In search of something completely new, some sort of evening entertainment to rival the feverish scene of, say, Manhattan, two brave young students ventured to Allston last weekend.
Do you see a flaw in the logic of these innocents? An all-night social scene in Boston? Ha, what were they thinking? Manhattan they did not find. But what they did stumble upon rivaled even the frat scene of Tufts three years ago - back in the good old days, when na??ve freshmen girls paid attention to insecure freshmen boys in black-lit basements and found themselves with an unbelievable amount of free alcohol at their disposal. The Kells, on Brighton Avenue, duplicates this carefree atmosphere, presenting a unique fusion of the bar and club scene.
If you have to wait in line and pay a cover, the evening had better be worth the effort. (Though we prefer no cover and object to cover charges in principle, in the interest of experimentation and for your benefit, dear reader, we submitted ourselves to this ridiculous custom justified only by the fact that it was, after all, a Friday night and it could have been worse.)
After a pleasantly short wait and a minimal ($5) cover, the eager nightclubber finds him- or herself with a few options inside The Kells. The general layout of the place resembles the split personality of its clientele; the front room is a chill bar for conversation or heavy drinking, and the back room is a bumping dance floor sprinkled with lackluster couples and overzealous singles.
Fear not, faithful bar-hopper, for The Kells is set up in a big loop so you can wander from one state of mind to the other, and back again, for as long as you want. We do suggest, however, that you take advantage of the $2 coat check if you plan on being mobile at all. Who wants to be juggling a drink in one hand and a North Face in the other?
Back to business. The front room resembles a classic Americanized Irish pub with a long (really long) bar facing clusters of tables occupied by sedentary groups of friends, preoccupied couples, and shifty singles. The bar is seldom too crowded to place an order, and service is speedy and with a smile. Thanks to abundant floor space, those who don't wish to settle into a table are free to mingle with the young workers of Boston and Northeastern and BU students. Cargo pants and Abercrombie paraphernalia run rampant on this side, and the atmosphere fits the wardrobe.
Sometimes a straggler from the other side will wander to this side of the bar for a breath of fresh air (or to come up for air). You'll recognize this outsider by her silver backless tank top and generic black pants. That's both the scariest and the best thing about the Kells - you've got a unique blending of two worlds. Nightclubbers dance with beer chuggers and students chug beers with young professionals. Anything goes, and it's all set to a relaxed background, and a fantastic soundtrack. Granted, it's 94.5 FM music, but it's the best of Jammin' and you've got to admit, it's supremely danceable. And let's be honest, there's a little part of all of us that can't get enough of Jay-Z and Shaggy.
To satisfy the dancing queen in you who emerges when the moon comes out and the drinks settle in, head over to the back room and join the masses rubbing against each other in the dark. The atmosphere is as laid back and comfortable as in the front room, which is rare for a dance venue. Yes, there are people who dress like hardcore clubbers... but take a closer look and you'll notice that they're not that trendy and, more importantly, they can't dance any better than you. If, while in the "club room," you forget that there's a "pub room" around the corner, look out for the waitress wielding a tray full of $2 Jell-O shots for a quick reminder that the name of the game is fun.
For the timid or those cursed with two left feet, there's always the option of lounging at the bar and observing for a while. The bar is just as long as in the front room and twice as crowded, almost as if drinking in the dark somehow makes it okay. Ease your way onto the dance floor by mingling with the people milling around the outskirts of the dancers, and take a look at the people around you - they're surprisingly normal. They're not too dolled up - about half the girls are actually wearing jeans and t-shirts - and they're not intimidatingly good looking either. Somehow, the balance struck between pub and club makes for a comfortable and fun atmosphere that encourages experimentation (half an hour on one side, half an hour on the other) and socializing. You can approach people without fear of rejection, because chances are they're genuinely nice.
As with any public dance floor attracting college students, however, there are a few sketchy characters that wander in looking for the unbelievably drunk girl who might dance with them. On the particular night that these two Tufts students graced the dance floor with their elegant moves, two such ruffians began to brawl (we'd like to think they were fighting for our honor, but chances are they hadn't even noticed us). Luckily, everywhere you look at the Kells there are staff members either bussing tables, taking orders, or controlling the crowd, one of whom was able to step between the gladiators. A potential disaster was averted without the assistance of any of the off-duty police officers who seemed to have their hands full at the time.
On a chilly night in the greater Boston area, the Kells is guaranteed to host a good party with a diverse and entertaining crowd. Regulars agree that there's something about the pub/club that makes it fun every time you go. It's a bit of a hike to Allston - a $20 cab ride or an hour-long T trip - but one aspiring lush offers some wisdom for those of us on a budget: spend the cash for the cab but have an extra drink at dinner instead of buying one at the bar. Scrounge up the dough to get to the Kells and you'll wish you lived in the area.
