Don’t feel like laying down serious cash for a big-ticket show? Still want to hear some live music, but looking for something a little different? These Montreal joints will keep the cash in your pocket while you groove to live tunes.
If you want your free live music with a properly poured pint of Guinness, you'll be in luck here. Charming, festive, raucously energetic at times, this is where you can get your fix of traditional Irish music. But there’s more than that. With two separate floors for live music, this well-appointed old school pub also hosts local bands and more.
If jazz is your thing, you’ll want to check this place out, with its relaxed atmosphere and scrumptious food. Early evening shows will cost you a few bucks, but here’s the thing – the jazz goes late, and all the late shows are free entry. With a growing and loyal customer base, this place’s reputation is rapidly rising.
This is a dive bar, plain and simple, but that’s the objective. You’ll find country, bluegrass, folk, rockabilly, roadhouse, and sometimes punk and hardcore on different nights of the week. Amidst the grit and grime, there’s a homey vibe to this ancient, unaltered building. It’s a locals’ local where you can get to know the regulars, but don’t miss it as you cruise past all the nearby hipster joints.
There’s a little something for everyone here. It’s a café, a restaurant, a watering hole, an art gallery and of course, a live music venue. The clientele is an eclectic mix of rag-tags and vegetarians, but all of them inviting. Le Cagibi is a place to chill and get into that Mile End vibe.
Modavie offers up live jazz seven nights a week. It’s an upscale bar and bistro spread over two floors, with a full-scale Mediterranean-themed dinner menu. The old-world interior matches its historic Old Montreal setting perfectly. With its energetic ambiance, Modavie is sure to kick your night up a notch or two.
If you’re in need of some good local flavours, you’ll find them at Old Montreal’s 2 Pierrots, with its endemic crowds and melange of Québécois folk, pop and rock shows. It’s an intimate, friendly neighbourhood pub, and live music happens every Friday and Saturday.