Under the ownership of Jack Chen, the Cathay de Grande restaurant and its underground basement nightclub opened in December 1973, serving Mandarin cuisine.[4][5] By 1980, new owner Michael Brennan had taken over, serving Thai food and booking punk and New Wave bands such as the Raybeats, Angry Samoans, the Flesh Eaters, and the Gun Club.[6]
Notable acts
Red Hot Chili Peppers performed their very first show under that band name at the Cathay after going by the name Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem for their two previous performances at another Hollywood club.[7] They would play the Cathay a few times during their first tour in 1983 and once in 1984.
Due to ongoing problems with neighbors,[10] intervention by the local police, and legal problems related to business conflicts,[11][12] proprietor Michael Brennan closed the Cathay de Grande in 1985. It was one of the last remaining punk venues at the time of its closure.[12] Violent Psychosis, The Mentors with El Duce, and Circle Jerks performed the venue's farewell show.[7] Shortly before, Danny "Dobbs" Wilson, a booker at the Cathay de Grande, started Raji's a block to the north on Hollywood Boulevard.[13][14]
The nightclub space later became home to the more upscale China Club.[15][16]
In the song "The Desperation's Gone" from the NOFX album So Long And Thanks For All The Shoes, Fat Mike sings "Cathay de, I miss your smell."
In 2014, a nightclub called The Argyle opened at the location. That venue has since closed.
