How Asian Restaurants Became the Hottest Punk Concert Venues

in 1970s California

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, a fascinating phenomenon unfolded in  the Californian undeground  music scene:

 Chinese and Filipino restaurants became some of the most influential punk  concert venues.

Among them was Bill Hong's restaurant, known to show-goers as the Hong Kong Café. But the cantonoese eatery  wasn't the only Asian restaurant that fed the burgeoning California punk scene.

G I V E N C H Y

Notable bands like X, the Germs, and Black Flag regularly played at Asian diners such as Sacramento's China Wagon and Kin's Coloma, as well as San Francisco's Mabuhay Gardens.

Esther Wong, the owner of Madame Wong's even became known as the "Godmother of Punk". 

These unconventional gigs would go on to become milestones that cemented some bands as icons of the Californian punk scene.

Did you like the story? Read more about Asian-American history by clicking the icon below.

See More