Kings Barcade

I’d give it 0 stars if possible. The Skrillex looking dick at the door wouldn’t let me in because he «didn’t like the way I put the money for the membership» on the table. I don’t know about you all, but I don’t go to any bar that allows some thin skinned douce in a green scarf to decide on what manner I set money on a table. If you want to hit a real bar, I suggest Foundation or Foxes liquor bar. If I’m going to pay extra for alcohol, I’m not up for amateur hour.

So my last statement really did apply. I returned to kings yesterday to see protomartyr, and it was a totally different vibe. The crowd was on the older end of the millennial spectrum (born in the early ‘80s), and I would say a good third of the crowd had warby parkers perched on their nose (myself included). I guess people who are into post-​punk are less inclined to fall down drunk and throw stuff?
It was pretty well attended but not totally sold out, so there was a little bit of breathing room. Also, there were people jumping around and dancing or whatever you want to call the facsimile of dancing that is on display at post-​punk shows. People were moving. It’s better than shows or clubs where people are just standing there and not even nodding their heads? Like, that’s the least you could do? Come on, guys.
But the crowd was chill enough that I felt perfectly safe near the front of the stage. I think even the band felt the chill vibes, because there was a group hug at the end amongst the band.
My only comment is maybe the merch table isn’t ideally located. If there’s a long line after the show, it blocks access the the bathrooms and coat rack. It can also be awkward to navigate around on your way to the free water dispenser by the bar (btw no charge for the paper cups, and they’re a decent size, and the water is cold, so thanks for that), and you have to get by the line to actually leave too.
I was also bummed that the delicious Belgian beer I tried from the Raleigh brewing company was no longer on tap, but hey, at least the drinks are reasonably priced. $ 8 for a jack and Coke isn’t the cheapest, but it’s also not the most expensive for raleigh. And yeah, kings is a lot smaller than the ritz, but the ritz is a dump in the middle of nowhere, and kings is right downtown. So I imagine rent might be higher for kings, but they manage to charge a good two dollars less than at the ritz (and also tend to have more interesting bands but whatever). I would rather eat a moldy piece of bread than go back to the ritz.
PS the Moore square parking garage by beasley’s and chuck’s is also pretty close and parking is free by the time most shows at kings end.
So yeah. Good atmosphere, decent sound, nice drinks, great bands, and a chill crowd if you’re lucky and hit up kings on the right night.

Whoa, Kings.
Kings takes the crown for the best music venue in Raleigh. Their booking has gotten better every year that I’ve lived in Raleigh. I’ve seen some of the best shows of my life here — including Hopscotch Music Festival, M83, Hum, the SparkCon burlesque show, The Love Language, Kooley High, King Mez, Active Child, the Dangling Loafer comedy, etc.
The bartenders do an amazing job, often handling a large crowd and a full bar. I do think it’s good etiquette to avoid the specialty cocktails at packed shows — if you’re not too picky, go with a Narragansett tall boy for $ 3. They have a cooler full of those guys.
Make sure to pop down to Neptunes after a show if you still have some energy. The cocktails are great down there, and dance parties start around midnight on the weekends.
Pro tip: There’s a water dispenser at the bar near the entrance. Somehow, they manage to keep it almost always full.

If you are looking for a fun and interesting night, be sure to check out King’s Barcade! This was one of the first clubs that I ever frequented in Raleigh, particularly because I first moved here when I was under 21 years of age and DSCVRY (a monthly dance party they host) is 18+ with a small surcharge for those under 21. It’s a huge dance party that brings out some big names in the dance scene.
The space gets pretty crowded after midnight and the floor gets pretty sticky. You’ll certainly burn off your calories for the day though — the music is bumpin’ and your body will be shakin’. The bartenders are pretty quick to get your orders too — it’s a full bar with a fair draft beer selection. The décor is pretty neat and sometimes they have a «photo booth» where you can get your picture taken. The bathrooms are normally well maintained too, which is nice.
All in all, this is a great location to enjoy a fun night out. I have not attended a concert here nor have I made it out for a comedy show. I certainly would be open to that though.

