Club Babyhead was a nightclub and hard rock music venue in Providence, Rhode Island.[1][2][3]
The venue was located at 73 Richmond Street.[4] It was known for being dark and gritty.[5][6]
In 1992 and 1993, Club Babyhead was the only local venue providing space for hardcore acts.[7][8] Audience members at the club's hardcore shows often engaged in moshing.[7]
Club Babyhead hosted a "Stupid Dance Party" Thursday and Sunday nights, that featured an eclectic mix of music DJ'ed by Jared Dubois.[1]
The club hosted electronic club nights that attracted the rave scene.[9][10]
Club Babyhead regularly featured matinées, which teenagers attended.[11]
From 1990 to 1997, Club Babyhead featured performances from Jennifer Finch,[12] Buzzcocks,[13] Babes in Toyland,[14] Electrafixion,[15] Shelter,[16] The Breeders,[17] Scarce,[18] Alanis Morissette,[19] Yo La Tengo,[20] Melvins,[21] The Mighty Mighty Bosstones,[22] Pearl Jam,[23] The Smashing Pumpkins,[24] Nirvana,[25][26] Meat Puppets,[27] Mudhoney,[28] Blind Melon,[29] Bo Diddley,[30] Green Day,[31] The Dead Kennedys,[32] Arab on Radar,[33] Godflesh,[34][35] Marilyn Manson,[36][37][38] Deftones,[39] Catherine Wheel,[40] The Proletariat,[41] Snuff,[42] Butt Trumpet,[43] Throwing Muses,[44] Goo Goo Dolls,[45] Samiam,[46] Only Living Witness,[47] and Korn.[48]
On September 25, 1991, Nirvana performed alongside Melvins at Club Babyhead.[49] The show occurred a day after Nevermind was released,[50] as part of Nirvana's Nevermind tour.[51] Kurt Cobain broke his amp while the band played the first song "Jesus Doesn’t Want Me for a Sunbeam", a cover of "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam" by The Vaselines.[52] During the performance, the band played several covers, including "Here She Comes Now" by The Velvet Underground and "D-7" by Wipers. That night, Nirvana played, “Help Me, I’m Hungry”, which they rarely performed.[53] As Cobain was having technical problems during the show, he smashed his Boss DS-1 Distortion pedal on stage, and threw it into the crowd. In 2020, the pedal was sold on Julien's Auctions for $8,960.[1][25][26][54][55]