Friday night with The Damned at Hammerstein Ballroom

Photos by Stacie Joy

On Friday night, The Damned returned to NYC to play a show billed as the Black Strawberry Ball at Hammerstein Ballroom.

With Rat Scabies back behind the drums, this version of the band who has seen many lineup changes through the years — David Vanian, Captain Sensible, Paul Gray (and joined by 1999-era recruit Monty Oxymoron on keyboards) — performed together for the first time since 1989. 

The setlist was heavy from the 1980s albums this core group helped create, including "Ignite" (Strawberries), "The History of the World (Part 1)" (The Black Album) and an EVG favorite, "Life Goes On" (Strawberries). Their familiar singles — "I Just Can't Be Happy Today," Neat Neat Neat," and "Smash It Up" came in loud and fast near the end of the two-hour set in front of an appreciative crowd. (The encore included "New Rose" and an MC5 cover, "Looking at You.")

As our friends at Academy Records on 12th Street noted in an Instagram post: 

Of course, we're all about recorded music on round pieces of plastic but please don't sleep on all the great live music that is out there. Like the Damned, who are still kicking ass after 48 years together and back with original drummer Rat Scabies! Living in NYC can be a real grind but then you get to experience things like this. 

At this point, there isn't a lot left for The Damned to prove (honors include being the first UK punk band to release an album, Damned Damned Damned, in 1977), and it would have been easy to lean on the hits and get back on the bus for the next stop. 

However, this show rolled merrily along, energetically propelled by the return of Rat Scabies, and the band sounded as energized as we've seen them on several tours. 

 A few scenes from upfront... starting with lead singer David Vanian...

... Captain Sensible...

... bassist Paul Gray ...

... Rat Scabies...

... and keyboardist Monty Oxymoron...

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• The Damned's Captain Sensible on the return of drummer Rat Scabies, the importance of the Ramones and the legend of CBGB

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week include (with a photo from St. Mark's Place on Friday evening) ...

• St. George Church reopens a refurbished Streecha Ukrainian Kitchen on 7th Street (Friday) 

• Mount Sinai submits updated plan to close Beth Israel on July 12 (Wednesday) 

• Block Association asking for removal of the 32-foot tall 5G tower at 129 Avenue C (Thursday) 

• At the annual Loisaida Festival (Monday) 

• 37 1st Ave., once home to some East Village music history, is now rubble (Monday) • The East Village, full of bars, gets an anti bar (Thursday)

• Hit play 'Job' heads from the East Village's Connelly Theater to Broadway (Wednesday)

• Openings: Sunday Dreamin on 2nd Avenue (Thursday) 

• Soft openings: Sip + Co. on 9th Street (Tuesday)

• IHOP lops off its sidewalk dining shed (Thursday) 

• Dear Rufino has apparently moved on from 2nd Avenue (Thursday)

• Closings: Yakiniku West on 9th Street (Tuesday) 

• Reaching the top at the all-new 12-story building at 280 E. Houston St. (Tuesday) 

• A Williamsburg view of Manhattanhenge (Wednesday) ... and from Union Square (Tuesday) 

• Café Maud is the name of the new establishment in the former Dallas BBQ space (Wednesday) 

• Times Square-friendly business is now up and running on Union Square (Wednesday) 

• Budding Ninth Street sinkhole is now Citizen app famous (Tuesday)

Speaking of the Ninth Street sinkhole, it is showing some sedimentary layers. (This will be a great class field trip!) Thanks to Steven for the photo.    

Plant Bandit ON THE LOOSE

Photo by Stacie Joy 

Noting this urban etiquette signage on Houston at Attorney: 

Plant bandit spotted in the LES Lock up your dalphyniums [sic], your hyacinths and your lantanas! Bring your mint, basil and oregano in every evening...who knows what beautiful greenery he is going to take next?? 

May need to add herb and spice bandit to the description...

Films we want to see: 'Robot Dreams' with a story of friendship in the 1980s East Village

Image via NEON

"Robot Dreams," a dialogue-free animated feature, opened on Friday at the Film Forum. (Showtimes here.) 

We've seen the trailer (below!), though not the film... and are looking forward to it. 

The synopsis: 

New York City, 1980s. Dog lives an unassuming life among the bustle of the East Village. Feeling lonely, he orders Robot from a TV ad. Once assembled, Robot instantly becomes Dog's most steadfast friend. Together, they explore the city, rollerskating and roaming to a near-constant thrum of Earth, Wind, & Fire's "September."

The film by Pablo Berger (from the graphic novel by Sara Varon) scored 98% on Rotten Tomatoes and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature. 

Berger previously lived in the East Village, noting to an interviewer: "The apartment where Dog lives has the same floorplan as my first apartment." (His apartment includes a video rental from Kim's and a trip to the Strand.) 

A few headlines about the film: "'Robot Dreams' Is a Radiant Ode to Friendship and 1980s New York" (TIME) ... "Animated ‘Robot Dreams’ captures feelings of love and loss in 1980s East Village" (Gay City News)

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Saturday's parting shot

A view of 66 E. First St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue... the longtime home of Abetta Boiler & Welding Service ... and a surviving single-level structure in the East Village (complete with signage with an old Manhattan phone exchange)... 

