Inferno to close after May 2

The north-side club is shutting down after nearly 20 years in business.

Inferno Nightclub owner Apollo Marquez announced this week on the north-side venue’s Facebook page that he has sold the property at 1718 Commercial Avenue and the venue’s last night in operation will be May 2. The venue has been open since 1996. Marquez hasn’t yet responded to our requests for comment. The Wisconsin State Journal reports that the property is part of a planned redevelopment.

While Inferno is mostly associated (and not inaccurately) with industrial music and its fetish-centric theme club nights, it has also hosted a variety of DJ nights and acts from across the electronic spectrum, and plenty of punk, metal, hip-hop and even comedy shows. The lineup has been heavy on local and regional acts, but also has hosted its share of notable touring artists, from Kentucky hip-hop stalwarts Cunninlynguists in 2008 to thrash-punk stalwarts D.R.I. last year.

In any case, the lineup for Inferno’s final three nights seems fitting: Wackadoodle theatrical punk actPeelander-Z on April 30, a reggae night with DJ Vilas Park Sniper on May 1, and a final edition of Inferno’s Leather and Lace night on May 2.

Next week we’ll be digging in a little deeper on Inferno’s role in Madison, with thoughts from several of its regular performers and promoters.