Following a series of unfortunate events in the wee hours of the morning of Jan. 10, the do-it-yourself (DIY) arts venue and music collective, Young Camelot, was shut down, much to the disheartenment of the underground music community in Chicago.
The 4,500 square-foot venue was rented for an unofficial after-party for DJ and rapper Kirk Night, who was playing at Metro earlier on the evening of Jan. 9. According to DNAinfo Chicago, pandemonium ensued after police were called for a “breach of peace,” causing many people to stream from the venue in panic, injuring several. As a result, the organization was shut down by building management, which claimed it had no knowledge of an underground music venue operating in that space.
Young Camelot originated in 2012 under the the name Gahye House, and had been operating out of the converted Jehovah’s Witness church at 2733 W. Hirsch St. since the fall of 2015.
Since its genesis, Young Camelot has consistently supported local artists under the leadership of a board of 12 collective members.
DIY spaces like Young Camelot are characteristically safe, and the event on Jan. 10 was an exception to their usual bill, said board member Joey Eichler.
“It’s a one-in-a-million thing that ended up being really bad,” he said.
DIY, as it’s known today, is rooted in the house show culture of the late ’80s and mid ’90s.
Many DIY shows used to be performed in VFWs and Elk Lodges and similar community multi-purpose spaces until the spaces began to cancel shows for fear of damages.
“Say you have a punk show in a VFW and someone breaks a toilet handle. The city is quick to say, ‘punks are destructive,’” said Daniel Makagon, associate professor in DePaul’s College of Communication and is the author of “Underground: The Subterranean Culture of DIY Punk Shows.”
Makagon is a long-time connoisseur of the Chicago DIY scene, and has seen hundreds of versions of Young Camelot come and go. In an interview, he spoke to the importance of DIY venues and collectives as a means for local artists to display revolutionary work.
“DIY spaces are crucial for a different kind of economy and social scene relative to art,” Makagon said. “They are concerned about having an all ages environment, the music is the focus, and the money that’s made from the show usually goes back to the touring musician or to benefit some other non-profit organization.”
In addition to being one of the better-known punk venues in the city, Young Camelot was also host to a variety of theatrical groups who would not have otherwise been able to perform their art.
Casey Morris, a local actor and recent graduate from The Theatre School at DePaul, said that DIY spaces like Young Camelot that diversify to support theater groups are the reason that Chicago theatre has been so prolific for the last 20 years, and are key to the theatrical community’s progress.
“What makes (DIY) so special is that they bring in an audience of locals that theater people may not interact with,” Morris said. “You’re not protected by an institution and that’s kind of thrilling.”
“It’s not a glamorous thing to do,” Morris said. “People on the outside see DIY as a dingy, low-life atmosphere, but under the gnarliness of the punk is a real artist.”
Citing Young Camelot as a welcoming home, a place for friends, art and a good time, members of the scene left their own proverbial flowers on the grave through social media platforms, including a Facebook group for the Chicago DIY scene.
DePaul student Zoe Murphy attended many shows at Young Camelot in both iterations of the venue and is sad to see the space go. “Young Camelot was great. I went alone a lot and every time, I’d run into best buds,” Murphy said. “It was one of the few DIY spaces that actually had room for everyone and often had toilet paper.”
Until Eichler and the rest of the Young Camelot crew can find new homes and a new space for their collective to reconvene, they have teamed up with other DIY groups and more traditional spaces, such as the West Side bar, Empty Bottle, to host shows under the Young Camelot brand.
“Helping run one of the biggest, most ethical, and most prolific venues in one of the best scenes has personally bankrupted me and been more emotionally taxing than I could have imagined,” Eichler said in response to disparaging comments from community members on the DIY Chicago Facebook page. “I only take comfort in knowing that there’s literally nothing we could have done …We’re gonna keep trying to facilitate the world class culture of this city.”