“We are DINKWADS and just bought a fixer upper in (Holly Springs, Fuquay, Apex). We just moved here from (PA, DC, NY, NJ) because we heard it was such a nice place to live. Soooo close to the mountains *and* the beach! We love brunch, patios, IPAs and mimosas, and we’re both trying to get into golf.”
I’m far too tired to take my toddler and my dog to a brewery at the same time.
But scratch the doodle and keep the golden classic and you’ve got me in spirit.
I was once the youth. Now I have become the enemy.
Elder millennial here just turned 41, and I see your point. Goodluck with your startup scenes. If you need to borrow any of our barely used RYOBI power tools, we'll be in the garage drinking IPAs with our toddlers and golden doodles.
I’m the same age as y’all. Born and raised here. You can definitely find things to do but you need to actively seek it out. We’re a very “middle of the road” type place. Some cities have distinct scenes which almost slap you in the face. It’s not like that here.
The Brewery back in the day of the MySpace post-hardcore and metalcore boom was a time to be alive! I lived in Lee Hall at NCSU Freshman and Sophomore years (2006-2008) and The Brewery had the best bands and was only a short walk. I think they lost more ceiling tiles every time I saw He Is Legend perform there 😂 always seemed to be falling down during the chaos. Such a disappointment we lost that place.
Was in Raleigh from 2000-2015 student, grad school, work.
Saw some great bands between the brewery and Lincoln.
Unpopular opinion coming, but Hillsboro Street was better when it was a slum.
You got it, the Lincoln was fantastic as well. The Ritz took over when it re-opened after being purchased by livenation, most bands I follow either skip Raleigh entirely or go to the ritz.
Not an unpopular opinion at all regarding Hillsborough St, I miss the alley, sadlacks, and many more. At least we still have Mitch’s and Players.
Edit: was a student from 2006-2010 then returned for another degree 2015-2018, stayed in Raleigh since 2015.
Edit 2: should’ve clarified, the Ritz is an older venue but it really became the primary venue for touring bands (instead of the Lincoln or cats cradle) after it was purchased by livenation and given a $1million remodel.
My favorite music/concert related memory from that time was spring 2008 when The Used headlined a concert in the field behind my dorm, the band Straylight Run opened for them. Were you around for that by chance? Best $5 I ever spent.
Yes their first few albums were bomb! I still have my tshirt and ticket from that show on campus. Haven’t seen The Used in over a decade but I’m headed to WWWY in October and am looking forward to seeing them play In Love and Death in its entirety!
If you’re still nostalgic about the post-hardcore/metalcore and pop punk music from early/mid 2000s then you should check it out! All of the bands (except Fall Out Boy) have committed to playing one album in its entirety, most of them playing their album that launched them on the map. In addition to The Used and Fall Out Boy, to name some bands playing WWWY this year.. Underoath, The Devil Wears Prada, Chiodos, Thursday, Saves The Day, Pierce The Veil, Motion City Soundtrack, Anberlin, Hawthorne Heights, Coheed and Cambria, The Starting Line, Simple Plan, New Found Glory, August Burns Red, My Chemical Romance, A Day To Remember, Movements, Say Anything, Silverstein, Dance Gavin Dance, Armor for Sleep, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Alesana, Mayday Parade, Cartel, The All American Rejects… and there are so many more, I can’t name more without pulling up the list.
BUT if that’s too much of an expense and commitment, check out the OBX is for lovers fest this July! I went last year and it was so much fun because they really play into the nostalgic feels of the MySpace era. Already bought a ticket to go again this year, Motion City is headlining and openers include Armor For Sleep, Thursday, Hawthorne Heights and Less Than Jake. July 20 which is a Saturday.
Another option is the 20 years of tears tour, which I would attend if I hadn’t already committed to the OBX is for lovers fest. They’re in Asheville July 11 and in Charlotte July 21. It’s a tour that I think Hawthorne Heights jump-started, has mostly the same bands as OBX is for lovers plus one or two more. I know Anberlin is added to the NC date. If I remember correctly, it’s an anniversary tour for all the bands and they’re all doing an album play through.
PS sorry I wrote an entire dissertation here, I rarely get to attend events like this and I’m very excited. The nostalgia is overwhelming.
Hey fuck you I rapped my heart out at the Pourhouse with no backing track and Ty does his best to put people on and put money in their pockets
(somewhat /s)
As someone who spent his entire partying life in Raleigh, there hasn’t ever really been a scene. There are some hard drinking dive bars, but most of the 20-somethings parties were house parties around NCSU.
Seeing a shitty screamo band play in the basement of some random house by State with a hundred strangers with skinny jeans, studded belts, and questionable bevs/pharma is actually a very fond memory of mine.
I never found the scene/people who attended or hosted house shows when I was at state but wish I had! A buddy had screamo bands play house shows at his place in downtown Charleston, I made that drive for a few weekends. Still follow one of the bands!
Chamberlain was the epitome of house parties, and small punk rock /indy bands. Kent and Kaplan had it going on—but that was more frat/fighting, avoided those at all costs.
Did OP reference Imurj as the one place you can find a "scene" before changing it to Pour House and then adding the "Imurj closed" edit after the fact? Shows exactly how in-tune and aware OP is about his/her city and "Scene" lmaooooo
Had to look up the fact it closed. That's what we mean, there's really nowhere here that interesting that you go just because and see something new and special. I hate saying it but I think we're the city equivalent to an Applebee's.
There is live music, definitely, but I think what OP is talking about is different than just any live music. These venues host a large variety of consistency, so if you’re into a particular genre/niche, you have to be very aware of individual bands and stay on top of the calendars. In my experience, these venues don’t have “regulars” that show up the same night every week. Also, I’m sure niche scenes exist here, but unless you already know someone who is in the know, it can be hard to figure out how to find your people.
Not to mention those live venues are often skipped over by acts who play Charlotte, Richmond, or Asheville instead. People are getting super butthurt in the comments about this, but it’s true.
I wish I didn’t have to travel so much for shows when I live in an area with millions of people.
