Prague's Klub 007 celebrates 50 years on the underground scene

Located in the dorms of the Czech Technical University (ČVUT), next to the Great Strahov Stadium, Klub 007 (Sedmička), a pillar of the Czech underground club scene, will celebrate 50 years of existence in 2019.

Performances by Calvera and Bolehlav are slated for January 16; the series will feature mainly local acts in a nod to its beginnings as a favorite among student dissidents.

Built at the Strahov dorms of ČVUT in 1969 in the basement of block 7 (from which it takes its name) the club was originally devoted to folk and jazz, which eventually gave way to punk and new wave, and was completely student-run.

University clubs had more freedom due to their academic status, but the communists still monitored the line-up and because the club didn’t showcase East-bloc performers exclusively, its management was fired in 1986. Booking was taken over by Radio Strahov, which also refused to play party-sanctioned acts and continued to bring many of the names that would eventually make up the backbone of the Czech rock scene to the 007 stage.

After November 1989, Sedmička became a center for non-commercial music, creating bands, spinning records, and publishing zines. For the Czechoslovak youth of the first half of the nineties, it was also home to an emerging “hardcore” scene which took the shape of ska, punk, and psychobilly.

Since then the venue has since become a desirable one for international indie acts from all over the world.

The club’s management writes on its website: “We were never touched by techno, house, rave or disco…the community is very strong and it is kind of changing throughout different time periods, but the soul remains.”

A skateboard half pipe is famously located in front of the club.