A new venue in Soho is breathing new life into New York City’s local music scene with meticulous attention to detail and an elevated menu.
Soho Live is a new concept created by Zac Segal, owner of Live Axe, an axe-throwing establishment located in the same building. As the name suggests, Soho Live is situated on Lafayette Street in Soho and aims to bring live music sets to the area on a regular basis.
When you walk into Soho Live, you are immediately brought downstairs into the venue, where you find a space that brings new meaning to the term “underground.” According to Segal, it was massively important to create a space that catered not only to the music, but also to the people who would be frequenting Soho Live.
“We really wanted to create a place that caters to a genre of people, not a genre of music. To have a music space that can cater to different types of music, but as long as everything is being catered in a high-quality, high sound, high acts of performance, whether it’s a genre of rock or even a DJ night, just making sure that everything has been done as best we can,” said Segal.
At Soho Live, the team curates a show line up that matches well with their emphasis on sound quality. Because it’s not the biggest space in New York City, they are very particular about who they bring in to play.
“We’re bringing in great performers, great acts, unique acts, and bringing them into a well-detailed space with the sounds and the design and the food and the cocktails, to make sure that no matter what kind of acts we’re bringing, people can trust this is gonna be a good act,” said Segal.
Currently, live shows are happening primarily on weekends at Soho Live, but as the space continues to grow, Segal would love to curate more high-quality live shows in the space.
“We have two bookers that constantly work and reach out to make sure we get the right kind of acts. We really want to make sure we keep the quality, so we’ll see how long it takes us to make sure we’ll get to the 5-6 [shows] a week,” said Segal.
One aspect that Segal didn’t want to skimp on was the food and drink experience at the Soho Live bar. Segal and the team worked with chefs and mixologists to create an elevated menu of offerings that go above what a traditional concert venue would offer.
In addition to traditional bar drinks, the bar features a lineup of custom cocktails that reflect the venue’s overall mood. The food menu features classic bar snacks like flatbread pizzas and giant pretzels but also elevated options such as the Vahalla Lamb Sandwich and the BBQ Short Rib. There are also gluten-free and vegan options for those with dietary restrictions.
“We didn’t compromise. We didn’t say, it’s a bar, let’s do a hamburger, let’s do french fries. We kind of went sideways and said, Whatever is typical to serve in Thai bars or typical Latin venues, we will do,” said Segal. “So instead of chicken wings, we have chicken thighs, which is a much tender piece of meat. Instead of hamburgers, we have slow-roasted lamb, it’s mouthwatering. We really wanna try to make it like when it comes to live music, it doesn’t have to be just the music. It could be the overall experience to make it great.”
At the end of the day, Segal wants customers to have an overall fantastic experience at Soho Live, down to every last detail.
“I would like them to have an overall great time; great hospitality, meaning great music, great sound, great performers, great drinks if they are drinkers, great food if they choose to eat, and overall, the design, the elements, the details for them to have a better experience than just listen to music at home, or eat something at home. We want them to make sure they get the money’s worth,” said Segal.
Soho Live is located at 94 Lafayette St. For more information, visit soholivenyc.com.
