Dear Halifax bars, every weekend I like to have some drinks and dance. I’m in my apartment all week, so by Friday I want to get out, mingle, and support local businesses. Unfortunately, you only cater to the top 40 and house communities. This leaves me hosting living room dance parties that don’t give you any money. Is it too much to ask for a bar that reflects the Halifax festival scene that we so proudly tote year after year? I’m simply asking for a single place that would reliably play the following music: Bloc Party, LCD Soundsystem, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, You Say Party! We Say Die!, Franz Ferdinand, Modest Mouse, Beck, Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, Caribou, CSS, Death From Above 1979, Freeland, Girl Talk, Hawksley Workman, Hot Chip, M.I.A., Metric, MGMT, The New Pornographers, The Rapture, Ruby Jean and the Thoughtful Bees, Slowcoaster, The Ting Tings, etc. We proudly boast when these bands come to town, but we never deliver on any follow through, which comes off as hypocritical. So please, one Halifax bar, step up and deliver on some of the music that we Haligonians so clearly enjoy! —Gatt

This article appears in Jan 27 – Feb 2, 2011.

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78 Comments

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  2. How’s about you open your own goddamn bar? That way you can play whatever music you want.

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  3. what the fuck was all that shit, sounded like verbal diarhea. if that’;s what you call music, then by all means, stay the fuck home, and bug your neighbors, til they shoot you.

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  5. ummm, I’ve never heard any of those bands….
    and only heard of MM and Beck. (because the bitchers were ranting and raving about the MM concert relatively recently)

    seriously though, there’s SO MANY bars… if you can’t find one to suit you, you’re not really trying very hard. Hell I know one place we’ve gone…
    (not mindless /useless dancing tho…not my cup of tea…. if I want to look like an epileptic getting tazed, I’ll do so in my own home)
    …
    who would take a PSP and hook it up to listen to –> ala Jonno.

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  6. “dance parties that don’t give you any money” – WTF? I go to a venue for the music.

    But I do know what you mean OB, I would love to find a place that plays Seasons After, SRV, Halestorm, Zeppelin, Sick Pups, Cream, D Pool, Metalica, Volbeat, Mudvayne, Break Ben, FFDP, 3DG, Godsmack, Hendrix etc.

    You could always get a bunch of investors together and open your own place.

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  8. I agree with you OP. These bands come in, people love them… then you never hear their music again until their next tour. It would be great if there was a bar/pub that focused on these groups. So I would be a customer if you ever decide to open up your own place!

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  9. I should also note that while not impossible to get me to the U2 concert….
    it would take quite a bit of convincing to get me to go anywhere near moncton that weekend.
    Should be a decently empty halifax though. 🙂
    works for me… I hope Moncton get all the good concerts TBH.

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  11. Ya? I don’t find that the music they play when they don’t have live shows is all that great – it’s more top 40. Bu I haven’t been in a while…

    I can’t make up my mind if i want to brave the crowds in Moncton for U2 or not…^^ I’ll probably be nearby, so i may just do it. We shall see…

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  13. I guess it’s true, they announced it today on the U2 website. Arcade Fire to open… so not a bad opener either, and hopefully some local acts on even before. But 70,000 people? Ugh.

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  15. All good bands OP, Halifax has a lot of choices but usually goes with the basics. LS come out of your cave dude, even though classic is still my favorite too, there are still some pretty good bands coming along – Don’t knock it unless you’ve heard it!

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  16. U2 is probably the most overrated band out there right now. Seriously, if U2 was half as good as they’re made out to be, listening to them would induce multiple involuntary orgasms. I can think of shit tons of better underrated bands I’d rather see, some of which OP has already listed.

    There’s probably three U2 songs that are good, the rest are mediocre at best… but even the few good songs are nothing to piss your pants about.

    If I went to that concert I’d pull a Black Eyed Peas: go for the opening acts and then leave when the headliners come out.

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  20. how about a bar where you can talk to the person your with instead of shouting over music, that would be lovely too, but fuck it ill stay at home instead and save me the cash.

