GORILLA GARDENS/OMNI ROOM
410 5th Ave S.
Sources: The Rocket, Seattle Times, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Pacific Northwest Music Archives, “Loser” by Clark Humphrey.
From Clark Humphrey’s “Loser”:
“In the winter of 1984-85…ex-Gorilla Room owner Tony Chu joined with Dave Stone, Douglas Mays, and ex-Funhole promoter Ed Shepherd to open the Rock Theatre, an all-ages space in an old Chinatown movie theater. It had two auditoriums, the 305-capacity Gorilla Gardens (specializing in punk) and the 335-capacity Omni Room (specializing in metal). Most people just called the whole place Gorilla Gardens.”
Ed. Note: The listings in the source material sometimes specified which of the two rooms the show took place at, but they often omitted that info as well. If the Omni Room was specified in the original listings, I have placed “OMNI” after the listing. Otherwise, the show was at the Gorilla Gardens space OR the room was not specified in the listings. Starting in August 1985 all the shows were listed as Gorilla Gardens.
1984
December 1984
7 - Butthole Surfers, Green River, Wicked Angel
14 - The Offenders, Skank Puppies, Rejectors
28 - The Fags, 10 Minute Warning, Malfunkshun, Wicked Angel
31 - Life In General, Fastbacks, Young Fresh Fellows, Young Pioneers, Bam Bam, Room 9
1985
January 1985
11 - Wipers, Girl Trouble, Immoral Roberts
12 - Meat Puppets
12 - Isolation, Wicked Angel, March Of Crimes
13 - Refuzors, Bam Bam, Itchy Brother
16 - Sundance
18 - Afrika Bambaataa
19 - Sonic Youth, U-Men, Green River
20 - Cannibal, Guests
25 - Violent Femmes, Richard Peterson (2 shows)
26 - Twinkle Brothers
27 - Poison Idea, Melvins, Refuzors, Butt Pirates
February 1985
1 - Life In General, Ministry Of Love, Sociological Hazard
1 - Fastbacks, Bombadiers, Beat Pagodas - OMNI
2 - Wild Dogs, Malfunkshun, Accused - OMNI
2 - Cannibal, On The Rocks, The Homewreckers
3 - Living Dolls, Queen Annes - OMNI
6 - Sundance - OMNI
9 - Animal Slaves, Beat Pagodas, Emily - OMNI
13 - Sundance - OMNI
14 - Bolero Lava, Paisley Sin - OMNI
15 - TSOL, Isolation, Wicked Angel, Skank Puppies- OMNI
16 - Eagertones (record release), The Slant - OMNI
16 - Jr. Cadillac
17 - Strychnine, Hell Razor, Max Planck
17 - Sabre, Defiance - OMNI
22 - Girltalk, The Work Party - OMNI
22 - Poison Idea, Refuzors, On The Rocks
22 - Girl Talk, Work Party - OMNI
23 - Husker Du, Rancid Vat, Limp Richerds, Thrown-Ups - OMNI
23 - White Wolf, Sato
24 - Husker Du, Melvins, Soundgarden
March 1985
1 - Shanghai Dog, On The Rocks, Shock Treatment, Strychnine - OMNI
1 - The Accused, False Liberty, Skank Puppies (or Butt Pirates)
2 - Darcell & The Fabulous Innuendos, Stanley’s Wife & The Belle Reeves, Paisley Sin
2 - Bridgetown, Arms Akimbo, Prudence Dredge - OMNI
7 - NME, Shock Treatment, Nasty
8 - Refuzors, NPO, Cannibal, Itchy Brother
8 - Toxic Reasons, Isolation, Detonators, Wicked Angel - OMNI
9 - Shock Treatment, Defiance
9 - Tarot, 51-50, Arzee, Hell Razor, Nasty - OMNI
15 - Metal Church, Mace, Max Planck
15 - Pop-O-Pies, Lapse In Grammar - OMNI
16 - Room Nine, Green Pajamas, Dwindles, F-Holes
22 - Bombadiers, Queen Annes, Shakeh & The Diversions
22 - Living Dolls, Streetbeat - OMNI
22 - Baba Yaga, Girl Trouble, Paisley Sin
23 - Beyond Possession, Dr. Know, Malfunkshun, RKO - OMNI
23 - Strychnine, Nasty, Serpent’s Knight, Black Crow
24 - Hammerhead, D.C. LaCroix, Black Crow, Slaughterhaus-5, Iron Cross, Max Planck - OMNI
29 - Crypt, Arzee, 5150, Iron Kross, Cyperis, Serpent’s Knight
30 - Green River, Melvins, Thrown Ups, Agent 86 - OMNI
30 - Accused, Homewreckers, Isolation, Malfunkshun
April 1985
4 - False Liberty, Butt Pirates, Skank Puppies, Singing Rosenbergs - OMNI
3 - March Third, Crypt Kicker Five, Malfunkshun, Noxious Fumes, Melvins, Bundle Of Hiss (?)
