Two Boots, directly to the bar. I suggest you try the Tony Clifton. Out of this world.

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The Satellite

Where: 1717 Silver Lake Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026

When I first arrived in LA, this place was called Spaceland, and every cool kid in the county told me I had to check out a show there. Then some kind of internal beef went down between owner and leaser, and it became the Satellite, with plans to make way for more electronic music whilst staying true to the whole extraterrestrial theme.

With male and female alien signage on the bathroom doors, a pool table out back, and a notorious, shimmering electric blue and silver stage curtain backing any band that plays, The Satellite is the granddaddy of the Silverlake/East LA indie music scene. Fun fact: A scene from Jim Carey and Zooey Deschanel’s 2008 film Yes Man was filmed here. Look out for the part with the electric blue and silver stage curtain. Dead giveaway.

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The Greek Theatre

Where: 2700 N Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027

This may seem like an obvious choice, but you wouldn’t believe how many people I know and trust who’ve never set foot in the wondrous grounds of the Greek Theatre. It’s mind boggling, because it’s centrally located, way cooler and vibe-y than the other big outdoor amphitheater, The Hollywood Bowl, and there are some incredible acts on their bill.

Once used as a barracks during WWII, the outdoor theatre now seats 5,870 in one of the most picturesque venue locations in LA. The amphitheater sits amongst the forestry of Griffith Park, and on a warm, balmy night, the moon acts as the perfect backdrop to some of the world’s most talented musicians. Once I went solo to a John Prine show and never felt less alone.

Warm sentiment aside, parking is a bitch. Be prepared to walk a bit if you don’t want to pay for venue parking. But however you get there, once you arrive, you’ll never want to leave.

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Wherever you travel, take Visa, it’s money you can’t lose*.

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Erin Bromhead is a writer and online editor for Monster Children based in LA. Feature image of the Greek Theatre by Matt Biddulph on a Flickr Creative Commons licence.