L'amour (venue)

L'amour was a musical venue in Brooklyn, New York which opened in 1981 and closed in February 2004. L'amour was commonly known as the "Rock Capitol of Brooklyn." It is commonly pronounced "La-Morz" by patrons. The venue was known as a familiar stomping ground for some of music's biggest, including Metallica, Megadeth, and Kiss. But as familiar as it was for the biggest and best, it was for the up-and-comers. L'amour was never afraid to book over a dozen local acts to open up for a headliner and frequently featured underground bands from across the country and even across the globe. L'Amour is currently located is Staten Island, New York, where it functions as a rock club as well as a nightclub that plays hip hop and dance music.

History

Before its re-dedication in the early 1980s, L'amour was a disco club. The first room of L'amour would forever contain the original disco ball from the nightclub it had overtaken. L'amour was often in financial troubles; forced closures, frequent repairs, renovations and re-openings became a part of its legacy. Even now, L'amour East has opened in Staten Island and continues the legacy.

L'amour East

The original L'amour East, located on Queens Blvd. in Queens (77-00), not only had Rock performers but also was the host of many "Freestyle" acts back in the mid to late 1980s .

At one point it was one of the top 5 night spots in NYC .

NYHC

In its later life L'amour gave rise to some of the most promising acts in the hardcore scene. Some of the pioneers of this genre give credit to L'amour for starting and or lifting their career to new heights. Such bands include, Biohazard, Madball, Agnostic Front, Pro-Pain, Sick of it All, Candiria, Full Blown Chaos, Most Precious Blood, Sworn Enemy.

Notable Acts

Some notable acts that performed at the venue are Metallica, Overkill, Carnivore, Nuclear Assault, Anthrax, Kiss, Megadeth, Motörhead, Hatebreed, Dream Theater and Twisted Sister. White Lion have frequently described L'amour as the club where they got their break.

L'amour in print

Long-time L'amour DJ Alex Kayne has recently begun putting the tales of his time at L'amour into print in a book entitled, "Rock Capitol of Brooklyn: The History of L'amour, the World's Most Famous Heavy Metal Nightclub." The photos for the book have been attributed to Frank White [http://www.myspace.com/lamourbook] .

References

* cite web
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title =NEW YORK NIGHT LIFE; At Least the Fans Will Keep Their Hearing
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publisher =New York Times
date =
url =http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B01E2DA113FF934A35750C0A9629C8B63
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* [http://www.myspace.com/lamourbook THE LAMOUR BOOK 2]