Since our inception, PLUSH has been recognized as a mecca for quality underground music in Austin. Void of aesthetic luxuries, yet rich with vibe, doin’ the nasty to your ears is our business and no requests is understood. Open nearly every night of the year, our lil boombox on the corner of Red River and 7th pulses with beats of extraordinary proportions.
HISTORY
Established in 2000 with a capacity teetering 100, our deceptively small bar with the misleading name boasts a different genre nightly - house, drum & bass, techno, breaks, hip-hop, disco, soul, funk, broken beat, dubstep, psychedelic, balearic, and every nuance in between - truly making us a diamond in the downtown rough. While we're widely recognized as a DJ’s bar, we're no stranger to live bands - in years past, we've invited established and up-and-coming bands to play service industry night (formerly Mondays) and during the SXSW music festival.
These days, the diverse structure of our DJs' playlist beckons all types of preternatural forms in search of sanctuary in Plush’s dark folds. Loyalty runs a decade deep, while new devotees buzz in nightly, feeding from our bar's energy and adding to a rich legacy of debauchery. Our long-running Red River District establishment has fathered many a babe, and we've supported our regulars through marriage, divorce and jail release.
SPACE
Walled by brick and accented with windows reminiscent of stained glass, Plush sparkles with lasers one night while virtually pitch black another, keeping the ambiance as unpredictable as the music. Defying its square footage, our venue houses the dance floor and main bar upfront, while the back room bares graffiti-adorned walls and more intimate bar service. Once known as "the green room" because of its chlorophyll-colored walls (cough, cough), the back room also serves as the bar’s den. Whether in the early Plush era of the film projector, or that of the current TV/VCR combo, cult flicks like Robocop, Dazed and Confused and Alien usually don the screen. And for the casual and serious sportsman alike, the front bar usually broadcasts “the game.”
TALENT
Be they masters of vinyl, digital media or both, Plush spotlights local royalty on the regular and showcases guests from around the globe. We're home to the second longest-running hip-hop night in Austin (Tablemanners, Saturday), and to one of the longest-running drum & bass nights in the country (Sonar/Mental Note, Tuesday). We're also credited as the launch pad for dubstep in the U.S. via the legendary crew known as Weight.
For up-to-date event listings, please visit our Facebook page, Twitter feed, and Instagram. Artists from around the world revel in Plush's intimate setting, praising it as a place that reminds them of their favorite space back home.
A handful of notable guests include:
Agaric
AK1200
Andrei Morant
Bad Rabbits
Bankrupt and the Borrowers
Benny Stixx
Bird Peterson
Blind Prophet
Brenmar
Clicks & Whistles
CLOUDS
Cosmic Revenge
Craig Kuna
Danny the Wildchild
Dead Seal
Deepak Sharma
Disco Nihilist
DISTAL
DJ Baby G
DJ Craze
DJ Dodger Stadium
DJ Klever
DJ Machete
DJ Mel
DJ Platurn
DJ Sliink
DJ Swamp
DJG
Djunya
Donga
DRC
Dubbel Dutch
East Cameron Folkcore
El-P
Ellen Allien
Evol Intent
Falcons
Freaky Flow
Fuckemos
Ghostland Observatory
Goth-Trad
Henry Chow
Heroes x Villains
HxdB
Infiltrata
James Teej
Jonah Matranga
Junius
Justin Martin
Killer Mike
KiloWatts (Live)
Kris Wadsworth
Krum Bums
Kyle Geiger
LDFD
Like Dogs
Luke Sardello
Lunice
Machinedrum
Maetrik (Live)
Magda
Matthew Dear
Merrick Brown
Mexicans With Guns
Moon Boots
Mr. Scruff
Mrs. Glass
MΔRRI$
Nguzunguzu
Onur Özer
Pezzner
Pickled Punks
PointBender
Prince William
Prism
Punisher
Q-Burns Abstract Message
Rabit
Ramadanman
Reid Speed
Ryan Elliott
Salva
Sines
Spettro
This Moment in Black History
Tim Xavier
