I just had my first live music experience at Substation. I arrived when the doors opened, so parking was easy to find. It's sort of in a neighborhood area, so it's a lot of street parking and not much official parking lots or garages (at least that I noticed). The venue set up is pretty cool and unique. There are two stage areas where music can be played, so two different shows can be happening at the same time. I had bought a ticket to a reggae show and they had it opened to the other DJ set so I was able to bounce back and forth, which was cool. Both areas have a bar with a free water station. The sound quality inside was good and had plenty of floor space to dance. The staff were laidback, and there is security in the front with a bag check. read more

See all

Substation is a decent sized venue right in the middle of Frelard. Loved the fact that it isn't in downtown or Cap hill, which means it's a little easier for people in North Seattle plus parking is relatively easier. It's also next to some great spots to pre-funk like S/T Hooligans and Big Mario's and I saw other people attending the show at both places. The space itself has two rooms, and the show I saw (Blessed Madonna + The Juan MacLean) was packed. The audio and video set up was good, and the bars handled customers quickly. The one pet peeve would be that the rest room situation isn't great, meaning that they were relatively small for a venue this size. But overall, a good place to catch a show! read more

Great small venue, good drinks, great service, great music & room to dance! It can get too loud, but they have ear plugs you can purchase. Drinks are served in plastic cups which kind of sucks for the environment, but glass breaks. All in all it was a lot of fun. read more

See all

Attempted to use the photo booth here. Was billed 9 dollars, nothing printed. An employee approached my friend and I to ask if we were having an issue with it. He peeked inside to point where the out-of-order sign used to be, then when I showed him the transaction in my banking app, he told me "That's not us." and walked away. Pictured is a merch table transaction, followed chronologically by the purchase from the booth. read more

Substation - Bars Near Me - Seattle, Washington

See all

O_O Wow.....came here for a music event and overall, everything was on point (minus the minor difficulty of parking). Sound system = fantastic. There were two rooms at the venue (main room & lounge area) and the main room had a great sound to it. Once you're in, it felt like the whole body was vibrating from the bass. Interior: Imagine being in a warehouse......with kickass music. Enough said. Bathrooms = clean! Throughout the night, the bathrooms were consistently clean and plenty of toilet paper. Awesome bonus since most places, by 1am, the bathrooms are usually trashed. Bar = pretty good. With a strong selection of local beers / strong cocktails, the bar was nice to visit if you needed a drink. Parking = limited street parking. If you live close by, I recommend getting uber/lyft or just coming a bit early for parking Seats: There's actually quite a lot of seating scattered throughout the place. I definitely took advantage of this perk while dancing till 4am. :) read more

See all

Rating as a "for rent" rehearsal space. For $20/hr one would hope more than just plumbing​, power, ​and busted gear are provided. Soundproofing​ between rooms 5/10 Sound treatment & acoustics within room 2/10 Lighting is dim and stressful, makes for a dingy drug den vibe. Owners are unforgiving with cancellations despite​ not really being around to monitor happenings. Gear quality is what you'd expect. Drum kit is in good shape, amps are fine but have their​ quirks. Other: No A/C and every room DOES NOT have​ a tiny floor fan... between bodies and gear you'll be dripping sweat in 5mins flat. read more

My band When We Met played here on a Sunday night. The staff was very nice and helpful. What a great first gig in Seattle experience (we are from Portland). Local support was very kind and fun, sound person excellent, great bartender, very easy to load and unload gear. Neat bar/ venue that also rents rehearsal studios. From a band member standpoint this visit was 5 stars. read more

See all

The bands killed it tonight! Cool to see different styles and expressions of art. The venue itself had an intimate exclusivity for a fair bargained price. Me and roommate are jazzed to come back! FYI Citizens - Gavin's band balled out tonight read more

Love this place! Practice here regularly with my band. Super friendly staff and welcoming vibes.