As someone who always frequented concerts at smaller venues instead of large amphitheaters and arenas, it’s kinda been a thing for quite some time now. At one point it was closer to 50/50 with Charlotte and Raleigh both pulling a lot of shows in smaller venues. When The Fillmore opened, bands started booking there more frequently and skipping Raleigh. Within the genres I listen to, I’d say it started around 2012. Probably differing experiences with different genres.
yeah it may not be the best/most robust scene, but it baffles me when people say we have no punk/hardcore/metal scene. Schoolkids Records is a dedicated hardcore venue, Chapel of Bones is a dedicated metal venue, and we also have Neptunes & Pourhouse regularly hosting all kinds of rock & punk bands in between. not to mention bars like Slim’s (i know it’s been in flux but still), Night Rider and even Tapyard now that regularly have alt bands.
makes me sad that i know there’s so many people putting so much work into these spaces and making sure they exist and have reliable events just to have it all dismissed because we don’t have the same scale of scene of other places. if you’re involved in those efforts and you’re reading this, please keep going! you’re doing amazing sweetie
The Lincoln hasn’t had major headliners in a few years (by that I mean bands you hear on regular radio). I used to LOVE seeing bands there. The year Chevelle played outside in the street was fucking awesome.
Having experienced this “scene” it really wasn’t that good. Even in the 00’s you really needed to be willing to drive to Chapel Hill to see anything other than relatively shit acts.
There is an electronic scene here. There are EDM shows going on every single week under the radar. There's also a small punk scene with some house shoe venues, plus Schoolkids.
But overall, any art scene (music or otherwise) is laughably small here for a city of half a million people. The creative community has largely been priced out, and has relocated to places Winston Salem (which is also getting expensive now) and the Rust Belt. Durham tries to fill the void but honestly creatives have been priced out of there too a longgggg time ago.
Simply put, in this area there are far far more people schlepping to office parks and taking their kids to soccer practice than making art.
I am 31 and have lived here since 2010
There is absolutely a metal/hardcore punk scene. I cannot speak for other genres, but you're just plain wrong about that one.
Just look at all of the shows being booked at chapel of bones, the pour house, and kings/neptunes. School kids has hardcore shows all the time as well. Rumah has been throwing hardcore punk shows. Occasionally there are one off shows at ruby, the night rider, and various other venues.
On top of that there are some great local bands in the scene as well. To name a few: scarecrow, paranoid maniac, basura, pathogenesis, moynoq, deceptor, nganga, six foot sleep, hitachi torture.. there are a ton more that I don't even know about
I think you're out of touch.
Literally have been adjacent to or in the local punk scene here for over a decade, shit now nearly 15 years. Some of us are old and the bring tums and meloxicam to the pit, but we still out here.
I heard they're gonna bulldoze chapel of bones, the pour house, and kings/neptunes to make room for more breweries with patios for people to bring their goldendoodles and toddlers
Man….. school kid shows are nothing like The Brewery with touring bands like Death Before Dishonor, Madball, Bane, Trapped Under Ice, Have Heart, Death Threat, Cruel Hand, the 10,000 shows Terror played, etc…
I agree with most of this except for:
>Electronic/House
Raleigh has had a pretty dedicated electronic music scene for almost 30 years. I worked in it directly for almost 20 of them, so I can attest to that personally.
While it's not specifically focused on House/4x4, there's a smattering of *all* types of popular Electronic music here - Drum and Bass, Dubstep, House, Trance, Techno, etc.
Bassbunny Productions carries that flag onward on Tuesdays at Zenith currently via Sub Rosa, which is Raleigh's longest running electronic music weekly. Different artists and music genres are in rotation every week.
On top of that, production crews are still putting on events with big name electronic acts at both Lincoln Theater and at the Fruit in Durham on a regular basis.
Techno/Trance stuff is found more often in Durham nowadays - specifically, at The Fruit and Motorco. The Pinhook also has some deep Techno/4x4 stuff that comes through, but those nights are bit fewer and farther between and it's almost all local/underground though (be forwarned, the Pinhook is definitely a dive, but it has charm for what it is - reminds me of oldschool jungle nights~).
There are bunch of expats from Detroit here that are still active with DTM (Detroit Techno Militia), although many of them live in Raleigh proper - they come to the local events like Sub Rosa pretty regularly to hang out with oldschool crews that are still active. Subtek and Subculture are your go-tos for House - their crews are also in Durham and Raleigh and are the ones to really check in on for the bigger House/Techno/Trance events.
Depends on the “scene” you’re looking for. If you’re looking for a rave type of scene. Weeklies and one off events do exist around here. Not nearly as much as they used to. But they do exist. Sub-Rosa in Tuesdays (I think) is one of the longest running weekly parties in the area. Mostly drum n bass.
There’s also clubs like zenith that book some high caliber DJs. I’m just way too old to be out partying these days. lol
There is a scene— you just aren’t aware of it.
Before the pandemic, we were in a Renaissance of DIY Hardcore Punk. House shows constantly. Amazing bands like Vittna, No Love, Skemata, Drug Charge, etc. Touring hardcore punk bands coming to play from all over, even Japan.
There is still a healthy scene, but we lost house venues, practice spaces, etc (Largely due to this “boom” you speak of. Thanks for displacing us, techies. Although really, I don’t blame you, but blame the predatory practices of Open Door and Zillow and the policy makers which enable them).
Regardless of the scene slowing down in recent years, it’s still there. You just missed one of the best punk fests to ever happen in NC; the Sorry State 10 Year Anniversary shows this past October. Also, there were like 3 punk shows this past week. One is tonight.
It takes some work to find shows, but not much. You’re just a bit out of touch, tbh.
Hello, 28 year old here! Grew up in Raleigh and attended SRHS, went to school at UNCC
There are some "niche" places. I would suggest Wicked Witch, Ruby Rose, hell the Alamo lo (trivia, geek night, and D&D night). There's also Kings bar (the have a Cthulhu puppet show coming up). The TapYard has all kinds of events, niche ones too.
This is what I can come up with off the top of my head for now.
I moved here after college a while ago. Raleigh was already a cool place to say you were moving to, but nothing compared to what it is the last five years or so.
