The former BackStage Lounge space in South End is getting its groove back. B-Side Sound Bar is set to open Friday, May 1, stepping into the speakeasy’s old footprint with vinyl-heavy early-night DJ sets, a high-fidelity listening rig, and a menu of Mediterranean-Mexican small plates paired with craft cocktails.
According to Axios Charlotte, the project comes from The Music Yard and is led by co-owner and director Preston Abernathy, who drew inspiration from listening bars in festival cities like Miami. As Axios Charlotte notes, B-Side plans to source its vinyl from a warehouse in Kannapolis and program nights that ease in with dinner-friendly listening before shifting into late-night digital DJ sets.
A system built for listening
The buildout is designed with sound in mind rather than splashy visuals. The venue’s site, listed as Backstage Lounge, bills the room as a “deep cut listening bar” and outlines upcoming sets along with menu notes. On the technical side, B-Side tapped Void Acoustics, whose high-fidelity systems are installed in clubs and restaurants around the world, and the fit-out includes a DJ booth with subwoofers built into the bar itself to keep the bass tight and intelligible.
Food, drinks and late-night turn-up
On the menu, B-Side will focus on a blend of Mediterranean and Mexican small plates, with dishes like burrata, skewers and sliders, and a cocktail program that leans into espresso martinis along with mezcal and tequila builds, per Axios Charlotte. The bar plans to serve dinner from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. and operate Thursday through Saturday, then clear tables and turn the space into a dance floor that runs until 2 a.m. Dinner reservations are available through Resy.
Where this fits in South End's scene
BackStage sits inside the SouthBound complex next to The Music Yard, which places B-Side in the middle of a South End corridor already known for live music and a late-night crowd. The South End neighborhood guide lists BackStage’s address as 2433 South Blvd., and the new concept appears aimed at pulling The Music Yard’s house-music following into a more intimate indoor setting with a focus on craft, according to the listing at South End Charlotte.
For locals who still miss the old BackStage speakeasy vibe, B-Side is promising a similar sense of tucked-away discovery, this time with a louder, more intentional sound system and a clear emphasis on DJs and records. If everything comes together as planned, the room is set to double as both a dinner destination and a serious listening spot for Charlotte’s house-music community when it opens on May 1.
