Mad Hatter

this review is for bangarang’s — the new music venue/​bar where the mad hatter used to be. the mad hatter gets 2 stars. bangarang’s gets 5.
the mgmt is superb, the food is great (gomez salsa — you may have had it at longworth’s) and the music is gonna be great!
opening weekend just occured and the musical acts were diverse and talented.
yes, i was one, but so was suave (from new orleans) and perfect norm.
andy, the mgr, is planning on keeping the rock that gave mad hatter a name, but also branching out and using his connections to being jam rock, folk rock and any other hip genre to the stage.
be sure to patronize this awesome new club!!!

I can remember going here in the early 90s when it was a dance bar and loving it. Unfortunately, it’s now a shadow of it’s former self and the only sign letting you know it’s Mad Hatter was a little handmade one on the door itself. It’s now dirty and half the bar stools have rips or chunks gone from them. There were 2 bartenders on a Saturday night and one was borderline rude for no apparent reason. The drink prices kept changing, maybe they thought we were drunk and wouldn’t notice? Where you normally see bottles of alcohol was almost empty and by 10:30 they were out of several kinds of liquor despite there being a pretty small crowd. The only saving grace was the band which we really enjoyed.
To the reviewers who mentioned smoking, it is not a smoking facility now but who would want to go outside to smoke anyway when there’s a very strong urine smell and garbage smell outside the building?
As to it’s sister RadioDown, it’s sign says The Point. We only knew where to go because the doorman at Mad Hatter told us. The only chairs in the place were ones people brought themselves and the «bar» that serves only beer was filthy with spills all over it at 8pm even though the «barmaid» had plenty of time to wipe it off since there was no line the entire time we were there.
To sum it up in the words of my son «I’d only go there again if I really really wanted to see the band playing».

The Mad Hatter is an interesting place to see a show, for sure.
There’s barely a sign on the door for this club (I think it’s like a cloth banner tucked near the upper window.) If the band you’re going to check out is already playing, you’ll be able to hear it from outside — not to mention see them through the glass window — but if not then you may walk past this a few times before you find it.
Mad Hatter is dark. Always dark, even in the middle of the day. You’ll pay your entry to the bored guy sitting on the stool as soon as you walk into the building. There’s a bar in front of you, tables spread throughout and the stage to the left right up again the wall.
This former strip club … well … still kind of feels like a strip club. There’s neon everywhere and it’s very clear where the poles you to hang. This is a place where seedy things once when down and perhaps still do. It’s not the cleanest of establishments, but there’s something to that when you’re seeing a band play. I like to know the stage has seen life and the building can take the rock!
The sound here is just amazing. It’s loud, for sure, but amazing. You’re going to hear every note played. There are a lot of establishments throughout Cincy who can’t seem to get their levels right, but I’ve never been disappointed at Mad Hatter.
Don’t expect any compassionate treatment from the staff. They either seem bored or angry every time I’ve been here. I can understand if you don’t like the band, but seriously guys, cheer up, it’s rock and roll.
And of course, I have to mention it’s Kentucky so people can and will smoke in here. Just a warning.
I only go when there’s a band I want to see playing, unlike, say, The Southgate House which I go to all the time just because. Still, this is a pretty interesting spot and I do recommend you getting here at least once.

Upon first glance, you’d swear The Mad Hatter must just be a strangely-​named strip club — neon lights, tinted glass, small parking lot, and nestled next to a fried chicken restaurant. Walking in, you’ll see… more neon lights and strange stenciled pop art on the walls… but other than that, it is just like any other small music venue. It has a full bar, high tables, a small stage, and open space for dancing or viewing the band up-​close.
I’ve been to the Mad Hatter for a handful of concerts and have never been disappointed. It is truly and odd-​looking place, but I love it! It continues to be my favorite music venue in NKY and one of my favorites in the entire Cincinnati area.

Divey, but not in a scary way…
It helps to know that this place was a strip club at one time before you walk in. The pink neon is a bit cheesy. The tiered seating/​standing area against the wall was cool for people who didn’t want to be down in front or maybe were short statured and didn’t want to look at some tall dude’s back the entire show. Kinda like stadium standing-​nice.
We saw VNV Nation here the other night and had an amazing time! The stage is super small which affords an intimacy with the band that you don’t get at most places. The band even mentioned how close they were to the audience and fed off the energy we were putting out to them-​it was returned full circle.
There were no security guards at the front of the stage obstructing your view-​they were around plentifully, but very unobtrusive. They helped people who needed help and left the rest of us alone. The crowd was very very well behaved and friendly with little need for any security incidents.
Plentiful parking in area-​we parked at the garage across the street for just $ 3!!! Unheard of in Chicago unless you’re parked for just 5 minutes.
The only recommendation I have for Mad Hatter is a better ventilation system. I know you’re allowed to smoke indoors there (I enjoyed one myself, and so did the band), but when your eyes are stinging and tearing up by the end of the show, it takes away from the experience a bit. I actually didn’t need a cigarette the entire evening due to second hand. I can’t imagine that’s great for delicate electronics the bands bring in or the singer’s voices. Still kinda cool that you can do it indoors there though.
Coat check would’ve been nice as well.
Would definitely go back there again for a show if it was someone worth driving 5.5 hours for.

