The original Kings opened in July 1999 and catered to music fans and musicians in a way that was entirely different than the Triangle had in the past. The space became a focal point for creativity in the area. Besides the many local and national musical acts that began to see Kings as a regular stop, there were Game Show nights put on by the owners and their friends, circus performances, comedy nights, theater performances, a regular professional wrestling show, basically anything that sounded like it would be interesting, dramatic, or hilarious. As time went on, the sound system was improved, and bigger national acts like Bonnie Prince Billy, Calexico, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, The Shins, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, and Mastodon began to see Kings and Raleigh as a legitimate tour stop.
In April of 2010 Kings moved to 14 West Martin Street. The new version of Kings (now 14 years old!) improved in several ways. Kings now has a larger stage, acoustically designed ‘floating’ walls, a beautiful steel and pine bar, and a sound system that is fantastic to hear or to play through.
The space located at 14 W Martin St has long been a very unique landmark in downtown Raleigh! In October 2023 original owners Paul Siler and Cheetie Kumar sold Kings to Alan Novicki, Josh Novicki, and Herbie Abernethy. Also long involved in the area and closely linked to the music scene, we are excited to have Kings back open bringing you the quality entertainment that you’ve come to associate within these walls.