PUNK

Franklin Music Hall (formerly Electric Factory)

🇺🇸Philadelphia, United States

Originally opened as the Electric Factory in 1968 at 22nd and Arch (hosting Jimi Hendrix, The Who), reopened at current location in 1995. Renamed Franklin Music Hall in 2018 after sale to The Bowery Presents. Capacity 2,500-3,000. Named 16th best venue in US by Consequence in 2016. Past headliners include David Bowie, Foo Fighters, Coldplay.

Theatre of the Living Arts (TLA)

🇺🇸Philadelphia, United States

Originally a 1908 nickelodeon called Crystal Palace, converted to theatre in 1965. Became concert venue in 1988. First Philadelphia venue to show Rocky Horror Picture Show (1976). Briefly known as "The Fillmore at TLA" 2006-2008. Capacity ~1,000.

Webster Hall

🇺🇸New York, United States

A historic large nightclub and concert venue in the East Village. Webster Hall was originally built in 1886 as a ballroom. In rock history, it's famed for its 1980s stint as The Ritz, one of NYC's top rock clubs. Today, Webster Hall (capacity ~1,400) remains a prime venue for live music and dance nights.

Franklin Music Hall

🇺🇸Philadelphia, United States

Steeped in Philadelphia music lore, this venue has hosted iconic rock, punk, and metal acts for decades. Its storied past as the Electric Factory (from 1968) is legendary, and the venue remains a city staple for major touring rock and alternative bands.

The Warfield

🇺🇸San Francisco, United States

Otto's Shrunken Head

🇺🇸New York, United States

Tiki-punk bar mixing rum cocktails with nightly rockabilly, punk, surf and metal shows.

St. Andrew's Hall

🇺🇸Detroit, United States

Originally founded as a Scottish society meeting place, St. Andrew's Hall emerged as a key rock venue by the 1980s. It has hosted groundbreaking acts such as Jane's Addiction, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana, and R.E.M.

Bancroft Bar

🇺🇸San Diego, United States

Bastion for rock and punk music in East County. Hosts multiple bands in stacked shows.

The Slipper Clutch

🇺🇸Los Angeles, United States

A "rock 'n' roll speakeasy" hidden behind a neon sign in the back of another bar (The Grayson) in Downtown LA. Features punk, rock, arcade games, highballs and beer.

Moonstep

🇯🇵Tokyo, Japan

Primarily a live house hosting underground punk and hardcore bands, but the 2nd-floor pub is a destination in itself. Wooden, creaky, DIY aesthetic feels like a squat or punk house in London or Berlin.

Hope and Anchor

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

A historic pub in Upper Street with a basement music room that was crucial in the 1970s pub rock and punk scenes. A Grade II listed building. A historic pub atmosphere upstairs, with a recently refurbished basement live music venue featuring a new PA, enlarged stage, and lighting rig. The upstairs pub functions as a traditional pub, while the basement is a dedicated 80-capacity live music venue.

Revolution Hall

🇺🇸Portland, United States

Located in former Washington High School. Hosts broad range of rock acts from indie to metal to punk.

Irving Plaza

🇺🇸New York, United States

A historic ballroom-style venue with capacity of ~1,200. Irving Plaza has served many identities: a 1940s ballroom, a Polish community center, and from the late '70s onward, a crucial rock concert hall. Known for hosting diverse genres – punk, new wave, metal, alternative, pop – over different eras.

The Casbah

🇺🇸San Diego, United States

Legendary venue known for hosting major and emerging acts. Hosted Nirvana, Alanis Morissette, and Arcade Fire.

Hole in the Wall

🇺🇸Austin, United States

Known for supportive environment for local and touring acts. Launching pad for Spoon and Gary Clark Jr.

The Warfield

🇺🇸San Francisco, United States

Historic theater and music venue that has hosted legendary acts including Bob Dylan and Nirvana.

Helgi's

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

A self-described occult rock bar, considered a heavy metal bar by any other name. A true labour of love reflecting owners' tastes for 60s/70s heavy rock, psychedelia, and the occult & horror. Features vibrant psychedelic rock decorations, occult decor, good vibes, and heavy music. Known for its welcoming, diverse crowd. Described as "Hackney's heaviest late-night hotspot".

