Hong Kong Café
The Hong Kong Café was a Los Angeles music venue and part of the Los Angeles punk rock scene during the late 1970s and early 1980s, with a resurgence in 1993-1995.
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. 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 space is currently occupied by Realm, a housewares and gifts retailer.[9]
References
- ^ The 4th Wave & The Chinatown Wars. Retrieved on August 1, 2010.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 1979 When Chinatown Was Punk—pt 1, April 16, 2008. Retrieved on August 1, 2010.
- ^ Thirty Years Ago Today in LA: Hong Kong Cafe Opens, 7 June 2009. Retrieved on 2010-09-05
- ^ Flipside Fanzine Live Show Database 1979 Retrieved 2010-09-05
- ^ Hong Kong Cafe, 16 April 2008. Retrieved on 2010-08-01.
- ^ Catholic Discipline (r.i.p. 1979-1980)
- ^ 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.
- ^ Realm. Retrieved January 15, 2011.