Great space and decore, parking is not too far away at Moore Square and is usually free after 7pm.
Bathrooms are not disgusting, drinks are reasonable and they have a good draft selection of NC beers.
My only complaint is that the sound often painfully loud. Yeah, yeah, yeah I know what you’re thinking– «If it’s too loud, you’re too old.» But I don’t have this complaint at Local 506, Motorco, Pinhook, or either room at the Cats Cradle. We see a lot of bands and years ago I realized no band is worth permanent hearing loss and when you’re ears are ringing the next day and you had ear protection? They book some great bands, but it’s not worth it for me.

Saw Ki: Theory here. Good drinks and great staff. I will come here more often when I’m in town.

Beer could be way better.
How about some bar snacks?
Comedy night brought me in.
Nothing special about the venue.
Convenient to get to and hang out, then wander out into the Raleigh Night for a bite to eat.

Great Venue for Stand Up Comedy
Visit: April 18
On Friday night, my husband and I attended the Dangling Loafer stand up comedy show at Kings Barcade. This was my first visit to Kings and I really liked it. The venue is perfect for shows with a large stage set up high off the floor so I bet every seat in the house is a good one. In front of the stage, they were several rows of folding plastic chairs that weren’t the most comfortable. On one side, there was a bar with barstools and a very talented artist painted a cool and bizarre mural on the wall. Along the other sidewall, there was a wood bench. There is a square shaped bar in the back. The sound system was crystal clear and at a good volume.
I was impressed with the drink menu. It was short but had some inspired cocktails. There’s a series of libations containing the awesome ginger ale, Blenheim’s. My husband had his current favorite, the Moscow Mule. It was gingerlicious… lots of spicy ginger and some zesty lime. I went for the Paloma made with vodka and grapefruit. It was nice and tangy and easy to drink. I thought the drinks were well made in terms of flavor but I have to say they seemed to be a little on the weak side.
The Dangling Loafer happens the third Friday of the month featuring 5 local comedians. The show was fast paced with no breaks in between each comedian. The comedians were funny… some more than others. It was an interesting variety of styles and topics.
It was a fun night full of laughs! All for $ 5. I will definitely be back for The Dangling Loafer and plan to check out some of the other shows held at this venue.
Side Note: This comedy show is NOT rated PG. So you may wish to find another activity that is more family friendly to do with your 9 year old daughter/​underage children.

Friends who had lived in Raleigh before me would tell me of wild, crazy, and fun nights at Kings Barcade when it was on McDowell Street. When it reopened in its current location, I was thrilled to give Kings a try; I wanted to create my own treasured memories.
And I have. Kings Barcade’s schedule includes comedy shows, dance parties (notably DSCVRY), A/​V, spelling bees, unappreciated bands, private events, and so on. The floor plan and interior design create an intimate space while still inciting that lively, energetic feel of crowds. But I still have yet to capture that emotional bond that hooked my friends who had frequented the old version of Kings.
Unfortunately, I also always have a difficult time getting drinks at the bar. Maybe I should be more aggressive? Then again, I’m pretty sure the service is just slow during packed events.
Kings is pretty decent. I’ll go again, but I can’t rave about it like those before me.

This is a simply excellent music venue. The sound is impressive and the setting relatively intimate. I’ve seen local acts like Gray Young and Once and Future Kings and nationally touring indie bands like Lotus Plaza and Com Truise. You’ll find a range of genres here.
There’s a lot of bar space, which is great. On crowded nights it can still be hard to get a bartender’s ear, but they work hard. They have cool and simple décor and clean restrooms — which one sometimes doesn’t find at venues.

Neat little venue hosting J Roddy Walston and the Business. Great show. Intimate while still feeling crowded and lively. Bartenders were nice, drink prices were reasonable. Crowd was mixed but good. Only concern was the area at night. While it seemed good going in, by midnight when I left it was deserted outside with the occasional bum or crazy person making eye contact and following me rapidly to my car. Keep your mace handy!

Checked out King’s for my friends hip-​hop show last night & overall I was pleased. Of course, being the Muppets fanatic I am, I was blown away that Statler & Waldorf were in attendance!
King’s is pretty small, but the occupancy is 204, so that means they can pack a lot people in a small space. The bar is pretty big. Bartenders are friendly.
The sound system is really nice.
And for merch sales, they have a small space for artists to set up their selling space.