Strangelove

🇺🇸New York, United States

Midtown East graffiti-covered dive promoting cheap beer and nonstop punk playlists.

New Cross Inn

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

The bastion of the South London punk and hardcore scene. Specializes in punk, ska, and hardcore, serving as a vital node for touring bands who bypass the more expensive central London venues.

Crystal Ballroom

🇺🇸Portland, United States

Historic venue known for its unique wood floor that bounces with the crowd. Hosted numerous national and local rock acts.

The Magic Stick

🇺🇸Detroit, United States

A mainstay of Detroit's rock and alternative scenes, The Magic Stick shares legacy with St. Andrew's Hall in showcasing new and established rock, punk, and indie acts. It is known for cultivating vibrant underground and emerging music scenes.

First Avenue

🇺🇸Minneapolis, United States

First Avenue occupies a stunning Art Deco Greyhound bus depot built in 1937. Converted into a music venue (The Depot) in 1970, it features curved walls and terrazzo floors that give the room a unique, bright acoustic character.

Rontoms

🇺🇸Portland, United States

Cozy bar with "Sunday Sessions" showcasing psych, punk, indie, and experimental rock bands.

Exit/In

🇺🇸Nashville, United States

Legendary Nashville venue deeply ingrained in rock history. Hosting premier cutting-edge acts for over 50 years.

The Basement East

🇺🇸Nashville, United States

Vibrant venue known for eclectic indie rock and alternative scene. Showcases emerging local talent.

Mercy Lounge

🇺🇸Nashville, United States

Part of Cannery complex. Strong presence in rock, alternative, and indie scenes with energetic shows.

Theatre of the Living Arts

🇺🇸Philadelphia, United States

A South Street institution since the 1960s, the TLA is known for its intimate club atmosphere and iconic marquee. It's a favorite stop for national and local acts in rock, punk, and indie, with a history stretching back to the city's musical golden age.

Kung Fu Necktie

🇺🇸Philadelphia, United States

A Fishtown dive bar central to the DIY rock and punk underground, known for raucous shows, cheap drinks, and a loyal following.

Ortlieb's

🇺🇸Philadelphia, United States

Reopened and revitalized as a nightclub/live venue, Ortlieb's carries on a rock and dive bar legacy in Northern Liberties, hosting a mix of local and touring bands.

Union Transfer

🇺🇸Philadelphia, United States

Union Transfer is celebrated for its excellent acoustics, spacious layout, and indie vibe, making it a premier spot for indie rock, alternative, and punk acts. It's beloved by both touring bands and local fans for providing a top-tier concert experience in a converted rail transfer station.

SO36

🇩🇪Berlin, Germany

Located in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin, SO36 takes its name from the area's historic postal code. In the late 1970s and 80s, West Berlin was an island of subculture surrounded by the GDR, and SO36 was its epicenter. It was a hub for the squatter movement and radical left-wing politics, often compared to CBGB for its grit and artistic importance.

The Crocodile

🇺🇸Seattle, United States

Opened in 1991 in the Belltown neighborhood, the Crocodile Cafe (now The Crocodile) was the "living room" of the Seattle grunge explosion. Co-owned for a time by Peter Buck of R.E.M., it hosted Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Mudhoney in an intimate setting before they filled arenas. The venue was famous for its lack of pretension and close-knit community vibe.

St. Moritz Club

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

A long-standing basement club in Soho, described as the "ultimate Soho sheebeen," with decor largely unchanged since the 1960s. Known for its legendary club nights.

The Black Heart

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

The Black Heart is a renowned rock and metal pub in Camden, often described as a "heavy metal hotspot". Nestled in a lamplit, brick-walled back alley near Camden Town Tube Station, it is about a fifteen-minute walk from King's Cross St. Pancras. The interior is decked out in exquisite all-goth attire; its walls painted black and smattered vibrantly with music artwork, fairy lights sparkling in the dimness, unisex bathroom stalls plastered with band stickers and extremely entertaining graffiti. The downstairs bar is a bustling social hub for metalheads and night-creatures from all walks of life, offering craft beers, shots (including the 'Lucky Sod' Irish liqueur), cocktails, and mocktails.

