Hong Kong Café

For Hong Kong style cafés, see Cha chaan teng.
Hong Kong Café
The Hong Kong
Map
Address425 Gin Ling Way
LocationChinatown, Los Angeles, California
Genre(s)
OpenedFor Music, June 5, 1979
ClosedJanuary, 1981

The Hong Kong Café was a Los Angeles restaurant and music venue that was a part of the Los Angeles punk rock scene during the late 1970s and early 1980s when the club was owned and operated by Barry Seidel, Kim Turner and Suzy Frank, followed by a resurgence from 1992 to 1995.

Located at 425 Gin Ling Way in the Chinatown district of Downtown Los Angeles, California and across the way from sometimes rival Esther Wong's Madame Wong's,[1][2] the former Chinese restaurant[3] was open to audiences of all ages.

It can briefly be seen in the 1974 movie, Chinatown.

History

First Run of Shows: 1979-1981

The Plugz and UXA played at the club's opening night on June 7, 1979,[4][5] and numerous bands, including X, Catholic Discipline, The Mau-Mau's, Bags, The Smart Pills, Nervous Gender, and The Alley Cats, performed there until its closing in January 1981.[6][7] Concert footage filmed at Hong Kong Café appears in the Penelope Spheeris documentary film The Decline of Western Civilization.[8]

The Hong Kong Cafe was typically more open to punk and hardcore acts than Madame Wong's.[9] Black Flag played some of its first few shows at the Hong Kong Cafe.[10]

Resurgence: 1992-1995

The venue reopened for music in 1992, featuring shows from acts such as D.I., Guttermouth[11] The Offspring, and the Voodoo Glow Skulls.

Aftermath

The space is currently occupied by Realm, a housewares and gifts retailer.[12]

Shows at the Hong Kong Café

Shows from the Hong Kong's first months:

Date Band Band Band Band Band

Also appearing were Phil Seymour, the Textones, and Moon Martin.

June 5, 1979 Daily Planet Elton Duck
June 6, 1979 Uncle Jammer
June 7, 1979[13] The Plugz U.X.A.
June 8, 1979 The Alley Cats Bags
June 9, 1979 Snapp Blow-Up
June 10, 1979 Ryno Curtis Bros.
June 18, 1979[14] Black Flag The Last
June 22, 1979[15] The Controllers Fear The Plugz X Black Flag
June 29, 1979[16] The Controllers Fear The Plugz X Black Flag
July 1, 1979 The Dogs The Tremors
July 2, 1979 Copter Big Wow
July 3, 1979 Gorilla Fingers
July 4, 1979 The Flyboys Fear Satin Tones
July 5, 1979 The Weasels The Silencers
July 6, 1979 Pink Section The Units The B-People
July 7, 1979 The Pink Section
July 8, 1979 The Plugz The Tellers
July 9, 1979 Roy Loney & the Phantom Movers The Real Kids
July 10, 1979 The Shieks of Shake The Blitz Bros.
July 11, 1979 The Alley Cats The Eyes Human Hands
July 12, 1979 X Unknown Unknown
July 13, 1979 Unknown
July 14, 1979 Unknown
July 15, 1979 Bags Controllers The B-People
July 16, 1979 Yankee Rose Shandi Cinnamon
July 17, 1979 Germs Adaptors Extremes
July 18, 1979 The Real Kids
July 19, 1979 Bates Motel Hero Johanna Went
July 20, 1979 The Plugz Go-Go's
July 21, 1979 The Alley Cats Penetrators
July 22, 1979 Elton Duck Daily Planet Dianna Harris The Tufftones
July 23, 1979 The Most Keller and Webb
July 24, 1979 Suburban Lawns The Eyes The Brainiacs
July 25, 1979 The Weirz U.S. Rock
July 26, 1979 Middle Class U.X.A. Agent Orange
July 27, 1979 Bates Motel The Meckanics
July 28, 1979 Bags Nervous Gender
July 29, 1979 Ivy and the Eaters Big Wow
July 30, 1979 Ivy and the Eaters Big Wow
July 31, 1979 Axis The Real Kids
August 1, 1979 Fear Shandi Johanna Went
August 2, 1979 D.O.A. Pointed Sticks
August 3, 1979 D.O.A. Pointed Sticks
August 4, 1979 X Eddie and the Subtitles
August 5, 1979 Reddi Killawatt Prankster
August 6, 1979 Suburban Lawns Rotters Spy
August 7, 1979 Simpletones the Crowd Stepmothers
August 8, 1979 U.X.A. Flyboys Silencers
August 9, 1979 Zero's (S.F.) Urge
August 10, 1979 Zero's (S.F.) Urge
August 11, 1979 Nervous Gender Human Hands
August 12, 1979 The Plugz
August 13, 1979 Bates Motel
August 15, 1979 Germs The B-People VS.

References

  1. ^ The 4th Wave & The Chinatown Wars. Retrieved on August 1, 2010.
  2. ^ Oliver, Myrna. "Esther Wong, 88; 'Godmother of Punk' Whose Venues Showcased Pop, Rock Acts in '70s, '80s" The Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, 17 August 2005. Retrieved on 2010-08-10.
  3. ^ 1979 When Chinatown Was Punk—pt 1 Archived 2011-07-08 at the Wayback Machine, April 16, 2008. Retrieved on August 1, 2010.
  4. ^ Thirty Years Ago Today in LA: Hong Kong Cafe Opens, 7 June 2009. Retrieved on 2010-09-05
  5. ^ Flipside Fanzine Live Show Database 1979 Retrieved 2010-09-05
  6. ^ Hong Kong Cafe Archived 2010-10-02 at the Wayback Machine, 16 April 2008. Retrieved on 2010-08-01.
  7. ^ Catholic Discipline (r.i.p. 1979-1980)
  8. ^ Valentine, Gary. New York Rocker: My Life in the Blank Generation with Blondie, Iggy Pop, and Others, 1974-1981, page 203. Da Capo Press. 2006.
  9. ^ "Esther Wong: Her Flawed Legacy". LA Weekly. Apr 26, 2012. Retrieved Mar 31, 2018.
  10. ^ Black Flag Gig Archive Retrieved on 4/5/2018
  11. ^ Youtube footage of Guttermouth at the Hong Kong.
  12. ^ Realm. Retrieved January 15, 2011.
  13. ^ Thirty Years Ago Today in LA: Hong Kong Cafe Opens, 7 June 2009. Retrieved on 4/5/2018
  14. ^ Black Flag Gig Archive Retrieved on 4/5/2018
  15. ^ Black Flag Gig Archive Retrieved on 4/5/2018
  16. ^ Black Flag Gig Archive Retrieved on 4/5/2018
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34°3′55″N 118°14′13″W / 34.06528°N 118.23694°W / 34.06528; -118.23694