St. Augustine has it’s own CBGB’s!

Shanghai Nobby’s is a gritty urban corner bar hiding in plain sight. It’s the most ironic, yet utterly authentic place in town. “Nobby’s,” as it is known by locals, is at the heart of St. Augustine’s small but talented DIY/independent music scene. It’s the place where newly formed bands get their start, and the more established ones play to have a good time. While the place admittedly has a punk rock feel, all genres of music are welcome to the stage. It is not always easy to know what you are going to get at Nobby’s, as much of their promotion is still old school word of mouth, supplemented by hand drawn Xerox-style flyers and sporadic Facebook posts. Shanghai Nobby’s does not have a website, and the only sign you’ll find out front is aged and faded, saying “Nobby’s Sports Tavern.”

The current proprietors, Dave and Jill, inherited Nobby’s in 2003 from his father, Norbert (aka Nobby). Unlike his father, who established the business in 1985 as a bar catering to sports fans, Dave does not have a passion for sports. Having roots in New York and the rock-n-roll of the 1970’s and 1980’s, he wanted it to be a place he felt comfortable in. About seven years ago a local rock band “The Alligators” asked about hosting a few punk bands, and with that Shanghai Nobby’s secured its place as St. Augustine’s home for budding musicians playing original music. Dave mentions,“there were a lot of places downtown to play covers; this type of venue was absent. The town needed a place for bands to play their first gig and get exposure.”

Today, the place has an almost clubhouse feel with a loyal community of DIY’ers. Nobby’s is a judgement free zone. People from all sorts of backgrounds can feel right at home here. Walking in the door is like traveling in place and time; to NYC’s Lower-East Side in 1970’s or 1980’s, where musical possibility feels ripe, and vinyl still reigns supreme. It is a haven for people who want a refuge from, or perhaps snub their nose at, the over produced and highly commercialized music of today.

Nobby’s operates on a shoestring budget but still maintains the cheapest drink prices in town. They are unable to pay bands out of pocket, instead bands keep any door charge and receive free drinks on show night. Many of the area’s bands who got their start here still play at Nobby’s!
Visit Nobby’s at 10 Anastasia Blvd, just across the Bridge of Lions.