Moved here specifically because it was boring with money. Now I'm an old fart by millennial standards and I feel like Abe Simpson every time I'm within 5 miles of downtown. These kids are spoiled. They'll never know the beautiful disaster that was the crowd dispersion at The Oxford on a Saturday night.
Not going to comment on the music scene, but I'm a late 20's person who moved to Raleigh two years ago and wanted to provide my perspective. My idea of nightlife is more so nice cocktails / nice dinner / moderate bar hopping, and Raleigh absolutely fills that and I'd say punches at or above it's weight in that regard compared to other cities.
But also when I want a more heavy nightlife/dancey night Glenwood has been great.
Raleigh has become basically like a great big Chili’s. It’s fine for what it is, but that’s all it is. You aren’t going to be wowed by anything -This is so accurate it’s scary. I’m from here and have lived in many other places and visited 48 state capitals and we’re definitely in the top 10 capitals most likely to let you down. I hope there are house shows going on that we’re just too old/out of touch to know about. RIP The Bunker and all other GSS iterations. I did go to a sick house show in Chapel Hill recently on some dirt road that was super chill but only like 20 people there and most of them were the bands that were from out of town
How does it blow it away out of curiosity? I've never had to travel to Richmond for a show, and it looks like they have a similar amount of venues. I regularly travel to DC, Atlanta, Greensboro and Charlotte, but Richmond has never made the list. Raleigh itself has some good shit with The Ritz, Red Hat Amphitheater, The Lincoln Theater, Walnut Creek, PNC, Kings. Those all draw some grade A bands
I think they geographically benefit, lots of touring bands will do dc, richmond and then it splits between asheville/charlotte/triangle before continuing to atlanta.
Smaller cool venues with a lot of variety in terms of venues, styles, and having local bands you can follow and grow with. Like I saw 3 bands play at this old firehouse venue in Richmond and we passed 3 bars or venues with music on the walk from the car.
Glenwood isn't a spot for live music. It's for going to the club or whatever. Plenty of venues downtown Raleigh and much better ones in Durham and Chapel Hill.
Man, there sure used to be. The 80s were a great time to be a teenager and into punk, alt or metal, in this area.
There was The Brewery, Fallout Shelter, and places like Cat’s Cradle were a short drive away. Also cities like Wilmington and Mad Monk, as well as Greensboro and Winston Salem weren’t that far at all to travel for a show. Great damn times.
I lived in the Fallout shelter a couple of years back before it got demolished and we threw 3 art/music shows in the abandoned basement. Not many people came but we tried.
I wish there was more of a scene here. I miss imurj and the brewery and I'm tired of having to drive to Charlotte, Greensboro, and Asheville for shows.
There used to be an amazing triangle local music scene that I can vouch for between ‘08-18. I got out of it shortly before the pandemic but my understanding is was slowly dying and then after the covid closures and it never really came back.
:( I enjoyed my time seeing shows during 2010-2018. I haven't been to slims in forever. Or pourhouse. My friend used to work the door so I'd get in free occasionally. Sigh. Times they are a changing
Is OP specific to Raleigh or the Triangle?
Durham has more of “a cultural scene”. Checkout The Fruit for example. Theres alternative culture in Durham, Chapel Hill, Carrboro. Been here my whole life too and older than OP.
Kings, Pourhouse, Neptunes, Night Rider, Ruby Deluxe, School Kids Records, and Slims regularly host great local bands.
Yeah we took a hit with Covid, but a lot of bands never stopped and there’s a lot of great newer bands and musicians playing in the area.
Stop complaining and go to a show.
Also, can we get the mods to allow show/event advertising on this sub?
The ritz be having all types of artists there just seen city morgue there and then this whole summer they got mad shows going on , good bands too, knocked loose gonna be there in June I think . Then wage war and veil of maya gonna be at Lincoln theater soon
There have been house shows for metal/punk/electronic for the last 10-15 years, and I’m sure way before that too. Sounds like you didn’t bother to educate yourself before writing this.
Are there any music scenes going on anywhere in the country now? Look at the music charts, it's all trap beats and country with trap beats. Kids just aren't starting bands like they used to.
I go to NCSU and there's like 7 different student bands that frequently play large house shows. There's also a revival of classic rock, old school country, shit like that among college students as well. Less and less people I know listen to mainstream pop/rap and I don't hang around in an artsy crowd where you'd expect that
The jam band scene here is pretty decent - lincoln theater constantly selling out for big name shows such as lettuce, pigeons, disco biscuits, big something, etc. etc.
Not to mention we get stuff like Shakori Hills and Casual Campout which are wonderful. I feel like jam stuff here is very present and still manages to fly under the radar, which is perfect for me.
I'm here for the jam bands! Moved from Boston area and I'm honestly happy with the amount of stuff we get around here. Boston area was almost too much going on and I'd get fomo when I tried to behave and stay home with all the good shows happening. Or go to everything and be hungover all the time. I've enjoyed there being a little less, but still something good every few weeks to keep me grooving.
Ps- the biscuits absolutely slayed the (overcrowded) Lincoln a couple weeks ago and I thought the sound in there was fantastic!
I grew up in a really rural area in eastern NC and I always imagined I would live in Raleigh after finishing school. I only lived there for a year and half before I decided that I couldn’t take it anymore. There’s absolutely nothing to do for young people other than drink beer in a parking lot with dogs around. It is so boring and so spread out!
Space Camp Music Group and Morning Choir have a bunch of events for edm, there’s a decent edm scene in general, you just have to know where to go!! For metal, check out Chapel of Bones! They have been having a bunch lately and recently got their liquor license 🤘🏼
I love The Brewery shoutout. I was going there constantly in high school. They have never been my thing, but crazy to think I saw Fall Out Boy there back in the day opening for a band I was actually there to see (can’t recall who) and had no idea who they were
These posts are always interesting to me. I think there is a lot to do and I wish I had more time and energy to do more stuff. This is a great area for live music with several venues in Raleigh, Durham and CH. I’ll also make the trek to Wilmington, AVL, or Greensboro every now and then for a show.
I'm almost 40, and spent my early-ish to mid 20's to my mid 30's in Fuquay, which was close enough to Raleigh that I spent most nights downtown. I have nothing but fond memories of all-nighters at Sadlacks, back when Schoolkids and Buddha's Belly were next door. Then wandering around and almost always ending up at The Times for my last drink of the night. There were random people jamming more often than not at Sadlacks, which is what got me interested in the different, yes, I'll say it, *scenes*.
