The Independent   

There aren't many real, raised-up, stage-dive worthy platforms in small clubs in San Francisco, but the space that has housed the The Justice League, The Kennel Club, and now, The Independent, has one of the best. The stage is strangely situated against a wall in the middle of the floor, so the audience fans around it rather than straight back. Directly opposite is the well-stocked bar. There's an upstairs for VIPs, but the real action happens on the floor, where sweaty kids pogo and bop to an eclectic choice of music. The crowd is just as eclectic, but almost always game for giddy fun. There's very little attitude amongst the scruffily hip horde. The location on a dark stretch of Divisadero with very little parking can make things challenging, but the neighborhood seems on the way up.