Check These Classic Photos From a 2008 Reunion Show For Legendary NYC Punk Club A7

In the early 80s, the neighborhood around Avenue A and East 7th Street, like most of New York’s Lower East Side was sketchy at best. But from 1981-84 it was home to A7, a small bar that hosted some of the sickest hardcore gigs of all time. On weekends hundreds of kids in oversized hoodies, camo cut offs, and large x’s sharpied onto hands would crowd the small room to see bands such as Bad Brains, Minor Threat, SSD rip the shit out of the joint. Along with CBGB’s the venue became the unofficial home of the NYC hardcore scene with many scene members such as Raybeez of Agnostic Front and Warzone and Jimmy Gestapo of Murphy’s Law working there.

Italian photographer Alessandro Simonetti arrived in New York in 2005, well after A7 had seen it’s last stage dive. But his love of subcultures’ and particularly punk led him to the A7 memorial/reunion show in 2008 where a bunch of classic bands from the A7 days such as, Urban Waste, Reagan Youth, Mental Abuse and the Nihilistics played. His documentation became the book Never Forget the Warriors.

Thanks to a generous hand from Oakley, Allessandro is travelling to Melbourne to exhibit photographs from the book as part of the Independent Photography Festival.

We sent him some questions to learn more about the book and the NYCHC scene of the time.

NOISEY: First up? Who is the best Italian hardcore band of all time? And the best from NYC?
Alessandro Simonetti: I would say Negazione and Indigesti. I’m surprised how those names are still popping up from people outside Europe. The last time someone asked me if I knew Negazione I was in Japan. The drummer of Negazione turned into hip-hop at some point and began the most legit mc on the hip-hop scene on the 90’s. In NYC I would say Agnostic Front. I used to live across the street from Vinnie Stigma’s tattoo shop.

One of my favourite NYC bands is Antidote. What was it like shooting them at the reunion?
It was an interesting clash between young kids and the old musicians. 20-year-old kids jumping off stage while 50-year-olds were playing! The singer of Antidote is a film director. He gave me a DVD shot by him of those speed bike street acrobat gangs.

What do you think set A7 apart from other punk clubs?
Playing at the A7 was a legit step into the punk NYC scene with many dope bands including Bad Brains, Beastie Boys, Social Distortion performed in the club in before stepping into CGGB’s.

The Lower East Side was a lot different back then.
It was definitely an edgy place to hang so I believe it was safer to go there dressed as a punk rather than with a white polo shirt and kaki pants. The East Village is now distorted by the NYU kids invasion and start up dudes that took over the neighborhood. I recently moved to Ave D which was also known as “D-on’t go avenue” or “D-eath avenue”. Ave D is one of the few places in Manhattan that still quiet close to what it used to be back then. I like it much more than Ave A or B!

Gentrification and money can fuck up a lot of subcultures but none probably as much as New York hardcore punk. There does seem a rebirth of NYC punk though. Have you heard much of the newer bands?
Ah! NYC is the land of start-ups and NYU dormitories, not quite the right place to build a subculture anymore! The music scene in the city still quite interesting and raw but I stepped into the hustling scene now and there's not much rawness there! ;-)

The ‘Never Forget the Warriors’ exhibition runs in Melbourne at the Doomsday Store until December 10. Opening night is November 12 6-9pm