The Space

I went here to see Andrew WK’s solo show in December. It was kind of hard to find for an out-​of-​towner, so definitely follow the venue’s directions and not your GPS. Parking was fine, big open lot, free.
I am the kind of person who likes to sip on a light beer in the back before the main act goes on, so I really had no idea what to expect from a venue that advertised that you would have to go to the bar next door if you wanted a drink. Interestingly, when I arrived at the Space, nobody even checked my ticket, so wandering back and forth from the Space to the Outer Space for a beer was easy.
The Space was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. I’ve been to clubs in strip malls in the suburbs behind carpet stores before, but this was a whole new beast. It’s basically a house, right? I think it legit used to be somebody’s home. If you told me there was a secret third-​floor apartment where the owner lives, I’d believe you. It’s like a mix between a dingy frat house basement with low ceilings and a rich dude’s fancy garage with checkered tile floors. The stage is low (seriously, MAYBE it was 18 inches off the ground), but the place is small and intimate, so it’s not hard to get close and see the show.
The Outer Space was way too hipstery for me, but beer snobs would love it. I do enjoy craft beer, but I don’t want to be looking up beer reviews and alcohol percentages while trying to order quickly to rush back to see a band. It would have been fine if I had been able to take it back to the Space, but instead it felt like I was kind of pounding heavy beer to get back to the venue between acts.
At any rate, I wasn’t there to get drunk, and honestly, it was a wonderful experience. Was it the best sound on earth? Not by a long shot. But if you went to a party in your friend’s basement where everyone was cool, and an awesome band happened to be playing, that’s pretty much what it was like at the Space. The crowd was amazing. I was there by myself and met a lot of nice people. I’d give 5 stars if the Space had been able to serve me a Miller Lite or a PBR (or whatever PBR-​equivalent beer you people up in Connecticut drink).
I definitely would have loved this place as a teenager, and my parents might have even let me go. (Parents: You should let your kids go here, but then again, this review is coming from the girl you’re afraid your kids will turn into.)

One of my favorite music venues in the area for a few reasons! It’s an extremely intimate space, so whether it’s a local band or a more popular group, you’re guaranteed to get up close! The tickets are affordable and the shows are frequent. They support local bands and it’s a below 21 friendly place. There’s a cute thrift shop upstairs and comfortable outdoor seating for in between bands. The Space has saved my weekend SO many times, and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a quirky music experience.

The Space is a really fun music venue. Their tickets are cheap and it has the vibe of stumbling into an impromptu basement show. Sure, the acoustics leave a little to be desired, but the stage is to tiny that you’re practically standing next to the band, so who’s complaining? I’ve seen the Antlers, Appleseed Cast, Islands, and several others here and never has a band looked like they’re having anything but a great time.
It’s all-​ages, so no alcohol, but I’ve always left entertained so that’s hardly even a complaint. If you feel like a beer you can always pop over to the Outer Space, which is the sister venue/​bar just across the parking lot.

I saw Hellogoodbye here on Tuesday night. It was the most intimate concert experience I have ever had. I was so close to the stage that I was practically on it. The lead singer (Forrest Kline) would either make me sing straight into the mic or take random dance breaks with me. We even got to meet the whole band after.
So the moral of the story is: if you favorite band comes here, definitely go. Your dreams may come true.
*also make sure to come to the show early to enjoy the thrift shop and arcade upstairs.

Do I like that this place gets great shows, is affordable, and is close to home? YES
Do I like that I can enjoy a hot tea for a couple bucks and no chance of beer spilling on me? Occassionaly, yes. But I do like drinking beer too, and there’s none of that here.
Do I wish this place wasn’t a smelly dank basement? No, actually. It’s quite charming.
Do I like to people watch in between sets? Yes, the Space has some of the finest for that. Thank you sleeping parents of children who like the same music as me. Wait a minute!!!
Do I secretly wish I had the owner’s enterprising personality? Hell yes. Much respect to this and sister venues Outer Space/​Spaceland Ballroom.
Is there anything not to like? Eh, the parking lot kind of sucks. But really, when I start appreciating parking lots I think it’s the beginning of the end for me.

I suppose I might be biased because I’ve played around at quite a few venues in the area but I really don’t get the appeal of this place. I guess it caters to the whole «weird and different» crowd but I’ve always felt that it tries too hard to pull that off. It also doesn’t help that the general crowd at this place is your typical group of 3 – 5 high schoolers looking for a place to go after sparking up a blunt in their buddy’s car. The last time I played here this 16-​year old came barreling up the steps with a water bottle full of vodka. How do I know it was vodka? Because she slammed right into me, getting it everywhere and knocking me back into a small control panel next to the front door. I’m not saying that that’s the venues fault however I did notice that they paid very little to no attention to who they let in.
All in all, not a terrible place but nowhere near as amazing or epic as other people make it out to be. The bar across the street is kinda cool, but other than that not really somewhere I would go out of my way to spend my night at.

Bad sightlines, uneven sound that is deafening in the front and muffled in the back, and yet, I really like this place. An intimate underground (literally) venue that, as one reviewer put below, looks like the furnished basement in your suburban house when you were growing up. The best thing about this spot is they attract big artists, presumably looking for a gig between shows in New York and Boston. Meaning, you can get very close and personal with acts that usually play places like the Bowery Ballroom in New York. As examples, I saw Wye Oak there last year, and just got back from a Thermals show (the latter is headed to two shows at the Bowery later this week). Very cool, and the artists really seem to enjoy it as well. The promoters who run the joint are very friendly and cordial, and clearly in it for the love of music.
Plus, they make a quite serviceable burrito if you don’t have a chance to pick up dinner before the show.

