How CBGB, Max’s Kansas City, and the 100 Club Became Punk’s Global Launchpads

This episode traces how a handful of small, cramped clubs—CBGB in New York, Max’s Kansas City, the 100 Club in London, the Roxy in Los Angeles, Mabuhay Gardens, 924 Gilman Street and others—transformed into the launchpads that defined punk scenes worldwide. We explore each venue’s unique acoustics, policies, DIY infrastructure, and the bands that cut their teeth there, showing how these spaces shaped sound, culture, business practices, and the very definition of punk across continents.

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