UPDATED: Saint Vitus Bar has now confirmed they have closed permanently.

In a developing story we helped break months ago, Brooklyn’s Iconic metal venue Saint Vitus Bar was shut down by order of The New York City Department of Buildings (DOB). Now it seems the bar is closed for good, according to posts from several well-known artists and New York metal and music industry personalities with intimate knowledge of the bar and owners. No official statement has been made but this sounds pretty final. This is a devastating blow to the metal world, as the club just and a book documenting the history was just released. The owners and boomers continue to book shows in partnership with other venues in the city. The closure was thought to be temporary. Thanks to the reporting of Lambgoat, we now know the citations for missing certificate and proper signage are the things the DOB has cited, but the venue has operated without incident for a decade and a half, as the home of underground metal shows in New York without equal. In addition to providing a constant home from underground Metal and Hardcore shows, special events such as Metal Band Craft Beer launches, Black Metal Yoga, gothy arts and crafts events, music documentary showings, and has hosted legendary events such as one of the few ever Nirvana reunions after Kurt Cobain’s death, and intimate shows Anthrax, Megadeth, Machine Head and more. Like many venues the band was shuttered during the global COVID-19 pandemic and fan supported crowdfunding kept them a float and led to a minor remodel of the club in the last few years. Ghost Cult has covered countless shows at Saint Vitus Bar, it has always been a safe, great place to see a show. and it would seem some of these claims are without merit in our opinion. Why does the DOB show up at 8 PM on a Friday to close down a club? Not the police or the fire department. We will update this news as it develops and pray Saint Vitus Bar can reopen somewhere else.

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In a developing story, yesterday we brought you the news of Brooklyn’s Iconic metal venue Saint Vitus Bar getting shut down by order of The New York City Department of Buildings (DOB). The famed bar has finally commented on the situation, encouraging patience from fans and support of their other bookings at partner venues, as well as other music venues in the city. They also claim the closure is temporary. Read their statement below. Citing a bunch of violations, the Mindforce show on February 16th was shut down in the middle of their show with Balmora, Godskinpeeler, xNOMADx, Discontent, and Gigan Animal Thugs, and  they did not get to play. The promoter is hoping to rebook the show at a later date. Other shows, like last night’s SUMAC show on February 17th was moved to TV Eye in Bushwick. Thanks to the reporting of Lambgoat, we now know the citations for missing certificate and proper signage are the things the DOB has cited, but the venue has operated without incident for a decade and a half, as the home of underground metal shows in New York without equal. In addition to providing a constant home from underground Metal and Hardcore shows, special events such as Metal Band Craft Beer launches, Black Metal Yoga, gothy arts and crafts events, music documentary showings, and has hosted legendary events such as one of the few ever Nirvana reunions, and intimate shows Anthrax, Megadeth, Machine Head and more. Like many venues the band was shuttered during the global COVID-19 pandemic and fan supported crowdfunding kept them a float and led to a minor remodel of the club in the last few years. Ghost Cult has covered countless shows at Saint Vitus Bar, it has always been a safe, great place to see a show and it would seem some of these claims are without merit in our opinion. Why does the DOB show up at 8 PM on a Friday to close down a club? Not the police or the fire department. We will update this news as it develops and pray Saint Vitus Bar can reopen soon, since it is essential for bands in our scene. Watch the video of the moment the final show for now was canceled. Continue reading →

In a story broken by our friends at Lambgoat.com, for the first time in its 15 year history, Brooklyn’s Iconic metal venue Saint Vitus Bar was shut down by order of The New York City Department of Buildings (DOB). Citing a bunch of violations, the Mindforce show on February 16th was shut down in the middle of their show with Balmora, Godskinpeeler, xNOMADx, Discontent, and Gigan Animal Thugs, and  they did not get to play. The promoter is hoping to rebook the show at a later date. Other shows, like last night’s SUMAC show on February 17th was moved to TV Eye in Bushwick. Thanks to the reporting of Lambgoat, we now know the citations for missing certificate and proper signage are the things the DOB has cited, but the venue has operated without incident for a decade and a half, as the home of underground metal shows in New York without equal. In addition to providing a constant home from underground Metal and Hardcore shows, special events such as Metal Band Craft Beer launches, Black Metal Yoga, gothy arts and crafts events, music documentary showings, and has hosted legendary events such as one of the few ever Nirvana reunions, and intimate shows Anthrax, Megadeth, Machine Head and more. Like many venues the band was shuttered during the global COVID-19 pandemic and fan supported crowdfunding kept them a float and led to a minor remodel of the club in the last few years. Ghost Cult has covered countless shows at Saint Vitus Bar, it has always been a safe, great place to see a show and it would seem some of these claims are without merit in our opinion. Why does the DOB show up at 8 PM on a Friday to close down a club? Not the police or the fire department. We will update this news as it develops and pray Saint Vitus Bar can reopen soon, since it is essential for bands in our scene. Watch the video of the moment the final show for now was canceled. Continue reading →