Whisky a Go Go

🇺🇸Los Angeles, United States

The cornerstone of the Los Angeles rock scene and the first live music venue inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Founded by Elmer Valentine, Mario Maglieri, and Phil Tanzini on January 16, 1964, the club was modeled after the Parisian discotheque of the same name. Upon opening with Johnny Rivers as headliner, the club introduced a female DJ who played records from a suspended glass cage and began dancing—birthing the "go-go dancer" phenomenon that became a staple of 60s nightlife globally.

Warsaw

🇺🇸New York, United States

Unlike DIY spaces that vanished, Warsaw survived by embracing its roots. Housed in the Polish National Home (built 1914), this community center moonlights as a 1,000-capacity rock club.

The Chelsea Inn

🇬🇧Bristol, United Kingdom

Punk-run community pub with courtyard murals, hosting heavy-metal and punk rock nights.

Slim Jim's Liquor Store

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

The Masterful Purveyor of Good Times, a late-night rock'n'roll dive bar and grassroots live music venue. LA-style dive bar vibe with neon lights, music posters, red leather bar stools, and booths. Ambiance is electric, with well-worn leather and aged oak. Features an award-winning jukebox loaded with classics from Led Zeppelin to Guns N' Roses. Extensive stock of whiskies (over 90 from around the world), liquor, classic cocktails, and cold craft beer.

PSYCHO Rock & Roll Club

🇪🇸Barcelona, Spain

Intimate bar/club with live gigs and DJ sets spanning rock, punk, garage and post-punk.

The Devonshire Arms

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

Affectionately known as "The Dev," it is Camden Town's devoted home to the musical underground and one of London's leading goth and metal venues. Features a mock-Tudor façade and a buzzy and dark interior. It's described as a goth pub with serious attitude and a haven for goths and metalheads. A place where lovers of rock, goth, punk, and metal congregate.

Sincopa Bar

🇪🇸Barcelona, Spain

Punk-rock dive famed for vintage décor, mojitos and nightly rock playlists.

Nevermind Bar (Raval)

🇪🇸Barcelona, Spain

Grunge-skate dive with indoor ramp, cheap beers and loud garage-punk soundtracks.

The Mothers' Ruin

🇬🇧Bristol, United Kingdom

Late-night dive bar with upstairs gig space and downstairs club (RATHOUSE), known for eclectic alternative nights.

The Fire

🇺🇸Philadelphia, United States

An intimate, no-frills spot in Northern Liberties, The Fire has been a launching pad for emerging local rock, punk, and indie bands for years, maintaining a scrappy DIY ethic.

The Fighting Cocks

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

A rock 'n' roll bar and venue described as small in size but big in attitude. Proudly independent. A haven for the inked, the pierced and the damned. Has a rich musical history dating back to the 1930s (jazz, then rock 'n' roll jam sessions). Features a best jukebox ever, old school arcades, and pool. Offers a huge selection of draft and bottled beers, lavish cocktails, seductive real ales, troublesome shooters and the nuttiest drinks deals in town.

Kafé 44

🇸🇪Stockholm, Sweden

Ideological heart of Stockholm's punk scene. Situated within the Kapsylen work cooperative—an old bottle cap factory occupied by artists in 1976. Operated by non-profit groups (Scen 44) with strict drug-free and vegan principles.

Klub 007 Strahov

🇨🇿Prague, Czech Republic

A miracle of survival. Located in basement of student dormitory on Strahov hill, operating since 1969. Under communism was "university club" with slightly more freedom—haven for dissident "Grey Zone" underground.

Modrá Vopice

🇨🇿Prague, Czech Republic

Located in wooden shack away from city center—"last true punk hole" in Prague. Hosts grittiest underground bands: crust, grind, hardcore that don't fit polished stages.

Lucky 13 Saloon

🇺🇸New York, United States

Brooklyn's first dedicated metal bar featuring go-go dancers, live shows and a famed jukebox.

100 Club

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

The oldest independent music venue worldwide. Located at 100 Oxford Street, its history stretches back to 1942 when it operated as the Feldman Swing Club. During World War II, the basement venue served a dual purpose: a jazz club and an informal air-raid shelter. Anecdotes describe patrons "jitterbugging" while German bombs fell on London, fostering a spirit of resilience that would define the club's future identity.

