Travel /
Comparing London and Warsaw? Does anyone know both cities who could help? [9]
There are biker bars (an especially hardcore one at the back of Zachodnia (Western) station and one (maybe gone now) under a bridge pier by Saska Kępa though neither of those reflects the area they're in. One part of Stara Praga has some trendy clubs but I wouldn't call them grungy, and most of the music is from DJs.
There used to be a complex of fairly grungy bars (aimed at students but not only) in Powisle (again not reflecting the area) but that was closed down a while ago. There was plenty of live music. The bars in the old fort of ul. Raclawicka (in an area of nice houses and office parks) are a good bet, plus the pop up summer bar at Powisle Station (DJ music) is worth looking at. As is China Town (the pavilions behind Nowy Swiat 20) in the main shopping/entertainment district. Some of those very small bars, all packed into the remains of a 60s shopping precinct have a grungy feel. Not heavy metal though - such bands tend to play at more established venues like Stodola or Park.
One issue in Warsaw is that the nature of the built environment means that most bars etc are never more than a few yards from someone's bedroom window - hence most of the places I just mentioned being under bridge piers, behind stations or in old forts etc - to avoid noise complaints. This discourages a street of loud and late bars from emerging.
Worth mentioning that here in Warsaw, the rich are richer, the poor are poorer (grungy people drink at home) and the people in the middle are tight with money. A bit of a generalisation, but a lot of truth in it and this affects people's expenditure on entertainment.
