This month, Richmond’s music scene felt the pain of saying goodbye to one of its central gathering places. For a decade now, Strange Matter has been the most reliable location for live music in Richmond. It set itself apart with a focus on local favorites and underground scenes. Strange Matter supported the grass-roots music scenes that have put Richmond on the musical map over the past decade, from indie rock and hip hop to doom metal and hardcore punk. How this town will cope with its departure is a mystery, and a subject for concern as we head into 2019.
Our full memorial to Strange Matter will hit the streets later this week in our new print issue, and we’ll have that story for you in digital form sometime after Christmas. But today, we bring you one last look at the magnificence that was Richmond’s most beloved club, shot by photographer Julie Ferguson over the last two weeks of Strange Matter’s existence. Keep the memories close to your heart.
Iron Reagan
Stagediving, headwalking like mad…
BAT
Unmaker
Windhand
Tomorrow, they know, may not come…
Negative Approach
Humungus
Black Tusk
There are no laws… in the pit.
Unmaker
Iron Reagan
Battlemaster
Words by Marilyn Drew Necci, Photos by Julie Ferguson. Top photo: Inter Arma
