- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Culture Club Dance Club
Rating Details »
Category: Dance Clubs [Edit]
Neighborhood: SoHo179 Varick St
(between Charlton St & King St)
New York, NY 10014
(212) 243-1999
- Nearest Transit:
-
Houston St (1)
Spring St-6th Ave (C, E)
W 4th St (A, C, E, B, D, F, V)
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Music:
- DJ
- Best Nights:
- Sat
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
26 reviews for Culture Club Dance Club
So, i've been here only once and it was a long time ago and i really loved it.
Ok it was really an excessive cover charge, but we got some coupon for money off which made it better. The drinks were expensive but thats expected in a club. I got my long island iced tea, and it came in the cutest plastic cup which i still have to this day!
The music was great, the dance floor was fun and there was a bachelorette party happening. I think i danced with the bride for a minute.
It was kind of funny because I am a Boston boy, where the clubs close at 2 and I ended up staying here til 4 or 5 and there were very few people left, it was so much fun though.
I love the 80s and i would totally go again.
How can you not love Culture Club? For the guys, there's always more than enough ladies there. You never get the "Sausage Effect" and that's...a....good....thing. There are always like 2 or 3 bachelorette parties going on in here. Fellas? Run that game.
I love the 80's and I am not selling any Time/Life 7 CD collections over here. 80's makes me think of my childhood and that's a good thing. Back when Michael was black.
When Mr. T was scary.
When it was cool to admit liking Wham!
When Smurf Berry Crunch was in my cabinets.
Culture Club has always been popular among my friends, especially the out-of-towners. Plus, as a black man, it's one of the few places where there's a guarantee of watching drunk white people dance...good.
Am I making fun? No way. It works because the 80s music makes it look like "You Got Served the Sequel".
Trust me on this, it's also the only place I know where EVERYBODY on the dance floor sings when Human League's "Don't You Want Me Baby" is playing. We sing the whole damn song! Where else can you get that!?
I do have a beef with the Hot Dog guy on the corner of the block in front of that deli. Yo MAN!!! $3 for a plain-ass hot dog? DAMN...calm those prices down bruh. For $3 per hot dog, I better get a napkin with a Polo logo on it.
In closing, I've never spent more than 10 mins upstairs in Nerveana. Usually when I go upstairs, I turn right around because:
1) It's not even half as packed as Culture Club
2) the moment I walk in there, either Nirvana, Milli Vanilli or Tone Loc is playing. I'm not kidding. It's some weird timing-space thing...I dunno.
Be There Now.
"I wanna know
What you're thinking
There are some things you can't hide
I wanna know
What you're feeling
Tell me what's on your mind..
Pure energy..."
-- Information Society
What's On Your Mind
Just returned home from 1.5 solid hours of dancing with the most FUN couple I know. Anja, you're the best!
Good times, good times...
5 stars for my friends. Makes any activity that much better.
Regarding the club:
4 stars for music -- Some random songs I did not recognize
3 stars for space to dance -- Until about 11:30 PM
2 stars for patrons -- Lots of pushing without apology
An enjoyable good-bye to Culture Club -- It is moving out of its original location on Varick to a still undetermined address. Tonight (8 September) will be your last chance to bid it farewell.
Culture Club Drinking Game
*Go slowly around the room, naming the has-beens painted on the walls. If you can't get someone's name...take a shot.
* Try screaming out the name of each song and artist. Didn't know it? Shot.
* Anytime you spot an old man and/or Eurotrash? Shot.
$25 cover? Totally worth it.
Don't. Even. Think. About. It.
The DJ sucks ass, everyone dances like the British (absolutely terrible) and the bartenders are BITCHES. Plus the decor? LAMO.
The only perk was when I ran onto the dance floor upon hearing "Don't' Stop Believin" only to trip over the step and go crashing into the token-hot-maybe-not-a-loser-guy and use it as an excuse to squeeze his rippling bicep. Yep. I was THAT girl.
How can you not like a place that plays 80s music????
We have a place in the San Francisco Bay Area called the Cat Club that TRIES to be Culture Club in NY, but not quite the same.
OKAY ..What culture club is NOT..