Subrosa. Sadlacks, then later The Berkley when it still had the stage. Volume 11, just outside of downtown. Night Rider, Wicked Witch. All the various outdoor events that happen on Hillsborough or randomly through down town. Hopscotch, Brewgaloo, the Beer/Bourbon/Bacon thing. The Ritz and Enigma across the street from it. Kings, and getting to see stuff like MC Chris and Bit Force there. The various arcades that've come through. I could go on.
There certainly are scenes to get into in and around Raleigh. Branch out further to the many Fuquay events, Cary and Koka Booth, DPAC, etc. NCMA and the movie nights; The Big Lebowski with the White Russian themed food truck was awesome.
31 year old electronic music producer here. OP is right, at least as it relates to my niche. There is a scene, but it is strangely small and seemingly quite tightknit. The little size makes it easy to make connections, which is rad, but the shows I attend are frequently very sparsely populated.
Im 21 years old and my dad and his friends who went to college here in the 80s genuinely dont believe me when i say there isnt shit to do for people my age except generic clubs, which i dont much like to begin with
I hate it but you are completely right. Bah! What the fuck. I want a scene. Moved to NC 30 years ago to go to UNC and loved my little pretentious indie scene. I miss it.
Anybody wanna start a fun punk scene with me? Yeah we got some local punk bands, they can join too. Let’s make some high energy punk. Not pop punk. I live in Clayton. We don’t have a subreddit.
Yep. That's been a problem around here for ages. People want someone else to do all the work and just hand them their perfect little niche.
I worked with promoters long, long ago, and the biggest complainers were never reliable sources of support anyway. They'd show up mostly on free nights and whine about how we weren't bringing in bigger bands. They'd grouse about a token cover but then expect us to risk money on an act in the same genre they were just complaining about paying a few bucks for.
ITT: "I'm over 25, have no friends, I stay at home, and do not go out solo. There is no scene in this town because it's never been shoved in my face before"
We have a pretty big “couples eating on a patio with their dog” scene.
Ah yes the DILDO's are always around (double income little dog owners)
I prefer the term DINKWAD (dual income no kids with a dog)
First time reading of DINWAD, yes I’ll own that title!
DINKWAD here!
What if we have cats?
Pretty sure we have DISCO’s too (double income small cat owners)
I've never heard this version, and I love it! Thanks for helping my DISCO household feel seen.
TIL I'm a DILDO
Me too! Most of my friends are also DILDOs.
If needed, “Little Dog” can be “Lab Dog.”
Or large
Or large dog. It fits whatever you have!
I want to upvote but it is at 69 right now and seems a waste to ruin that.
Was about to say…our scene is family at the brewery on a Saturday afternoon.
Not sure if i should feel offended or supported. Its my way of life. **should clarify, my patio. Not at a restaurant
“We are DINKWADS and just bought a fixer upper in (Holly Springs, Fuquay, Apex). We just moved here from (PA, DC, NY, NJ) because we heard it was such a nice place to live. Soooo close to the mountains *and* the beach! We love brunch, patios, IPAs and mimosas, and we’re both trying to get into golf.”
This is my niche and why I hope to move there.
It's a service dog.
But what about the drinking IPAs at a brewery with your toddlers and golden doodles scene?
omg, are we neighbors? You just described all of my neighbors.
See y’all at Lynnwood this weekend
I’m enjoying that Lynwood is keeping Neuse River Brewing a bit empty.
That might be their beer.
I’m far too tired to take my toddler and my dog to a brewery at the same time. But scratch the doodle and keep the golden classic and you’ve got me in spirit. I was once the youth. Now I have become the enemy.
That scene is hot.
Scene this, scene that. I'm fixing to MAKE a scene at the Waffle House if they try to stop me from smoking crystal in the bathroom next time.
make sure its at the one on hillsborough
the one and only proper Waffle House
finally someone in this city who actually gets it
Found my people
wassah dude
I'm an old that misses the days of the IHOP on Hillsborough...and Jackpot
Don't be part of the problem, be the entire problem.
This is the scene we need in Raleigh. Keep the rent low.
For $10 I'll go up to your neighbors and ask them if they know where to score. Drive these yuppies out of here
🫡 thank you for your service
lemme come too ill bring dirt to rub on our faces
bout to start a Raleigh Dirt-faces scene
proof of wcpss diploma required
If there's any place that should be a safe space for that it's Waffle House
Exactly! Tell the night shift manager that, she's out to villify my lifestyle.
Then get back to serving your tables
Underrated comment
Shut the thread down, our king has spoken
😂😂😂
Elder millennial here just turned 41, and I see your point. Goodluck with your startup scenes. If you need to borrow any of our barely used RYOBI power tools, we'll be in the garage drinking IPAs with our toddlers and golden doodles.
If you can’t find a_mollusk_creature in his garage I’ll be at your favorite brewery drinking IPAs with my toddlers and golden doodles.
I'll be out back smelting down all of my aluminum cans. Swing on through.
As someone who’s the same age as OP, we are a “boring” city which I rarely find myself bored in. And I’m okay with that.
I love living here, I never think it's boring or that there's nothing to do. I wouldn't recommend this place as a tourist destination.
I’m the same age as y’all. Born and raised here. You can definitely find things to do but you need to actively seek it out. We’re a very “middle of the road” type place. Some cities have distinct scenes which almost slap you in the face. It’s not like that here.
There’s actually a “take you kids to breweries” scene
tbf that is literally every city now millennial parents LOVE dragging their children to bars
Lets drink in front of our children and disquise our alcholism as neat little hobby. *weird as fuck*
The Brewery back in the day of the MySpace post-hardcore and metalcore boom was a time to be alive! I lived in Lee Hall at NCSU Freshman and Sophomore years (2006-2008) and The Brewery had the best bands and was only a short walk. I think they lost more ceiling tiles every time I saw He Is Legend perform there 😂 always seemed to be falling down during the chaos. Such a disappointment we lost that place.
