Flash

Space on the second floor was great and sound was great. A little disorganized at the door, when getting your ticket. Drinks were reasonably priced for a club my beers were $ 6. They had water out for you at the bar which is a plus. I was sad they didn’t have tokens for the photo booth — because I was looking forward to taking pictures with my friends when I entered. We went around ¹¹⁄₁₁₃₀ got poppin by ¹²⁄₁₂₃₀.

Been here for a variety of house, trance and deep house DJ’s. Flash has an awesome sound system and even though the music does get somewhat mind numbing the drops are always pretty good and the light strips the run along the wall give a pretty good (if not seizure inducing) show. The drinks are pretty good and not too strong (as weird as that sounds think less likely to accidentally black out). The downstairs area has a nice brick fireplace and there is an outdoor smoker area. Good place to come with friends if you’re into the trance, house, deep house etc scene. Occasionally I’ve seen people also get to meet the DJ’s.

This is an awesome space for a club! For me, its a great mix of industrial and modern. I’ve been a few times and it has never been overly crowded, which I like. I do agree with some of my fellow Unilocalers that the fee to get upstairs seems to be whatever the coat check girl says it is at any given time, but it is usually between $ 10 and $ 20. First floor is cool with a chill vibe. I had one lady bartender who was cool, but there were a few others that prefered to talk to each other and play with their phones instead of bartend :(The second floor is ok depnding on the crowd. Remember you have to pay to get to the second floor, so gage the first floor crowd wisely before you decide to pay to go upstairs! The music was always deep house. Ok, but nothing to write home about. The light show can be intense on the eyes. The third floor (roof top) is chill. The couple times i’ve been up there, there has been no dj and it was pretty quiet. Caution: It can get REALLY SMOKEY up there!
Overall: Nice space, decent music, hit or miss crowd
Recommendation: Go and check it out, especially if you’re into deep house!

It can be a great spot to be up close and personal with your favorite DJ; besides that, it’s always overly hot, and the drink prices are DC average.

I got shown the door the first visit for good reason. I’m a man to admit my mistakes. However, two weeks later after I learned my lesson… I was hawkeyed and instantly kicked out because of previous stereotype from the same bouncer because of prior judgements. Not sure how a club like this can survive long term if they cannot embrace the community and forgive new becoming loyal patrons. It was an embarrassment and very much unnecessary in all my decades of enjoying nightclubs throughout the country. I get it, had too much to drink the first visit. Why label me and ban me for no apparent reason other than having a chip on your shoulder? I have to say that this place isn’t worth anyone’s time as a local or a visitor like myself. Unfortunately I really enjoyed the music and hope someone else picks up the slack.

Terrible

My experience at Flash was very NEGATIVE. I was there on a Friday night, the upstairs sections were lively and music was good.
You MUST watch out when you pay for your drinks at the bar! The bartenders themselves will try to steal your money. Initially, I ordered a jäger bomb on the top floor and the bill was $ 10 (average for DC prices). Later on, I ordered another jäger bomb with another bartender and got charged $ 11 this time. When I asked the bartender about the price increase, he proceeded to call me a liar and repeatedly said I was incorrect. I then pulled out my receipt from the first drink and he continued to say it was false and that my receipt was no good. After arguing for several minutes, he gave me back a dollar. This was neither Boris nor Paula, but the third bartender who is darker and bigger. The bad experience didn’t stop there.
Later I went downstairs to get another drink, this time they were out of Jäger, so the Spanish speaking bartender offered fernet. She told me the drink was $ 12, I gave her a $ 10 and two $ 1s. She took the money, walked to the register, hid a $ 1 and came back to ask for «the extra dollar I owed». There was no arguing with her as she pretended not to hear what I was saying. I gathered my friends and left immediately, the bartenders here are thieves that take advantage of their customers when they are given the benefit of the doubt, pick somewhere else to spend your night!

I saw the worst dj I have ever seen there in my entire life last night. As an EDM fan, Jan Krueger was hands down the most plain and boring dj I have ever seen. He didn’t drop the beat once, it was more just bass bass bass. For a $ 12 cover and a decent atmosphere, I would not recommend coming back here.

