ManRay

Sound is absolutely atrocious, is only good in one spot, is flat out dead in most parts of the club, and the space is set up in such a way that people are constantly shoving past you. No space to properly dance and be in your own zone without getting shoved every 3 seconds. Lighting is also FAR too bright - turn down the glaring lights - they are blinding and distracting. Also, the idea of letting in 19+ is OK, but if you're gonna do that, have some sort of door policy instead of just letting in every person off the street. Crowd is more miss than hit typically, especially since it's not like the u21 year olds are buying drinks or contributing anything aside from ticket sales.

We are so glad this place has reopened. The first Thursday night of every month is “HouseBoi”, a queer house music night for humans and their friends. Body positive and consent oriented. Radical self expression encouraged, and a drag show full of local talent at midnight.

This was one of the best night out experiences I've had since I was in my twenties. Amazing music ( went to heros on Saturday) and the vibes impeccable. I just wish we lived closer to be here every Saturday.

Really fun!!! Had a blast! The gay boys just need to work on being more open & friendly to thosw of us visiting from elsewhere- besides the boys not being very friendly— was great! 👌❤️🌈

Went to see Oscar Mulero play here on a Thursday a week back. Awesome set. Great to see him again. Saw him back in Chicago few years back. He’s dope. Good techno.

Female bouncer/ security lady has some kind of superiority or god complex. she shoved my friend, and then when we were leaving the club later on getting an Uber she yells at us to tell me we're not allowed back in that night even tho we didn't do anything and were leaving anyway

I traveled a long distance to visit this bar during my trip to Boston, only to be turned away at the door due to an “all-black” dress code that was never mentioned online. It was incredibly frustrating and disappointing, especially after making the effort to get there. If you’re going to enforce a specific dress code, it should be clearly stated on your website or social media. Visitors deserve to know in advance so they can plan accordingly

Manray is amazing. I have been going for over a year now consistently and everyone is awesome! Love Wednesday and Thursdays events and love the kareoke!

I loved reading through the old reviews but wanted to add to the more recent ones as well! Came to the "new" Manray for the first time on a Saturday Heroes night (80s new wave/synthpop etc) last weekend. It's in the old Improv Boston space but has been so redone it's completely unrecognizable. It's a really nice space, 3 bars total (2 in the main room), a stage, and a smaller lounge/chill room with its own bar and very good air conditioning-- a nice place to take a break when the dance floor gets too hot! Our drinks were surprisingly good for a club, and reasonably priced as well. Sound system was good. If you've been to any similar nights around Boston, you'll recognize the DJ --so I knew what to expect! The crowd ranged widely from college age to maybe 70 year olds?? And everyone was having a great time, with a fun, safe, and very inclusive atmosphere. We came relatively early -- 10:30? And surprisingly there were enough people already there that it didn't feel awkward (so many places are completely empty before 11 or so!!). They have different themed nights each day of the week so check the calendar/instagram to find something that suits you. We will definitely be back!! NOTE -- Normally I would deduct a star for this, but I really like this place so I won't: my one complaint is about the entrance/coat check process. When you enter, you go over to the register to pay the cover, and they ask if you want to add coat check. Which is awesome! Avoids cash and streamlines the process! However, when you pay the POS has the system where it asks you if you want to add tip. 18%, 20%, or 25% iirc. So my mind goes, huh, I do like to tip the coat check people a couple bucks, 18% is a LOT but hey, there's a big line behind me, I don't want to fumble with entering a different amount, and I'm feeling generous-- so I tipped 18% on the entry and coat check for 2 (which was like $15 each for the cover and $2 each for the coat check). Then, you get around the corner to the coat check, and there is a sign saying, "any tips left at the registers don't go to coat check, please leave cash or ask for more Venmo" ........... So... who the f did I tip??? It feels a little shady to have that sign AFTER, versus having a sign at the register saying, this tip goes here, coat check tip is in cash or whatnot. Left kind of a bad taste in my mouth -- if im gonna be extra generous I want to know who it's going to

