The Brighton Bar was a famous punk club located at 121 Brighton Avenue in

Long Branch, New Jersey Long Branch is a beachside city in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 31,667, an increase of 948 (+3.1%) from the 2010 census count of 30,719, which in turn reflect ...

History

Greg Macolino, a former Long Branch history teacher and former lead singer of hardcore band Chronic Sick, opened the Brighton Bar as a punk music venue in 1996. He was the sixth owner of the venue. The Brighton Bar was often compared to

CBGB CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in the East Village, Manhattan, East Village in Manhattan, New York City. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for ''Cou ...

. During the 1980s, it was the home of the New Jersey punk movement that primarily focused on Mutha Records. Later in the 1990s, it hosted performances by notable punk and hardcore bands, including U.S. Chaos, Chronic Sick, Stisisim, Mental Decay, Social Decay, Mental Abuse, Broken Heroes,

Kraut ''Kraut'' is a German language, German word recorded in English from 1918 onwards as an List of terms used for Germans, ethnic slur for a German, particularly a German soldier during World War I and World War II. Its earlier meaning in English wa ...

, The Stun Gunz, Void Control, the Graveyard School, Speed Crazy,

the Cryptkeeper Five The Cryptkeeper Five (sometimes referred to as CK5) are an American punk rock/rock and roll band formed in 1997 in Trenton, New Jersey. History Vocalist Johnny Ott, guitarist Jimmy Ray, and drummer D.T. Graves (on and off) have been in CK5 sinc ...

, and The Flair Up's, some who have shared the Brighton Bar's stage consistently for almost 30 years. In 2010,

David Johansen David Roger Johansen (January 9, 1950 – February 28, 2025) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor best known as lead singer of the seminal proto-punk band the New York Dolls. He is also known for his work under the pseudonym Buster Po ...

of the

New York Dolls New York Dolls were an American rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground, the MC5, and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved ...

and

Andy Shernoff Andy Shernoff (born April 19, 1952) is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He is a founding member of The Dictators, one of the original New York punk bands, in which he wrote nearly all of the songs, played bass guitar and k ...

The Dictators The Dictators are an American rock band formed in New York City in 1973. Known for their acerbic and provocative approach in their music, the Dictators underwent several changes in their lineups. Its founding members included musicians Andy " ...

shared the stage.

Jon Bon Jovi John Francis Bongiovi Jr. (born March 2, 1962), known professionally as Jon Bon Jovi, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He is best known as the founder and Lead vocalist, frontman of the rock band Bon Jovi, which was fo ...

, the Damned,

the Dictators The Dictators are an American rock band formed in New York City in 1973. Known for their acerbic and provocative approach in their music, the Dictators underwent several changes in their lineups. Its founding members included musicians Andy " ...

the Dickies The Dickies are an American punk rock band formed in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, in 1977. One of the longest tenured punk rock bands, they have been in continuous existence for over 40 years. They have consistently balanced catchy mel ...

Fountains of Wayne Fountains of Wayne is an American Rock music, rock band that formed in New York City in 1995. The band included founding members Chris Collingwood, Adam Schlesinger, Jody Porter, and Brian Young (drummer), Brian Young. They released six album ...

Gene Loves Jezebel Gene Loves Jezebel are a British rock band formed in the early 1980s by twin brothers Michael Aston and Jay Aston. Initially associated with gothic rock and post-punk, their 1983 debut album ''Promise'' reached no.8 on the UK Indie Chart. Th ...

, Jacko Monahan, Fear of Falling,

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...

Hubert Sumlin Hubert Charles Sumlin (November 16, 1931 – December 4, 2011) was a Chicago blues guitarist and singer, best known for his "wrenched, shattering bursts of notes, sudden cliff-hanger silences and daring rhythmic suspensions" as a member of Howl ...

Three Doors Down 3 Doors Down is an American rock band from Escatawpa, Mississippi that formed in 1996. The band's music is described as post-grunge, alternative rock, and hard rock. The band's 2000 debut single "Kryptonite" became their breakthrough hit, pea ...

, and

Bernie Worrell George Bernard Worrell, Jr. (April 19, 1944 – June 24, 2016) was an American Keyboard instrument, keyboardist and record producer best known as a founding member of the Parliament-Funkadelic collective. In later years, he also worked with ...

have also performed on the Brighton's stage. Although the Brighton closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, Macolino made sure shows went on for a while. “Even during the COVID thing, the Quiet Ones did a live broadcast with no audience from the Brighton and Metalland played outdoors in the driveway.” The Brighton Bar closed in April 2021. It was torn down in November 2022.

Legacy

Brighton Bar opened in 1915. It was one of the most recent incarnations of New Jersey's legendary punk venues, outliving the Dirt Club, the Pipeline in Newark, and

Asbury Park Asbury Park () is a beachfront city located on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 15,188, a dec ...

's Fast Lane. The interior of the club features a mural, painted by Dave DeSantes, that pays tribute to all the legendary bands that have performed at the venue. The club helped launch the careers of The Damned, Godspeed,

Monster Magnet Monster Magnet is an American rock music, rock band formed in Red Bank, New Jersey, in 1989 by Dave Wyndorf (vocals and guitar), John McBain (musician), John McBain (guitar), and Tim Cronin (vocals and drums). The band has since undergone severa ...

Vice Squad Vice Squad are an English punk rock band formed in 1979 in Bristol. The band was formed from two other local punk bands, The Contingent and TV Brakes. The songwriter and vocalist Beki Bondage (born Rebecca Bond) was a founding member of the b ...

, and The Misfits and has been called the "

CBGBs CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in the East Village in Manhattan, New York City. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for ''Country, Bluegrass, Blues ...

of the South. Like CBGBs, the Brighton also showcased other forms of music over the years, including jazz, country, and blues. Macolino also supported the local comedy and art scenes and held many benefit events at the Brighton. The bar often had music nights featuring

Monmouth University Monmouth University is a private university in West Long Branch, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1933 as Monmouth Junior College, it became Monmouth College in 1956 and Monmouth University in 1995 after receiving its university charter, c ...

's radio station, WMCX.

References

{{authority control Music venues in New Jersey Punk rock venues

History

Legacy

See also

References