I’m beyond annoyed at the lack of professionalism and respect shown to me when I tried to work with Kings to host a charity event at the venue at off-​peak hours. After some decently quick responses (a few days) to my request to hold a home brew festival for a cancer charity at Kings, I met with an employee to assess the space, and we agreed it would be a good fit. He said he would check with the rest of the management to confirm one of the two dates I requested. Five days later, I hadn’t heard, so emailed, and he said he’d get back to me next week. That came and went, I emailed again, and also called the number he gave me (not sure if it was a personal cell or business number), which was disconnected. Three more emails with no response, more calls to the bogus cell number, as well as to the Kings main office (which rang and rang, with no voicemail, so who knows when anyone is there to take calls), and I gave up. I am extremely disappointed that I apparently didn’t even deserve a quick «Sorry, it won’t work out after all.» The whole process — from initial email to the final email asking for confirmation that they are no longer interested — was five weeks. Five weeks that I won’t get back, and now have to cancel the event due to lack of time. Appalling.

Kings is one of my favorite venues and I go here regularly to see A/​V Geeks shows. I also enjoy seeing bands here as well. The bartenders are always friendly and know how to mix a good drink. They have a seasonal cocktail menu and there’s always something interesting to try!

I finally made it to Kings. My friends seem to be there every weekend and they finally got me to go. I am glad I did. Once we got up the stairs and in the door we came across a display table. My friend and I had a great time playing with the jumping toys on the table.
The venue is pretty neat. The two old critic muppets have their own box seats for all shows. If only they really moved and talked. The back of the stage gives a feel of old 60’s music shows. The only complaint is how sticky the floor is. I got stuck pretty good a few times.
Great place for small band shows.

NYE 2012:
As we approached the entrance, we noticed a long line of peeps eager to get in. Slowly, people started to yell out complaints as they were turned away at the door — Neptunes/​Kings was close to maximum capacity. My boyfriend and I rushed to the front with our pre-​paid tickets in tow, gaining much-​desired attendance to the party. Our accompanying three friends had will-​call tickets, which wasn’t a good idea, since they almost got turned away.
Neptunes was absolutely slam-​packed, so we trucked upstairs to the lesser-​populated (but not by much) Kings. After first visiting the lavatory, I rejoined my boyfriend at the packed bar. With a $ 20 bill in hand, I leaned sensuously onto the bar, staring down the bartender lady until her eyes inevitably met mine. My boyfriend was baffled by my talent in getting the bartender’s attention, since he was ignored and got a drink ten minutes later. Fortunately, there is a simple formula: don’t have an attitude, smile, show some cleavage (that is, if you dare — works with dudes and sometimes chicks), bring/​show cash (it’s preferred over credit cards), and leave a nice tip.
After attaining drinks, I rejoined my other friends at one of the side tables, parallel the packed dance-​floor. The jams issuing from The Lollipops were awesome — just perfect for the mood of the tipsily jiving hipsters. Not even ten minutes later, the stage-​host excitedly announced the countdown. Couples locked eyes as the numbers inched lower, inevitably locking lips in passionate, drunken kisses around the room, as puppy-​faced, single dudes nursed their drinks and longingly creeped.
Overall, the NYE party was amazing! Unfortunately, no snacks or champagne toasts were to be found — I’m guessing this was in Neptunes only? My only embarrassing moment of the night was the drunken chick who forced her way into my bathroom stall while I was peeing. Luckily, I was too tipsy to get upset.

King’s and Neptune’s are such fun places :) you can go downstairs and dance your little heart out, or you can go upstairs and jam out to whatever band they have that night. Neptune’s was much busier than King’s when we went 2 weeks ago, but they were SO fun! I’ll definitely be back :)

As others have said, Kings and Neptunes share the same entrance. Go upstairs for Kings and downstairs for Neptunes.
Kings is one of the best intimate venues in the area. They get some great bands on a regular basis and the prices for the shows are acceptable. The sound setup is on par for a place of it’s size and they have several projectors that can be used for enhanced visuals during a show.
The bar is something that surprised me, which is located in the back right corner with plenty of seating. They offer a full bar with local beers as well. Even though they offer mixed drinks, you can also go cheap with a PBR. I always appreciate when a smaller venue can cater to every wallet. Even during more busy nights I’ve never had a problem getting a drink.
I’ve been there once for a show and several times on a random Friday night, and it has never disappointed. From a local or national act to a dance party, it’s guaranteed fun. I’ll be back soon.