Well, when one drives to Kentucky to see a show, one expects to find something awesome. Thank goodness the Mad Hatter was pretty effing fantastic. Of course, the bands were great (Calabrese headlining), but the venue is also pretty cool.
This place is huge and open and reminds me of The Living Room in Providence, RI (either that or the old Lupo’s — all my memories from my teen/​college years are blurry, but if you’re from New England, you probably know what I mean). I love the sense of open space — and the fact that another reviewer says the place used to be a strip club (yessss). And I’m not gonna lie, I was super excited to smoke in a bar, just because I could. I was not super excited about smelling like an ash tray the next day — an ash tray and random people’s sweat, mmm. Gross. But a nostalgic experience all the same.
Another plus was that this was an all-​ages show — I don’t think I’ve been to one since I was a kiddo, but it was excellent to see a little girl (under ten, probably) with a punk rock t shirt and pigtails running around and dancing with what was probably her older sister. So cute. Punk rock is about the kids, so this was the utmost of dulce et decorum. Absolutely electric.
One complaint: slightly warm beer. Other than that, I enjoyed the Mad Hatter and my experience there. And I’m kinda in love with Kentucky.

I paused in front of the Mad Hatter, having driven straight from Columbus to meet some friends. «Let’s grab a cigarette before we go in.» «This is Kentucky dude.» Oh. Right. You can smoke INSIDE. Holy shit. I’m gonna smoke so many cigarettes, it’s gonna be so gross. This is awesome.
I’m in the Mad Hatter. It’s dark and neony. It’s not packed, but it’s a good turnout for two out of three bands being from out of town. As the place comes into focus I realize The Seedy Seeds are playing. That’s awesome, because I found out about these guys a year or two ago when I was far, far away, and had hoped to check em out live in Ohio. They’re a cutesy guilty pleasure of mine. And I thought they were sweet. The crowd was into them, and the mood was pretty vibrant.
I ordered a round of 4 dollar Newcastles. That’s not cheap, but not a total rip off either. Well, in the big picture, it’s a totally absurd fucking rip off. But in comparison to your average rip off, it scores low. So I switched to PBR and blended in a bit. But I edged that out with an equally nasty shot of Old Crow for three bucks or so.
American Jobs and Gil Mantera’s Party Dream whipped the crowd up– first Gothic and slow, then up beat and dancilicious. There were as many places to lean and drink as there was room to jump around and be stupid.
By the end of the show my lungs had collapsed from smoke, and my clothes were only fit for burning. In retrospect, I think smoking inside is pretty fuckin nasty. And it kills your ability to be like, «Hey. I’m gonna go smoke», when you’re bored.

i’m not sure if it was the haze of reefer or the drunk high schoolers that did it, but the Mad Hatter is a venue i’ll have to be coaxed into going to next time.
i checked it out because they were doing a benefit show for a local charity. it was billed as a tribute to Radiohead, but i think Radiohead would have rather been left out of the advertising.
i got to the show in the middle of the 21 band set. the group, Angels of Meth, left me with much to be desired. their screechy, distorted vocals and nonsensical guitar riffs added to the complete air of obsurdity to the place.
when i finally made it through the smoke and mass of high schoolers, (nevermind the ghoulish wannabe hipster old guys,) i was greeted with the smell of stale beer and complacent stares of what amounts to the local music scene.
not only was the bar literally falling apart, (the foam padding was torn and patched with duct tape,) but the only tap was obviously from ages past and not working.
that means when you get a drink, it’s a shot, mixed drink or bottle. which isn’t bad, and the prices were fair, but the lack of a tap was more than a little awkward for the type of crowd the hatter is going for.
in the end, if you’re looking for a hipsterish hang out, the Mad Hatter could be for you. they have live bands almost every night and they do bring in some good acts every once in a while.
but as for me, this trip down the rabbit hole was not the tea party i was looking for.