Arts reporter Lynn Saxberg refuses to hibernate during festival off-season. Here is her guide to local clubs and indoor venues for your next live music fix.
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At the same time, though, few things bring you into the moment more effectively than live music shared with friends. And, whether your tastes lean toward jazz, folk, indie rock, electronic-music DJs or classic-rock tribute acts, enough is happening across Ottawa to ensure some fun nights out.
(Let us know if you have a suggestion to add to this guide, including venues in Gatineau.)
Bronson Centre Music Theatre
Bronson Centre was built in 1928 as the all-girls Catholic school Immaculata High. These days, touring bands play in the refurbished auditorium, which has a generous stage, sloped main floor and second-floor balcony. The main floor holds rows of seating that can be removed for general-admission shows; seating is also available in the balcony, allowing capacity from 800 up to 1,000. Sound and lighting systems are top-notch, and bar service is available on three sides of the room. Recently renovated washrooms are on the main floor. The centre is also a hub for not-for-profit community groups that use other areas in the building. The live-music operations are run by music-industry exec Lisa Zbitnew, who also co-owns Toronto’s Phoenix Theatre.
National Arts Centre
Algonquin Commons Theatre
A versatile, well-equipped theatre that opened in 2012 on the campus of Algonquin College, owned and operated by the students’ association, Algonquin Commons Theatre includes two levels of fixed seating, plus a floor area that can be set up with seats or left open for a standing crowd. Capacity is 700 with seats or 835 with the seats removed. Bar service and a box office are located in the lobby. Paid parking is required — the closest lot is Red Parking Lot 8. (Last time I checked, it was a $6 flat rate after 5 p.m. and on weekends.)
Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre
Meridian Theatres @ Centrepointe
Nepean’s former city hall — a complex that also houses a library branch, the Atrium art gallery and various municipal offices — sports two theatre stages: the two-level, 954-seat main stage; and the 199-capacity Les Lye studio theatre. Both spaces are booked and run by artistic producer/manager Allan Sansom and a team that runs the gamut from experienced backstage pros to grandmotherly community volunteers acting as ushers. A variety of entertainment lands here, including local theatre, visiting comedians, cultural shows, tribute acts, family spectacles and concerts. Bar service is available in the lobby. Seating is comfortable. Dancing is discouraged with a stern look and a wagging finger.
Shenkman Arts Theatre
This lovely little soft-seat theatre, with its state-of-the-art acoustics and lighting, plus a fully equipped backstage area, accommodates just 500 people in its main room, the Harold Shenkman Hall. The seats are spacious, with plenty of legroom, and there is not a bad view from any of them, but the limited number means it can sometimes be a challenge to get tickets. Located in the eastern suburb of Orléans, the city-run venue specializes in francophone presentations, although English-language shows can be found on the schedule, too.
Irene’s Pub
A cozy and enduring pub on Bank Street, just north of Lansdowne Park, it has been presenting live music since the 1980s, with major upgrades in sound and sightlines along the way. Regular features include the meaty, horn-laden jazz of the Prime Rib Big Band on the first Wednesday of each month, as well as weekly, no-cover offerings such as the Thursday blues jam and Sunday-night folk revue. Friday and Saturday nights tend to feature ticketed shows with Ottawa bands and/or their out-of-town counterparts. Bonus points go to the local art on the walls, a kitchen that produces decent food and an excellent beer selection, not to mention some of the chummiest bar staff in town. Capacity is about 150.
The Rainbow Bistro
One of Ottawa’s oldest live-music venues, the Rainbow was started by a group of friends in 1984 as a full-time blues bar. There have been ups and downs over the years, including a particularly difficult period during the COVID-19 pandemic, when it looked as if closure was imminent, but, with the help of a group of music-loving Ottawa tech execs, the business was revamped and continues to present live music on a stage that has seen the likes of the Tragically Hip, k.d. lang and John Hammond. Recent upgrades have greatly improved the sound and lighting systems. Audience capacity is about 150, divided between two levels, with a pool table located upstairs and a dance floor on the main level. There’s also a steep staircase at the entrance. Now run by one of the original owners, Danny Sivyer, and his daughter, Stacy, the programming has expanded to feature live bands of all genres. Tickets are usually available online or at the door.