The Library

🇺🇸New York, United States

East Village book-lined punk dive famed for its jukebox and B-movie projector nights.

Blondies

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

An excellent rock'n'roll dive bar with live music founded by Australian sisters Verity, Sharmaine, and Rochelle Cox. A down-and-dirty Mecca for music-lovers with delightfully wonky furnishings reflecting a DIY spirit. Known for insane music and a cultural hub for good vibes, great drinks, and even better company.

Clockwork Bar

🇺🇸New York, United States

Graffiti-laden Lower East Side punk dive famous for cheap beer and loud punk playlists.

Cross Club

🇨🇿Prague, Czech Republic

Vital to industrial/punk crossover scene. Significance lies in architecture—steampunk labyrinth made entirely of recycled scrap metal, cogs, and engine parts by sculptor František Chmelík.

Dingwalls

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

Opened in 1973, Dingwalls was instrumental in the punk timeline and Camden Lock's transformation into a music destination.

The Ranch

🇬🇧Manchester, United Kingdom

Mercy Lounge (Cannery Ballroom)

🇺🇸Nashville, United States

Opened January 2003 in historic 1883 flour mill/cannery building. Added 1,000-capacity Cannery Ballroom in 2005. Hosted Steven Tyler, White Stripes, Adele, Black Keys, Bon Jovi. Transformed into Cannery Hall in 2023.

Eric's

🇬🇧Liverpool, United Kingdom

The Rathskeller

🇺🇸Boston, United States

Kenmore Square cellar that launched The Cars, Pixies, Mission of Burma.

Phrank’s (Historical Venue)

🇺🇸Nashville, United States

Nashville's first punk club, officially "Herr Harry's Phranks & Steins Rathskeller." Operated by Rick Champion from January-November 1980. Booked R.E.M.'s first Nashville show for guarantee. Shut down over licensing issues and police pressure.

The Chestnut Cabaret

🇺🇸Philadelphia, United States

West Philadelphia rock club operating 1978-1994, later reopened as The Blockley (2009-2013). Hosted Billy Bragg, Butthole Surfers, MC 900 Ft. Jesus. The Pretenders played unannounced show here night before Live Aid 1985.

The Roxy Club

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

A seminal punk rock club, considered the first exclusive punk venue in London. Located in a former gay club "Chaguaramas", The Roxy provided a home for the nascent punk scene when mainstream clubs wouldn't touch it. Its most significant period was its "100 nights" from January 1 to April 23, 1977. A "right old dump" with "disgusting toilets," it perfectly captured the raw, DIY ethos of early punk. It was a place where attendees could "be who you wanted to be and no one gave a damn".

The Nashville Rooms

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

The Nashville Rooms was the critical link between Pub Rock virtuosity and Punk nihilism. Originally a country music venue, it transitioned to hosting "souped-up R&B" acts like The 101ers.

Winterland

🇺🇸San Francisco, United States

The Pound

🇺🇸San Francisco, United States

Club Cocodrie

🇺🇸San Francisco, United States

Mabuhay Gardens

🇺🇸San Francisco, United States

The Deaf Club

🇺🇸San Francisco, United States

Skeleton Club (Original Location)

🇺🇸San Diego, United States

San Diego's first punk venue, founded by SDSU student Laura Fraser. Operated 1978-1980 at two locations. Dead Kennedys played final show at original Fourth Ave location Nov 10, 1979. Held 350 people, served only soft drinks.

Ripley's

🇺🇸Philadelphia, United States

Another South Street club that was a major stop for rock and alternative acts in the late 20th century.

The Rainbow Theatre

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

With a capacity of 3,000, The Rainbow allowed punk to scale up. Originally a cinema, it became a major rock venue in the 1970s.

Harp Bar

🇬🇧Belfast, United Kingdom

Club Cocodrie

🇺🇸San Francisco, United States

Smaller venue that featured local rock and punk acts.

Frankenstein's

🇺🇸Portland, United States

Popular rock club during the rock club boom after OLCC restrictions lifted.

