Lobot Gallery

This place is terrible. The show I went to see started 2 hours later than expected. I paid 6 dollars at the door, then had to listen to three terrible shoegaze bands (Airs, Crisis Arm, and Fakes) before the band that I had come to see (which was listed as second in the lineup), which then wasn’t even able to play due to poor organization and the rude behavior of the other three bands. I asked for my money back but they said it was «gone.» Gone where? In summation the LoBot gallery is a poorly organized joint that doesn’t respect it’s customers and chose some really awful bands. It was a waste of time and I left feeling cheated. I would recommend to stay away from this venue.

This spot reminds me of 924 Gilman, but less graffiti and its brighter in here. Here you can visually see how bad their bathrooms were. At least Gilman, its dark and you cant see that some of the men didn’t bother to lift the toilet seat up to shoot. Or see a sign that says, this is the gray matter bathroom. Don’t flush until it becomes necessary. Oh man, couldn’t they use their donations to fix that problem. Yes, it is a very warehouse kind of spot, with enough space to dance and a area to sit and lounge. They even have these big ass balloon on one wall to be a sound block. At first I thought it was art, but then realized, oh, I’m not at the carnival, or am I? Its just a spot out of no where, and its decent. Heard its survived around for years. I would go again for some live gigs, but their sound system and toilets need some help. Oh, and their bartenders don’t know how to pour. Let’s just say, they’re new and their drinks were STRONG! He filled my cup up half way with liquor and then a splash of whatever. Haha, well, I got my monies worth right there. Be wary of my warnings, and if you are okay with it, then go for it. I did, and I don’t regret it.

I had an event here called WhatYouSee Galore! Caleb Rogers was my go-​to. It was an art/​music/​fashion extravaganza complete with electro (space/​experimental), rock, and Colombain Ballenato and Cumbia dancing in a frenzy until 3 am. We had a fashion show and art curated from several local artists. It was really fun. About 300 people came and had a blast. I would do it again if Caleb was still about. We raised 1500 for a local non profit who teaches art to local kids. Basically it rocked because Caleb was great to work with. He allowed my imagination fly, and I worked with an amazing team. Sadly he moved to NY… DJ Franco was on the turntables with 60’s Cumbia, ballenato, bugaloo and basically anything to dance your butt off. The neighborhood is rough, and the place is pretty industrial and there is alot of crime, but if you have an idea, and connections to local artists, and want to do something fun, you might be able to do it here. I would not go here with my little ones…

i havent been in a minute but the cardboard races and the HOTTUB show are enough for like 7 stars.
A+ for effort in a tough hood — trust me I know, I live 4 blocks away.
keep rockin it

This place is pretty damn amazing– it’s an artspace that occasionally has shows. The only down side is that sometimes (rarely) they let people have shows that wind up sucking. Like that Cut-​and-​Paste show, it sucked and was weird. I was there, but I wound up just hanging out and talking to some of the people that live there, they laughed it off and remarked something like «sometimes crap comes through, we try and give most people a chance, but then sometimes this happens». At the same time they have had amazing shows with everyone from animal collective, lightning bolt, mr. lif, mono etc.
I think it’s cool how open and non-​pretentious they are about the shows they have, as well as how they let outsiders use there print shop and music studio. Pretty cool.
They also have movie screenings and sweet installation shows.
I think if there were more places like this Oakland would be so awesome.
I say give it a chance!

A friend and I came for the Cut-​and-​Paste: Mashup Madness event. Supposedly it was to start at 8PM yet at 8:45PM there were less than a dozen people there. We looked around inside as the people running the event were trying to tell us what to look forward to. Instead of paying the $ 6 cover charge we decided to come back in an hour. About an hour and a half later we came back and only a dozen more people showed up. What a depressing scene. The abstract electronic sound art and sketchy neighborhood didn’t help either. No thank you.

love lobot. fun

It’s just a big art space, and exactly what I expected it to be after reading a little about it. I saw the Obama debate there. They are hosting an event for each debate there. I was surprised that an art space that specializes in displaying people’s art did not have a better projector though… there were plenty of technical difficulties.
The place was friendly and welcoming though, so I liked it. I went the following day because there was supposed to be an art show. I’m not sure what happened. We got there on time and there was no one there. We were told that it would be a while before the show started. Perhaps it’s just an unwritten rule about shows here; that they start and hour later than the posted time. Good to know, next time I won’t go on time. I didn’t end up going back that night.
Also this is in one of the least exciting parts of West Oakland. Beside this place and a few others like it there is nothing else to do.

The fact that there are only 3 other reviews of LoBot leads me to believe that the cool kids who go there are too cool for Unilocal.Now THAT’S cool.
I was totally at that Japanther show that Seth U. mentioned in his review. Or, rather, I sauntered up as three cops cars were ushering people away from the gallery. Really? People complained about the noise? Come on, now. All the other residents are train tracks and factories.
It’s a cool space. There are lots of hooks in the ceiling. LOTS. All evenly distributed. I would use them for Christmas lights or something if I had that many hooks.

I’ve been to two shows here.
Both were bizarre, scene-​y, and downright comfortably chaotic.
Whatever gallery/​venue warehouse in West Oakland with low covers and loose alcohol policy means to you… this is probably it.
The police broke up the second one before Japanther even came on. It was a benefit. And it was fun anyways.
The lowbot is chill for high energy shows. I go when I’m in town. They get good musicians and happy crowds.

An amusing place to go in Oakland if you are sick of the chichi lounge/​bar scene or the local dives. Hipsters and artsy types abound, but it is an art gallery/​indie rock venue, so what do you expect? Lobot, short for Lower Bottom Gallery, is located in the industrial West Oakland. Acoustics for this warehouse are not optimal to hear and appreciate live music, but having the music adds to vibe, and allows for a night of appreciate of all kinds of art-​visual and audio. Check their calendar for a listing of events–