5 - NME, Evil Genius, Sigma Croix, Iron Kross, Max Planck, Dark Angel
5 - Evil Genius, Sigma Croix, Buck Crow - OMNI
6 - Homewreckers
6 - Fastbacks, Fallouts, Moberlys - OMNI
12 - Young Fresh Fellows, Walkabouts
12 - Alternative Lineup: Threat Of Light, Room Nine, Young Pioneers, Walkabouts
12 - Kinetics - OMNI
13 - Strychnine, Arzee, Assalt
13 - Hell Razor, Defiance, Cyperus (or Hammerhead) - OMNI
19 - Maxi, Krypt, Aziz
19 - Slauterhaus, Nasty, 51-40 - OMNI
20 - Salem 66, U-Men, Baba Yaga - OMNI
26 - Wild Dog, Koda Khan, Curfew, Strychnine, Hell Razor, Accused
27 - NME, Oblivion, Paradox, Shock Treatment, Max Planck, Hammerhead
May 1985
3 - Trauma - OMNI
4 - Poison Idea, Accused (record release), False Liberty
10 - DOA, NoMeansNo, Fastbacks, Itchy Brother
11 - Mace, Ruff Justice, Oblivion, Matriarch
18 - Cannibal, Woofin Cookies, RPA
24 - Heir Apparent, Hellrazor, Koda Khan, X-35, Assalt
25 - Scream, Melvins, False Liberty, Skank Puppies, Social Logic
30 - Bundle Of Hiss, Green Pajamas, Xstatic, Urbanilla
31 - The Dicks, Brides Of Frankenstein, Homewreckers, Girl Trouble
June 1985
1 - Koda Khan, Lookout, March Third
6 - G.B.H., Frightwig, Final Warning
7 - Napalm Beach, Young Pioneers, Noon Moon, Bundle Of Hiss, 69 Ways
8 - Raw Power, Melvins, Skank Puppies, Stark Raving Mad
12 - Guns ’N’ Roses, Fastbacks, 5150 - OR (this show was originally planned to happen on 6/8, but GNR’s vehicle broke down)
13 - Rejectors, NPO, Variable Resistance, Conquest
Alternative Lineup: Rejectors, NPO, Necrophile
14 - Snakefinger, Frightwig, Room 9, Circus Of The Stars
Alternative Lineup: Snakefinger, Frightwig, Circus Of The Stars, Soundgarden
15 - Hexx, Nesty, Hell Razor
20 - Article 48, Frames, Bundle Of Hiss, Singing Roseburgs
21 - Bitch, Max Planck
21 - RPA, N.M.E., Necrophile, Demon Steel
22 - Poison Idea, Final Warning, Baba Yaga, Home Wreckers
26 - Battalion Of Saints, Melvins, Gary Heffern - OMNI
Alternative Lineup: Battalion Of Saints, Melvins, Skinyard
27 - Big Boat, Lethal Pout, Inexistence
28 - Wild Dogs, Strychnine, Holocaust
28 - Adrenaline O.D., Inverted Morals, The Accused, False Liberty - OMNI
29 - Rhythm Pigs, Bundle Of Hiss, Queen Annes, Cannibal, Soundgarden, RPA
July 1985
6 - Traitor, Hellrazor, N.M.E.