Jekyll & Hyde

🇺🇸Portland, United States

Notable rock club from late 20th century Portland scene providing venue for punk, alternative, and rock shows.

The Deaf Club

🇺🇸San Francisco, United States

Short-lived but influential venue that hosted local punk bands in a unique deaf club setting.

Mabuhay Gardens

🇺🇸San Francisco, United States

Pivotal role in the SF punk scene. Hub for punk bands like The Dead Kennedys and The Sex Pistols.

The Pound

🇺🇸San Francisco, United States

Venue known for hosting punk and alternative bands.

Winterland

🇺🇸San Francisco, United States

Major venue in the 1960s and 1970s, hosting iconic acts like The Sex Pistols and The Grateful Dead.

Shibuya Yaneura

🇯🇵Tokyo, Japan

Shinjuku JAM

🇯🇵Tokyo, Japan

The Intrepid Fox

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

A historic pub with roots dating back to 1784, named after statesman Charles James Fox. Originally at 97-99 Wardour Street, it became a prominent goth and heavy metal venue by the 1970s. Known for its distinctive dark, goth-rock aesthetic, featuring black-painted interiors, a mock graveyard, and other macabre decorations. It was a key meeting point for the goth and metal scenes. After closure in 2006, it reopened at 15 St. Giles High Street (2007-2014) before final closure.

The Pound

🇬🇧Belfast, United Kingdom

The Rock Garden

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

Raji's

🇺🇸Los Angeles, United States

In the basement of the Hastings Hotel, Raji's was the quintessential dive venue that bridged post-punk and the alternative explosion. Known for low ceilings, intense heat, and sweat dripping from the walls.

Carbono 14

🇧🇷São Paulo, Brazil

Grande Ballroom

🇺🇸Detroit, United States

The Grande Ballroom is a legendary rock 'n' roll mecca and birthplace of Detroit's hard rock and punk scenes. It became a hub for counterculture in the 1960s and was home to seminal bands like MC5 and The Stooges.

Rafters

🇬🇧Manchester, United Kingdom

The Channel

🇺🇸Boston, United States

1,700-cap South Boston rock bar where U2, Ramones, Metallica played early tours.

The Ruskin Arms

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

Doug Fir Lounge

🇺🇸Portland, United States

Known for log-cabin and rocket-ship aesthetics. Celebrated for booking touring indie and alternative rock bands.

The Vortex

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

A key punk club that emerged in July 1977, located at the Crackers discotheque, 203 Wardour Street. It aimed to fill the void as The Roxy faced initial difficulties. Larger than The Roxy, with a more professional setup including a proper stage and sound system. However, it gained a reputation for violence.

Khyber Pass Pub

🇺🇸Philadelphia, United States

The Khyber became a landmark for the city's indie and alternative scenes in the 2000s, revered for its eclectic booking and dive-bar authenticity before closing in 2013.

Cyprus Tavern

🇬🇧Manchester, United Kingdom

CBGB

🇺🇸New York, United States

Situated at 315 Bowery in Manhattan's Lower East Side, CBGB stands as perhaps the most paradoxically influential venue in music history. Opened on December 10, 1973, by Hilly Kristal, the club's name was an acronym for "Country, Bluegrass, Blues," the styles Kristal originally intended to showcase. Yet, the venue became the undisputed "ground zero" for American punk and new wave. The physical space was essential to its legacy—a narrow, deep tunnel-like room with walls layered in decades of flyers, graffiti, and grime. Kristal's management philosophy was revolutionary: bands could play, but they had to perform original music. This rule birthed a scene of unparalleled creativity.

Gorilla Gardens

🇺🇸Seattle, United States

Twin-room punk/metal bar where early Soundgarden, Nirvana and Black Flag shared sticky floors.

The Marquee Club

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

The British equivalent of the Fillmore—a space that did not just host bands but defined entire eras of music. Originally opened in 1958 as a jazz club at 165 Oxford Street, its move to 90 Wardour Street in Soho in 1964 placed it at the physical and cultural center of "Swinging London." The Marquee is where British rock was forged, from the R&B boom through psychedelia to punk and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal.

