Last year we lost the One World Cafe, but thankfully the ever-popular Pavilion is keeping the all-ages music scene alive and the Common thumping (the good kind) every weekend. Chris Smith, who runs the live venue, says that 2007 was a big year with sold-out shows from Cancer Bats last January and Protest the Hero, who played The Pavilion’s anniversary party, in August. One of the great things about that brick building is that all musical genres are welcome, like the “very special intimate performance from Jill Barber during the Halifax ECMAs where Jill came out into the crowd to play and everyone sat on the floor. Amazing vibe.” Smith says that Misery Signals, Shai Hulud and The Human Abstract were probably the loudest. “That was a crazy show!”
First runner up: One World Cafe
Second runner up: Khyber Club
