Uebel & Gefährlich, St. Pauli, Hamburg

Update: I have been here recently for a gig and found out that there are two different rooms...the big one seems pretty good but I'll give this place another chance soon (Ben Klock and Marcel Dettman are playing here in December!!!).

Having read some nice reviews of the club, I was really curious about it and Efdemin playing there was the perfect excuse to go there. The location is striking from outside, unfortunately I cannot say the same for the inside. In my opinion the decor lacks a bit of personality and possibly that is reflected on the whole atmosphere inside the club, but that - maybe - doesn't really matter at the end because you're there for the music right? And there we go. The real problem is the soundsystem: nothing special, especially if compared with other clubs in Europe....and this is an unforgivable sin for a club.

I had heard many a thing about this club, but my main intrigue was that it's housed in an old bunker. The bunker itself is a massive block of dark concrete, towering over the whole area like something out of a horror flick.

Walking up, you have to stand in line for a bit and are taken up in an elevator to the club. I thought the layout was great, but was a tad disappointed at the underusage of space. I just saw the main room, the side smoking room...but that seemed to be about it? I had been looking forward to a much larger venue with more corners to explore.

Went to Kompakt Nacht and saw part of it, unfortunately I decided on a full bottle of wine before going out and took the high road and went home early before getting myself into any more trouble.

Overall, vibe was great, drinks were decent and crowd was there to dance -- which was my favorite part.

Just to preface this review: After TWO HOURS of fighting the undulating human mass at the front door--I called it quits. So this is more a review of the insane entry process.

It is bad. Very, very bad. You know those video images of China's subways: where the trains are so packed they hire official shovers to shoehorn more people in? Yeah, that bad.

The reason I did not spend the last 15 minutes continuing to fight my way past the asinine entry process, pay my 12 Euros and join 7-9 other suckers in the cargo elevator ride to the top is simply this: If an establishment cant get there crap together enough to manage a crowd of happy drunks that just want to get in and dance--how well are they going to handle an emergency exit? What an f'in joke.

But if you do want to brave the moronic method of entry, here is a tip: The "Lines" are left and right. Right is for "Guest List" but once beyond the crashing waves of people... everyone just jumped over to "Abend Kasse". So GO LEFT!

P.S. To the bouncer dude on the right that keep shining your mini mag light in everyone's eyes and yelling "MOVE BACK or no one gets in". You should really think about cutting back on the heavy drugs--they are affecting your view on reality.

Uebel & Gefährlich is one of the many mid-sized concert venues in Hamburg. It's located in the massive concrete WW2 bunker in St Pauli, just next to the Millerntor Stadium.

On the way in they search your bags, but don't pad you down. Once past security and the initial ticket check you get to the lift area. There are three lifts, two that hold 8 maximum (by design spec.) but actually generally hold 10 crammed in, and one huge lift that holds more like 20 people. Uebel & Gefährlich is on the 4th floor. There are stairs, but for whatever reason you're not allowed to use them.

I went to see Gogol Bordello, and the place was absolutely rammed. It was literally quite hard to get into the main room as there were so many people - you had to push! If there was a fire, we probably would have all died.

Despite that, or perhaps because of it I'm giving this venue 5/5. The atmosphere was electric. Everyone gets a good view because of the tiered nature of the room. The beer isn't extortionate (€2.50 for Astra, €3 for other 330ml bottles). There are two cloakrooms around the back, one further down the corridor than the other, and use of said cloakrooms is a further €1.

I initially stood at the back (next to a bar), but decided I wanted to get closer to the action. Upon starting pushing my way forward I noticed a corridor that went off to the side of the main room. I reasoned that perhaps I could walk around and come out at the front - I was right!

Down the corridor past one of the central bars it opens up into a chilled area with sofas and tables, and another bar. It would have been a great area on a club night, but I wanted to see the band, so I continued through and found myself just behind the main mosh pit, which is basically exactly where I wanted to be, brilliant!

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I should note that on my many subsequent visits, half of the club has often been closed off when smaller bands are playing. If there's any chance that you might want to sit and watch (rather than stand) I'd advise you to get there when the doors open as the seating is very limited.

A club in a World War II bunker? Genius. In fact, not only a club but a concert venue and a bunch of music studios. Sunday night with James Yuill was awesome and the Filthy Dukes weren’t bad either :)

A great venue and i’m super excited about going bacK!

Unique club located in central Hamburg, the Übel & Gefährlich is located on one of the top floors of an old WW2 bunker which German authorities tried to demolish multiple times after the war, but never quite managed. "Well", they must have thought to themselves, "this place sticks out like a sore thumb, but we can't get rid of it, so let's turn it into a nightclub!".

Upon entering the elevators you get chauffeured to the 4th (4th?) floor, where the club itself is located. Once inside, it becomes apparent how large the place actually is. I visited the club in February of 2007 to see a show of an Israeli/American group, Balkan Beat Box. To this day, this has been the craziest, most out-of-this-world show I had ever been to - an amazing party, and I'm sure the surreal presence of the Übel & Gefährlich contributed to it quite heavily. It must have - if this wouldn't have been a bunker in a previous life, I'm sure the floors would have caved in from the jumping and dancing.

If you have the opportunity to visit the Übel & Gefährlich for a concert or a party, jump at the opportunity. It's a great venue!

Here's a video from my evening at the club, during the concert. Please excuse the quality, my cellphone isn't the best of videocams.

First impression; same concept as Club 11, one of Amsterdams finest nightclubs. Expect it´s on old bunker dating back at WW2.
Located somewhere around the 5th floor (could be higher??), only excessable by elevator.
Went there on Queer Electro Musik night, besides all the gay men, probably one of the best Electro I´ve ever heard!! Great atmosphere, reasonably priced, funky crowd and fancy decor.