Uonna Club

🇮🇹Rome, Italy

Via Labicana basement where Litfiba, CCCP and the Italian underground played inches from the bar counter.

The Anti-Club

🇺🇸Los Angeles, United States

As the name suggests, The Anti-Club was the antithesis of the slick Hollywood clubs. Run by Helen Guttman, this hole-in-the-wall championed the weird and the aggressive.

Coconut Teaszer

🇺🇸Los Angeles, United States

Hollywood nightclub at Sunset and Crescent Heights, crucial for the queer punk scene through "Does Your Mama Know?" nights and the grunge transition of the early 90s.

Hong Kong Cafe

🇺🇸Los Angeles, United States

Located directly across the Chinatown plaza from Madame Wong's, the Hong Kong Cafe adopted a "catch-all" strategy, welcoming the punk and hardcore bands that Esther Wong rejected. This created a visible schism: New Wave at Wong's, Hardcore at Hong Kong.

The Clarendon Hotel

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

A large old pub/hotel complex in Hammersmith that became a legendary music venue. The Clarendon's upstairs Ballroom and downstairs Broadway bar were home to pivotal alternative music events from the late 1970s through 1988. Most famous as the host venue for Klub Foot, the epicenter of London's psychobilly scene throughout the 1980s.

The Masque

🇺🇸Los Angeles, United States

The Masque was L.A.'s first dedicated punk rock club – a tiny, grungy basement space in Hollywood. Opened by promoter Brendan Mullen in 1977, The Masque quickly became the nucleus of the Los Angeles punk scene. Though its official lifespan was very short, its impact was enormous – virtually every early LA punk band played there or rehearsed there.

The Brecknock

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

Part of the "Holy Trinity" of North London pub rock pubs. Located on Brecknock Road in Camden, this venue was a vital proving ground before bands graduated to The Marquee or The Roundhouse.

The Starwood

🇺🇸Los Angeles, United States

A notorious nightclub and live rock venue on Santa Monica Blvd in West Hollywood. The Starwood was active in the mid-to-late 1970s and was a key venue bridging the glam, hard rock, and early punk scenes in L.A. It was known for wild nights and for the criminal exploits of its owner, Eddie Nash, as much as for the music.

J.C. Dobbs

🇺🇸Philadelphia, United States

A legendary South Street dive, J.C. Dobbs was a proving ground for local and national acts in the punk, indie, and alternative scenes, helping launch careers in the 1980s and early '90s before shutting its doors.

The Broken Doll

🇬🇧Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom

Fforde Grene

🇬🇧Leeds, United Kingdom

The Limit

🇬🇧Sheffield, United Kingdom

The Coventry

🇺🇸New York, United States

Originally the Popcorn Pub, The Coventry in Sunnyside is hallowed ground for rock historians. One of the few clubs in early 1970s that nurtured original bands rather than cover acts.

Namba Rockets

🇯🇵Osaka, Japan

Radio Londra

🇮🇹Rome, Italy

Trastevere cellar that mixed rock, punk and new-wave long before DJs turned it into a dance hotspot.

Cemento

🇦🇷Buenos Aires, Argentina

Fugazi Music Club

🇵🇱Warsaw, Poland

Brief but mythic squat-style bar that booked early Polish grunge and hardcore; named after the US band.

New Moon

🇫🇷Paris, France

Gritty Pigalle club that launched French punk, cold-wave & early indie acts.

J.C. Dobbs

🇺🇸Philadelphia, United States

South Street bar that booked Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Green Day pre-fame.

Metropolis

🇺🇸Seattle, United States

All-ages punk bar that broke The Lewd and The Enemy; first to book Black Flag in Seattle.

O'Banion's

🇺🇸Chicago, United States

River North punk bar where Naked Raygun, Ministry & Effigies played their first gigs.

Gold Rush

🇺🇸Nashville, United States

Elliston Place dive that fuelled Music City's rock underground and fed generations with "Gold Rush Burgers."

Bookie's Club 870

🇺🇸Detroit, United States

Cass Corridor dive that hosted Iggy Pop, Dead Boys and Detroit's first punk festivals.

Hey Ho! Bar

🇪🇸Barcelona, Spain

Tiny punk/hard-core bar once featuring a mini skate ramp.