About the first LES Puerto Rican Parade & Festival

The first LES Puerto Rican Parade & Festival takes place today (Saturday, June 1). 

Here's more about the event, presented by El Grito:

This community pride event contributes to highlighting the visibility and contributions of the Puerto Rican community and breathes new life into our cultural traditions. Join us as we come together to celebrate!

The parade starts at 4:30 on Columbia and Rivington... and the festival gets underway at 5:30 on 12th Street and Avenue D.

First class: Time for the annual Arts & Science Fair at The Children’s Workshop School

The Children’s Workshop School is hosting its annual Arts & Science Fair tomorrow (Sunday!).

The poster promises arts, crafts, science, experiments, food and family fun. 

The fundraiser will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 610 E. 12th St., between Avenue B and Avenue C.

A vintage day on 12th Street

Today, the East Village Vintage Collective and SLCT Stock NYC are hosting a summer kick-off sidewalk sale on 12th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B... from noon to 6 p.m., you'll find a dozen or so vintage-thrift vendors...

June's opening shot

First Park... first day of June... happy June... Happy Pride Month...

The 'Shadow' returns

 

It's The Damned from 1985 with "Shadow Of Love." 

And tonight, the Hammerstein Ballroom hosts The Damned's Black Strawberry Ball, which reunites the UK band's iconic 1980s lineup for the first time since 1989. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• The Damned's Captain Sensible on the return of drummer Rat Scabies, the importance of the Ramones and the legend of CBGB

6 posts from May

A mini month in review... with a photo in Tompkins Square Park by Derek Berg 

 • These East Village residents are still cooking up a unique book of recipes (May 20) 

• After a fire upstairs, a gutted TabeTomo hopes to reopen on Avenue A in August (May 17) 

• Don Juan's Barber Shop closing after 25 Years following rent hike (May 13) 

• Coming together in Tompkins Square Park to remember Al 'Hammerbrain' Landess (May 12) 

• Bella McFadden's iGirl storefront opens Saturday on 3rd Street (May 9) 

• When a Dodge Charger drove down the sidewalk on 2nd Street during a high-speed chase (May 4)

St. George Church reopens a refurbished Streecha Ukrainian Kitchen on 7th Street

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Streecha Ukrainian Kitchen reopens this morning in the basement space it has used for the past 50 years at 33 E. Seventh St. between Second Avenue and Cooper Square. 

The kitchen, which serves as a fundraising arm of St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church on the block, will now be run by a new team of parish volunteers. The space will continue to offer a variety of traditional Ukrainian cuisine as well as coffee and tea.

Yesterday, I met with Rev. Father Johan Lubiv, OSBM, the administrator of St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church for the past four years, to discuss Streecha and what has transpired here recently.

Last week, Dima Kovalenko, who the church hired to be its chef and run the kitchen nine years ago, announced on Instagram that Streecha had closed and that the "property owner" had other plans for the basement space. (Kovalenko, meanwhile, found a backer and will be opening a pop-up space under a new name nearby offering a similar fare.) 

Father Johan explained some of the misunderstandings. "I said to Dima to say, 'I am not working at Streecha, but Streecha continues to function.' This is misleading information that Streecha is closed," Father Johan said. "The name belongs to the parish and the community. Streecha means 'people's meeting place.'" 

He said St. George hired Kovalenko to run Streecha, though he claims he had "turned it into a private business, and that is not what this space is for."

Father Johan talked about his time in the East Village, where he made some changes to St. George Academy, also known as St. George's Ukrainian Catholic School. He also said he is especially interested in helping people from Ukraine who have psychological issues stemming from PTSD from the Russian invasion. 

As for Streecha, he said he wanted to refurbish the community spot on Seventh Street. 

"We received many propositions about how to renovate. We needed renovations," he said. "Last year, I started cleaning, and I have been thinking about these changes for more than a year. I am happy to see the space clean." 

The newly reopened Streecha will be run by three volunteers — women parishioners from the church. It will feature the same menu items and prices, with funds going to St. George.

Father Johan and Deacon Methodius Soroka provided a tour of Streecha yesterday. 

"It took 20 volunteers three days to clean the space," Father Johan said. There are new lights, paint, and equipment with newly arranged tables and chairs.

Streecha will be open Friday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

As in the past 50 years in the East Village, Father Johan said, "We welcome all people."

You can follow Streecha on Instagram here ... or Facebook here.

Thursday's parting shot

Photo of tonight's sunset overlooking Tompkins Square Park courtesy Cecil Scheib...

Block Association asking for removal of the 32-foot tall 5G tower at 129 Avenue C

Photo from April 27

The Avenue C Block Association is urging the city to remove the 32-foot tall 5G tower that arrived in late April at 129 Avenue C between Eighth Street and Ninth Street. 

