The Silverlake Lounge has been a bar since 1938. The building went up in 1928. In the 1950s it was the Silver Lake Cocktail & Cafe, and by 1960 it was the Silverlake Lounge. For decades it was a neighborhood gay bar, with Latino drag shows on weekends.
In 1997 a booking crew called The Fold started putting on bands during the week. Elliott Smith sold out some of his first LA shows here. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Silversun Pickups, named after the liquor store across the street, came up here. Local Natives did their first residency here. Beck played a secret late set in 2006. Vampire Weekend, Tame Impala and Phoebe Bridgers all played here before they blew up. It’s a room where you can see the next wave coming.
Since it reopened in late 2024: Geese, IDLES, Cat Power, Social Distortion, Remi Wolf, Jamie xx, Bonobo, SG Lewis, The Dare.