Chateau Lafayette
Ottawa’s oldest tavern is a ByWard Market institution dating back to 1849, pre-Confederation. A legendary drinking establishment that still serves quarts and pickled eggs, the Laff also presents 10 free, live music shows each week by local artists. Among the highlights are Lucky Ron’s Saturday afternoon matinee, Dave Bignell’s Five Star Monday band on Mondays, an open-mic session on Tuesdays, John Carroll’s solo show on Wednesdays and fun cover acts on Fired-Up Fridays. It’s open 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. each day and there’s never a cover charge.
Avant-Garde Bar
With Soviet propaganda posters on the walls and a TV playing Euro-pop videos from the 1980s between sets, this Russian-themed bar is unlike any other in Ottawa. It’s been surviving on the fringes of downtown Rideau Street for two decades, describing itself a “revolutionary culture hub” for poets and political activists, although you’re more likely to find boundary-pushing indie bands on its tiny stage, often with a tip jar instead of a cover charge. The one-man operation is run by a brusque Russian expat who takes no guff from the street but also shows his appreciation to regulars with complimentary salty snacks. In addition to Russian vodka and European (and Canadian) beer, the menu offers mixed drinks such as Red October, Soviet Sunrise and Molotov Cocktail, while the snacks range from pelmeni dumplings to a Bourgeois fish platter of smoked salmon, herring and caviar.
House of Targ
Perogies, pinball and punk rock all have a home in the basement of a building on Bank Street at Sunnyside Avenue, across from the Mayfair Theatre. Co-owned by Paul ‘Yogi’ Granger, House of Targ opened 10 years ago to nurture the underground scene surrounding the musician and his friends. The low ceiling and minimal stage mean you’re up close with the bands, while the rows of pinball machines and arcade games ensure there’s never a dull moment. And, when you get the munchies, few things hit the spot better than Targ’s delicious house-made pierogies. It’s also a neat spot for families, with weekend afternoons open to gamers of all ages.
Live on Elgin
220 Elgin St., second floor
With its exposed brick walls and vintage wood tables, this upstairs club has the vibe of a cozy speakeasy, one floor up, but worlds away from the bustle of Elgin Street. Co-owned and operated by a father-and-son team, it’s a listening room that holds about 80 people, has good sound and features plenty of local and regional talent in music, theatre and comedy, plus a weekly open-mic night on Tuesdays and a monthly film screening.
27 Club
This was the long-time location of the legendary Zaphod Beeblebrox club, where Nickelback played their first show in Ottawa and the Rolling Stones shot a video. Zaphod’s closed for good in 2017, and with it went most of the interior fixtures and decor. When it resurfaced under different ownership as 27 Club, it seemed cavernous and modernized, a big empty room with an industrial-warehouse edge. Of course, it’s still a long, narrow space that tends to get clogged in front of the stage and has very few seats, but, when more than 200 sweaty people are packed in together, it’s a blast. Door security is thorough, but, once you’re inside, the bar staff and sound personnel are top-notch. Rock bands like the Sadies and Zeus still stop there, while the rest of the schedule is devoted to DJs and dance parties.
Dominion Tavern
The Dom is a dive bar fixture of the ByWard Market that has been in business for 30 years and has never catered to trends. You can still shoot pool, drink quarts, sit in rickety chairs and get pummeled by punk, metal and garage-rock bands. With a patio at the back in the warm weather, it’s a hub for the adult punk community and frequently hosts benefit concerts to raise money for various causes. Note that payment is cash-only at the bar. Don’t try to pull out a credit card or signal for table service; you risk annoying the tattooed, pierced individual behind the bar.