It is not art deco and don't expect posh surroundings, glass fixtures, trendy furniture and exotic named drinks.
What culture club IS..
It's a hole in the wall that unapologetically and unabashadly celebrates the music that is the 80s. It's a place where people who appreciate or grew up in that era, can let loose and be like old times!
Who doesn't like the site of girls w/leg warmers or guys sporting fake/real mullets and wearing broaches all over the place?
Who cares how people dance/can't dance here! It's not a place to be seen. It's not a place of image...
It's a place of 80s!!!
I was lucky. I went to Culture Club the weekend before my buddies wedding and we ran into a bridal partry!
There was this tiered pyramid like dance floor, and everyone was clamoring to get to the top of it. I luckily got to the top and was greeted
to a bunch of blonde girls w/penis water guns. ALL from the other bridal party. The girls decided to grab me, and fondle me, and do whatever they wanted w/me. I did NOT complain...
It was a two way street and no one batted an eye =)
That kind of stuff was the fun part at Culture Club. You could dance w/anyone, talk to anyone, and everyone was open, friendly and had not an ounce of attitude. Maybe we came at a lucky time, but this
was a breath of fresh air compared to the stuffy clubs in Los Angeles...
All my friends had a great time, we met new people, and I met a bunch of frisky, very friendly girls there!
The funny part is that we ran into the same bridal party at Central Park the next day! They didn't seem as friendly then. =) I guess they didn't want a reminder of what they did the night before! =)
What happens at Culture Club STAYS at Culture club! UNLESS you run into the same guy at CENTRAL PARK!!!
Fun hole in the wall. Would love to go again when I'm in NY.
Ok, I have to admit, I love Culture Club. It's not some place that I'd go all the time, not even once a month. But maybe like twice a year, it's worth it to spend $20 per person (unless it's your birthday and you get in free like I have done before), and the drinks are pricey, but damn, where else can you go and dance like it's 1983 again?
If you are an 80's/90's fan, there is no better place to go. If you get tired of the 80's music, go upstairs to Nerveana and dance to 90's. You need to be careful though, as all of those specialty shots will make you a little sloppy to navigate the stairs between the two.
It can be a little B&T, but if you're going there to kick it with the girls and dance like there's no tomorrow, you'll be fine.
I'm dying to go back and get my yearly fix, but they seem to have closed the Varick location and like the previous poster said, the website states they will be opening back up soon at a new location. It can't be soon enough! We miss you, Culture Club!!!!
Great 80s music. Empty on a saturday night. Except for one dude... dancing in his khaki shorts and pull up socks.
The bouncers are cool though! We got bored and started sitting at a plushy banquette taking silly pictures and they joined us!
Sigh. I've been here a couple times now and "the fun" never really improves. FIRST of all, the staff there....mmmmmmmmmm....not the nicest or friendliest. Kinda snappy and cold if you will. Weren't people happier back in the 80s????
Right, so the music....you got it--all 80s (on the main dance floor) which I wouldn't say I'm the biggest 80s fan, so I'm a little biased in that sense. Instead of couches/chairs there are bleachers instead. Get it? High school dances? Bleachers? Right. That might be my favorite part, even though whenever I sit down I'm bombarded with images from being a loser from Carrie or a Molly Ringwald movie who's all alone on the bleachers.
Moving on, upstairs they play 90s music, which is more my speed but I'm confused as to the last time I was there why they played TWO J-Lo songs back-to-back. That's right. One from '02 and the other from '05. Perplexing.
Furthermore, their drinks are faaaaaaaaaaaar too expensive especially on top of their fabulous $25 cover charge. But insider scoop--if you MUST go, go either for a concert i.e. Tiffany or on a Friday night where you can have a free pass emailed to you by going to their website. The free admission will help cut the bad taste in your mouth if you leave after not having the greatest time...
Cons: the high cover charge, the people who work here (mean), sticky floors with mystery liquid and the Bridge and Tunnel crowd. Yes, I went there.
Pros: 80s tunes, dancing 'till the wee hours.
