After a few years of financial difficulties, Cake Shop closed after New Year’s Eve, 2016.
Cake Shop is located on 152 Ludlow Street, Manhattan, between Stanton and Rivington Streets. It lays on the same block as venues Piano’s, around the corner from Arlene’s Grocery, and within the circle of venues in the Bowery (roughly between Houston, A, Delancey Street, and Bowery), which includes those four, Mercury Lounge, Bowery Ballroom, Rockwood Music Hall and others.
The ground floor of Cake Shop is café (which, yes, also sells cakes); the actual venue is downstairs, though occasionally bands play at the back of the upstairs (such as during CMJ). Downstairs is one long, thin area, from where the stairs let out to the stage. There’s a wooden bench along the house right side; along the house-left is first the bathrooms, then the bar. The stage itself is only slightly elevated above the audience floor; the floor swings to the house-left of the stage, between it and the bar, then up along the side (there is a large pillar at the house-left front of the stage, blocking some of the view from the end of the bar). Being in a basement, the roof is quite low; strings of lights are laid across the red ceiling above the stage, creating kind of a ‘Mexican Christmas’ atmosphere.
The Cake Shop is one of a group of low-end venues in the Bowery – small, lesser facilities, low price, cheap drinks, etc. Generally, the acts occupy the lower end of the touring spectrum, but that can include up-and-coming new groups, side projects, and solo performances (the small, low stage is particularly well-suited to one-person shows), as well as Brooklyn locals crossing the East River. Many acts on the schedule are relatively unknown, but there’s still a handful in any given month that are at least know of, and if there’s someone worth checking out, the low price of admission & drinks encourages one to do so (bigger draws and weekend nights can result in a tight fit at the front of the stage, however). Also, there are usually three or four acts on any night. Not a regular hotspot, but an intimate, low-price place to see someone you’ve wanted to.
Capacity: 100
21+
Address:
152 Ludlow Street (Between Stanton and Rivington Streets)
By Subway:
F trains to 2nd Avenue – walk 1 block east to First Avenue/Allen Street, 2 blocks more east on South side of Houston, 1 & 1/2 blocks south on East side of Ludlow
F, J, M or Z trains to Delancey/Essex – walk 1 block west on North side of Delancey, 1 & 1/2 blocks north on East side of Ludlow
QRO Coverage:
-Overlord, with Party of Two, September 17th, 2016 (MONDO NYC) – Overlord photos, Party of Two photos
-Oh Boland, with Shop Talk, September 16th, 2016 (MONDO NYC) – Oh Boland photos, Shop Talk photos
-Robot Princess, with Twiga, September 15th, 2016 (MONDO NYC) – Robot Princess photos, Twiga photos
-Organized Scum, with The Commuters and Echoic, September 14th, 2016 (MONDO NYC) – Mondo recap, Organized Scum photos, The Commuters photos, Echoic photos
-Fort Useless All-Stars, with GunFight! and Miniboone, December 17th, 2015 – Fort Useless All-Stars photos, GunFight! photos, Miniboone photos
-Chocolat, with Solids and Expert Alterations, October 17th, 2015 (CMJ) – Chocolat photos, Solids photos, Expert Alterations photos
-Diet Cig, with Dirty Ghosts, October 15th, 2015 (CMJ) – Diet Cig photos, Dirty Ghosts photos
-The Worriers, October 14th, 2015 (CMJ) – photos
-Surfbort, October 13th, 2015 (CMJ) – photos
