If you've spent any time at the Cambridge on a big night, you know exactly what it's about; the closeness of hundreds of people, a loud hum of voices all talking at once. Sticky floors.
And then the band hits the stage and it's like the chaotic crowd all turn their attention suddenly in one direction; a gritty murmuration of rock n roll.
At that point, it doesn't really matter if you're on the rails at the front of the stage, or somewhere lost in the throng - the Cambo is everywhere, pounding in on all sides until it feels like the roof might lift off.
That manic hive of energy was already spilling out into Wood Street as the sun dipped behind the stage on Friday night, and the crowd packed in to bid the iconic live music venue a last farewell.
It felt like only a few degrees above zero at the ticket line, but inside the energy was as undeniable as the thump of bass that could be felt around the block. If Friday night was any indication of the weekend ahead, the Cambridge's swan song is going to be one to remember.
Australian rapper 360 spit bars from under the stage lights to a sea of raised phones as hundreds of fans sang along to Child from the 2011 album Falling & Flying. It was only midway through the set when the first shoey of the weekend drew cheers from the throng in a moment that felt emblematic of the Cambo's scrappy, grittily charming place in the city.
For decades, the venue has helped carve out the legacy of Newcastle live music alongside such names as the Star Hotel, the Palais Royale or Newcastle Workers Club.
The Cambridge has hosted everyone from hometown international success stories, Silverchair, to Australian mainstays You Am I, Grinspoon and Tame Impala to international heavyweights The Black Keys, Blink 182, the Beastie Boys and Childish Gambino.
There's also the thousands of local acts who've had opportunities to learn their craft in front of hometown audiences.
In 2019 - the last year unaffected by COVID-19 restrictions - the Cambridge hosted about 1000 sets, of which 700 were from local artists, according to the Newcastle Live Music Taskforce. Gigs that year attracted around 198,000 patrons.
Now, after decades at the grungy heart of the city's music scene, the Cambo's epic swan song began on Friday night, spilling all that chaotic energy out into the street in what will be a three-day farewell before the venue is taken over by new owners with plans to turn the building into student accomodation.
The $110 million redevelopment is expected to prove a first for the city, according to property development firm Linkcity Australia, which has proposed turning the venue into a a 19-storey tower "sanctuary" designed to house students living out of home for the first time.
News that owner John Palmieri had resolved to sell the Cambridge sent shockwaves through the city last year and prompted a campaign to save the venue in August, backed by all levels of government and the Newcastle Live Music Taskforce.
NSW Member for Newcastle, Tim Crakanthorp, hoped at the time that public pressure could either save the Cambridge in its present form, or convince developers to incorporate live music into the student accommodation plans.
A petition garnered more than 6000 signatures online, but the closure of the venue ultimately proved inevitable.
As the impending date approached, local act Raave Tapes - a native of the Cambridge stage - curated this weekend's two-stage epic farewell.
The line-up features Grinspoon, Peking Duk, and Illy + The Rubens, British India, Gooch Palms, Dune Rats, Jack River, Thundamentals, L D R U, Northeast Party House, The Smith Street Band, 360, Drapht, Seth Sentry, Press Club among a hit line-up set to take the venue out with a bang.
