When the Bottom Lounge reopened earlier this spring in the West Loop, it marked the end of two and a half years in the wilderness for the seminal rock club. Forced out of its Lake View home in 2005 by renovations to the nearby Belmont Red Line station, the venue has come back in true punk-rock fashion: bigger and more ambitious than before, with additions including a restaurant, a private room, and a 2,000-square-foot outdoor deck.

Upcoming acts include the flamboyant Chicago alt-rock vets Urge Overkill on May 2nd (9 p.m., $16-$20); The Mekons and Waco Brothers frontman Jon Langford, helming another of his bands, The Pine Valley Cosmonauts, in a benefit for the Illinois Campaign Against the Death Penalty on May 17th (9 p.m., $20); and grunge-rock founding fathers Mudhoney on May 30th (9 p.m., $18-$20).

"We're just trying to do what we did before," says co-owner Dan Miskowicz, "which is a blue-collar rock club."  Bottom Lounge, 1375 W Lake. Schedule and tickets: mpshows.com.