-
Big Bop
There's always a bellicose crowd of goths, bad-ass metal fiends and hardcore hard-heads pacing around outside this venue. Upstairs Holy Joe's is a groovy little room made for acoustic shows, while serious indie bands plug-in at the 2nd-floor Reverb. The ground-floor Kathedral stage also has low-cover acts, and a dance floor.
-
Bovine Sex Club
Don't worry, this isn't some kind of twisted fetish establishment. BSC is a maverick punk, metal and retro rock room that's been here since the 1991, one of the first venues to latch onto the Queen West arts explosion. A rusty tangle of scrap metal spews down over the front wall to the doorway.
-
C'est What?
With the beer market rigidly controlled by monopolies, microbreweries are the go. C'est What has 30 whiskys and over two dozen Canadian microbrews, including Coffee Porter and Hemp Ale (no, it won't get you high), which are made by an in-house brewmaster. You can drink your way across the nation as you listen to eclectic music, live nightly.
-
Cameron House
Singer-songwriters, soul, jazz, classic country and other alt-music performers grace the stage at the Cameron House, a veteran Queen West venue. Artists, musicians, dreamers and slackers crowd-out both front and back rooms. Sunday evening's Mad Bastard Cabaret ('accordion singing about love, lust and Spain') is unmissable.
-
Dominion On Queen
This jazzy pub has been around a while, earning a rep for sassy vocalists, trios and sextets through to full-blown swing bands. Music starts nightly around . Beers have a crafty edge, and there's plenty of vin rouge to ease you through life and heartbreak in the big city.
-
Drake Hotel
Despite its shameless social rung-climbing and increasingly lofty opinion of itself, the iconic Drake Hotel put West Queen West on the map. Accommodation, live music venue, café, restaurant and bar - there's little that isn't on offer, and nothing that's done badly.
-
El Mocambo Lounge
The derelict palm tree nightclub sign suggests Miami, but it's all local bands at the internally renovated El Mocambo - alt-rock, hip-hop, reggae jams, funk, jazz and anything else. This is the place where Mick Jagger once writhed as the ex-prime minister's wife danced approvingly on the tabletops.
-
Elgin & Winter Garden Theatre Centre
The restored double-decker Elgin & Winter Garden Theatre Centre stages high-profile concerts and productions by the likes of Meatloaf, the Canadian Ballet and Opera Atelier. If you're not 100% engrossed in the act, treat your eyes to the architecture.
-
Fez Batik
Fez Batik mixes live music and DJs, sometimes scoring a winner. Four floors of lounging, chatting and grooving go along with a full kitchen, Moroccan tea room and gargantuan streetside patio underneath. It's about as laid-back as Clubland gets.
-
Free Times Café
Maintaining a hippie Jewish vibe, this small back-room venue is the oldest folk club in the city, with free music most nights. The pints are cheap, the food substantial and James Brown keeps it tight on the stereo. Open-mic nights usually happen on Mondays; sign up by if you've got something to share with the class.
-
Advertisement
-
Gladstone Hotel
This formerly down-at-heel historic hotel revels in Toronto's avant-garde arts scene. In the Melody Bar there's karaoke from , Thursday to Saturday, while the Art Bar and Gladstone Ballroom sustain off-beat DJs, poetry slams, jazz, book readings, alt-country and blues.
-
Glenn Gould Studio
Free noontime concerts are given in the Glenn Gould Studio (named after the famous pianist), where the soundtrack for Schindler's List was recorded. You'll need to purchase advance tickets for highly esteemed evening concerts of classical and contemporary music by soloists, chamber groups, choirs and sinfonia between September and June. Young international artists are often featured.
-
Graffiti's
This diverse bohemian bar has credible acoustic rock, roots, blues and jazz acts, as well as open-mic nights and 'cabarets' that could (and usually do) embrace any subject. There's Sleeman Cream Ale on tap, jazzy murals, Persian rugs and beautifully painted marble tabletops.
-
Grossman's Tavern
Inside this grubby 1940s tavern near Kensington Market, the emphasis is on singin' the blues, but acoustic rock and folk acts also get a look-in. There's music nightly - the Sunday night jam session has been raising the roof for decades. Incidentally, Dan Akroyd worked up his routine for The Blues Brothers here.
-
Guvernment
For a diversity of venues, nothing beats the massive Guv. Although critics say it's too mainstream and full of suburbanites, DJs spin hip-hop, R&B, progressive house and trance music to satisfy all appetites. Rooftop skyline views are as impressive as the Arabian fantasy lounge and Art Deco bar.
-
Healey's
The 300-capacity Healey's has an idiosyncratic line-up of rock, blues, soul and roots. Established by Jeff Healey, a Canadian music icon, audiophile and radio DJ who passed away in March 2008, this joint is always jumping. Tuesday open-jam nights and Saturday muso matinees are free!
-
Horseshoe Tavern
Well past its 50th birthday, the legendary Horseshoe still plays a crucial role in the development of local indie rock. Not so local, The Police played here to an almost empty house on their first North American tour when Sting did an encore in his underwear. Tuesday is usually no-cover music night!
-
Hugh's Room
Hugh's is one of Toronto's only dedicated old-school folk venues for local and touring acts. Mandolin, ballads, floral shirts and sincerity by the truck load. Save a few dollars by booking in advance.
-
Labyrinth Lounge
Bad-ass rock and 'Shit happens' nights collide with stand-up comedy, jam sessions and guest DJs at this bar out the back of the Future Bakery & Café. The student crowd morphs between the two venues with little regard for boundaries, haircuts or study.
-
Lee's Palace
Legendary Lee's Palace has set the stage over the years for Dinosaur Jr, Smashing Pumpkins and Queens Of The Stoneage. Kurt Cobain started an infamous bottle-throwing incident when Nirvana played here in 1990. With booming acoustics, it's definitely still an ear-throbbing alt-rock venue. Upstairs is the clubby Dance Cave .
-
Advertisement
-
Mod Club
Celebrating all things post-WWII and UK Mod, this excellent retro club plays electronic, indie and Brit-pop, with occasional live acts like Paul Weller, The Killers and Muse taking the stage. Up-to-the-nanosecond lighting technology rifles across Yellow Submarine-era murals, giving way to candle-lit chill-out rooms.
-
Music Showbar
Off to one side at C'est What?, Music Showbar is a small-capacity live venue with an stellar sound system. Expect intimate pop-rock with an edge - Jeff Buckley, The Tea Party and Wilco all played here. Tickets are sold at the door - first come, first served.
-
Opera House
The old Opera House is an early 1900s vaudeville hall. Over the years rockers like The Black Crowes, Rage Against The Machine, Eminem, A Perfect Circle and Beck have all strutted out beneath the proscenium arch.
-
Phoenix
The 1000-capacity Phoenix has occupied the former Harmonie Club, a grand ol' room that now sees the harmonious rock of bands like The Tragically Hip. Huge Superman and Wolverine murals might inspire your crowd-surfing efforts. Check the website for upcoming shows.
-
Pilot Tavern
A pumping after-worker, The Pilot got its start during WWII, which explains the aviation-themed decor and why it calls the patio the Flight Deck - an airborne terrace amongst the office tower windows. Stop by for live jazz sets on Saturday and Sunday afternoons from .
