MONTREAL
BANDS RAW
LOUD & LOCAL
From Mile End lofts to Hochelaga basements, from Jazz Fest to Pop Montreal — we map the loudest, weirdest, most beautiful music made on the island. No algorithms. Just sweat, feedback and poutine after the show.
WE ARE THE
BASEMENT TAPES
OF MONTREAL
MontrealBands.net started in 2008 with a borrowed MiniDisc recorder, a STM night pass and a love for feedback-drenched Tuesdays at Casa del Popolo. Today we are a collective of photographers, zine kids, sound techs and ex-drummer baristas documenting the city’s independent music.
Montreal is UNESCO City of Design, but for us it’s City of Drone, City of DIY. Rents that (still, barely) allow rehearsal rooms. Winters that force you to start a shoegaze band. Summers of tam-tams on Mount Royal, jazz on Sainte-Catherine, punk in Parc Villeray. Two languages, a thousand scenes colliding.
We don’t rank. We witness. We interview the opener as seriously as the headliner. We list the $8 BYOB loft as proudly as Place des Arts.
SIX BANDS YOU
MUST SEE LIVE
Tape hiss, trumpet freak-outs, bilingual post-punk. These are not Spotify playlists — these are sweat-on-the-ceiling bands. Catch them in a 120-cap room before they headline Osheaga.
Plateau • Post-Punk / Coldwave
Neon Vultures
French-English snarl, Joy Division bass, 4 sold-out Casa shows
Mile End • Psych-Soul
Velvet Tam-Tams
Sunday park jams turned 8-piece groove machine
Hochelaga • Hardcore
Depanneur Death
38-second songs about rent, dep wine & STM delays
Griffintown • Electro / Footwork
Lachine Canal Club
Modular synths, bike-path field recordings
Saint-Henri • Folk-Orchestral
St. Henri Strings
12 members, kitchen-party violins, Arcade basement roots
Verdun • Jazz-Punk
Wellington Trio +1
Coltrane meets Les Breastfeeders at 1amFROM DIVE BARS
TO CATHEDRALS
Montreal venues are characters. Sticky floors, perfect sound, smoked-meat breaks between sets. Our top picks for every budget and earplug level.
Veg poutine upstairs, noise downstairs. The living room of indie MTL since 2000.
Spanish hall, chandeliers, best balcony for trumpet solos and crowd surf.
Ex-Metropolis. Where local openers become legends. That ceiling!
Tavern punk, $4 pint nights, pinball between bands. Pure Sud-Ouest.
Art-deco gem. Psych projections look insane here.
Francophone rock temple. M for Montreal showcases explode here.
Basement hardcore, bring earplugs and exact change. All ages.
Jazz Fest nights under stars. When your band makes it, you play here.
“In Montreal you can play a loft Monday, a church Tuesday and a sold-out theatre Friday — and bike to all three.”
— Marie-Plume, drummer, Neon VulturesTHIS MONTH
ON STAGE
Hand-picked. No Ticketmaster hell — most shows $12–$25 at the door. Doors 8pm, headliner 10pm sharp (this is Montreal, not Berlin).
Neon Vultures + Wellington Trio +1
La Sala Rossa, Plateau — Coldwave meets jazz-punk. Visuals by Baie-Sainte collective.
Depanneur Death — Hochelaga Block Party
La Sotterenea + outdoor stage, Ontario St. Free, all ages, BBQ by Dépanneur Le Pick.
Velvet Tam-Tams (8-piece) + DJ Night Nurse
Théâtre Fairmount, Mile Ex — Psych-soul marathon + tam-tam afterparty.
St. Henri Strings — Church Session
Église Saint-Henri — 12 strings + choir, candles, winter coat required.
Lachine Canal Club — All Night Modular
Casa del Popolo — 6h synth rave, bring bike lights, leave with tinnitus & joy.
LATEST DROPS & STORIES
Reviews, interviews, scene reports. Written at 2am after the show, edited with strong coffee on Saint-Viateur.
Inside the Mile End Rehearsal Bunkers
How 40 bands share 6 rooms, one broken amp and infinite ambition...
Soon →“We Sing in Two Languages Because the Crowd Does”
Neon Vultures on franglais choruses, winter songwriting and poutine riders...
Soon →DIY Recording: $300 EP in Hochelaga
Where to borrow a Tascam, which dep sells cheapest strings, how to mix in a loft...
Soon →SHOT ON FILM,
LOUD IN PERSON
How do I get my band listed on MontrealBands.net?
Send us a 3-song link, a photo from a real gig (not a parking lot), your hood and next show date via the contact block below. We listen to everything within 10 days. No fees, no payola — if you rehearse on the island, you belong here.
Do you cover French-speaking bands too?
Absolutely — oui! Half the scene sings in French, half in English, many switch mid-chorus. All our reviews are in English with French quotes kept intact, because that’s how Montreal talks.
What’s the best first venue for a new band?
Start at Bar de Courcelle or Casa del Popolo open mic, graduate to La Sala Rossa, dream of MTELUS. Bring your own DI box, thank the sound tech, and never skip soundcheck.
PLAY LOUD. PLAY MONTREAL.
Submit your demo, book a photo pit, or just tell us where the next loft party is. We answer faster than a drummer after free beer.
BOULEVARD SAINT-LAURENT, MTL
Office above a bagel shop, below a rehearsal room. Knock loud — we’re probably mixing. Open Tue–Sat 12pm–7pm. STM: Laurier. Bixi out front.
HQ: 4380 Blvd Saint-Laurent, Mile End
Rehearsal Bunker: Hochelaga, Rue Ontario
Photo Lab: Verdun, Wellington St
TELL US ABOUT YOUR BAND
Booking, press, corrections, loft party tips — we read everything.