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  21. yea Ivan CP is kinda lame (though I can’t hate a band who samples Kraftwerk) ..and the best Irish band is the Waterboys 🙂

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  24. OP, I hear ya. I have heard of a few of these bands, tho not listened to too many… maybe I should broaden my horizons. I doubt they are the commercial mind-numbing tripe I hear on the radio now. If I hear Tommy used to work on the docks or I wanna be a rock star one more time… BARRRRRRF.

    To be the devil’s advocate, I’d wager that your crowd don’t slam back brewskies or Sex On The Beach like the typical Dome crowd, hence the lack of suitable bars for you. It’s all about dinero and dance music divas +horny guys = moolah. I used to hate going out cuz even back in my day not many hot chicks with big boobs wanted to dance to my kinda music. I had to put up with dance bars to make the break.

    U2 Is sickening to watch, that boner Bono probably has a tattoo of himself on his shoulder… I go to a show to see a band play, not have some arsepick blow off about politics or his pet project. Hedley should open for them and then you’d have all the over-acting trying-too-hard twits in one room.

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  25. i like system of a down and them crooked vultures (the boy’s influence) celebrity whores are the worst…”here i’ll bend over and you can use me as a coffee table”

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  29. i cant say as i have heard about 90% of those bands. the ones i do recognize are all brit bands. i agree that nothing but house and rap is a shitty way to spend a night drinking…but live music…oooh blues, rock etc…much better for the soul.

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  30. Ask any of the bars that play satellite radio to switch the channel to Alt Nation (21 on Sirius) and you will hear every one of these bands daily.

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  32. we listen to many radio stations, charlietownblues is good and i like the reggae/island stations

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  37. Dear OP,

    this is a flagrant moment of self-promotion (and I haven’t even gotten my shit/posters/etc together for this, really) but I know a bunch of women who feel the same way you do and we are hosting a dance party on March 1 at Gus’ with a lot of the bands you mentioned. It’s not strictly a girl thing, musically or attendance-wise, but all the DJs will be women. NO DOUCHERY. Just fun. If you want to get an idea of what we’ll play, you should check out the mixtape I posted on New Year’s. It’s totally up to you but I’m sick of living room dance parties myself, so I’m starting this one. Come!

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  38. Also Loukas Crowther (Coast production designer) DJs at least once a month at Tribeca for Panic! and has amazing taste and is an actual for-real DJ who isn’t shitty. You should definitely go. I am saying this because I know he will not do so himself. You can check out his facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Loukas-St…
    he posts his playlists, podcasts, etc all the time there.

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  39. Wait now, when did CSS come to town? I do somewhat understand you op. I’ve been longing for a long loud play of a Diplo remixed I Blame Coco track but you can’t win can you. Ah welll.

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  42. I know I’m weird but I’d rather pay 75 to see U2 play in a field, or The Pixies for that matter, and I was rocking to the Pixies ‘back in tha day’. Seriously, I saw Windom Earle or whatever it was last week for 6 bucks and it was a great time and I got home by 3am. Travel to Moncton or sit in an arena? no tx.

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  43. I don’t know what happened but 1/2 my msg got messed up, plus it was meant to say I’d rather NOT pay 75 to see U2, I’d rather pay 6 to rock at a local bar.

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  45. I get paid to travel & set up/tear down live acts…. & I wouldn’t go work the U2 show unless there wasn’t another gig in all Atlantic Canada.
    I’m definately with Snoop & Guyute in my view of this over rated bunch of whiners.

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  46. I agree that U2 are highly overrated and that Bono is a narcissistic douchebag. Judas Priest are going to go on a massive (supposedly) farewell tour later this year and I hope they come somewhere relatively close because that would be fucking amazing.

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  47. “They’re filling their bong pipes” I snarled with a sneer.
    “Loading their wine skins with designer Bock beer.”
    “They’ll gather in fields and defecate in the mud”
    They’ll chant ‘Fair Trade Hemp’ & ‘No Oil For Blood’

    This wanker who pays not a farthing in tax,
    will lecture us to give Africa’s debt the big axe.
    ‘Creating Awareness” he’ll say , with a smirk.
    “Is far fucking easier than actual work”

    They’ll gather with twizzlers, rumpplugs and airbenders.
    They’ fornicate loudly with swizzbangs & felchenders.
    For 49 years I’ve put up with it now.
    I MUST stop Bono from coming, but how? http://www.bite.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010…

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  49. That’s just about enough U2 hate. I saw U2 just over a year ago in Toronto and the put on an absolutely incredible show. I haven’t seen the Arcade Fire but I have 3 albums and they are solid as well. It should be a great show for those lucky enough to attend.