Alternative Lineup: Mayhem, N.M.E., Accused, Necrophile
7 - Part Time Christians, Green River, Malfunkshun
Alternative Lineup: Part Time Christians, Green River, Soundgarden, Skank Puppies
12 - SNFU, Malfunkshun, RPA, Shock Treatment
18 - Hot Spit Dancers
18 - Danger Mouse, The Grind, Twist
20 - Hexx, RPA , Max Planck
26 - Anger Red Records
26 - Beyond Possession, Melvins, Circus Of The Stars, Pat Riot - OMNI
Alternative lineup: Beyond Possession, Angry Red Planet, Circus Of The Stars, Bam Bam, Pat Riot
27 - Havoc
29 - The Edge, Skank Puppies, Sedition, Shock Treatment - OMNI
August 1985
(From this month on, the papers no longer mentioned the Omni Room. All shows were listed under Gorilla Gardens)
2 - No Trend, Green River, Soundgarden, Malfunkshun , RPA
3 - 7 Seconds (Nevada), The Yobs, NPO, Noxious Fumes
4 - Power Of The Spoken Word (Nebraska)
8 - The Grind, Aces & Eights, Bloody Disregard
9 - Fang, The Boneless (Calif), Inverted Morals. Refuzors
10 - Zoroaster (Japan), Homewreckers, Cannibal (?) ,Urbanilla, Noxious Fumes
11 - “Surprise Metal Show”
14 - Lethal Gospel (S.F.), Skinyard, Baba Yaga, Urbanilla
15 - Hot Spit Dancers (Calif), Skank Puppies, False Liberty, Unity
16 - Sonic Youth, Upright Citizens, Green River
17 - Dehumanizers, JBH, Cannibal, NME
23 - State Of Confusion (Idaho), The Fallouts
Alternative lineup: Girl Trouble, One Burnt Arm, Fallouts, JBH
24 - Shadow, Green River, Alliance, Killing Floor
Alternative lineup: Shadow, Green River, Slaughter Haus 5
29 - The Twist, NPO, The Grind
31 - Mayhem, Rottweiler
September 1985
1 - Death Sentence, Butt Pirates, Uncle Wiggly, Collateral Damage
3 - Descendents, Sedition, Pat Riot, Grind
6 - Brian Brain, Margot Ollivero, Room Nine, Article 48, The Fallouts
7 - Annihilation (PDX), Strychnine, NME, Kil D’ Kor, Dehumanizers, RPA, Malfunkshun, Max Planck
13 - Offenders, Skank Puppies, False Liberty. Rejectors
14 - Hellrazor, Stiletto, 5150, Sigma Croix, Alliance, Krypt
21 - Sashay “along with four metal bands”
27 - D.R.I.. Circus Of The Starts, False Liberty, Dehumanizers, NPO
October 1985
4 - Doctor’s Mob, Glass Eyes
5 - Morally Bankrupt, The LA Skidz
10 - Danger Mouse, Eights & Aces, The Twist, N.P.O.
12 - Accused, Mace, Black Crow
18 - Sashay, D.C. LaCroix, Hellrazor, Century, Kalibre
19 - Necros, Poison 13, Melvins, Girl Trouble
25 - Strychnine, Max Planck, Bethlehem Steele, Kil D’Kor
26 - Two shows: Husker Du, Detonators, Soul Asylum, Detox, Circus Of The Stars, N.P.O.
The landlord revoked the Rock Theater’s lease effective the end of October 1985. The Rocket reported, ““Sad to say that the venerated Rock Theatre will be closing its doors and shifting to a new location.”
The new Gorilla Gardens was located at 307 Nickerson.
November 1985
23 - Necros, Accused (canceled), Melvins, Isolation
26 - Circle Jerks, Sedition, Inverted Morals
After the infamous “Snowstorm Riot” at the Circle Jerks show, all of the following shows were either canceled or moved. After an amazing one-year run, the Gorilla Gardens was history.
"Gorilla Gardens, a Seattle rock nightclub, has been evicted from its new North Queen Anne location after at least 250 patrons hurled bricks, bottles, and iceballs at 30 police officers Tuesday night. The club's 49-year-old operator and six other people, ranging in age from 15 to 20 were arrested. Police said four patrol cruisers and a fire department squad car were damaged. No officers were injured. Operator Tony Ye-Ling Chu, meanwhile, was taken to King County Jail and released on $300 ail after being cited for violating the city's fire code, operating a public place without a permit, failure to issue admissions tickets or collect a city admissions tax, allowing minors on the premises, and failure to be properly registered with a dance hall license ... Police said a small riot broke out after 911 operators received calls of a 'disturbance' at the club at about 10pm. Police asked the fire department to check the occupancy limit of the building and found it to be overcrowded, police said. A fire inspector also found that Chu didn't have a dance hall license and told him he'd have to close down. However, police said Chu and the co-promoter of the event were unable to get the occupants to leave, so 16 police officers were called to help out. They noticed alcohol in the club and several people under 16, a police report said. Witnesses said many patrons were reluctant to leave because they wanted their $6 cover charge back and because they felt police were herding them out too hastily." - Michael A. Barber, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, November 28, 1985.
December 1985
13 - Raw Power, Dayglo Abortions, Sea Monkey, Mace
21 - MME, Stone Crow, Coven, Decay
28 - Mentors, Legacy, Accused, Mace
31 - Scared Straight, The Grim, Malfunkshun, Dehumanizers, JBH