This place is just punishing. To your wallet, your senses, your faith in humanity.
I’m moderately into edm. I go to a show at least once a month. But this could be almost funny it’s so redundant. I mean literally just a beat and nothing else for 45 minutes. Just *untz untz untz* no bass line, no add-​ins, no slow building synth. The kids tell me its deep DEEP house. The lights were absurd, just when I’d think I was safe they would ~*flash*~ extra bright and the whole crowd would bug out like vampires in the sun. I held my hand over my eyes the whole time like the saddest game of Marco Polo. And the people. Sweet yeezus the people. Lots of dudes, some who were pulling off a smoky eye. Inexplicable mannequins peppered about, but I digress.
You can’t make me go back.

So Disappoint about flash. We had a bachorette party show up and they turned us away. They didn’t even see the veil and they turned us away with out a second thought. Very unhappy a was of time. No one was drunk and we had made a pre reservation it was very strange and I wlil never go back. The bouncer on ¹⁰⁄₃ very unprofessional.

Did not like the music on September 25^th, 2015. The first floor was okay. The second floor music was ridiculous, because you have to pay $ 15. The music reminded me of the nerdy alien guys who talk to themselves type of music. Upset and about to leave, we noticed there was a third floor. This is the roof which had a balcony. There was no music or anything sadly. Just a bunch of people talking. Disappointed overall

Rather than cover all things previously covered, I will piggy-​back off of Negro F’s post.
ARRIVAL
«Good location, lots of adjacent little bars and pizza parlors for both before and after. The usual doormen are definitely not what I’d call friendly, but not rude either. Inside, Flash is visually proper. Dim lighting with just enough lamps around the bar for you to see where you’re going. Both the downstairs and upstairs room are accented with the right balance of steel and metal to make you feel like you’re in something between a warehouse, and an old tavern. Tickets are sold in the booth/​coat room right before you go up the industrial stairwell. If you didn’t get a pre-​sale, the price will most likely be 5 – 10 $ more then the „tickets at the door“ price you saw online, even when the place is half empty. I used to do nightlife events, and I smell a hustle».
MY RESPONSE:
All of the above holds true. I did find that the ticket counter was «winging» the price on both occasions but I didn’t fight it.
DANCE FLOOR/​DEMOGRAPHIC
«The dance floor is spacious, I’d guess the max capacity is between 400 – 500. Very high ceiling, which is good for acoustics. Now, the DJ booth is elevated maybe 8 or 9ft in the air, which is inappropriate for an „underground“ club. First, that’s so 1998, plus instead of having the DJ close to you (so that you can see their hands) you get a giant black wall at the front of the dance floor, usually crowded with disengaged patrons».
MY RESPONSE:
The demographic in the main room middle floor is that of the hipster types. The upstairs rooftop has a more sophisticated cross-​over crowd that doesn’t seem to be into the über underground sound. It almost feels as if they really want more of that cross-​over sound to get down and dance. Regarding the dj wall, I prefer the wall because it creates a separation between the dj and dance floor. This 2 step head in deer light culture is preventing us from engaging with each other. It’s rather a strange feeling to be dancing with your partner to have everyone facing the dj standing in formation.
VIP
MY RESPONSE: It’s close enough to the main floor to create a good VIP/​main floor pairing.
SOUND
Downstairs — Lounge vibe, good all around for convo and bouncing around.
Upstairs — The bulk of the sound comes from 4 hanging speaker stacks, so within that «square» the sound is solid, but outside of it the energy level goes down, conversation levels go up, a «dead zone». Mid’s and High’s are fine, but the bass will never blow your guts out of your stomach. Which is what you need to in fact «get deep»
MY RESPONSE:
Quality to the fullest. I will remark at the fact that often the terrace has a pre-​recorded mix while the opening dj plays. The sound then turns to the main room headliner. I truly feel because of the separation of demographic, there should also be a difference in music. As a nightclub consultant and dj coach, it is imperative to pair music with its texture. The same music that you play in a dark underground setting does not comprise of the mood that one would experience while under the stars in a well lit room.
MY TAKE ON TALENT:
Flash runs an EDM (Event Driven Music) culture. This is not to be confused with the Electro/​Festival genre culture. Flash brings in plenty of weekly über underground as well as palatable acts for its DC hipster demographic. As most venues today, it doesn’t really have an identity and as with most DC nightclub owners, it doesn’t have the confidence in a Resident dj to both network with local/​international acts/​record labels as well as the ability to cultivate the local scene.
OVERALL
Flash promotes a repeat clubber and somewhat of a loyal fan base. It creates repeat clubbers in that it allows many to come see isolated acts. It also generates loyalty because it is a one of a kind venue in DC by providing a rooftop/​underground feel in one venue. So it’s just a place to go just for the sake of having a place to go on a Saturday night to hear non-​radio play music. However, for the true clubbing vets, it will be limited to isolated acts with no true identity.
Johnny Fontana
Veteran Dj (Booth Rider)
DJ Coach
Nightclub Consultant
Dj/​Producer as Rockey Bellini

