Goodnight, Nightlight
In 1992, Sonic Youth published an obituary for a North Carolina city’s dead music scene in their song, “Chapel Hill”. The track laments Chapel Hill’s moribund scene and the murder of a local anti-Gulf War activist (allegedly at the hands of the CIA). However, over the following years, the success of grunge set off a scramble for all things alternative that elevated local acts such as Polvo, Superchunk, and Ben Folds Five to national stardom. In 1994, college radio station WXYC Chapel Hill made history as the first radio station to broadcast simultaneously over the airwaves and the internet. The scene has remained strong into the 2020’s with a diverse range of artists emerging from the college town nestled in the North Carolina piedmont.
For nearly two decades now, Nightlight Bar & Club has served as the center of Chapel Hill creativity. The one-room venue is nestled down an alley between a crust-punk bar and a Latin American market; it breathes life into a town often defined by frat parties and naked gentrification. Nightlight’s owners maintain fanatic devotion to a community-oriented DIY ethos and have turned the tiny venue into a beloved institution of the local experimental scene. Hundreds attend the club’s flagship annual noise festival. Line-ups are united only by their individuality, with an average night incorporating moody post-punk, screaming electronics, meditative ambient, and any number of other left-field projects. Nightlight is one of the last true community spaces where established acts such as Boy Harsher and Delroy Edwards can organically interact with local talent.
Unfortunately, Nightlight has not been spared from the rapid gentrification of Chapel Hill. Residents of the newly built high-rise across the street often register noise complaints against the club. Rents are rising and local institutions across the downtown area have been replaced by an endless parade of CBD stores, fast casual chains, and dime-a-dozen smoothie shops. Now, Nightlight has closed indefinitely. Even the community spirit that raised $25,000 to protect Nightlight from closure during the pandemic could not defend it from the scourge of Chipotle-ification. On July 30, 2022, the club opened its doors for one final performance by local DJ crew Disco Sweat.
A cheap cost of living, an innovative culture, and thriving arts scene have brought tech companies and thousands of transplants to the Chapel Hill area. With outside forces now destroying the very social fabric they hope to enjoy, it is hard to remain optimistic for the future of Chapel Hill’s music communities. However, I have faith that the spirit of Nightlight will live on and this obituary will prove just as premature as Sonic Youth’s. As the club’s final Instagram post put it: “Nightlight forever <3”.
