Where do metal heads and punks go to mosh in Miami? The answer had always been Churchill’s Pub.
Founded in 1979, the gritty dive bar earned a reputation for being a watering hole for underground musicians as well as its notoriously rank restrooms. But it shut its doors five years ago.
Now, this little corner of Little Haiti has reclaimed its spot as a hub for punks, emo kids, goths and metal heads. Hundreds of people — some wearing leather, spikes and band tees — lined the block for the pub’s grand reopening over the weekend.
For many, it was a homecoming.
Dave Vainer drove two hours from Naples to see his favorite concert venue welcome people back in again. He recalls memories of his band, Hellfrost, performing at Churchill’s back in 2014.
“ All the independent artists need a place to go. That's what's important. All the bands need a place to start before they get big,” Vainer said.
The bands that performed on opening weekend, which included Adhesive, Bruvvy, Miss Michigan and Tess Gray, all have roots in South Florida. The local line up is a testament to the pub’s ongoing commitment to promote emerging musicians.
“ The stage lights are on, and Miami artists, musicians and fans once more have their home. It's a gift to the music community and to the music scene that has always defined it,” said Churchill’s director of social media and communications David Siqueiros.
Often referred to as the CBGB of Miami, Churchill’s has hosted notable performances by Agent Orange, Dick Dale, Iggy Pop, Marilyn Manson, Michale Graves, Social Distortion and The Mavericks.
Its deep roots in the community brought back loyal patrons like 60-year-old Kimona Jones, who used to play at Churchill’s with her band Pussyfoot and Suzy Creamcheese.
“ Oh my God, I couldn't miss it. This is historic. We were waiting for it to reopen for the past, I don't know how many years,” Jones said. ”We're back with a vengeance. Even us, us old timers, you know?”
When she moved to Florida from New York, she gravitated toward Churchill’s for its grungy digs, cheap beer and raw performances.
“You know, we were rockers, so this was the place in Miami,” she said.
When Dave Daniels founded Churchill’s, the UK expatriate brought his experience as a music promoter to the space, along with morning airings of soccer games.
The interior, emblazoned with Union Jacks and layers of graffiti and stickers, remains pretty much the same. Where a stage and a residence once stood, there is now an outdoor patio with a bar and plenty of seating. As for the pub’s infamous bathrooms — equally hated and loved for their reputation — have yet to be broken in.
”The bathrooms look so much cleaner now. We're very happy about that,” Jones said.
The venue shuttered in 2020 at the start of the pandemic and following a contentious eviction battle between the owners and the pub’s manager at the time.
Liz Varum, the 26-year-old singer and guitarist for the band Bruvvy, remembers playing her first show at Churchill’s seven years ago.
“I think everyone expected bars to close during COVID, but no one expected for Churchill's not to open back up,” Varum said.
She owes a lot to Churchill’s for shaping the performer and musician she is today. She returned to Miami as one of the headlining bands on opening night.
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“ Playing now in LA — and even playing before in Miami — every venue, every booking agent … they cared so much about the numbers and they care about who you are, how many people are you gonna draw? That has never ever mattered at Churchills. You go up there, you show what you got and you leave and it's all good,” she said.
The return of Churchill’s coincides with a sea change in South Florida’s music scene. Las Rosas, another beloved dive bar and local institution, re-opened in Wynwood last month, while Gramps, a bar, pizzeria and and live music venue, announced its forthcoming closure next year.
“The Miami scene lives in the hearts and souls and the minds and imaginations of the kids that live in Miami,” Varum said. “Whether there's a venue to play at or not, we're gonna play in kids' backyards and we're gonna play on the street and we're gonna play on a flatbed in the middle of Homestead. It really doesn't matter.”
For now, this new chapter of Churchill’s is welcoming a new generation of South Floridians.
Phoenix Vaughan-Voski moved to Miami after the pub had closed its doors, but he was all too familiar with the venue’s lore. He’s hyped to discover new bands and create his own memories.
“We need more live music, more live bands, more of an authentic music scene to promote local artists and to give people their roses where they're due before it's too late,” he said.
