Scala

(El Grande events at Scala)I have taken a basic salsa lesson in my twenties and exploring different latin theme events, the salsa instructors are really concise and very interactive with students at this venue. You get to meet new people, while salsa social dancing with opposite sex from international countries.

While I was living near King's Cross, Scala used to be one of my chosen venues for a night out, especially the Saturday Indie club night Chalk. The best thing about Scala is that it is set up for both DJs and live acts. It often hosts nights where you get a bit of both which is always fun. There is a big room downstairs with a main stage, and smaller room upstairs that is perfect for dancing your feet off and smaller live acts.

The live schedule at Scala is very mixed, making it appeal to all types of crowds. One night they will host a hip hop act, the next an indie band, followed by a pop act. Scala is a great music venue, and you will be able to have fun there, whatever music you are after.

Scala is a really good gig venue, though it is terrifically expensive! I also met Carl Barat there once- I didn't realise it was him until he walked away, but still... pretty cool. There used to be a night on called Chalk which was actually quite bad, first few nights started off O.K... I think it was the crowd.

The upstairs venue is really intimate, it has it's own bar and little seating booths. It's probably my favourite part. The downstairs stage is quite big, but not too big so makes a good dancefloor. There are also loads of little areas and corridors and stairways, so the drunker you get in there the more confusion is caused. It is great for a club night venue, depending on the people there- I think that is what used to annoy me about Chalk!

A stone's throw from Kings Cross, this is great, great venue to see a band doing the circuit. You would think the main chamber would be a bit bigger given the scale of the Scala, but as the other trusted reviewers have pointed out, it's just about the perfect size to create a unified atmosphere.


The rabbit warren can be a little confusing, but is also very helpful for slipping yourself/friends into the VIP areas.


Prospective bands get a wicked, if a little intimate, dressing room with good riders.


I caught Dreadzone here last night and they were as cracking as ever.

The Scala, a former cinema, now a music venue/nightclub in Kings Cross is my favourite venue for seeing bands at. I've managed to see some of my favourite indie bands of recent years here; Manitoba/Caribou, Four Tet, Band of Horses, Built to Spill, Nada Surf, Modest Mouse, The Shins, Architecture in Helsinki etc., so I guess the venue has positive associations for me.


It's a nicely laid out venue, aesthetically pleasing on the inside and looks quite pretty at night from the outside. There are multiple levels in the main gig floor/area and it goes up (iirc) 3 floors which means you usually can get a good view of the stage.


A nice bit is the enclosed bar area above the main gig area (which is sometimes used as a VIP area), as it's air conditioned, which is pretty useful if you're seeing a gig in the middle of Summer and perhaps don't really fancy being up front moshing with the crowd. The view from this bar was decent, but it's been made a bit worse by the new roof of the sound desk which intrudes a bit into your line of vision, but I suppose that's a small price to pay for seeing a gig seated in air conditioning. The sound in this room is not the best I must admit, so I generally only come here for a drink before the main act starts.


Pros
- multiple tiering and floors (so usually a good view of stage can be gained somewhere despite sold-out gigs)
- enclosed bar area
- multiple bars and toilets
- mostly cheap-ish
- lots of great bands frequent the venue for some reason
- good size for intimate gigs
- good sound/acoustics


Cons
- can get rammed (but so does any venue)
- bit confusing for non-regulars maybe
- not the greatest view & sound from the enclosed/VIP bar
- not in the greatest area, but there are some nice bars around

I love Scala it is quite different from other venues, there is an endless amount of corridors, stairs and rooms, everything is very dark & looks amazing in the low lighting they use.

I been here for a couple of boxing events & one music venue and i have to say every time they did a great job with the sound & lights. The location makes it excellent for a night out as it is only 2 minutes from kings cross underground, so i am definitely going back to check out their normal nightclub nights.

The only major issue is that you have to queue outside which is awful if it is cold.

I love Scala for the same reason I love first dates: there's buzz when the doors first open, mystery around every corner, you're essentially in the dark and everything looks so damn sexy in low lighting... until you get frisked, which happens far too often in both cases.

There's expensive booze, strange overpowering smells, and what could first be conceived as an illusion of smoke and mirrors, quickly morphs into a cozy and intimate evening.

I must say, they are both fantastic for putting on a show!

Why can't all London venues be this awesome? It's so much smaller than your Brixton Academy or your HMV Forum... which is a big win in my book.

The sound (handled by a technician inside a cage-like apparatus on the balcony area) is great in here. And I love the layout -- you never feel like you're cordoned off into one section if you're upstairs or down.

I have one minor gripe with Scala and that is... a smoking section inside? Really? Get with the times, dudes, smoking is soooo lame now. Kinda smells like a dirty stale smoke-infested pub on the balcony. But if you're there for a great gig, chances are you won't even notice it.

My tip to you: Try and snag a spot at the front of the railing in the upstairs area. The view is perfect, as is the sound. And (to use a phrase I think I've used in every venue review I've done in London) your face will be most certainly melted.

Yay! What a great venue! Tonight was my first visit to Scala, and I would definitely go back. Hopefully more acts I love will play there!

Love the smaller feel. Scala is standing room only, but there are so many different levels at all sorts of angles that it's fairly easy to avoid the floor smushiness.

The sound was excellent! Super easy to access from Kings Cross Underground. Quick and efficient coat check for £2, and the bar staff were lovely.

I went to a gig at Scala last night for the first time and was pleasantly surprised. The place appeared to have at least a hundred rooms and stairways, making me feel like I was entering the deepest pits of hell. This was a good thing, though, as I was there to see Italian horror movie soundtrack legends, Goblin. So the endless descent down red-walled stairways seemed appropriate.

Despite a full house, wait at the bar was minimal. Sound was really good. Lina happy. One downside was the ridiculous queue system. 90 minutes after doors opened there was still an enormous queue outside--they could definitely streamline the process.