CBGB's - The Party's Over

On September 30th famed New York City punk venue CBGB's is to officially close its doors. It's been on the cards for quite some time now, stories about unpaid rent and landlord disputes led to a celebrity endorsed benefit gig and the support of the City's mayor last year. But all to no avail sadly.


It's such a shame to see this place close, it's seen so many bands play there; Blondie, Television, the Ramones and Talking Heads were launched there to name but a few fiercely influential bands. It opened it's doors to the city's cool kids in 1973 and is NYCs longest continually-running live venue. When I visited it in 2005 it was little more than somewhere to buy t-shirts and other CBGB's related merchandise. But the amount of music history there is well-documented and important.

It shouldn't be shut down, the music played at CBGB's is as much appreciated by recent generations as it was originally, and with the right investors and owners it could regain its former glory with a new influx of today's best new bands.

RIP CBGB's, the music will live on forever.