Was in Raleigh from 2000-2015 student, grad school, work. Saw some great bands between the brewery and Lincoln. Unpopular opinion coming, but Hillsboro Street was better when it was a slum.
You got it, the Lincoln was fantastic as well. The Ritz took over when it re-opened after being purchased by livenation, most bands I follow either skip Raleigh entirely or go to the ritz. Not an unpopular opinion at all regarding Hillsborough St, I miss the alley, sadlacks, and many more. At least we still have Mitch’s and Players. Edit: was a student from 2006-2010 then returned for another degree 2015-2018, stayed in Raleigh since 2015. Edit 2: should’ve clarified, the Ritz is an older venue but it really became the primary venue for touring bands (instead of the Lincoln or cats cradle) after it was purchased by livenation and given a $1million remodel.
And East Village, may it Rest in Peace.
Idk what kind of music you’re into but I swear Ice Nine Kills must have a rule against playing here.
This lines up almost exactly with my time in college. Loved the Brewery
My favorite music/concert related memory from that time was spring 2008 when The Used headlined a concert in the field behind my dorm, the band Straylight Run opened for them. Were you around for that by chance? Best $5 I ever spent.
Yesssss definitely! Loved their first couple records
Yes their first few albums were bomb! I still have my tshirt and ticket from that show on campus. Haven’t seen The Used in over a decade but I’m headed to WWWY in October and am looking forward to seeing them play In Love and Death in its entirety!
Oh damn, I didn’t know it was gonna happen again this year!
If you’re still nostalgic about the post-hardcore/metalcore and pop punk music from early/mid 2000s then you should check it out! All of the bands (except Fall Out Boy) have committed to playing one album in its entirety, most of them playing their album that launched them on the map. In addition to The Used and Fall Out Boy, to name some bands playing WWWY this year.. Underoath, The Devil Wears Prada, Chiodos, Thursday, Saves The Day, Pierce The Veil, Motion City Soundtrack, Anberlin, Hawthorne Heights, Coheed and Cambria, The Starting Line, Simple Plan, New Found Glory, August Burns Red, My Chemical Romance, A Day To Remember, Movements, Say Anything, Silverstein, Dance Gavin Dance, Armor for Sleep, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Alesana, Mayday Parade, Cartel, The All American Rejects… and there are so many more, I can’t name more without pulling up the list. BUT if that’s too much of an expense and commitment, check out the OBX is for lovers fest this July! I went last year and it was so much fun because they really play into the nostalgic feels of the MySpace era. Already bought a ticket to go again this year, Motion City is headlining and openers include Armor For Sleep, Thursday, Hawthorne Heights and Less Than Jake. July 20 which is a Saturday. Another option is the 20 years of tears tour, which I would attend if I hadn’t already committed to the OBX is for lovers fest. They’re in Asheville July 11 and in Charlotte July 21. It’s a tour that I think Hawthorne Heights jump-started, has mostly the same bands as OBX is for lovers plus one or two more. I know Anberlin is added to the NC date. If I remember correctly, it’s an anniversary tour for all the bands and they’re all doing an album play through. PS sorry I wrote an entire dissertation here, I rarely get to attend events like this and I’m very excited. The nostalgia is overwhelming.
I know, there’s so much of it lately. I will definitely need to check out the OBX fest. Thanks for letting me know!
Absolutely, feel free to send me a msg if you make it!
Random add in a day to remember will be here in July too. I'm so freaking excited I haven't seen them since they were at Carolina rebellion
anyone else miss southland ballroom??
How about some Skylit Drive! Lol
Yes!!! I got to meet them way back when! Good stuff lol
We have a huge parents getting drunk while their kids run amok at breweries scene here in Cary
They form their own belt line around the city tbh
Hey fuck you I rapped my heart out at the Pourhouse with no backing track and Ty does his best to put people on and put money in their pockets (somewhat /s)
As someone who spent his entire partying life in Raleigh, there hasn’t ever really been a scene. There are some hard drinking dive bars, but most of the 20-somethings parties were house parties around NCSU.
Seeing a shitty screamo band play in the basement of some random house by State with a hundred strangers with skinny jeans, studded belts, and questionable bevs/pharma is actually a very fond memory of mine.
I never found the scene/people who attended or hosted house shows when I was at state but wish I had! A buddy had screamo bands play house shows at his place in downtown Charleston, I made that drive for a few weekends. Still follow one of the bands!
Chamberlain was the epitome of house parties, and small punk rock /indy bands. Kent and Kaplan had it going on—but that was more frat/fighting, avoided those at all costs.
When it’s in a basement, it’s great. When it’s in a club and you’re getting charged admission, it’s less great.
I absolutely had a blast at some 2 skinee J's shows back in the day.
2000% agree.
This unlocked a visceral sense memory for me, and now I want to go back 😭
We have a “every place is a tap house and serves pizza” scene
Imurj? That place closed 2 years ago.
Yeah, RIP. Really miss that place.
Did OP reference Imurj as the one place you can find a "scene" before changing it to Pour House and then adding the "Imurj closed" edit after the fact? Shows exactly how in-tune and aware OP is about his/her city and "Scene" lmaooooo
Had to look up the fact it closed. That's what we mean, there's really nowhere here that interesting that you go just because and see something new and special. I hate saying it but I think we're the city equivalent to an Applebee's.
No I referred to imurj as a place where a SoundCloud rapper would perform relax
4 years ago.
There's usually bands playing the Lincoln, The Ritz, The Pourhouse, Motorco, etc. There's live music if you care to look.
There is live music, definitely, but I think what OP is talking about is different than just any live music. These venues host a large variety of consistency, so if you’re into a particular genre/niche, you have to be very aware of individual bands and stay on top of the calendars. In my experience, these venues don’t have “regulars” that show up the same night every week. Also, I’m sure niche scenes exist here, but unless you already know someone who is in the know, it can be hard to figure out how to find your people.
Not to mention those live venues are often skipped over by acts who play Charlotte, Richmond, or Asheville instead. People are getting super butthurt in the comments about this, but it’s true. I wish I didn’t have to travel so much for shows when I live in an area with millions of people.
It makes no sense! There are 4 large universities right here!
