Death By Volume!
In the early 1990s, amid the grim post-crash austerity cuts of a new National government, a dilapidated Victorian-era house at 41 Hawker Street in Mount Victoria, Wellington, transformed into a notorious epicenter of anarcho-punk culture. Known as the Screaming Asylum, this large two-story residence, built around 1890 with a spacious backyard, served as a communal living space and gathering point for punks. The house was in a state of disrepair when it was first occupied, and its condition only worsened over the roughly two to three years it functioned as “Punk HQ”.
The flat was primarily home to three members of the Wellington punk band SMUT, along with other like-minded individuals drawn to the anarcho-punk movement. SMUT themselves had already made waves by organising popular gigs at local venues like Thistle Hall, setting a precedent for community-driven events. At Screaming Asylum, the space became a hub for the local scene, fostering creativity, activism, and camaraderie. It was infamous for its raucous parties and colorful inhabitants, attracting such attention that tour buses would occasionally stop outside, allowing passengers to snap photos of punks gooning it up on the front balcony.
By 1994, the residents faced eviction, marking the end of the house’s era as a physical punk haven. However, the spirit of Screaming Asylum endured. The punks associated with the flat preserved the name by forming Screaming Asylum Productions, a non-profit collective dedicated to organising shows across Wellington throughout the 1990s.
| Address | 41 Hawker Street |
| Location | Mount Victoria, Wellington |
| Type | punk house |
| Built | 1890s |
| Opened | 1991? |
| Closed | 1994 |