ARRIVAL
Good location, lots of adjacent little bars and pizza parlors for both before and after. The usual doormen are definitely not what I’d call friendly, but not rude either.
inside, Flash is visually proper. Dim lighting with just enough lamps around the bar for you to see where you’re going. Both the downstairs and upstairs room are accented with the right balance of steel and metal to make you feel like you’re in something between a warehouse, and an old tavern. Upstairs is laced with strips of pink LED’s, as well as antique style «flash bulbs» like on old camera’s. It’s a nice effect, kind of trippy, and if you stand far back enough from the elevated booth, an animated DJ will create a cool silhouette. Look out for all the funny little graffiti and stickers from local artists/​crews hidden everywhere.
Tickets are sold in the booth/​coat room right before you go up the industrial stairwell. If you didn’t get a pre-​sale, the price will most likely be 5 – 10 $ more then the «tickets at the door» price you saw online, even when the place is half empty. I used to do nightlife events, and I smell a hustle.
A word to the owners: Check your ticket girls.
BAR
The bar construction is simple, polished wood with a few notches in it for effect. No tacky lights. Both are spaced appropriately from the DJ, downstairs is linear with a few stools, and upstairs is an «L» shaped setup facing the DJ (so your back will be turned to the DJ).
Drinks are reasonably priced, 9 $ for Jamie, Sky, Jack. 5 $ for domestics and 6 – 7 $ for imports. They serve cocktails and shots in glass, which sure feels nice, although God forbid a dancing patron bump you and knock your drink out of your hand… shatters everywhere. I’ve never seen this at a dance
must be a pain in the ass to clean up, a safety hazard, and a fortune all rolled into one. Also, if you like to slide your highball from one hand to another on the bar, don’t. a few planks need to be sanded down better and your drink will spill.
The faces behind the bar are always changing. Most of of them are young females, and nice enough. Although the ones upstairs can be kind of catty and distant (usually because they’ve worked their way up from the downstairs). Don’t expect any service recovery if someone knocks over your drink, no matter how much you’ve tipped all night. Also, don’t shoot a balled up napkin into the garbage, because even if you used it to wipe up the soaking wet bar, and even if you make the shot… you’ll be asked «not to waste my napkins».
A Question for the owners: Are napkins more expensive then highballs?
DANCE FLOOR
The dance floor is spacious, I’d guess the max capacity is between 400 – 500. Very high cieling, which is good for acoustics. Now, the DJ booth is elevated maybe 8 or 9ft in the air, which is inappropriate for an «underground» club. First, that’s so 1998, plus instead of having the DJ close to you (so that you can see their hands) you get a giant black wall at the front of the dance floor, usually crowded with disengaged
both see the artist, and get the best sound, stick to the very middle of the dance floor. The lighting engineer is to the left of the DJ, there’s enough space in between them that it isn’t confusing. The new roof deck is nice for a cig and phone number, although DJ on a Friday night? meh…
A word to the owner: TEAR DOWN THAT WALL
VIP
VIP is simply a few low standing tables along the left and right of the room (when facing the DJ). It’s low key, there are no ropes, and you can actually dance on the little
ledge on either side without a problem.
SOUND
Downstairs — Lounge vibe, good all around for convo and bouncing around.
Upstairs — The bulk of the sound comes from 4 hanging speaker stacks, so within that «square» the sound is solid, but outside of it the energy level goes down, conversation levels go up, a «dead zone». Mid’s and High’s are fine, but the bass will never blow your guts out of your stomach. Which is what you need to in fact «get deep»
BATHROOMS
More aesthetically pleasing then most clubs, they almost feel like a hotel lobby. My problem is that theyare all unisex, even though upstairs has 4 or 5 of them, there is ALWAYS a confusing line of people asking «are you in line?». At times the line stretches into the actual dance floor, and security is constantly knocking on the doors with flashlights, and while they do that a ton of cutting goes on.
A word to the owners: Renovate to two large bathrooms, one for ladies, one for gentlemen, and people will regulate themselves, trust me on that.
OVERALL
Flash looks nice, and sounds alright. But it doesn’t know if it wants to be a Super «EDM» Club, or a true gritty underground spot. I’ve yet to have a religious experience there, and I’ve left several times before the lights come on (I rarely do that). I recommend it for visitors to DC, but I’ll def be searching for where the real heads are at before I come back.

