A venue in
London in the
UK, the Scala hosts live music, mainly from
Indie (aka
alternative music) bands. On weekends it is also a
nightclub, and it has been the home of
Popstarz for several years now.
The venue itself is a converted theatre, and it feels like it, with unnecessarily large, sweeping staircases up the front of the building, and like most theatres it is considerably taller than it is wide; the ceiling of the main room is three storeys above.
The main room has a small stage only slightly raised above the audience, with no seating apart from a long bench built into the back wall of the room. In addition to the floor, two other main galleries look out into the main room: one on the first floor is a glass-walled bar (sound-proof, so that the small room isn't crowded with non-drinkers trying to catch the concert) and on the second floor is an open gallery, again without any seating.
The second gallery is extremely high up and does not provide a good view of the stage as lights and rigging tend to get in the way. There is a small open-air balcony on a level with the glass bar that also could provide a good view of the stage, but it doesn't hold too many people. If you want to see the act at the Scala you really need to be on the floor of the main room.
Its transformation to a heavy-duty venue is evidenced by the grubby and worn-down look of the place, as well as the heavy stainless steel, lean-proof railings and other fixtures. However, the venue is generally quite clean and well-maintained (including the toilets) which is a lot more than can be said for its competitors in London, such as the Astoria.