The space books some of my favorite bands. Just a few nights ago I saw two of my favorite bands play together Tera Melos and TTNG. The local opening bands were really good as well. I’ve seen a good number of bands here and the sound quality has been pretty on point. The tickets are usually really cheap too! It’s a small intimate environment so you really get to get close to the band.
The few problems I’ve encountered are that if you’re in the back the sound is good but the stage is not raised so visibility is a problem. Also it’s usually all ages so a lot of high school kids from the area go, sometimes just because they have nothing better to do and don’t really go for the bands. Also since there’s a lot of underaged kids there’s no beer :/​
Overall still worth going to see some awesome bands!

The Space seems like a decent small live music venue. The room only holds 150 people or so, and is essentially a large living room, with a stage one one side and couches, tables, and chairs on the other. The «stage» is on the same level as the rest of the floor, so it can be hard to see the band if you’re not right up front (or really tall).
There is a small juice/​snack bar, but no alcohol. It’s an all ages venue that attracts many up and coming local or regional bands.
One minus for me (and it could just be me getting old) — the Space can get hot! They had a couple of air conditioners cranking, but with 150 packed into a small room, the temp went up quick. After a while I decided to trade my good spot up close for one farther in the back. I also noticed that the acoustics/​sound was better in the back than on one side or the other — the difference wasn’t huge, but was noticeable.
I love small venues like this. This one had some flaws, but it’s great to have a place like this nearby.

Went here last night to see Old Man Gloom. They had played a couple shows in Boston last week but some scheduling conflicts made those unobtainable, so we decided to drive out to Hamden (New Haven basically) and give this place a try. It’s interesting to say the least. It’s an all ages venue that caters to a much younger crowed than I’m used to. Median age couldn’t have been over 21. I was definitely «old guy» at this show. It’s a multi leveled venue with the performance space in the basement. Also I should add its in an industrial complex. The room itself is ideal. Small and narrow with a very low ceiling. Perfect. Sound was fantastic. Has a small snack bar where you can get water, coffee and nachos or whatever, and they had some tables and chairs set up in back café style if that’s more your thing. So thats that, if we are talking strictly about the performance space this place gets an A++ with a gold star and an awesome scratch and sniff. But they did some shit wrong.
First off, dry. No beer. If you want to drink you have to walk across the parking lot to the sister venue, The Outer Space which I’ll review shortly
Second, they left the lights on in the back of the room which is distracting and rude if you ask me. Wasn’t so bad while OMG was playing cause they’re loud as fuck, but the act before, MGR was not loud at all and with the lights left on it lets the people in back feel like talking and socializing while people are trying to play is an acceptable thing. It isn’t.
Lastly and this isn’t so much a complaint, it’s full of teenagers. This place is for them really, and that’s awesome. It gives kids an amazing venue where they can put on shows and hang out with other like minded kids. We could’ve been so lucky as to have a place like this around.
So all that being said, my positive feelings on the place out way the negative but it would take another special set of circumstances to get me out here again.
Old Man Gloom was f’ing awesome.

I love The Space.
It’s everything 17-​year-​old me could have wanted in an all-​ages music venue — great local and smaller acts, intimate concert setting, fun sodas and sandwiches, and lots of things to look at — and the magic didn’t wear off once I turned 21. In fact, as I got older, I was able to appreciate The Space more for what it is: A great place to enjoy great live music. I’ve been to The Space a number of times now and have seen several bands and musicians varying in genre from solo acoustic to punk and power pop, and The Space has provided the perfect setting for every single one.
Shows are held in the basement, which is decorated with records on the ceiling, children’s book pages covering the support columns, colorful trinkets, and just lots of cool stuff. There’s a small, slightly elevated stage, standing room in front of the stage, a few tables and chairs, and a snack bar in the back corner. The sound quality is great, and because it’s such a small venue, you really get that intimate concert experience.
There’s no alcohol served at The Space because it’s an all-​ages venue, but the non-​alcoholic beverages and snacks take me back to a simpler, still fun time. And I can still enjoy a good beer across the parking lot at the Outer Space before the show and between sets. An added bonus: Upstairs from The Space is The Attic, a tiny thrift shop where you can find cute jewelry, clothing, and other vintage finds. My collection of $ 2 earrings from The Attic grows with every concert ticket I buy to The Space.
The staff is always friendly, and that vibe usually spreads to everyone there. It’s just an all-​around great place.

My band played this venue recently, and I have to say that I was impressed! We’ve played stages ranging from the Webster theater main stage to floor level bars, but the vibe at the Space was what makes it special. Very cool, and all ages! I look forward to playing there again.
–Carl,
Sever the Drama

Amazing, all ages music place. Great local, regional, and occasionally national acts.

i’m from long island and have been coming out to the space once or twice a year since 2007. i really love this place and am sad there isn’t anything like it here. i’m more than willing to drive up there if there is a band that i love playing.
it is an amazingly intimate venue where you can really feel at home. they have a nice little food area where you can get some food. nothing fancy but definitely a nice touch. plus coffee and the large selection of teas are greatly appreciated.
the little thrift shop upstairs is quaint & nice addition to fill time before the show.

Definitely a place to check out. This place is pretty small, but if you you make it to a show of a favorable band, you definitely will not be disappointed. I’m not too sure the story behind the place but it looks like it is a house that has been turned into a music venue. It has that over-​decorated basement vibe that is slightly grimy, yet oddly comfortable. This small place has a lot of character and will not disappoint.
There is no alcohol served but they do provide food (sandwiches, ice cream, tea, coffee etc) which makes it a great place for all ages but it just so happens that it is predominately high school/​college aged kids. I’ve attended it twice and both times were unforgettable.