01Introduction
Montreal has several different kinds of rock night: a drink in an alternative bar, a punk show in a small room, or a touring metal band in a concert hall. This guide covers 16 current bars and venues, with the concert venues listed separately from the bars so you can choose the kind of evening you want.
For a bar and live music, start with Les Foufounes Électriques, Piranha Bar or Turbo Haüs. On the Plateau, L’Escogriffe and La Rockette are on the same stretch of rue Saint-Denis, and L’Hémisphère Gauche is on Beaubien Est. The Casa del Popolo website is another useful starting point for comparing independent concerts across several rooms on boulevard Saint-Laurent.
The entries below link to venue information and specific programmes checked on 28 September 2026. Dates mentioned are examples from those listings, not a complete concert diary. Several venues also host dance music, comedy or other performances; finding a venue in this guide does not mean that every event there will be rock, punk or metal.
Choose the event and the room
02Downtown and the Quartier Latin: Bars and Smaller Venues
Les Foufounes Électriques
87 rue Sainte-Catherine Est, Montréal
Les Foufounes Électriques combines a bar with an underground concert programme. For a visitor choosing between a drink and a show, both parts of the venue matter: look at the concert calendar as well as the general bar information. The official site gives the same Sainte-Catherine Est address for the venue and its contact page.
The current promoter listings include AJJ with Greet Death on 12 October 2026 and a Dopethrone Halloween bill on 31 October. Those are specific bookings to investigate if you want a live show. The venue says its concerts take place on the second floor; see the accessibility notes below before planning a visit.
Official venue page; Official contact and venue information; Official programme and details; Extensive Enterprise programme.
Piranha Bar
680 rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest, Montréal
Piranha Bar hosts rock and metal concerts in two named performance spaces. Its listings distinguish the upstairs Heaven Stage from the basement Hell Stage, so keep the room name with your booking. The October programme includes Greenleaf and Howling Giant upstairs on 1 October and Supersuckers with The Rumours downstairs on 2 October 2026.
The calendar also explicitly identifies thrash and heavy metal bills, including Ural in October and Starlight Ritual in November. This makes Piranha a useful starting point for heavier music. The different rooms share the Sainte-Catherine Ouest address, but their programmes are separate: finding one event at Piranha does not tell you what is happening in the other room.
Official venue page; Official programme and details.
Turbo Haüs
2040 rue Saint-Denis, Montréal
Turbo Haüs is a bar and live venue on rue Saint-Denis with shows seven days a week, from band bills to a Wednesday open jam and weekend afternoon matinées. Its programme goes well beyond punk.
Official venue page; Official contact and venue information; Official programme and details.
03Saint-Denis, the Plateau and Beaubien
L’Escogriffe
4461 rue Saint-Denis, Montréal
L’Escogriffe is a bar and live music venue on Saint-Denis with a large terrace. Punk and alternative rock lead its bookings, which also take in post-punk, new wave, shoegaze, stoner rock, krautrock, jazz and experimental music. Apart from New Year’s Eve and some anniversary concerts in March, the venue does not produce the shows itself, so check the announcement for the night you want.
The venue’s own social profile gives 4461 Saint-Denis as its address and publishes a booking contact. The address is close to La Rockette, but these are separate entries.
Official venue page; Cult MTL venue guide.
La Rockette
4479 rue Saint-Denis, Montréal
La Rockette is an alternative bar with DJs and a dance floor. Its own profile describes an alternative bar on the Plateau since 2006, with a DJ and the dance floor open from Tuesday to Saturday. The rue Saint-Denis business association describes rock, punk and indie music among the selections. Start here if your priority is a DJ night rather than a named touring band.
The address is 4479 Saint-Denis, on the same stretch as L’Escogriffe, but check each one separately for the night’s announcements. The official profile publishes the venue’s booking contact and current identity; the local business association supplies the street address and more detail about its musical focus.
Official venue page; Rue Saint-Denis business association.
L’Hémisphère Gauche
221 rue Beaubien Est, Montréal
L’Hémisphère Gauche is an alternative bar with punk, hardcore and metal concerts. Its own listings describe these styles directly, including metallic hardcore and deathcore in September and a street punk bill on 9 October 2026. This is a useful calendar to check if the heavier side of the guide is your priority.
The venue is at 221 Beaubien Est. Its programme covers more than one style, so read the band descriptions attached to the date that interests you rather than using the bar’s name as a guarantee of a particular sound. The official website keeps the event listings and contact information together, with a published booking email for enquiries that the individual show page does not answer.
Official venue page; Official contact and venue information.
04Concert Venues: Independent Rooms and Touring Halls
These places host rock gigs but are not rock bars. Their programmes cover several styles, so check each venue's listings for a rock show before going.
Quai des Brumes
4481 rue Saint-Denis, Montréal
Quai des Brumes presents live music in several styles, including folk and rock. Its own calendar describes each performer: the 30 September 2026 pairing of Mille Soleils and Banc d’parc carried a folk and rock description for Banc d’parc.
Official venue page; Official programme and details.
Casa del Popolo
4873 boulevard Saint-Laurent, Montréal
Casa del Popolo presents independent and experimental concerts. Its calendar has included Reuben and the Dark on 10 October and Kindsight on 14 November 2026. The shared website also covers La Sala Rossa, La Sotterenea and La Toscadura, which have their own listings and addresses, so filter by venue when choosing a show.
Official venue page; Official contact and venue information.