What a fun place to let loose! They have disco nights, goth nights, drag shows, and more. I've been here a couple time, always fun. I will say they need better AC because when we come, we SWEAT from dancing. During the summer, we'd have to go outside and take cool-air breaks. LGBTQ+ friendly. Bar is never too crowded, always been able to get a drink in under 5 minutes. Bartenders, bouncers, and check-in people are cool. Their vibe matches this place very well. There's usually a cover. For me, it's ranged from $5-$15. If you're looking for a fun time, with a chill crowd, I'd recommend going out here.

Fun bar decent amount of space on the dance floor very specific vibe fun that they play a lot of 70's music

This must be the place! Great music/ambiance/crowd/themes. Discrete location comes alive at night. Crowd definitely skews older but its 100% better than the loud drunk college student-filled bars and clubs around Boston. Fantasy Factory nights are always a good time. Finally, a place for the goths and gays to get down!

Really great space with an amazing sound system. I took a drive down yesterday to hear a friend DJ. I had a great night out. The bartenders were excellent and great to talk to! I can't wait to go back!

Honestly I've never been here. I wanted to come but probably wouldn't have been welcome because of my ex and her friends. But this definitely was the Mecca of goth clubs in Boston. However I have been to the reunion events and had some fun there (that's why I'm giving this a 5). I can only imagine how the real ManRay was.

Many people don't know there were actually two Man-Ray clubs. The other was in Pompano Beach, FL on Federal Hwy (what we call Rte 1). So I began my Man-Ray experience with that club.. which had swing nights (dancing not screwing), goth nights, fetish nights, and Campus (pretty much college gay nights). The Florida Man-Ray was a bit swankier than the Boston Man-ray, with some deep 40's looking comfy round booth and tiny blue chandeliers, but that's as much as I'll say about that club, despite my wealth of stories, since I'm reviewing this club. Both clubs are now closed, but I'm still writing a review, damnit. My friend Dan and I (and whoever else came with us) went only on Saturday nights, so I cannot speak for other nights. On Saturdays, there were three rooms, the main dance room which featured a pop-techno feel an then a late night drag show, a laid back room with a couple of couches and a pool table, and a Dungeon like-room that had a stage that was also a cage (for cage dancing) and some pedestals (for showoffs and it was usually the same two guys in leather pants and black eyeliner) and a grouchy bartender (who we loved anyway) and 80s alternative music (and some current stuff the had the same sort of feel). The third room is the room we hung out most in and my experience at Man-Ray is that we would just start dancing when we got there and not stop dancing until we got kicked out. I remember occasionally the DJ wold play "Coin Operated Boy" and no one knew how to dance to that so the dance floor would clear out and so Dan and I would just Polka. That's right, bitches! Polka. Ha... so if you saw the drunk chick and her favorite blond gay (who loved to hike up his pants and show his hairy ankles like it was the sexiest thing ever) doing the polka on the dance floor when no one else was dancing. That was me. Except to pee. OH the bathrooms! Downstairs there was a coat check and the bathrooms, although there were separate male and female bathrooms, it didn't matter, everyone used both and no one cared. Everyone went to Man-Ray... gays. straights. doctors. lawyers. yuppies. drag queens. old. young. everybody. If you know another place like this in or around Boston, please do share. I don't think I've been to many-a-nightclub since Man-Ray gave way to stupid Condos... and my figure has suffered for the lack of dancing. Oh, Man-Ray... you will be missed.

