The Concordian gathers student recommendations for rock venues in Montreal.
Rock-and-roll is a staple of Montreal’s nightlife, with a burgeoning underground scene that has cropped up all over the city. From concert venues to DIY spots covered in stickers and graffiti, there are a number of rock-based venues in the city worth discovering.
The Van Horne Underpass is a popular spot for underground rock shows. The venue is located under an overpass on Van Horne Ave. The posts of the overpass are covered in graffiti, which is a huge part of the atmosphere during performances.
According to second-year Concordia philosophy major Benny Gaucher, it’s a “peak DIY venue.” As such, it mainly hosts hard rock, heavy metal, and punk music.
Bar Le Ritz PDB was another of Gaucher’s recommendations. It’s an intimate space with an iconic pattern around the stage, with long, thin, multicoloured tiles lining the wall. The venue hosts all sorts of artists and genres.
“They also have dance parties, hip-hop shows, and even electronic [shows], but they do a lot of good rock shows,” Gaucher added.
Turbohaus is a bar on St-Denis St. The open interior space is perfect for rock music crowds. It has the amateur vibes commonly spotted in the punk/underground scene, with stylized doodles and pop art decorating the menu. It features alternative rock artists and hosts open mic nights every Tuesday, a great opportunity for discovering new artists.
Théâtre Beanfield is a vintage movie theatre and 900-capacity concert venue on Notre Dame St. W. The concert hall makes the most of its space, with the audience stacked on several levels and a balcony. The inside as well as the outside keeps the vintage styling of the 112-year-old building.
“[It’s] just big enough for that huge rock sound, while still usually feeling like an in-group-only type of show, it has amazing acoustics and just generally a nice layout in terms of bar/merch table and floor space,” said Simon Bowrin, a second-year ecology major at Concordia, adding that the best rock shows he’s seen have been at Théâtre Beanfield.
The Blue Dog Motel is a bar that occasionally doubles as a venue for bands in Montreal. Alice Conklin, a second-year liberal arts major at Concordia, pointed to the bar’s atmosphere as a draw. Conklin mentioned that the staff were very kind and that the drinks were good. Its shows are much cheaper than other places.
“The space is nice, just big enough for a small-to-medium crowd, and the stage is positioned so you can sit at the bar and watch pretty easily,” said Conklin.
They added that they were impressed by the beginner/student bands playing at the bar, saying that was something they rarely saw.