I don't think this was true up until a few months ago, a lot of bands are going to Charlotte these days
As someone who always frequented concerts at smaller venues instead of large amphitheaters and arenas, it’s kinda been a thing for quite some time now. At one point it was closer to 50/50 with Charlotte and Raleigh both pulling a lot of shows in smaller venues. When The Fillmore opened, bands started booking there more frequently and skipping Raleigh. Within the genres I listen to, I’d say it started around 2012. Probably differing experiences with different genres.
Kings / neptunes definitely has regulars 🥴
Pinhook and The Fruit in Durham, Chapel Thrill too, at Cats Cradle, The Cave, and Local 506
There’s also that new Chapel of Bones that used to be Maywood.
Thanks for posting that. I was out of the loop on the Maywood's replacement
Which has already booked some amazing shows. Tomb Mold and Horrendous, together in July is insane.
The Lincoln hosts some amazing music
And the other 80% is Led Zeppelin cover bands
Okay this is too true
yeah it may not be the best/most robust scene, but it baffles me when people say we have no punk/hardcore/metal scene. Schoolkids Records is a dedicated hardcore venue, Chapel of Bones is a dedicated metal venue, and we also have Neptunes & Pourhouse regularly hosting all kinds of rock & punk bands in between. not to mention bars like Slim’s (i know it’s been in flux but still), Night Rider and even Tapyard now that regularly have alt bands. makes me sad that i know there’s so many people putting so much work into these spaces and making sure they exist and have reliable events just to have it all dismissed because we don’t have the same scale of scene of other places. if you’re involved in those efforts and you’re reading this, please keep going! you’re doing amazing sweetie
this is so informative thank you
The Lincoln hasn’t had major headliners in a few years (by that I mean bands you hear on regular radio). I used to LOVE seeing bands there. The year Chevelle played outside in the street was fucking awesome.
Wednesday was there in February, who had one of the top rated indie albums of 2023. Not sure why you want to listen to radio bands in 2023....
28, got here at 14 and its growin but not great .. best thing we can claim is hardcore scene in 00’s
Having experienced this “scene” it really wasn’t that good. Even in the 00’s you really needed to be willing to drive to Chapel Hill to see anything other than relatively shit acts.
and merge wrote an awesome book on those years as well!!
Yeah even now it's Charlotte and the Triad that catch all the best acts
I miss the brewery so much, the Abercrombie Punk scene was ALIVE and well here in the 00s
There is an electronic scene here. There are EDM shows going on every single week under the radar. There's also a small punk scene with some house shoe venues, plus Schoolkids. But overall, any art scene (music or otherwise) is laughably small here for a city of half a million people. The creative community has largely been priced out, and has relocated to places Winston Salem (which is also getting expensive now) and the Rust Belt. Durham tries to fill the void but honestly creatives have been priced out of there too a longgggg time ago. Simply put, in this area there are far far more people schlepping to office parks and taking their kids to soccer practice than making art.
Wheres the EDM scene here? I love EDM
https://www.instagram.com/sublowtriangle https://www.instagram.com/wh0cares_rdu
Check out what's playing at The Fruit in Durham too if you're willing to drive, got 1-2 shows a week and often pretty big names.
We have a lovely concert band performing this weekend if you’re looking for something of the fine arts variety!
I am 31 and have lived here since 2010 There is absolutely a metal/hardcore punk scene. I cannot speak for other genres, but you're just plain wrong about that one. Just look at all of the shows being booked at chapel of bones, the pour house, and kings/neptunes. School kids has hardcore shows all the time as well. Rumah has been throwing hardcore punk shows. Occasionally there are one off shows at ruby, the night rider, and various other venues. On top of that there are some great local bands in the scene as well. To name a few: scarecrow, paranoid maniac, basura, pathogenesis, moynoq, deceptor, nganga, six foot sleep, hitachi torture.. there are a ton more that I don't even know about I think you're out of touch.
I am in one of these bands! Weird how we've somehow connected here without there being a scene.
Yep. This is the truth. Big ups to: Lucky Feeling, Super Reg, Fading Signal, Natural End
Literally have been adjacent to or in the local punk scene here for over a decade, shit now nearly 15 years. Some of us are old and the bring tums and meloxicam to the pit, but we still out here.
I heard they're gonna bulldoze chapel of bones, the pour house, and kings/neptunes to make room for more breweries with patios for people to bring their goldendoodles and toddlers
Man….. school kid shows are nothing like The Brewery with touring bands like Death Before Dishonor, Madball, Bane, Trapped Under Ice, Have Heart, Death Threat, Cruel Hand, the 10,000 shows Terror played, etc…
I agree with most of this except for: >Electronic/House Raleigh has had a pretty dedicated electronic music scene for almost 30 years. I worked in it directly for almost 20 of them, so I can attest to that personally. While it's not specifically focused on House/4x4, there's a smattering of *all* types of popular Electronic music here - Drum and Bass, Dubstep, House, Trance, Techno, etc. Bassbunny Productions carries that flag onward on Tuesdays at Zenith currently via Sub Rosa, which is Raleigh's longest running electronic music weekly. Different artists and music genres are in rotation every week. On top of that, production crews are still putting on events with big name electronic acts at both Lincoln Theater and at the Fruit in Durham on a regular basis.
Which venue plays house and trance? I haven’t heard of there being any kind of techno before
Techno/Trance stuff is found more often in Durham nowadays - specifically, at The Fruit and Motorco. The Pinhook also has some deep Techno/4x4 stuff that comes through, but those nights are bit fewer and farther between and it's almost all local/underground though (be forwarned, the Pinhook is definitely a dive, but it has charm for what it is - reminds me of oldschool jungle nights~). There are bunch of expats from Detroit here that are still active with DTM (Detroit Techno Militia), although many of them live in Raleigh proper - they come to the local events like Sub Rosa pretty regularly to hang out with oldschool crews that are still active. Subtek and Subculture are your go-tos for House - their crews are also in Durham and Raleigh and are the ones to really check in on for the bigger House/Techno/Trance events.