According to the group's recently launched petition: 

This tower is unnecessarily large and obtrusive and presents a jarring contrast with the low-rise tenement streetscape of the neighborhood. Avenue C has a narrow sidewalk, which is already crowded with pedestrian traffic, strollers, wheelchairs, trash cans, and numerous sidewalk cafes. The tower was installed only twelve feet away from the residential apartment building directly behind it, and negatively impacts the view of the street, and the historic urban landscape of the East Village. There has to be a better way to deliver technology in Manhattan that is less brutal in design. 

The group also points out the "potential adverse or long-term health effects of living or working in close proximity to these towers." 

Find the petition to city officials here. 

As amNY reported in 2022: 

The new structures are operated as a public-private partnership by consortium CityBridge, and are a revamp of the old 10-foot kiosks the firm set up under former Mayor Bill de Blasio starting in 2015 with free Wi-Fi, USB charging ports, a tablet, a 911 button, and calling capabilities. 

The first 32-foot tower arrived in the East Village in August 2022 on Second Avenue at First Street ... then another on Avenue A at 12th Street. One was in the works for outside 184 E. Seventh St. at Avenue B, though there has been opposition to this one. 

There has been political opposition to the 5G towers... read more about the advocacy that Village Preservation is doing here.

The East Village, full of bars, gets an anti bar

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Don't expect to find a list of mocktails at Kosmic Community Anti Bar, now in soft-open mode at 115 Avenue C between Seventh Street and Eighth Street.

Owner and East Village resident James Lockwood (below middle with business partners Tyler Garrett and Apostolos Filippas) said they are "not big on mocktails," instead opting for a full coffee bar with drink specials including Italian sodas, hibiscus vanilla teas, yerba mate, fruit presses and juice options.

We spotted the Kosmic Community sign going up last Friday, and Lockwood gave us a tour of the space (the former Mug & Cup). It includes a retro sitting area complete with a phone booth and back garden...

In the future, Lockwood plans to offer some live music ... and possibly a food menu.

But first things first: The official grand opening is coming in about a month. 

For now, the daily hours are 10 a.m. to midnight, possibly later on weekends "if people want to stay." 

Dear Rufino has apparently moved on from 2nd Avenue

Dear Rufino has closed after several months of operating in the front retail section of 221 Second Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street.

The space has been empty for the past two weeks... and mentions of the EV location have been scrubbed from the taqueria's Instagram account. Meanwhile, the quick-serve restaurant opened a new outpost at the Worldwide Plaza on West 50th Street.

Dear Rufino, a venture from the same owners as Zona Rosa located on Lorimer Street and Metropolitan Avenue, made its debut in the EV earlier this year, taking over the food operation from Chicken & the Egg.

Sincerely, Ophelia, the speakeasy in the back of the address remains in operation. 

IHOP lops off its sidewalk dining shed

IHOP's blue plywood sidewalk shed is dead. Long live IHOP's blue plywood sidewalk shed! 

Pinch notes that the pancakery removed its pandemic-era sidewalk setup on 14th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue this past week.

The outdoor space evolved over time, starting with plastic sheets before the plywood-painted IHOP blue arrived ... looking festive during the December 2023 holidays below...

As previously reported, restaurants can now apply to participate in NYC's new outdoor dining program.

Key dates, per the city: 

• Aug. 3: Deadline for food service establishments with existing temporary outdoor dining setups to apply to continue operating until NYC DOT approves the application. 

• Nov. 1: A temporary program outdoor dining setup that applied before Aug. 3 must comply with the new Dining Out NYC design requirements by the earlier of (i) 30 days after NYC DOT approves the Dining Out NYC application or (ii) Nov. 1. 

We're still hearing from people who are confused by all this and wondering when the existing structures will need to come down. 

Under the new DOT-enforced regulations, enclosed, year-round roadway dining structures are no longer permitted. The revised regulations stipulate that roadway cafes must now be open-air, easily portable, and simple to assemble and dismantle. Additionally, these establishments are restricted to operating only from April through November.

Openings: Sunday Dreamin on 2nd Avenue

Photos by Stacie Joy

Sunday Dreamin opened its doors at 80 Second Ave. back on May 16.

The cafe between Fourth Street and Fifth Street offers a variety of burgers and pasta dishes. It also serves coffee and tea and has a beer-wine license. 

EVG reader Danimal shared this assessment: "Had dinner here with the missus, and it was delicious. Got a burger and a pasta dish, and both were great. It's pretty much a bistro/cafe with reasonable prices. Casual vibe, could do without the neon signs but great otherwise. Something the block really needed!"

It is open daily for lunch from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and dinner until 10 p.m. It is also Open for weekend brunch from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

If you're on Instagram, you can find their account here. The website is at this link.

No. 80 was recently Cacio e Vino, which went dark in late November.

Wednesday's parting shot

Photo today by Derek Berg 

On Second Avenue at Fifth Street this morning... from the naked eye and based on the trajectory, it appears the unseen rep for the private garbage hauler got the optimum angle of trash bag release between 41 and 43 degrees.

A Williamsburg view of Manhattanhenge

William Klayer shared this photo of Manhattanhenge from last night... looking at 14th Street from Williamsburg. 

As a reminder: The Full Sun on the Grid occurs tonight at 8:12. 

Fear not, though — photo ops will return along the grid on July 11-12. Details here.