The Anthrax was a highly regarded all-ages music venue that hosted
punk and
hardcore shows in Connecticut.
To the many touring acts that played there, The Anthrax was as essential a stop as
punk rock landmarks like
New York City's
CBGB or
924 Gilman Street in
Berkeley, California. Founded in 1982 by brothers Brian and Shaun Sheridan, the actual club was located in the basement of a makeshift art gallery on the then dilapidated west side of
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford () is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut, outside of Manhattan. It is Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford passed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 2020 ...
, at 70 Main Street.
The space was small and the stage was barely 5 inches off the ground. Many bands played the small Stamford location including
7 Seconds,
Corrosion of Conformity,
Youth of Today,
RKL
Rich Kids on LSD (RKL) was a Californian hardcore punk band formed in 1982 in Montecito, California, a suburb of Santa Barbara. They were associated with the " Nardcore" scene that evolved out of nearby Oxnard. Their music expanded over the ye ...
and
Circle Jerks
Circle Jerks (stylized as Ciʀcle JƎʀᴋs) are an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1979 in Los Angeles, California. The group was founded by former Black Flag vocalist Keith Morris and Redd Kross guitarist Greg Hetson. To date, Circle ...
. By the summer of 1986, the reputation of The Anthrax grew and attendance at shows had outgrown the physical space. The Stamford location closed its doors and within 3 months the Anthrax reopened at a much larger location at 25 Perry Avenue in nearby
Norwalk, Connecticut
, image_map = Fairfield County Connecticut incorporated and unincorporated areas Norwalk highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 230px
, map_caption = Location in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Fairfield County and ...
.
At the Norwalk location, the club's reputation continued to grow
and Brian and Shaun Sheridan continued to book shows until November 1990 when a neighboring apartment complex won a decision against the club in a zoning dispute.
Among the many influential bands that performed the Norwalk location were
Reagan Youth,
The Exploited,
7 Seconds,
MDC,
Descendents,
Government Issue,
NOFX
NOFX () is an American punk rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1983. Vocalist/bassist Fat Mike, guitarist Eric Melvin and drummer Erik Sandin are original founding and longest-serving members of the band, who have appeared on every ...
,
Die Kreuzen,
Fugazi
Fugazi (; ) is an American post-hardcore band that formed in Washington, D.C., in 1986. The band consists of guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally, and drummer Brendan Canty. They are noted for their style-tr ...
,
Sick of It All,
Dag Nasty and many more. The Anthrax is often mentioned in books about hardcore history. The book ''Everybody's Scene'' by Chris Daily is solely about The Anthrax and contains many photographs.
Everybody's Scene: The Story of Connecticut's Anthrax Club
/ref>
References
External links
The Anthrax FaceBook Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anthrax, The
1982 establishments in Connecticut
Music of Connecticut
Nightclubs in the United States
Punk rock venues