Music venues come and go in Prague, but Klub 007 in Strahov isn't just another head-banging enclave. Located in the basement of a student dorm at Czech Technical University (ČVUT), it's been a haven for dissidents and fringe music of every stripe since 1969. After the Velvet Revolution, it became a center for punk and hardcore music that has since blossomed into a showcase for ska, indie, new wave, psychobilly ... in short, the kind of music that's hard to find almost anywhere else in town.

That's in danger of disappearing, as the club has been threatened with closure unless it quiets down — literally. Noise complaints drew city inspectors and a subsequent admonition from ČVUT administrators.

"I had a meeting with [club operators] and told them to observe the rules or they are finished," says Zdeněk Zmrzlík, head of the school's Administration of Specialized Facilities.

But Klub 007 will need more than that to stay in business — specifically, soundproofing that is expected to cost 500,000 Kč ($24,000). To raise the money, club operators are holding a series of benefit concerts this week.

"If everything goes fine and the concerts sell out, we will get half that amount," says Černá. "We've also set up an account where you can send us a small contribution, and we want to sell T-shirts and socks with our logo."

Though well intentioned, it seems like an unrealistic plan for raising a significant amount of money. Which raises the question: Why not just relocate to a more welcoming setting?

"We have considered that option," says Černá. "But this place is a piece of history, so we decided to fight for it."

Impossible to replace

Originally run as a student union by ČVUT students, Klub 007 became a meeting place for political dissenters and visionaries carrying on secretive discussions and staging semipublic readings of published and unpublished works espousing revolutionary ideas.

When the club began booking music in 1989, it was along the same ideological lines, bringing once-banned groups from the United States, England and Germany that played in styles ranging from punk to electro. "When the borders were finally open," says Černá, "many foreign bands went on."

The lease was taken over by a hardworking music enthusiast named Ivo Kučera, who remains the principal operator. Kučera was unavailable for an interview, but is by all accounts the prime mover behind Klub 007. "He's spent the last 15 years here, even surviving a fire," says Černá. "He is the heart of the club — without him, it would probably be long gone."

What grew out of Kučera's efforts is a scene unlike any other in Prague.

"For the club's crew, friends and helpers, this is like home," Černá says. "It has a special atmosphere and special energy. The community is very strong, and though it's changed over different time periods, the soul remains."

That sentiment is echoed by the bands that will be contributing their time and music to the benefit concerts.

"We owe 007 a lot," says a group missive sent via e-mail from the band Clou. "Without 007, no Clou would exist. We met each other in the community around 007. The location of the club is not perfect, but there are not many places like it in Prague. It would be impossible to replace 007."

"Prague clubs would lose one of their forefathers," says Milan Cais of the Tata Bojs. "It's a great place with a long tradition. We feel very bad about the current situation."

Moimir Popalescu, who fronts the Nihilists, is even more adamant.

"It's almost a cultural heritage — they can't close it!" he says. "Many creative people have met there and formed bands. [Losing it] would be similar to pulling down Charles Bridge."

Fighting for survival

The plan now is to close the club for three weeks starting Jan. 27 and install soundproofing, mainly on the floor. "That's urgent, because [city inspectors] will come to measure the noise again in the beginning of March, and if the standards are not met the club will be closed," Černá says.

Assuming the standards are met, normal programming will resume and a second round of benefit concerts will fund further improvements this summer to make the club acoustically airtight. If necessary, Černá says, Kučera will try to secure a bank loan to pay for the work.

For now, the club is running on the adrenaline of a community under fire and the indefatigable energy of friends and volunteers, perhaps best personified by Černá.

"As a longtime visitor and concert promoter, I have a very close relationship with Klub 007 and it is a big pleasure for me to work here," she says. "I and all our helpmates are trying as much as possible to organize things well and find the finances to keep 007 alive.

"If this main project is successful, we are planning to improve all our services and conditions. But for now, the immediate project for the future is to survive!"