Shocking news…legendary Hong Kong venue Warehouse roof caves in

Shocking news…legendary Hong Kong venue Warehouse’s roof caved in last Friday.

This was sent in to us recently and we’re still sitting here shocked beyond belief that this beloved venue sitting above scenic Aberdeen where MANY legendary bands have performed in its DECADES of existence, has had its roof cave in (apparently due to the weight of the air conditioning fixture).

There is no word yet of what Warehouse management is going to do about this roof. Unfortunately, even though Warehouse used to be the epicenter of Hong Kong’s underground with weekly shows taking place there with a huge turnout, the luster of the venue has fallen by the wayside as convenience is a big part of life in Hong Kong. Warehouse sits far away (considerably for Hong Kong standards) from the city center and as more venues started popping up in more convenient locations right next to MTR stations, the venue slowly lost its original excitement and vibe. The venue had tried to revive its prestige but after a handful of shows that had minimal attendance, the venue seems to be confused about what to do moving forward.

Our ultimate hope is that if the management can muster up the financial courage (the venue is funded mainly by donations from various organizations in Hong Kong) then they should take this opportunity to completely redo this structure. They now have an opportunity to build a space that matches the times and the high standards that Hong Kong’s live music audience now expects of venues around town. The roof should be heightened, the walls should be completely redone, the stage heightened, and a brand new sound system brought in place to make Warehouse a venue that people in TODAY’S times are excited to go to. The Warehouse needs to move beyond sitting back on their glory days and make it something valuable to today’s audiences and bands.

The ultimate fear? That management will now say goodbye to this space forever. In the current state of Hong Kong, this would be yet another nail in the coffin of the ongoing trauma for local live venues feeling the pinch either financially, or in the case of one venue, political.

Once the Warehouse makes a decision moving forward, we will keep you informed.

Just to give you an idea of the bands that have performed here:

Bouncing Souls

Shai Hulud

FC Five

Pregnant Men
(Hong Kong punk rock legends)

RAMBO

Have Heart

First Blood

Naiad

King Ly Chee
(shot in 2003)