With the legendary Cambridge Hotel to sound its final note this weekend, Novocastrians far and wide will be taking a trip down memory lane.
Music and memory go together like a bass guitar and the drums. Live gigs form high and low notes in the rhythm section of people's lives.
As the final gig at the Cambridge approaches, the Herald asks readers in today's Topics column to share their memories of the iconic Newcastle West venue.
While some rock purists don't believe in music nostalgia, the two are invariably connected. People are sentimental about music and the live venues they frequented.
Music venues - like the much-loved Cambridge - are an enduring part of the cultural history of cities.
They're the places where people cement friendships, break free from the confines of society and let their hair down.
Some music venues become etched in the consciousness of global culture, such an CBGB in New York City and the Hacienda in Manchester. Those venues transcended their cities, giving rise to musical revolutions that spread across the world.
When CBGB closed in 2006 after a 33-year run, some asked whether its demise was another casualty of gentrification.
Given it will be replaced by a $110 million, 19-storey tower for student accommodation, gentrification is perhaps not the right word for the Cambridge's demise.
However, the Cambridge's owner John Palmieri did tell the Newcastle Herald last year that "I appreciate that it's a loved venue, but the demographics of that end of town have changed significantly".
The Cambridge and CBGB might be worlds apart, but they do share common ground. Both were venues for rock and punk - crucibles of the alternative music scene.
The Hacienda in "Madchester" made its mark in the acid house genre, helping transform a post-industrial city into the centre of a music revolution.
The stories of CBGB and the Hacienda show how important music venues are for putting cities on the map and creating cultural legacies that reverberate across decades.
Despite the obvious difference in scale, the Cambridge has arguably hit a similar note in Newcastle. Let the memories flow.
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