Yeah- I don't go here unless I HAVE to go. It's in a neighborhood that's inconvenient and it screams TOURIST and B&T bachelorette parties. I refuse to pay the $25 cover charge and then the coat check fee and then the ABSURD prices for drinks that are watered down.
They also try to be slick and consider it 2 clubs ( Culture Club is the first floor and Nerve Ana - the 90's club is upstairs). I feel dirty after leaving this place because 1. It's dirty inside and 2. The eurotrash 60 year old men like to undress every girl that walks through the door with their eyes. It's straight out of "A Night at the Roxy." If I could give it three thumbs down, I would.
Still trying to figure out what exactly I paid the $25 cover for...
It's a dingy warehouse filled with cardboard cutouts of 80's pop culture icons. While the music is decent, the dance floor is saturated with dirty old men and Eurotrash, and I spent most of my night going to great lengths to avoid them while getting wasted on overpriced alcohol.
Totally 80's themed from music to drinks to decor. My biggest surprise was the number of bachelorette parties - there must have been 12 of them going on the Saturday night I was there. Culture Club is apparently the destination for brides-to-be, for all you pre-pre-wedding crashers.
They have CLOSED down their 179 Varick location, and according to the website will be moving somewhere else in NYC, but it has not re-opened yet.
bouncers are lame.
- they refused to let my friends from out of town in because they've never seen those types of ID's before.
the music is lame.
- think i have a better 80's mix on my i-pod. let me be the damned DJ, yo!
the drinks are lame.
- test tube shots that taste like apple sour mix and NO alcohol?! c'mon!
the decor is lame.
- i could have done some awesome retro/80's theme up in there. instead... it looked like a place decorated IN the 80's and hasn't been re-designed since. totally ugly and dingy.
would i come back here? it's unlikely but i won't say never.
This is not the place you want to go to for when you want to Party All The Time. It's good enough for a birthday party where a group of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, and it's good enough, I suppose, if someone's got a White Wedding coming up, based off of the large amount of bachelorette parties. Yes, you pay a LOT of Money For Nothing (although party rates are pretty good- for the birthday party I was at, it was fifteen dollars if we got there before eleven, and the birthday girl got in free! My Oh My!), but after a while it's pretty easy to get Into The Groove (two dollar shot specials do help!). But a nine dollar rum and coke? Culture Club, you may think you're being a Smooth Criminal, but you are sadly mistaken, and after that, You Owe Me Some Kind of Love. And as for the Boys of Summer (and I'm sure winter and spring and fall), they are really Livin' On A Prayer- if a girl you're continually groping keeps shooting you dirty looks, pulling on her ponytail is just going to get you some profanity. Sorry, Lonesome Loser. Just please back off and Don't Stand So Close To Me. Also, as for the rest of the crowd, there's a lot of 40+ bridge & tunnel ladies looking to feel Forever Young after working the 9 to 5, who probably end up feeling The Power of Love from the skeevy greaseball guys, and if that's you're thing then here's where you can find it. So all in all, if you're looking for The Time Of Your Life, then you'll be a little disappointed. If you Wanna Dance With Somebody and are okay with frat boys with their hands all over you, then you can definitely find it here. But it's not for me. I guess I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For. But you go and you drink and you dance, and I can at least say that everybody will have fun AND wang chung at night.
PS- You're going to sing along. And then you'll realize the screaming? It's less than good for you. Lip-synch. Bring out your inner Milli Vanilli! "Take On Me" will still be awesome if you're taking it easy. I promise.
PPS- You'll note that there is no Prince song titles used anywhere in here. That's because I hate Prince, and so I don't include him. How I wish the deejay at the Culture Club felt the same way...
It's easy to see how a place like this can be so polarizing with the reviewers.
This is perhaps the most amazing cross section of humankind in the states. And what was I supposed to expect when I paid the $25 cover to get into the Culture Club with 11 pirates from Ireland?
First of all: who are the people in this club?? Where do they come from? Surely they can't be our daytime bosses, purveyors, salesmen, children's teachers, or the men who climb up the telephone poles. Where does the transfer into the real world occur?