Ah yes, my second home. How I miss you! You were once the center of a small, but exciting universe...a communal black box that brought all of us freaks together...a stage on which we could all be whatever we wanted, without worry. For you were the great hearth around which our community could gather, listen to good music, and get mind-blowingly drunk. You let us play in your rooms, flyer your walls, ash on your floors. You were the scene of many beginnings and endings, both good and bad. Lest we forget all those we crushed on, hooked up with...all those we lost. You welcomed us, one and all (well, as long as we wore black.) And, who can forget your distinct fragrance; that mixture of cloves, stale booze, and cat pee. A seemingly disgusting odor that was actually quite refreshing in a strange sort of way. It was almost as if it were alive, attaching itself to your clothes and spreading throughout your hair. Even now, on those lonely nights when I gaze longingly at my box of latex and corsets, unworn and dusty...I wish that I could smell you again one last time. But now, what has become of you? Oh the shame! You have been razed, destroyed...your foundations buried. They took you away from us. One look today and the evidence of your former fabulous life is no more. There is talk that you might rise again, like a phoenix from the ashes. But if you do, you will undoubtedly be different than you were all those years ago. Regardless, I will still visit you and wish you luck, hoping that the next generation will love you as much as I have. RIP ManRay --- 21 Brookline Street Cambridge, MA

I realize that this may come as a shock, but I used to come here. Yes, I was here 1-2 nights per week many many years ago. I don't eulogize this place the way I do Deli Haus and Gargoyles, but ManRay was still great - especially the final night when I destroyed some jackass's suit. Funny story there, I promise. Alright, by the time it closed people weren't doing smack there anymore, midget sex in the bathrooms had faded into legend, and Hot Topic fashions were becoming more and more prevalent. Still, Chris's sets were a staple of my weekly musical needs, and if he spun something I just wasn't into, ManRay offered places I could go to escape. Not something I can say about enough clubs. (tip to club owners, more speakers = fewer peaceful options and more phase issues) Anyway ManRay, you filled a need a of mine for many years and have yet to find anything to take your place. I do miss you.

It's sad that this building has made way for new condos. I wonder if the owners know what once stood on location and what happened there. You were guaranteed a good time when you went to Manray.

There is a void in the greater Boston Night Life scene! This was "it". Saturday nights were so fun, with great music, fun crowd, hot men.... strange drag queens, and everything else you could imagine... If those walls could talk... I miss ManRay and still have been searching for a replacement place to go dancing on Saturdays....

This place was full of great, good, odd, and terrifying memories. God I miss it. When it died so did a part of me. A part I've never had the chance to express since. It is sorely missed. It grew tamer as the years went on, and to be honest had transformed by the end. Gone was the signature Hell Night, more of a hot topic emo crowd in the end, but for all its imperfections it was home two nights a week. It was the first place I saw a midget, a drag queen, a leather mask, electric and duct tape as clothing. The bathrooms were a horror, but also slightly interesting. Everyone did their own thing alone, but somehow together.

When I was sixteen, I went to the Watertown registry to get my driver's license and was failed coming out of the parking space. When I was eighteen, I went back to get my state ID so I could go to Manray. Nothing really comes close.

Go-go boys in the house! I came here when my friends Rick and Brandi were in town. After a VERY unsuccessful gay club hunt; resulting in much hilarity along the way, we settled on Man Ray. A bit of a youngish crowd, but it's also a very relaxed and unpretentious crowd. It's always a blast on college night and although not the best music, it's definitely booty shakeable.

I still miss this place. I met a ton of people there, I got to dj there, was in way too many embarrassing performances, inhaled more clove smoke than must be legal, I probably inhaled toxic black mold from the walls there....so many memories just turned into fairly mundane looking condos. It's been a few years and there still hasn't been an even remotely adequate replacement.

This review is mostly pointless at this point as the place has closed and the building has been torn down. All I have to say is this: Best dance club ever. To those of you who though CBGB's closing was sad. ManRay closing was orders of magnitude worse. I will miss this place forever.

Thank you for giving us a place to let our freak flags fly.

ManRay was epic. Legendary. Its passing was cause for great sadness among the underground in Boston. RIP, ManRay.

