There are clubs that are there because an investor saw a property. And there are clubs that are there because a few people thought: this should be there. Garage North clearly falls into the second category. Daan Alvering and Rachella Groon opened it in 2017 in Noord, in a former GVB depot on the Gedempt Hamerkanaal. No fuss, just building a place for music that makes sense.
Over the next few weeks, the calendar shows what Garage North is all about. On April 17, YoungWoman will play an all-night set, one of the most in-demand names in the European underground right now. Late April follows Einhundert 10 Years on April 24, an anniversary party for the Berlin label. May is where it really begins: Parrish Smith b2b Mila V join May 2 for Burst City, a combination that already sounds good on paper. And on May 8, The Bug takes the stage live. Not as a DJ, but live. That's another story.
Garage North has 400 visitors and has two stages. The main hall is where the big names play. bar40, the second hall, is programmed by changing guest collectives each time. That makes it difficult to predict, which is exactly the point. The restaurant is also just there, Thursday through Saturday, for those who want to eat first and dance afterwards. Or the other way around. The building itself, that old garage, gives the place a raw feel that's hard to manufacture.
Daan Alvering and Rachella Groon built a place for music that makes sense, in a former CFP depot in North.
The club runs more than fifty club nights a year and is open Thursday through Saturday. Thursday until five, Friday and Saturday until eight in the morning. North has long since ceased to be a forgotten corner, but Garage North was there early. DIY culture, a broad spectrum of genres, and a venue that doesn't try to be something it's not. That works. It's been working for almost a decade.