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  50. The pleasure was mine Brendon >: ). Y’know I actually don’t mind a lot of U2; “One” is probably one of the best singles of the last 20 years IMHO (although Johnny Cash’s version blows it out of the park.) But the Saint Bono act got real old during the administration of Bush The Elder and it hasn’t gotten any less insufferable since then.
    http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-sn…

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  51. The only U2 song I actually like is Vertigo and even that isn’t anything spectacular.

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  52. I’ve got all the albums up to The Joshua Tree…ok, I have Rattle and Hum as well and didn’t really ‘get it’ after that. The whole Bono President of the World thing was a real turn-off. There, enough of the u2 hate.

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  56. “…Saint Bono act…”
    “…The whole Bono President of the World thing…”

    lol glad to see that Bono’s smarmy, shitass “Forgive-The-Debt-So-Despots-Can-Buy-More-Jets” act didn’t sit well with others as well… what a maroon. I suspect the jeans he wore to these interviews weren’t Zellers specials.

    On a related not, I heard a radio comment about 10 days ago, when they released the concert figures, that the main promoters are going to have to drop prices since they realize 2010 was the year we voted with our wallets (and youtube). They are at the point they have hit the ceiling. People will only pay so much to see Aerosmith, etc. even if they are supposed baby boomers with oodles of disposable revolving credit.

    Sorry to hijack the thread OP, kinda anyway. Not to be sarcastic but maybe you should look into a venue for your music. Imagine what being the owner would be like if someone came to you and asked “Can you play the newest Katy Perry song?”

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  60. You crazy OP, they play Kids by MGMT errywhere! Ooooh go to the Paragon on February 19th for SOS’s CD release show in which they’ll be playing some Daft Punk, MSTRKRFT and Justice and o’ course their own stuff :). I believe one of the members of SOS are also in Ruby Jean and the Thoughtful Bees. Annnd Tupperware Remix Party will also be there yay 🙂

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  61. Bono can suck my etc. I mean who wears purple sunglasses? … … 195 is right. ‘Vertigo’ is like the only song I can stand, and maybe ‘Beautiful Day’. I almost feel like he has to make up for his small stature … but no one cares!

    You know what song was piece of shit, ‘Roxanne’ by The Police. It’s only good for drinking games where you sip on the word Roxanne … 65 sips to be exact, oh hello floor. I also can’t stand Bon Jovi. Overplayed and over rated pieces of ugh. Come to think of it, there’s a lot of shit everywhere. Rihanna released the S&M song video and I just don’t get it. A yr ago your bf beat you and now you’re talking about chains and whips and beating and tie me down … I don’t get it.

    Also, ‘Parables’ by Rebekah Higgs is in my top 25.

    Rant done, for now >.<

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  62. south park did the episode where bonoer was just a piece of shit, fuck, did they ever have that one right. and donk sweetie, when and where. i’m trying to get bitcher’s summit together on feb i4th. at scotia square at 12 noon,coming????

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  70. Great taste in music Gatt. Most of the bars here cater to people that know nothing about music except TOP 40 Crap

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  71. Big Country, there’s a blast from the past. I saw a documentary on them and I guess they had a huge career in the UK.

    Bono is a fraud. Plain and simple. He only wants to see his name in print, and fuck the results… That article from Belfast is awesome. Over 1000 tonnes of equipment? I mean really, get over yourselves. What you do speaks so loud I can’t hear what you say, you fuckin putz.

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  73. Go to Gus’s pub. They don’t play all of that stuff but the bands will appeal to you.

    No top 40’s there.

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  74. in the concert announcements bono is trying to eat a small child. the coast is stealing their ideas from the bitchers…matt foley anyone?

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  75. “the coast is stealing their ideas from the bitchers”
    This isn’t a new thing, paingirl…they have been ‘inspired’ by the by bitch content for some time. The bitch pool is a great creative source…and it’s volunteer-based! = )

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  77. haha, i have no doubt commander. he brings out your best…well, volunteerism is good for your brain kimmy

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