Which band served as the house band at Andy Warhol's New York City studio?

The Velvet Underground served as the house band at Andy Warhol’s New York City studio, The Factory. Warhol became the group’s manager in 1965 and incorporated its performances into his multimedia art events, helping connect the band’s abrasive, experimental sound with the downtown New York art scene.

The band also became central to Warhol’s Exploding Plastic Inevitable, a traveling performance combining live music, film projections, dance, and dramatic lighting. Warhol encouraged the group to perform with German singer and model Nico, whose presence helped shape the band’s best-known early project, The Velvet Underground & Nico.

The Velvet Underground’s commercial reception was initially modest, but its influence grew dramatically. The group’s dark subject matter, feedback, drones, and unconventional structures later affected punk, alternative rock, and experimental music. The Factory was an important cultural gathering place, but the Velvet Underground—not one of Warhol’s short-lived amateur groups—was the recognized house band associated with it.