Are these meatheads from Staten Island? They approach (nothing in particular) with a seriousness - as if surveying the floor for new prey. Have you ever seen a bunny rabbit survey for prey? One suddenly stops and in a moment of seizure, breaks out an arm pointing Elvis Presley maneuver - the King Himself would have done a double take. His hair slick and black, chops and all. This man idolizes the king - does he know it? This makes me wonder to myself - which movie did these guys see to make them act this way? Whose pop culture fault is this? It makes me want to destroy every television set and movie theater in America because of the influence they have created. In his 3rd person, which character from Swingers is he? The one who packed heat in the parking lot? Why did I love that movie more 8 years ago, and now loathe what it has created for these 30-somethings?
One 5 foot tall street soldier. On the prowl for a dancing partner. I see him looking around - though not desperately - on this night, this man gained my utmost respect. Striped polo down to his knees creating an immobilizing visual effect. He bounces his head a bit, looks around. Total conviction in his movements. A little bounce bounce bounce. He gives a few nods whilst bouncing, looks around, and then it comes! Hand up to the sky! BAM! Out to the side! BOOM! Then a sharp criss-cross of the legs - whip whip! Clean. Cutting. Enthralling.
A girl comes and dances alongside, he doesn't grind her like his brethren, he shoots his hand into the air! Bam! One to the side! Boom! And then a shakeup. Oooohhh. He concentrates so hard on his movements, a level of austerity I could never reach.
He steps on a perch of the stage, peering out into nothingness. His moves are exitential, there is no other purpose other than their own execution. His movements are his function. They are his work. They are his reward. I see him pace up the aisle away from me. My heart suddenly goes longing. And my neck gets longer. Peering around the corner, I make amends with myself never to miss a beat. A few minutes later my relief as he marches to the fringe of the platform again. He has arrived. Now, the most amazing part of this night comes, but no one but me sees this display! Head bobs to the non-stop music of celebration. Head bouncing patiently. Then I realize: He is waiting! He is awaiting the feeling! The bounce is him counting time! He counts and I await. I alone this time. I look around and I am the only witness, how can this be? He bobs more, and then! The hand goes upward! YES! My eyes light up. Boom to the side! OWW! Then a series of body movements would make Michael Jackson take notice (and not because of his boylike stature): he makes a leg kick! criss-cross! wiggle-down, another leg kick, he pounds the skies with his finger, then out to the invisible man in front of him, more wiggles! A series of moves, it must have lasted a good 30 seconds. And no one else saw it. I look around for someone to celebrate with, but it's only me. It was as if it was only for me. I saw dolphin giving birth, a quarter land on its side, lightning strike my finger, a circular rainbow. There in front of me was this mind blowing magnificence - and it was entirely mine.
Darting through the crowd like mice were at least 4 bachelorette parties. Not really sexed up, one-night bride-stand type of crews, but short hokey girls with matching shirts and buttons who liked to pretend they were. Is there a guide to this? The brides stand out by wearing a sash or a hat from a party store and they all seemed to be prepared with some overtly subtle game created to tempt the bride and the men who play. One group, with t-shirts of a wonderful less-than-army green, was ostensibly tearing up the floor. They seemed like the only other ones in the club who saw the ridiculousness that I was more than appreciating here. They were having fun mixing in by flailing arms, legs, and bodies all around. They were fun! Then I fell in love. They summoned the 5 foot dancer... I melted. They had seen the same thing I had, but they grabbed it by the horns! A couple of them grinded around him. Did they touch him? Nah, they were aware. They did contain him for at least 2 songs though. Here's to those girls. They knew the story.
I would guess 90 percent of people there are tourists in one way or another. No matter, when I walked in, I became one too.
It is not fair that the other reviews omit the fact that there is a DELOREAN HANGING FROM THE CEILING.
If hell were a badly themed 1980's dance club on the Lower West Side... eh, you see where I'm going with this, right?
When I have brit friends in town, some how this place always comes up as a destination. Never have I heard a local friend want to go. There are other places for 80's. We tried to go last saturday, again brits in tow... but the sign on the door said they were closed because of rodent issues... yeah no kidding...
