The announcement that The Marquee Club was closing was rather
quickly followed up with a chaser of good news—The Paragon Theatre
opening in its space for April 1. This still means the closure of
Hell’s Kitchen. And that means the loss of a venue for a lot of local
and touring bands, primarily those who like to play it loud. This
Friday, February 6, Hell’s Kitchen’s final show has Cuban Assassins,
Gone Drinkin’, Hellacaust and Iron Giant saying goodbye to a favourite
haunt.
“This is a big loss for live music in
Halifax,” says Brent Geikie (bass/vocals in Cuban Assassins). “As great
as a venue that upstairs at the Marquee was, they didn’t book a lot of
local, live rock bands. Hell was always a really great spot to play and
always supported the local scene. I’m sure that other venues will open
up because they always do, but we’re sorry to see another great bar
shut down.”
Some bands—like Black Moor with their
upcoming show at Hooters—are forging new ground and playing alternate
venues. But it’s a lot easier for acoustic and pop musicians to move
from venue to venue. “Another consistent, permanent venue is what is
needed,” says Geikie. “We play with a lot of touring bands that book
shows months in advance and Hell was always a very sought-after venue
for them to play.” But no one plans to cry in their beer on Friday. “We
are very happy to be closing it out in style with a heavy-ass rock show
and we couldn’t think of a better sendoff than with this lineup,” says
Geikie. “Iron Giant are good friends of ours and one of the best live
acts in the Maritimes. We can’t wait to play one last time with them in
Hell. Hellacaust are one of the absolute best metal bands around and
this will be our first time playing with them and we’ve heard nothing
but great things about Gone Drinkin’. Hopefully we’ll be able to sell
the bar dry.” —Stephanie Johns
This article appears in Feb 5-11, 2009.