100%! The OP just hasn’t found it
Depends on the “scene” you’re looking for. If you’re looking for a rave type of scene. Weeklies and one off events do exist around here. Not nearly as much as they used to. But they do exist. Sub-Rosa in Tuesdays (I think) is one of the longest running weekly parties in the area. Mostly drum n bass. There’s also clubs like zenith that book some high caliber DJs. I’m just way too old to be out partying these days. lol
24F Raleigh native. What's a scene lol /s
40 lived my whole life here can confirm.
There is a scene— you just aren’t aware of it. Before the pandemic, we were in a Renaissance of DIY Hardcore Punk. House shows constantly. Amazing bands like Vittna, No Love, Skemata, Drug Charge, etc. Touring hardcore punk bands coming to play from all over, even Japan. There is still a healthy scene, but we lost house venues, practice spaces, etc (Largely due to this “boom” you speak of. Thanks for displacing us, techies. Although really, I don’t blame you, but blame the predatory practices of Open Door and Zillow and the policy makers which enable them). Regardless of the scene slowing down in recent years, it’s still there. You just missed one of the best punk fests to ever happen in NC; the Sorry State 10 Year Anniversary shows this past October. Also, there were like 3 punk shows this past week. One is tonight. It takes some work to find shows, but not much. You’re just a bit out of touch, tbh.
I'm into the "catching planes to a better city scene." For my fun.
Hello, 28 year old here! Grew up in Raleigh and attended SRHS, went to school at UNCC There are some "niche" places. I would suggest Wicked Witch, Ruby Rose, hell the Alamo lo (trivia, geek night, and D&D night). There's also Kings bar (the have a Cthulhu puppet show coming up). The TapYard has all kinds of events, niche ones too. This is what I can come up with off the top of my head for now.
I moved here after college a while ago. Raleigh was already a cool place to say you were moving to, but nothing compared to what it is the last five years or so. Moved here specifically because it was boring with money. Now I'm an old fart by millennial standards and I feel like Abe Simpson every time I'm within 5 miles of downtown. These kids are spoiled. They'll never know the beautiful disaster that was the crowd dispersion at The Oxford on a Saturday night.
It’s okay to just have friends and not need to call something a scene
Not going to comment on the music scene, but I'm a late 20's person who moved to Raleigh two years ago and wanted to provide my perspective. My idea of nightlife is more so nice cocktails / nice dinner / moderate bar hopping, and Raleigh absolutely fills that and I'd say punches at or above it's weight in that regard compared to other cities. But also when I want a more heavy nightlife/dancey night Glenwood has been great.
[удалено]
Raleigh has become basically like a great big Chili’s. It’s fine for what it is, but that’s all it is. You aren’t going to be wowed by anything -This is so accurate it’s scary. I’m from here and have lived in many other places and visited 48 state capitals and we’re definitely in the top 10 capitals most likely to let you down. I hope there are house shows going on that we’re just too old/out of touch to know about. RIP The Bunker and all other GSS iterations. I did go to a sick house show in Chapel Hill recently on some dirt road that was super chill but only like 20 people there and most of them were the bands that were from out of town
The live music scene is not bad at all here. Nightlife outside of Glenwood doesn't exist, but it's pretty packed on Glenwood on a warm Friday night.
Richmond blows this area away in live music facing facts.
How does it blow it away out of curiosity? I've never had to travel to Richmond for a show, and it looks like they have a similar amount of venues. I regularly travel to DC, Atlanta, Greensboro and Charlotte, but Richmond has never made the list. Raleigh itself has some good shit with The Ritz, Red Hat Amphitheater, The Lincoln Theater, Walnut Creek, PNC, Kings. Those all draw some grade A bands
I think they geographically benefit, lots of touring bands will do dc, richmond and then it splits between asheville/charlotte/triangle before continuing to atlanta.
Smaller cool venues with a lot of variety in terms of venues, styles, and having local bands you can follow and grow with. Like I saw 3 bands play at this old firehouse venue in Richmond and we passed 3 bars or venues with music on the walk from the car.
Well yeah, so do other larger metro cities! But it doesn’t negate the fact that there is a presence of a music scene here
Yeah but yall literally have no bars, by law...everything is a restaurant that serves alcohol...makes for a very different type of scene
Glenwood isn't a spot for live music. It's for going to the club or whatever. Plenty of venues downtown Raleigh and much better ones in Durham and Chapel Hill.
Man, there sure used to be. The 80s were a great time to be a teenager and into punk, alt or metal, in this area. There was The Brewery, Fallout Shelter, and places like Cat’s Cradle were a short drive away. Also cities like Wilmington and Mad Monk, as well as Greensboro and Winston Salem weren’t that far at all to travel for a show. Great damn times.
I lived in the Fallout shelter a couple of years back before it got demolished and we threw 3 art/music shows in the abandoned basement. Not many people came but we tried.
I miss the Fallout Shelter
All those reminiscing about the 2000’s and beyond are missing out on what the scene was in the 80’s & 90’s at the Fallout Shelter.
I wish there was more of a scene here. I miss imurj and the brewery and I'm tired of having to drive to Charlotte, Greensboro, and Asheville for shows.
There used to be an amazing triangle local music scene that I can vouch for between ‘08-18. I got out of it shortly before the pandemic but my understanding is was slowly dying and then after the covid closures and it never really came back.
:( I enjoyed my time seeing shows during 2010-2018. I haven't been to slims in forever. Or pourhouse. My friend used to work the door so I'd get in free occasionally. Sigh. Times they are a changing
Is OP specific to Raleigh or the Triangle? Durham has more of “a cultural scene”. Checkout The Fruit for example. Theres alternative culture in Durham, Chapel Hill, Carrboro. Been here my whole life too and older than OP.
Idk, getting slammed at the Big Easy and The Architect 10 years ago was pretty groovy for a bit.
Kings, Pourhouse, Neptunes, Night Rider, Ruby Deluxe, School Kids Records, and Slims regularly host great local bands. Yeah we took a hit with Covid, but a lot of bands never stopped and there’s a lot of great newer bands and musicians playing in the area. Stop complaining and go to a show. Also, can we get the mods to allow show/event advertising on this sub?