Red Bird Live
One of the nicest (and newest) spots in town to see an intimate performance, Red Bird was launched by Ottawa musician Geoff Cass in 2022 as a hybrid music school/coffee shop/folk club, and patrons can’t get enough of it. By day, it’s a music school with five teaching rooms, and in the evening it turns into a licensed showcase venue with excellent sound, no bad seats and a sputnik-style lighting fixture over the stage that has become a signature image in concert photos. The booking policy focuses on singer-songwriters of all stripes, from grassroots upstarts to established names, but, with a capacity of just 80 people, almost every concert sells out. Regular monthly features include Bluegrass Wednesdays, Tyler Kealey’s Urban Campfire, a ukulele jam and Celtic Celebration. There are open stages on Tuesday evenings and Friday afternoons, plus an acoustic coffee house on Sunday afternoons. The cafe has a small, but well-chosen selection of snacks and beverages, including non-alcoholic craft sodas. Residents in the Old Ottawa South neighbourhood are big supporters.
Atomic Rooster
Located on a dingy stretch of Bank Street, this unpretentious pub is a lively spot that has been in business for 18 years. The bar is well-stocked, with some two dozen varieties of beer on tap, and the kitchen is open until 1 a.m., cranking out a wide range of surprisingly tasty dishes, such as the spinach and portobello mushroom pizza with goat cheese (my fave!). Karaoke takes place Mondays and Thursdays, an open stage runs on Wednesdays and folk-punk-rockers the Barrow Gang hold the fort for the after-work crowd on Friday nights. Other live bands are featured on weekends, usually with no cover charge, and the walls are adorned with the work of local artists in exhibitions that change monthly.
Brass Monkey
In a far-flung corner of suburbia, you’ll find this spacious pool hall/rock bar in the basement of a Nepean strip mall. Although it’s 15 kilometres from downtown, it’s accessible by public transit and well worth the trek if you’re a rock fan (or a billiards player). The Monkey has hosted everyone from metal stalwarts Uriah Heep to U.S. indie rockers Durry, including plenty of shows that result in a mosh pit in front of the stage, and tribute acts that bring in the classic-rock crowd. The sound is good and loud, there’s free parking, a decent selection of beer and several well-regarded restaurants in the same plaza.
Night Oat Gladstone
Owners of the former Montgomery Scotch Lounge have renamed it Night Oat, in part to avoid maintaining a pricey Scotch menu, but also to better align with their sister establishment on Bank Street, the Oat Couture Oatmeal Cafe. Night Oat is an oatmeal cafe by day. but at night it turns into a cozy spot with a warm vibe and seating for about 50 in front of a small stage. Jazz was the mainstay of the Scotch crowd, and it continues under the cafe format, with regular jazz jams, but the programming has expanded to feature other genres, too, including comedy. The night menu features a curated wine list, local beer and a few nibbles.
Bar Robo at Queen Street Fare
Queen Street Fare is basically a food hall for downtown office workers, but it was built with a roomy stage at one end that’s booked by Scott May, who used to own Bar Robo in Chinatown. While the musical offerings at Q Bar aren’t as adventurous as the original Bar Robo, and the sound system needs improvement, it has regular jazz nights, a popular happy hour and occasionally hosts worldbeat dance bands. Located next to the Parliament train station, it’s easily accessible and still feels sleek and new. And, if you get one of the tables at the front, the sound is fine.
Overflow Brewing Company
With a big stage, terrific sound system and a capacity of 356 in the taproom, this brewpub/music venue has become a destination in the Bank Street South area, drawing patrons who live in the neighbourhood as well as rural residents who don’t want to drive all the way downtown for a night out. Open since 2018, some of its most popular attractions are tribute bands and DJ/dance parties.
Club SAW
The multimillion-dollar renovation to the Arts Court building a few years back also gave a much-needed makeover to what used to be a dank basement nightclub. Now Club SAW, which is part of the artist-run SAW Centre, is a state-of-the-art multidisciplinary venue and pop-up gallery dedicated to performances, parties and other cultural happenings. It has room for more than 280 people standing or 100 seated in rows of chairs. A wall of glass doors at the entrance opens onto a courtyard that can also be used for shows in warm weather. Other amenities include the latest digital sound and video-projection equipment, a backstage green room, complete with mirrors, a shower and a raised stage. Accessibility is fantastic, with elevators where needed, a wheelchair ramp and an adult-changing table in one of the all-gender washrooms.