Cathay de Grande
 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
| Address | 1600 Argyle Ave. Los Angeles USA |
|---|---|
| Opened | 1973 |
| Closed | 1985 |
The Cathay de Grande was a Chinese restaurant[1] and nightclub in Hollywood that featured mostly punk rock bands but also other styles of underground/alternative rock in the 1980s.[2][3]
History
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, the basement venue had begun booking punk and New Wave bands such as the Raybeats, Angry Samoans, the Flesh Eaters, and the Gun Club, adding the Cathay de Grande to a group of Chinese restaurants catering to the emerging genres.[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. They would play the Cathay a few times during their first tour in 1983 and once in 1984.
Other bands who frequently played the Cathay included The Minutemen, Bad Religion, Tex and the Horseheads, Geza X and the Mommymen, Dr. Know, The WILD, Entropy,[7] along with regulars from Orange County Social Distortion, T.S.O.L., The Vandals, Agent Orange and Love Canal. The Knitters played their first gig at the Cathay.
Closure and legacy
Due to problems with neighbors, violence caused in part by punk gangs such as the LADS gang, Suicidal Tendencies, FFF and HRP, and legal problems related to business conflicts, the Cathay de Grande closed in 1985 with Violent Psychosis, The Mentors with El Duce, and Circle Jerks performing the farewell show. Shortly before, Danny "Dobbs" Wilson, a booker at the Cathay de Grande, started Raji's a block to the north on Hollywood Boulevard.[8][9]
The nightclub space later became home to the more upscale China Club.[10]
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 featuring craft cocktails called The Argyle opened at the location.
Notes
- ^ "Latest New Wave of Music Finds Finds Cozy Home in LA Nightclub". Oakland Tribune via Newspapers.com. May 21, 1981. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
- ^ "La Dee Da on the Streets". LA Weekly via Newspapers.com. July 9, 1981. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
- ^ Levitan, Corey (June 16, 1995). "L.A.'s Landmarks of Rock". San Pedro News-Pilot via Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
- ^ "Advertisement". The Los Angeles Times via Newspapers.com. December 1, 1973. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
- ^ "An Oriental Adventure". Valley News via Newspapers.com. February 15, 1974. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
- ^ "Pop Beat". The Los Angeles Times via Newspapers.com. October 11, 1980. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
- ^ David M. Hinnebusch. "Los Angeles Entropy ARCHIVE". Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ "Dobbs' Landing". LA Weekly via Newspapers.com. September 19, 1991. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
- ^ Everett, Todd (August 26, 1990). "Raji's Is Downscale, But Not Out, Among Hollywood Boulevard Nightclubs". The Los Angeles Times via Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
- ^ "Calendar". LA Weekly via Newspapers.com. December 26, 1991. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
| Authority control databases: Geographic |
|---|