-Heliotropes, Sex Jams, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, OBN III’s and Tonstartssbandht, October 25th, 2014 (CMJ) – Heliotropes photos, Sex Jams photos, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard photos, OBN III’s photos, Tonstartssbandht photos
-Weird Womb with Lace Curtains, Flowers, DOTT, Monomyth, and Dinosaur Feathers, October 24th, 2014 (CMJ) – Weird Womb photos, Lace Curtains photos, Flowers photos, DOTT photos, Monomyth photos, Dinosaur Feathers photos
-Amanda X, with Rivergazer, The Kickback, and Beach Day, October 23rd, 2014 (CMJ) – Amanda X photos, Rivergazer photos, The Kickback photos, Beach Day photos
-White Reaper, with CYMBALS and Itasca, October 22nd, 2014 (CMJ) – White Reaper photos, CYMBALS photos, Itasca photos
-CYMBALS, with Curtain, October 21st, 2014 (CMJ) – CYMBALS photos, Curtain photos
-Titus Andronicus, with Weird Womb, on September 29th, 2014 – Titus Andronicus photos, Weird Womb photos
-Little Racer, March 23rd, 2014 – photos
-Holy Esque, October 18th, 2013 (CMJ) – photos
-Joanna Gruesome, with American Sharks, October 17th, 2013 (CMJ) – CMJ coverage, Joanna Gruesome photos, American Sharks photos
-Wild Yaks, with MiniBoone and Grandchildren, October 15th, 2013 (CMJ) – CMJ coverage, Wild Yaks photos, MiniBoone photos, Grandchildren photos
-Trash Talk, with The Shackeltons, May 11th, 2013 (Downtown Music Festival) – Trash Talk photos, The Shackeltons photos
-Beach Fossils, May 10th, 2013 (Downtown Music Festival) – photos
-Airiel, with The Stargazer Lillies, August 18th, 2012 – Airiel photos, The Stargazer Lillies photos
-Diarrhea Planet, July 15th, 2012 – photos
-Zambri, October 21st, 2011 (CMJ) – photos
-Savoir Adore, October 20th, 2011 (CMJ) – CMJ coverage, photos
-Bleached, with Guards, Gospel Music, Fidlar, Races, Tropical Popsicle, and Cloud Nothings, October 19th, 2011 (CMJ) – Bleached photos, Guards photos, Gospel Music photos, Fidlar photos, Races photos, Tropical Popsicle photos, Cloud Nothings photos
-The Rest, October 21st, 2010 (CMJ) – CMJ coverage, photos
-Sunglasses, October 19th, 2010 (CMJ) – photos
-Spoon, September 13th, 2010 (live taping) – photos
-Electric Tickle Machine, with Hooray For Earth, February 24th, 2010 – Hooray For Earth live review, Electric Tickle Machine photos, Hooray For Earth photos
-Silver Starlings, with Turbo Fruits, October 21st, 2009 (CMJ) – CMJ coverage, Silver Starlings photos, Turbo Fruits photos
-Seth Kallen, with Motel Motel, October 20th, 2009 (CMJ) – CMJ coverage, Seth Kallen photos (upstairs), Motel Motel photos
-Hooray For Earth, with Paul & The Patients, June 19th, 2009 – Paul & The Patients live review, Hooray For Earth photos, Paul & The Patients photos
-Castanets, October 24th, 2008 (CMJ) – CMJ coverage, photos
-The Oxford Collapse, with The Lisps, Women, Princeton, and Bridges & Powerlines, October 21st, 2008 (CMJ) – CMJ coverage, The Oxford Collapse photos, The Lisps photos (upstairs), Women photos, Princeton photos (upstairs), Bridges & Powerlines photos
-Frankpollis, with Limbs, August 30th, 2008 – Frankpollis photos, Limbs photos
-These United States, April 10th, 2008 – photos
-Ida, March 25th, 2008 – photos
-The Gunshy, with McGowan and Joe Anderl, March 24th, 2008 – The Gunshy photos, McGowan photos, Joe Anderl photos
-Chris Archibald (of Illinois), January 28th, 2008 – photos
-Immaculate Machine, with Bear Colony, November 12th, 2007 – Immaculate Machine live review, Immaculate Machine photos, Arbor Day photos
-The Forms, with Shapes & Sizes, September 27th, 2007 – The Forms photos, Shapes & Sizes photos