La Sala Rossa
4848 boulevard Saint-Laurent, Montréal
La Sala Rossa is a concert hall on the Casa del Popolo programme. Its calendar has included Bibi Club on 8 October and Sweeping Promises with Hélène Barbier and Knitting on 4 November 2026. La Sotterenea shares the 4848 address, so keep the room name with your booking.
Official venue page; Official contact and venue information.
La Sotterenea
4848 boulevard Saint-Laurent, Montréal
La Sotterenea is a separate concert room listed on the Casa del Popolo website. Its calendar has included Bleu Nuit and Ellemetue on 9 October, IAN SWEET on 17 October and Flooding on 20 October 2026.
Official venue page; Official contact and venue information.
La Toscadura
4388 boulevard Saint-Laurent, Montréal
La Toscadura is a concert room whose programme includes heavier and experimental acts. Its October 2026 listings included Ava Mendoza, PIG, Horse Jumper of Love and Haram. It appears on the Casa del Popolo website, but its address differs from Casa and from the two rooms at 4848.
Official venue page; Official contact and venue information.
Bar le Ritz PDB
179 rue Jean-Talon Ouest, Montréal
Bar le Ritz PDB hosts live bands and dance events. Its programme has included Unsane on 30 September, Elephant Stone on 1 October and The Effigies on 9 October 2026. The information page also shows an office address on rue Saint-Hubert; that is not the concert venue. The venue describes a ground-floor entrance with a ramp and accessible washrooms.
Official venue page; Official contact and venue information; Blue Skies Turn Black programme.
Théâtre Fairmount
5240 avenue du Parc, Montréal
Théâtre Fairmount programmes live bands alongside other concert and club events. Its October 2026 calendar included Horse Lords on 2 October and Quicksand with Fucked Up on 3 October.
Official venue page; Official contact and venue information.
Club Soda
1225 boulevard Saint-Laurent, Montréal
Club Soda is a concert hall with rock and punk bookings in a wider programme. Its calendar listed Russian Circles on 30 September 2026 under rock and Ludwig Von 88 on 9 October under punk rock. Use the Saint-Laurent address: the venue’s history page explains that Club Soda moved from an earlier avenue du Parc location.
Official venue page; Official contact and venue information.
MTELUS
59 rue Sainte-Catherine Est, Montréal
MTELUS is a concert hall with touring rock and metal acts in its programme. The October 2026 calendar included Two Door Cinema Club, W.A.S.P. with KK’s PRIEST and Igorrr with Secret Chiefs 3, among other genres. The calendar shows both doors and performance times.
Official venue page; Official contact and venue information.
Théâtre Beanfield
2490 rue Notre-Dame Ouest, Montréal
Théâtre Beanfield hosts touring rock and metal concerts. Its October 2026 programme included Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats with Messa, Cradle of Filth, Castle Rat and Plini, among performers from other styles.
Official venue page; Official contact and venue information.
05Practical Notes
Tickets, rooms and age restrictions
Start from the venue or promoter link attached to the show. Check which room is named and distinguish the doors time from the performance time. MTELUS and Théâtre Beanfield display both in their calendars. At Piranha, the Heaven Stage and Hell Stage are different performance spaces.
The Foufounes events page states 18+. Check the specific listing for other venues, especially when a programme includes both concerts and club nights.
Accessibility
Casa del Popolo describes ground-level entrances with ramps and one wheelchair-accessible washroom. Bar le Ritz PDB describes a ramp at its ground-floor entrance and accessible washrooms. These statements apply to those specific venues; the other Casa rooms have their own information pages.
Les Foufounes Électriques says its concert space is on the second floor and is not wheelchair accessible. Contact the venue directly about any access requirements before booking. A bar entrance and a concert-room entrance can be different parts of a visit, so explain which event you want to attend.
Getting to the venue
Use the full address, including Est or Ouest where given. Sainte-Catherine addresses in this guide include both directions, and the Casa venues share a website while using different street numbers. The STM metro information page links to network maps, service information and elevator status. Check the journey to the venue and the return trip for your concert date.
06History: Spectrum Is Closed
Spectrum
Spectrum was a concert hall at 318 rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest. It closed on 5 August 2007 and is included here only as a historical venue. It is not one of the 16 current entries, and its former address is not a destination for a present-day show.
Voir’s contemporary report gives the address and plans for the final night; TVA’s closure report records the closure on 5 August 2007. For a concert now, use one of the current programmes above.
07Frequently Asked Questions
Where should I look for metal in Montreal?
Start with Piranha Bar and L’Hémisphère Gauche, whose official calendars identify metal and related styles. Also compare the bills at Les Foufounes Électriques, MTELUS and Théâtre Beanfield. The examples in this guide come from dated programmes; the band and date matter more than assuming a venue has the same music every night.
Which places are useful for punk and smaller shows?
L’Escogriffe puts punk and alternative rock at the front of its bookings, Turbo Haüs has band bills across a wider range than punk, and L’Hémisphère Gauche lists street punk and hardcore. For a DJ-led alternative bar night, look at La Rockette. These are different kinds of evening, so compare the actual announcement before settling on a venue.
Does this guide include closed venues?
The current list contains 16 venues checked on 28 September 2026. Spectrum appears only in the labelled history section. If you are reading an older concert listing, check the venue’s current programme and address before travelling; a past show establishes where an artist played at that time, not what is available tonight.
You can also browse the Montreal venue directory for the individual entries linked throughout this guide.