.Best Emerging Metal Club: Where classy meets dirthead

The Uptown

Since last year, Uptown booker Amanda Hines had one mission: to lure the metal crowd out of Oakland’s warehouses. The task hasn’t been easy; they’ve been lurking there since the Omni closed. But Hines’ “Lava Nights” have become a destination for what she calls “quality underground heaviness.” She first teased them with local supergroup Kalas, which also convinced the owners that hard rock has a viable audience. Since then, the downtown Oakland club has hosted heavyweights such as Oxbow, the Fucking Champs, and the Sword — acts that typically stay west of the bay. In March, Hines had her biggest show yet, packing a full house with High on Fire and Watch Them Die. While the black-hoodie-clad, dreadlocked, and tattooed scene is still getting used to calling such a classy venue home, she is confident that “if you build it, they will come.” We are, too.

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