The Stonehouse

🇬🇧Bristol, United Kingdom

Small DIY room charging 50p entry, key to late-70s Bristol punk/new-wave scene.

The Bristol Bridge Inn

🇬🇧Bristol, United Kingdom

Pub-venue celebrated as a 'gem' of the late-70s alternative scene.

The Green Room

🇬🇧Bristol, United Kingdom

Intimate alternative venue managed by Les and Rich in late-70s/early-80s.

Peppermint Lounge

🇺🇸New York, United States

Reopened 1960s discotheque as rock-bar in Midtown.

Lismar Lounge

🇺🇸New York, United States

Notorious graffiti-covered punk-metal bar in the East Village.

The Greyhound

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

A historic pub-turned-rock venue in West London. The Greyhound featured a large backroom music hall that hosted many up-and-coming bands during the crucial Pub Rock and early punk era. It bridged multiple scenes from Irish folk in the 60s, to bluesy pub rock in early 70s, to punk gigs in the late 70s.

The OK Hotel

🇺🇸Seattle, United States

Located beneath Alaskan Way Viaduct in Pioneer Square. Gritty, working-class establishment turned vital music venue. Raw, open space crucial for all-ages crowd and punk scene.

Aeroanta

🇧🇷São Paulo, Brazil

The Kensington

🇬🇧London, United Kingdom

Transitioning from jazz to rock in 1973, The Kensington hosted The Count Bishops and Eddie & the Hot Rods—bands that bridged the gap between R&B and Punk.

Madame Wong's

🇺🇸Los Angeles, United States

Chinese-restaurant-turned-rock bar that booked The Police, Oingo Boingo and The Go-Go's before they hit arenas.

Al's Bar

🇺🇸Los Angeles, United States

A fabled punk dive bar located in the Arts District of downtown L.A. in the American Hotel. Opened in the late 1970s, Al's Bar became the longest-running punk venue on the West Coast, known for its gritty atmosphere and nurturing of the underground art-punk scene.

Armadillo World Headquarters

🇺🇸Austin, United States

Cosmic-cowboy bar where Willie Nelson met ZZ Top and punk met outlaw country.

Max's Kansas City

🇺🇸New York, United States

A combined restaurant, bar, and music club. Max's Kansas City was the hangout for the glam rock and art crowd in the late '60s and early '70s. Famed for its back-room scene of artists (Warhol's Factory regulars) and rock stars, Max's also had an upstairs music venue where numerous pivotal shows took place.

Bunkr Parukářka

🇨🇿Prague, Czech Republic

Cold-war fallout shelter turned beer-&-rock bunker on Vítkov hill; famous for anarchic concerts and graffiti.

Café Einstein

🇦🇷Buenos Aires, Argentina

Cathay de Grande

🇺🇸Los Angeles, United States

A subterranean punk/New Wave club that operated in the 1980s beneath a Chinese restaurant in Hollywood. The Cathay de Grande was a hotbed for the early hardcore punk scene and the burgeoning alternative rock movement in L.A. Its mix of musical styles and notorious reputation (it was in a sketchy basement) made it both beloved and infamous.

Chestnut Cabaret

🇺🇸Philadelphia, United States

A midsize rock club that hosted up-and-coming national acts in the rock, punk, and metal scenes in the late 20th century, supporting touring bands and local crews alike.

Club 88

🇺🇸Los Angeles, United States

An unpretentious, all-ages venue in a strip mall run by Wayne Mayotte, a retired engineer. Essential for punk and post-punk scene.

Club Lingerie

🇺🇸Los Angeles, United States

A hip nightclub and live venue on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, active primarily in the 1980s. Club Lingerie was known for an eclectic booking policy – hosting rock, punk, funk, rap, and more. In the '80s music scene, it was a place where up-and-coming local bands and even national acts would play more intimate showcases, and it doubled as a trendy dance club on off-nights.

Coney Island High

🇺🇸New York, United States

A punk rock club on St. Marks Place in the East Village, active in the mid-1990s. Coney Island High was a two-level club (bar downstairs, stage upstairs) that became a center of the NYC punk revival, hosting everything from hardcore matinees to ska and rockabilly nights.