I went here last night for the first time to see a show. I have been to Neptune’s before, but was excited to get a chance to see a show here. Kings has the same entrance as Neptune’s, but you go upstairs rather than downstairs when entering. Parking is not ideal, but there is some street parking nearby and a few decks not too far away.
The bar area is in the back with a stage up front. The space is a lot bigger than I had expected it to be. The ceilings are high and the sound was good in this space. The bar in the back is pretty long with a lot of seating. They have a decent selection of local NC drafts, various canned beers and mixed drinks. The local beers were $ 4.50 each, about on par with what you would expect for a music venue like this one.
Plenty of space to stand with benches in the back area. The particular show I went to was crowded, but not overly packed, so it did get a little warm in there. The crowd was pretty mixed but mostly if I had to guess, people in their 20s. I would not hesitate to come back for a show, I really liked the space and will be checking out their schedule more regularly now.

«I have dined with kings, I’ve been offered wings. And I’ve never been too impressed,» Bob Dylan once said. I wonder if he would be impressed by Kings Barcade?
Following our usual Friday nights tradition, we were again in Downtown hopping from one place to another; after leaving The Hive, and turned away from The Foundation because «over capacity,» we decided to give Neptune/​Kings a swirl.
In the same night, I met a Duke, finally have my first check-​in (even though I have been here a few times,) became part of a fashion photo-​shoot (reads: photo-​bombing while girls who wear too many glitter for a Friday night taking pictures of themselves,) and totally felt in love with a rocker chick with awesome pants and played a mean bass.
Kings Barcade is this kind of the place. It is not the largest performance venue around town by measure, but it is the most diverse and wild one. Take a look at the event schedule, and you will see there is almost a booking every night of the month: sometimes small fame artists from out of town, sometimes a few local studio start-​ups putting on a free show, and sometimes even Spelling Bee and A/​V Geek-​out challenge can be seen.
Wait! Did I really just??? Surely I couldn’t have??? But there it is! Statler and Waldolf! The critics from The Muppets are sitting on the wall, just like on the show. I guess if they can approve Kings Barcade, so can I.

Oh mighty King Neptune! It’s hard to beat the double-​decker action at Kings Barcade and Neptune’s Parlour. Down below it’s all dark and cave-​like, perfect to get your drank on. Up top at King’s Barcade, things are a BIT brighter but not much so. Pop up the stairs, pay the cover and step into King’s cavernous space. Stage to the left, muppets on display in front and drinky-​bar to your right. Sidle up for a draft brew or cocktail and get ready to enjoy some music. Or maybe a zombie show. Or maybe some improv comedy. King’s books a LOT of different acts and I’ve seen everything from local bands to actors kidnapping Morgan Freeman to our own Susan Z, attacking and munching on an unsuspecting zombie victim. (I kid you not…)
So yeah, King’s is pretty decent, a good mix of music and more. The crowd is more along the creative-​hipster vein but not overboard. If you really want to see a lot of beards, plaid and chucks, go downstairs for that! All in all I’m pretty good with King’s. Maybe not my favorite venue but good enough to keep myself entertained on a Friday or Saturday evening…

I actually really dig this place. I didn’t think I would. But I do!
From the outside I always thought this was some run down casino but little did I know the slot machines were absent and the black jack tables imagined.
At the door you have the option to go upstairs or downstairs. Don’t be fooled by this, the only way to Kings is up. Downstairs lays Neptunes, a snazzy little bar (perfect for perching before an event at Kings). As you ascend the stairs you may still think you’re headed for that mythical casino but once you enter you realize you’re in a hip downtown venue.
The layout is simple. Bar. Floor. Stage. They do have a full bar and the prices won’t break the bank at all (at least not with $ 2 PBR).
This place reminded me of places I would frequent in Baltimore when I was in college. It’s not the largest venue in the world but also not the smallest (see review of The Brewery). Personally, I thought it to be the perfect size.
I actually attended Kings for a show of DJs and the place was packed. PACKED! It did get ridiculously hot… so, don’t say I didn’t warn you. However hot it was it didn’t stop people from having a good time. And that’s what’s important.
I look forward to more shows here.