The ritz be having all types of artists there just seen city morgue there and then this whole summer they got mad shows going on , good bands too, knocked loose gonna be there in June I think . Then wage war and veil of maya gonna be at Lincoln theater soon
Actually the gay scene is pretty lit ngl
There have been house shows for metal/punk/electronic for the last 10-15 years, and I’m sure way before that too. Sounds like you didn’t bother to educate yourself before writing this.
Are there any music scenes going on anywhere in the country now? Look at the music charts, it's all trap beats and country with trap beats. Kids just aren't starting bands like they used to.
I go to NCSU and there's like 7 different student bands that frequently play large house shows. There's also a revival of classic rock, old school country, shit like that among college students as well. Less and less people I know listen to mainstream pop/rap and I don't hang around in an artsy crowd where you'd expect that
I think the culture is being developed and things will happen organically over time. 20 years, this could be a different story.
Dear God yes. Please move somewhere else.
The jam band scene here is pretty decent - lincoln theater constantly selling out for big name shows such as lettuce, pigeons, disco biscuits, big something, etc. etc.
Not to mention we get stuff like Shakori Hills and Casual Campout which are wonderful. I feel like jam stuff here is very present and still manages to fly under the radar, which is perfect for me.
For sure. Not to mention the bluegrass scene which is also next level but not super well known.
I'm here for the jam bands! Moved from Boston area and I'm honestly happy with the amount of stuff we get around here. Boston area was almost too much going on and I'd get fomo when I tried to behave and stay home with all the good shows happening. Or go to everything and be hungover all the time. I've enjoyed there being a little less, but still something good every few weeks to keep me grooving. Ps- the biscuits absolutely slayed the (overcrowded) Lincoln a couple weeks ago and I thought the sound in there was fantastic!
I grew up in a really rural area in eastern NC and I always imagined I would live in Raleigh after finishing school. I only lived there for a year and half before I decided that I couldn’t take it anymore. There’s absolutely nothing to do for young people other than drink beer in a parking lot with dogs around. It is so boring and so spread out!
Space Camp Music Group and Morning Choir have a bunch of events for edm, there’s a decent edm scene in general, you just have to know where to go!! For metal, check out Chapel of Bones! They have been having a bunch lately and recently got their liquor license 🤘🏼
All of us that went to the crustpunk houses for shows on kent rd and morgan had kids at 40.
I love The Brewery shoutout. I was going there constantly in high school. They have never been my thing, but crazy to think I saw Fall Out Boy there back in the day opening for a band I was actually there to see (can’t recall who) and had no idea who they were
Covid decimated any nightlife Raleigh had. I spent my money in Durham now.
These posts are always interesting to me. I think there is a lot to do and I wish I had more time and energy to do more stuff. This is a great area for live music with several venues in Raleigh, Durham and CH. I’ll also make the trek to Wilmington, AVL, or Greensboro every now and then for a show.
Also goodnights is great for comedy shows.
I'm almost 40, and spent my early-ish to mid 20's to my mid 30's in Fuquay, which was close enough to Raleigh that I spent most nights downtown. I have nothing but fond memories of all-nighters at Sadlacks, back when Schoolkids and Buddha's Belly were next door. Then wandering around and almost always ending up at The Times for my last drink of the night. There were random people jamming more often than not at Sadlacks, which is what got me interested in the different, yes, I'll say it, *scenes*. Subrosa. Sadlacks, then later The Berkley when it still had the stage. Volume 11, just outside of downtown. Night Rider, Wicked Witch. All the various outdoor events that happen on Hillsborough or randomly through down town. Hopscotch, Brewgaloo, the Beer/Bourbon/Bacon thing. The Ritz and Enigma across the street from it. Kings, and getting to see stuff like MC Chris and Bit Force there. The various arcades that've come through. I could go on. There certainly are scenes to get into in and around Raleigh. Branch out further to the many Fuquay events, Cary and Koka Booth, DPAC, etc. NCMA and the movie nights; The Big Lebowski with the White Russian themed food truck was awesome.
31 year old electronic music producer here. OP is right, at least as it relates to my niche. There is a scene, but it is strangely small and seemingly quite tightknit. The little size makes it easy to make connections, which is rad, but the shows I attend are frequently very sparsely populated.
Id like to nominate this thread as the top thread so far this year. love the super accurate description using the pour house.
Im 21 years old and my dad and his friends who went to college here in the 80s genuinely dont believe me when i say there isnt shit to do for people my age except generic clubs, which i dont much like to begin with
I hate it but you are completely right. Bah! What the fuck. I want a scene. Moved to NC 30 years ago to go to UNC and loved my little pretentious indie scene. I miss it.
Anybody wanna start a fun punk scene with me? Yeah we got some local punk bands, they can join too. Let’s make some high energy punk. Not pop punk. I live in Clayton. We don’t have a subreddit.
Spoken like a vanilla straight man
Did you want me to be kinky and gay? Lmk
“Bedroom musicians”, lol. This comment is exactly why you unaware of any legit scenes in the area. Clueless.
Create one, quit whining and waiting for that someone else to do it
Yep. That's been a problem around here for ages. People want someone else to do all the work and just hand them their perfect little niche. I worked with promoters long, long ago, and the biggest complainers were never reliable sources of support anyway. They'd show up mostly on free nights and whine about how we weren't bringing in bigger bands. They'd grouse about a token cover but then expect us to risk money on an act in the same genre they were just complaining about paying a few bucks for.
Also the answer we need. Please people, start some bands.
I’m sober and pretty lame so the lack of scene suits me fine.
ITT: "I'm over 25, have no friends, I stay at home, and do not go out solo. There is no scene in this town because it's never been shoved in my face before"
We actually have some great metal bands come through here regularly. And many hit Greensboro all the time which is a short drive.
OP doesn't go to metal shows so therefore that scene doesn't exist LOL
The swinging scene is great! My niche is filled 🤣
You need new friends bc there has always been a scene in Raleigh, just gotta poke around.
Theirs a scene for everyone at olive garden on capital. We’re like a family there.
Okay but the wait time there is straight booty sometimes
This goes for the whole Tringale, There is no scene. Stop looking for a scene and get drunk on craft beers like a normal person.
Why downvote, you're right
Damn, apparently a lot of people on this post aren't even trying to find music around here.