Well, tonight...A guy who claimed to be the owner (he wasn't and admitted he only "represented him") told me and my husband to not let my dogs poop on his club. I told him politely that I would not let my dogs poop on the club because that's not how I roll and I own a home on this street (so just as invested in a clean neighborhood). He stomped away and then sent security down to tell us to stop letting our dogs poop on the club. Really? Really. I'm walking by a club in my neighborhood and I get harassed by a guy claiming to represent the owner and the security?!?! Lame. Would love to support local music but whoever that guy is that represents the club really is a dinger. read more

$2 Hams on tap. I honestly could just end my review there. Actually, fuck it. Review over. EDIT/UPDATE: WTF?! No more Hamms?!? Good thing the venue is nice otherwise I would dock the shit outta a star!! read more

Cool little spot for bands however the p.a. and/or soundman leave a lot to be desired. The show I went to (Brothers of the Sonic Cloth) the mix was so awful, you couldn't hear the drums except for the symbols crashing. The sound was so bad that I left on the third song in utter disappointment and felt like I was ripped off. If the club rectifies this problem I'm sure it will become a destination for not only Seattle bands but touring bands as well. read more

The owner (or owners) are garbage humans who sit at the bar, get drunk, and talk over the shows they have their backs to. It's frustrating for the audience who paid to attend, the performers on stage, and the bar staff trying to quiet down their own bosses. Not a great way to run a business. read more

This place was so unprofessional. The "sound engineer" was rude, didn't listen to the band, and made them sound awful. The man at the door was also very rude. My friend's name was on the list (I saw it myself) and he either didn't care to check or was too drunk to read the actual list. I have a lot of friends in bands and I am definitely going to tell them to not book this venue. I hope this was just a bad night for them, but I definitely won't be coming back. read more

Great, large main room, with some smaller hangout rooms off to the side. Great sound coming from the stage. But the bar service was glacial.

Horrible establishment. Went to close out my tab at the end of the night to find out it's been closed already and my card wasn't there. They gave my card to another customer and the worst part is they made it seem like it was my fault saying " Well it was closed out so you MUST have your card." No I did not receive my debt card lol why would I try to close out a second time?? Seems shady... read more

This place was awesome, my friends held our annual Pineapple Ball there and they were a huge help. They whole staff was very friendly, and when I clicked the wrong location for my Uber pickup Yazmin went the extra step to make sure I didn't walk alone and get lost. Will definitely go back! read more

Caught a show here last night. Nice no frills venue. Nice tap list, good drink prices, retro arcade game. Good fun!

My band played there once and I went to three shows there. The first show, I waited 45 minutes for a drink...there was a total of maybe 80 people there. The next show, after a 10 minute wait and no movement of the line, we went to the store, bought some alcohol, came back, sneaked it in...and our friend was STILL in line for a drink. The third time, we knew what to expect and did our drinking immediately before and after the show at the bar down the street. After that third show, I realized the place is so poorly run that I would no longer go there. There are many, many venues to see live music in Seattle, why would I go to one that doesn't know what they are doing? When bands tell me they are playing at the Substation, I simply say, "let me know when your next gig is." read more

Been playing in bands in and around Seattle for 20+ years. Hands down its one if the the best small music venues in town. Place is designed for the music fan AND the musicians, which is almost the opposite in 99% of the clubs in Seattle. The floor is big enough for more known bands, but small enough for those "bands play for bands" nights. Stage is nice. They even got a projector system for those of us that use visuals. Despite whats been reviewed, in the 4 or 5 times Ive played there the sound has been spot on, both on the floor and mix on stage (including BOTSC, who we opened for that night and watched with glee afterwards). Great bar. The staff is beyond awesome. All of them act like loving owners, and it shows. They feature art from locals on their hallway walls, and they actually have rooms for the bands if they need them. Load in and out for bands is amazing. Overall, if I had my choice, Id love to see all my local faves here, as well as play here as well. read more

It's one of those places that you love the bartender, cute tiny place to listen to music but when an unintelligent doorman comes into the picture then the night seems to change. I do judge places and watch how it's run. I saw this goon of a man grab a 5" girl because he didn't like what she had to say. I am not one to usually go against a doorman but I couldn't l believe the way he handled her! I completely understand they have an important job but this guy looked so unprofessional and he did not diffuse the situation, he hurt a little girl who was blammed for something she doesn't do. I had to try to get between them shop new would punch her. The guy had a lip ring from the 90s and looks like he would listen to Blink 182. I nor only will never go back there, but I will make sure I let everyone know how I feel. I wrote to the owners about this but of course they never wrote or called me. It's a shame because I thought the place was ok until this happened. Oh well. read more

Lots of local rock music, acoustic open mic one night a week, occasional DJ/Hip Hop shows. Easy to miss from the outside--no window, very little signage. read more

The best spot to see bands on the rise who aren't getting the hype. There is something weird and wonderful going on every time I'm there. The sound is sometimes great, sometimes...not great. But overall my favorite spot to find new bands. read more