Rocking Out at Vienna's Flex Concert Venue
Concertgoers file into Flex's main entrance.
Flex may not be pretty to look at, but seeing a show there promises a kind of gritty fun that makes you feel like you're getting away with something. Sandwiched between the U4 metro line and the Danube Canal, Flex is housed in an old building that appears to boast several fire and building code violations. Rumors speculate about water from the roof even leaking onto the stage when it rains. However, it is also rumored that several improvements have been made over the years and the current state of Flex is far better than its past incarnations. It continues to serve as one of Vienna's few concert venues for touring bands. Stars (from Montreal) performed there recently and Jose Gonzales is scheduled to appear there in April.
Inside the club, the overall view of the stage leaves much to be desired. The interior is chock full of narrow spaces that wind around the bar and stage and up the coat-check stairs. There is also a large wall and doorway that juts out from the left as you approach the stage from the bar area, cutting the floor space unpleasantly and creating a sizable obstacle. (The sound technician occupies a balcony on the stage-side of the dividing wall.) Despite the poor visibility, there are several large flat-screen monitors dispersed throughout the club, including a full wall-size screen in the wing at the far left of the stage. The predominant feel from just about anywhere inside is that you're right in the center of the action.
There is no decor theme of note. The interior of the club is full chipped paint and scraps of old posters clinging to the walls, while a wide array of electrical equipment hangs from the ceiling. As with most Vienna clubs, the air inside is also rife with smoke, so prepare your lungs if you're a non-smoker. Drawbacks be damned, Flex has character and a good performing band can derive performance energy from that character to motivate the crowd and put on a stellar show. To get to Flex, take the U2 or U4 metro lines to the Schottenring station. For more information, visit www.flex.at.
Flex
Am Donaukanal, entrance via Augartenbruecke, 1st district
Tel: +43 1 533 75 25