This place would get negative stars if I could. Both djs as advertised were not there and the manager Sam was very rude. On top of that we still had to pay 30 to get in each to an overcrowded bar and a 40 min bathroom line wait. This place is horrible and ridiculous — obviously customer service is not their strong suit. I’m really not sure why people even come here.

Flash is a great electric music club with different levels, each it’s own style and DJ (EDM, Deep House, etc). It is hands down the best dance club in DC. I’ve gotten free cover to the club by showing up prior to 11pm most nights, and there is seating spread throughout the club for the ladies to rest their feet.

Flash attracts a grown-​up crowd who appreciates the sound system of U Street Music Hall, but seeks ambience, clean floors, and a great view. With the recent addition of a rooftop bar, it’s worth the trek to Shaw.
— First Floor: Bar, dance floor, and photo booth. Perfect for those on a budget, or waiting for friends before heading upstairs.
— Second Floor: Medium-​size dance floor with its renown sound system, lounge chairs around the perimeter, and a bar.
— Third Floor: Retractable rooftop and side-​panels, (kinda) dance floor, and bar. It’s a beautiful (albeit noisy) view of the Shaw neighborhood.
Overall, you won’t have a problem getting a drink — or finding great music — at Flash. It’s worth the cover fee of $ 10+

Recently had an amazing time at Flash. The upstairs is a tight room with great sound. LED touches are sure to tickle your head. DJ Waxman from New York laid it down really well the night I was there.
Fun, funky space with helpful and polite staff.
Will be back soon!

We were the first ones in, so that’s always weird. It was a good 20 – 30 minutes before the place really started filling in, but I guess that gave us time to explore the bathrooms (very nice, clean, and individually sized) and get a couple drinks before the crowds took over. We got upstairs by passing through a photo booth, which is a neat concept. Anyway, once upstairs, it was clear this place goes above and beyond on the ambiance factor. It was dark, sleek, and features a phenomenal lighted wall that changes up the colors and patterns throughout the night. It was especially entertaining after a few drinks.
The wall surrounds a small dance floor lined with couches and tables. No doubt they are hoping for VIP there, but they weren’t jerks about us (and others) sitting there without getting a bottle. As the night went on, the people watching got better, with awkward dancing singles and large groups starting to mingle and move on the floor. We had a fun time, it’s definitely somewhere I would come back.

Hands down one of my favorite bars/​dance clubs in the city. This place isn’t for everyone, but if you’re a fan of EDM (and specifically, deep house music), you really need to check it out. The sound and lighting systems are ridiculous, and the place is always jampacked with people. The photobooth with its secret passageway to the upper level adds to the already secretive and alternative vibe the bar gives off. It’s somewhat off the beaten path, but definitely worth visiting for a night of non-​stop dancing.
Only complaint I could give would be its size (does become difficult to move once the place is at capacity).

For deep house lovers, Flash is the place to be. It’s the new hot spot in the U Street area that also boasts a great sound system. There are two parts to Flash — downstairs is the bar area, but to go upstairs to the club area, you’ll go through a photobooth (you get your photos instantly too!) and on the other side of the booth is coat check and ticket check. FYI: There’s no photography permitted upstairs and the dress code is clean and casual. Cover is typically $ 10 – 20, but we were able to buy tickets online for $ 5!
Drinks are reasonably priced, the crowd is diverse, and the sounds were great. Flash is definitely earns a spot on my list of places to go out in DC.