Back To The Basement: 10 DIY Music Venues And The Scenes They Launched
DIY music rooms have become a haven for musicians, music lovers and people from marginalized communities. Though temporary in nature, music scenes developed in these impromptu nightclubs. While some are still thriving (Smell of LA), others have closed due to rapid gentrification and intrusion into underground spaces following a tragic fire on a ghost ship in Oakland, California. These performances and residencies are deeply loved and cherished by the music community, but are not always kept. However, those who closed their shutters are remembered as places that helped launch the careers of many artists.
Here are some of the most influential DIY venues powering the underground music scene.
energy lunch
Power Lunches in East London have been a key venue for Dalston's underground music community and a showcase for the global DIY music scene in general. The venue has been the scene of concerts, recording sessions, and countless rehearsals, as well as the starting point for many band-building shows. The 100-seat hall was filled with up-and-coming talent, including Beatrice Dillon, Vancouver punks White Lung and British electronic group Whitehouse. Unfortunately, at the end of 2015, the institution closed due to financial difficulties.
Shi Stadium
Not to be confused with the former home of the New York Mets, Shea Stadium was a haven for Brooklyn's DIY artist community. For eight years, the East Williamsburg venue served as a gathering place and rehearsal space for local garage rock artists and larger bands such as Titus Andronicus and the Future Islands. After temporarily closing in 2017, the establishment has struggled to stay afloat despite fundraising to reopen with proper permits. But the owner of Shea Stadium wanted to open up his nightlife. While the new location for Shea Stadium is unknown, the old site has an online archive of some of his historical performances.
Smell
As the name suggests, The Smell was (and still is) an angry place in a particularly deserted part of downtown Los Angeles. Since opening decades ago, The Smell has been a haven for up-and-coming punk and experimental bands of all ages. Following other Los Angeles institutions including Vex, The Masque and Jabberjaw, The Smell also helped launch the careers of local artists such as Best Coast, No Age and Health. After the ghost ship burned down and came under scrutiny by city officials, the building's owners were given permission to demolish the premises, but it was allowed to be used.
good coffee life
While primarily associated with punk, DIY music venues were also instrumental in the early rise of hip hop. Just as the Webster Police Athletic League (PAL) in the Bronx and DJ Kool Herc's famed club nights promoted hip-hop on the East Coast, the Good Life Cafe in South Los Angeles helped usher in a new era on the West Coast. The organic market began holding hip hop demos and then the weekly open mic nights that made Los Angeles underground hip hop popular in the late 80s. This spawned a whole new experimental rap scene from Freestyle Fellowship, Chillin Villain Empire, Medusa, Jurassic 5 and the Figures rap duo, as well as Oscar-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay, who made a documentary about the good life called This . This is life .
DIY room for London
In the past, many DIY music halls operated in secret and out of the sight of law enforcement. Today, however, some spaces not only function outdoors, but also provide artists with accessible space for daylight. Located in an industrial area in southeast London, DIY Space For London has functioned as a social centre, music venue, rehearsal space and creative centre. Initially run by a collective of about 20 volunteers, the organization has grown to over 2,500 members who pay £2 for an annual membership. Touring bands such as Sheer Mag and Total Control played there and helped create the London DIY scene. Unfortunately, during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was announced that DIY Space For London could not renew its original space lease. At the time of release, he will be looking for a new permanent home.
ClubSafari
Two adventurous teenagers, Shauna Kenny and Pam Gendell, decide to put on their own punk show at a former poultry processing plant turned nightclub in Washington, DC. Regulars on CBGB's "morning shows", all-ages punk acts that took place in the afternoons at holiday clubs, the duo grew tired of moving to New York and formed the Safari Club. The institution operated from 1988 until it was destroyed by fire. ten years later. The place became the center of DC's second wave of hard punk bands , including Sick Of It All, Gorilla Biscuits, Judge, Swiz and Worlds Collide, as well as the fledgling Straight Edge scene.
WEAPONS17
ARMA17 has been one of the leading DIY music platforms in Russia. Housed in a former brick gas works, it was home to the country's thriving underground techno and rave scene. The name comes from the park where its founders used to party until it was destroyed by a fire in 2009. ARMA17's parties were almost as big as mini-festivals, with elaborate sets and multiple dance floors that lasted all night until the venue closed down due to police crackdowns. in 2014. Since then, ARMA17 shows have evolved into nomadic parties taking place in Moscow (and elsewhere).
rhinoceros
For eleven years, Rhinoceropolis has been a popular Denver destination, known for developing an underground DIY scene in the city with artists such as Thee Oh Sees, Vivian Girls and local favorite Pictureplane. In 2016, the popular venue was closed for safety reasons following a nationwide crackdown on DIY music venues. Like many of these spaces, it served as a living studio and was considered a cultural incubator for traveling artists in Central America. After closing, the team opened in a new place. Visit their Facebook page for more information.
285 Kent
While industrial plazas in Williamsburg, (formerly) Brooklyn's (formerly) most popular enclave, housed creative businesses for almost a decade, 285 Kent was at the helm until 2010, when habitat improvement champion Todd Patrick (better known as Todd P) did not resume work. Brooklyn's growing DIY scene. The 350-seat venue served as a place where people and genres could collide, and where R&B artists like Frank Ocean and indie rock bands like DIIV gathered in warehouses. More importantly, artists who are new to the scene have been able to find their fans here as each performance inevitably turns into a sweat fest.
CM
There were quite a few DIY music events in Toronto in the 1980s , many of which took place at formal academic institutions and art venues. But one of the real places for self-creation was MBC, a cool bohemian outpost where artists such as new reggae-pop band Parachute Club, Soulman Jr Walker and new wave bands were invited. CBC employees Richard O'Brien and Patti Habib ran the premises before taking over the legendary BamBoo Club. Housed in an industrial loft in what is now Liberty Village, MBC operated for only two years but became a pioneer across the city.
You want more ? Find out which of the nine influential DIY musicians is worth rediscovering.
Visit uDiscover Music for the latest music news and exclusive features.
uDiscover Music is operated by Universal Music Group (UMG). Some of the artists featured in uDiscover Music articles are affiliated with UMG.