I used to hang out here a few times in my wilder dancing phase. Great place to bring a girl even on Campus nights, because the music was always decent and the crowd was always interesting. I think this state has really hit bottom when clubs like this gets squeezed out. Maybe in the next couple of years of a real estate meltdown we can see more interesting venues pop up like mushrooms after a thunderstorm. Is that what it takes to get good clubs into a city?

I saw nirvana here before they were anything. Bummer that this place is gone.

Me-yow. Man Ray is where the freaks meet in Cambridge. This club is nothing to look at from the outside, but inside, you never know what you're going to see, what with the goth, gay and fetish scenes meeting up here. It's several clubs in one, and the labyrinth-like complex confuses me a little. It's also pricey, and most nights have a dress code - and that means vinyl, not slacks!

I used to love this place, Thursdays and Saturdays. You can hear Chris Ewen, who used to spin in the back room, several places around town. Currently he's running "Heroes" upstairs at Axis on Saturdays. So if you miss the indie music, check that out.

Fetish nights, gay nights, new wave & dancepop blended together... it was a great place. Be aware that last night (Saturday the 30th) was the last night they were open. Make way for the luxury condominiums! *groan*

I ruled ManRay once upon a time. Long before 80's night, there was the actual 80's. 1988-1990 to be specific. Every Wed, Fri, and Sat night, I would put on one of my mock turtle neck shirts, a pair of my Girbaud jeans (black, green, or even white), and my black jacket (there were several second hand clothing stores that had racks of them). And then I would walk over from my killer grad student pad in one of the towers along the Charles River. I had become pretty friendly with the tall doorman and his girlfriend and would chat with them for a bit. The cover at that time was pretty minimal. I think it was free on Wed and maybe $3 on the weekends? Not sure about that. Once inside, I would head straight back to the alternative room. The front "quiet" room was for those occasional times when you would actually want to have an extended conversation. And the more disco room off to the right was for those nights when things were especially slow or picked over in the alternative room. I would fire up a Camel light and order a Corona with lime or if the mood struck me a White or Black Russian. The curly haired bartender was my buddy also and always hooked me up pronto, no matter how busy the place. I always arrived on the early side. When I say I ruled, I mean it. Haha. Many many nights people would be standing around waiting for the dance floor to get going. I would step up and get that baby going in a matter of minutes. Pubic Image Limited, The Smiths, Morrissey, Depeche Mode, Suzi and the Banshees. That was the music. I was 23 and all of the women of Boston were mine! Haha. Well maybe not all, but enough. I was at the top of my game. Chicks who were supposed to be out of my league were under my spell with the ManRay DJ behind me and the dance floor under me. I get misty eyed now thinking about all of the beautiful women I met at ManRay. Nobody told me that it wouldn't last forever!! Those were hands down, the best two years of my single life. By the end of those 100 visits to ManRay, I had so many phone numbers on matchbooks, coasters and napkins, that I had a whole drawer devoted to them. At 1am they would close but give you a free pass to Ground Zero on Mass Ave and there we would dance to Public Enemy and the Cult until closing at 2am. If anybody has any memories from those years at ManRay, please post them. I'll add this to my favorites and check it once in a while. RIP ManRay. My favorite address ever.

Never been to Man-Ray, only driven by. Sadly to say I will never go there, the club has been totally demolished, and is now a very large hole in the ground, literally. Just a head's up, this is old news, so I'm sure I'm not actually informing anyone of anything, just didn't want any disappointed people wearing way too little clothing, and way too much vinyl walking around central square clueless.

I went to Man-Ray for an 80's night and I will admit, the music was awesome. However, the crowd in that place is not my style! I expected a hipper group of people. What I got was a lot of creepy men in their late-thirties... I guess it just wasn't for me! Maybe I should try fetish night! (Just kidding)

Always a great time, fun music and incredible people watching. Too bad it is closing for good this Saturday!!! R.I.P. Manray.