I went to Culture Club right after my bridal shower and I give it 3 stars because of the creepy guys that wouldn't leave us alone. And NO I wasn't wearing a veil or a tiara - We went to dance and have a great time minus the harassment. I loved the music and wished they played more Michael Jackson and less remixes. I love 80s music and would like it to sound more like the tapes I used to have. :) I have to say that I love the fact that there are a healthy mix of awesome dancers and those that let loose and don't care! Don't really like the butts bumping into me and since I'm not very tall I get pushed around really easily. I did have a good time with my girlfriends though and loved how diverse the crowd was! If anyone has a better 80s club please send me a message and let me know. I'd like to try somewhere else before I make Culture Club my regular place to go.
went here with a friend's bachelorette party. it's a good thing i'd had many glasses of wine with dinner, because ordinarily you wouldn't get me within 50 feet of a place like this. we managed to get the special reduced "bachelorette" cover charge by registering on their website the night before, which lessened the blow a bit. got inside and immediately started having flashback nightmares from the day-glo rotating pac mans and deloreans suspended from the ceiling.
that being said, i love the 80s and, let's face it, there's no better music to get blasted to while singing at the top of your lungs with some of your best, equally blasted friends. there are definitely creepy bros who come here specifically to hit on bridal parties, which is amusing in its own right - where else will a dude hit on you asking if you want to be the "next bride"?
the most perplexing part of the club is "nerveana," the upstairs 90s lounge that in fact doesn't play 90s, but rather more current music. justin timberlake, WTF? where the hell is jesus jones?! the only conclusion i came to is that whenever the club opened - which looked like it was a bit ago - 90s music *was* current music. sigh.
overall, a fun, drunk time. would i go back? meh.
Oh lord... we wanted to have some good healthy 80s fun but this place was DEAD! Not sure if it was because of the day of the week (I think it was a Thursday) but it was literally us and two weirdos doing the robot on stage. My friend had a dance off with one of them. that was worth the cab money!
um. heaven. so glad i finally got to go here. glow in the dark pac man theme in the entrance hallway, glow in the dark stamp, carnival tickets, 80s videos and movies, novelties in a plastic bags in the bathroom, bleachers, and their sister club nervana for 90s is right next door. the entrance fee is a little much, but for ANYONE who loves the 80s, its worth it to go at LEAST once...
the bartenders are shady and they are strict as hell about standing in the hall areas but again...dancing to rick springfield and the clash? i dont think it gets any better than that.
you cant enjoy it here if you aren't willing to look ridiculous..be prepared to act the fool and look the fool. its awesome. its like..being at the roller rink with glow in the dark earrings or glow necklaces..only your 12 years older and its 2007.
Overpriced. Got thrown out. Go to Pyramid.
I am not embarrassed to admit that I always have a good time at Culture Club! I LOVE 80s music...Madonna, Prince, Mr. Big, Duran Duran...even "classic" Michael Jackson...I am all about it! I usually go on nights when ladies are free. They also have a guest pass online, which you can print out and avoid the $35 cover charge on Fridays and Saturdays, but you have to arrive before 10pm...and most clubs, including Culture Club, are often not too crowded until 11pm or midnight. I usually try to avoid the coat check downstairs, too...because I think it's highway robbery to charge me $5 to hold my coat for a few hours AND then to expect a tip too! Give me a break. Go during the summer and not during the winter. And don't bring a big bag...many coat checks won't hold bags anymore because it's too much of a liability. I have never bought a drink at the club...I always pregame at my apartment or a bar and then when I'm feeling the groove and want to dance, I head to Culture Club and just sing and dance and enjoy myself until my feet hurt and I want to go home. When you exit Culture Club (make sure you see a performance by "Boy George" before you go), there is a well-placed hot dog vendor...after all that dancing, sometimes you just need a hot dog or a big soft pretzel! The perfect end to a fun night!
This place is pretty bad. There was some good music that came out of the 80's and guess what this place doesnt play it. Rather its a tribute to Cyndi Lauper and Madonna and that sort of stuff. There are alot of bridal partys there for some reason and they get bombed. Place is pretty typcial and plain and I would not recommend it unless your like 27 and up and a female and engaged or married and your life is boring and you consider grass growig the major excitement of your day/night.
