(Credit: Lisa Wiseman)
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Formerly known as The Zu, The Black Hole is the place for hard rock and metal music. Get out your leather jacket and acid-washed jeans, because at the Black Hole, headbangers rule.
Drinks: Never order fancy, frou-frou drinks here. This is a metal bar. The Black Hole offers more than just your typical bottle of Bud and sidecar of whiskey. It carries Corona, too. Though any beverage with a fruit garnish will not be considered rock and roll.
Top-shelf vodkas are available (but the bar staff had to trek to the back room to find them), and, when it was time for tequila shots, Metromix eagerly selected Patrón. The main bar generally serves quickly, but, on a recent Thursday night, it was short-staffed.
Décor: When the Zu's name changed to the Black Hole, the owners had one decorating theme in mind: Paint everything black. And we do mean everything. The exterior of the building is painted black, which makes it tough to find this Hole at night. And the same is true of the interior. Every accessible surface has been painted black. The black lights throughout the club do little to illuminate the Hole's black-clad club-goers, but they do add a luminescence to the corner bar decorated with day-glow stars. Plus, it's fun to look at other people's glowing yellow teeth. The only area of the club with some semblance of normal lighting is the back corner, where the pool table and cigarette machine are kept.
Obviously, the focus of the club is the stage area, where bands perform most every night. For a local club, the Black Hole has an impressive lighting and sound system (these go to 11, of course), and the chainlink fence across the stage adds a nice touch. The only thing missing is a sign that says, "Do not feed musicians."
Crowd: Not everyone who goes to the Black Hole looks like he or she stepped out of a Metallica video, but Metromix did spot one patron dressed from head to toe in black leather (including leather chaps) as he arrived via motorcycle.
Ages range according to night of the week and scheduled band. Tuesdays are always 18 and over, so the crowd skews younger those nights. A recent performance by early-‘90s metal band FireHouse yielded a nostalgic crowd whose high school recollections prompted a "Love of a Lifetime" sing-along. Typically, the Hole attracts rockers in their mid-to-late 20s, with some older metalheads thrown in the mix.
Insider tip: The Black Hole supports Baltimore bands and is a great spot to check out the local metal scene. Hosted by Christoff from the 98 Rock morning show, Tuesdays’ "Revenge of the Riff" features three or four local bands. Also, with Hammerjacks and the House of Rock closed, the Black Hole has become a popular venue for rising national acts as well as once-popular metal bands on the reunion junket.
Metal not your thing? Go to the Hole on Wednesdays, when the club features hip-hop DJs and dancing. Expect more dancing Saturdays, when DJs spin drum and bass.
Bottom line: For those about to rock, the Black Hole salutes you.
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