The Masque

The Masque was a small punk rock club in central Hollywood, California which existed intermittently from 1977 to 1979. It is remembered as a key part of the early L.A. punk scene. The Masque was founded by Brendan Mullen and was the nexus of the Los Angeles punk subculture. It was located at 1655 North Cherokee Avenue, between Hollywood Boulevard and Selma Avenue. Many L.A. bands frequently performed there, including X, The Germs, The Bags, Nervous Gender, The Screamers, Black Randy and the Metrosquad, The Alley Cats, F Word, Backstage Pass, The Wildcats, Suburban Lawns, The Mau-Mau's, The Weirdos, The Quick, Catholic Discipline, The Zeros, The Blasters, The Avengers, The Dils, The Skulls, The Controllers and others. X and The Go-Go's rented practice space there. Rhino 39, one of Long Beach, California's earliest punk rock bands played there often. At least two compilation records featuring live performances at The Masque have been released. The Masque was closed by the Los Angeles Police Department in 1978, and briefly re-opened before closing its doors permanently in 1979. The building was renovated in 2006. While most of the walls have been removed, the remaining walls in the basement (which now houses the World of Wonder archive) continue to display much of the original graffiti.