Venues on
the menu

Novel locales for getting one's drink on, so to speak

by LORRAINE CARPENTER, JOHNSON CUMMINS and RAF KATIGBAK
photos by RACHEL GRANOFSKY

4Play
3553 St-Laurent, 284-7529
While it's been open for a year, 4Play still considers itself one of the new kids on the lower St-Laurent block. Taking up the space that was once Envy (and Bubbles before that), 4Play retains the open-air feel of a cigar lounge with a nightclub atmosphere, Friday and Saturday nights. The sparse seating isn't a worry on weekends as the club gets packed with a relatively older, more professional (read: dress code) drinking crowd. Did somebody say bouzouki night?! (RK)

Boul Noir
551 Mont-Royal E., 525-5091, www.boulnoir.com
If you're looking to shoot some stick, this second-floor establishment is certainly a step up from the dingy, urine/beer-soaked pool halls of old. That's not to say that Boul Noir isn't without it's charm, warmed up with nouveau-tiki rooftop thatching at the front bar and sleek and curvy modern leather wood-grain accents in the rear lounge (with fireplace). If you're looking for a swanky night of nine-ball or foos, with a jazzy, Brazilian house soundtrack, weekends here are bumpin'. (RK)

Divan Orange
4234 St-Laurent, 840-9090
Rivalling Casa del Popolo, this resto-bar-venue has been booking a variety of bands since September, most notably via Mandatory Moustache, promoters whose concert series puts the accent on local talent. Apart from sporadic ticketed events, the 200-capacity co-op suggests donations of $5 or less for their shows, which run most nights of the week. Delicious vegetarian snacks and meals are served from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. (and booze until 3 a.m.), every day but Monday, le Divan's day of rest. (LC)

Fort Moshington, aka Milk Soup House, aka Bleury Beach Club
2106 Bleury
Fort Moshington is actually a house with all three roommates promoting shows (hence the three different names). The capacity of this tiny space is about 50 people - "But we can get about 60 kids in here if we take out the couches," says promoter and housemate Aaron St. Laurent. The bookings so far have pretty much been punk rock, indie and hardcore bands, which have included Cancer Bats, Say Goodbye, Robot Kill City, the Diskettes, Brrr and more. The next show coming up will be on April 29, when D.C.'s Lions of Judah stop in, but for God's sakes please adhere to the "please remove shoes" sign by the front door. "We usually ask people to take off their shoes before coming in," says St. Laurent, "because the carpet just becomes a total mess." Punk rock! If you want to stay abreast of any other shows happening at Fort Moshington, check out www.qchc.com for listings. (JC)

Le Local
7154 St-Urbain, 271-0757
Since Caesar Saez and Aneesa Hashmi took over this 300-capacity space a year ago, le Local has been the site of punk, rock and electro shows, visual arts installations, dance performances and video nights. Once a secret sweatshop, the inconspicuous little box of a building is laid out like a two-storey industrial loft with a third room tucked into the stairwell, a smaller open space that made a perfect mini movie theatre at the recent Horror Show. (LC)

La Shop
2090 Moreau, #102 (entrance by the back doors), 880-0692
After UQÀM kicked out the punk-rock inhabitants of L'X five months ago, Caroline Bérubé and company started setting their sights on a new space that could accommodate all-ages shows while providing easy access to up and coming punk rock, ska and hardcore bands. La Shop (near Prefontaine metro) boasts a capacity of 250 people and has already hosted shows by Embrace Today, Map, Second 12 and more. "I think it's important that Montreal has a punk rock venue that is run by people who have the same punk rock ideals," says Bérubé. (JC)

Toc Toc
6091 Parc
Everyone blinked and missed Toc Toc's brief tenure only a block away from its current, 200-capacity digs, but the little venue that could has thrived since relocating to the corner of Van Horne last fall. Open weekdays from 10 a.m. to midnight (or later if there's a show) and weekends from 11 a.m., the space features Thursday-night "bring-your-own-instrument" jams, Friday-night hip hop battles, Sunday-night open mics, sporadic vernissages, local and touring punk acts and the house band Ponytail. A proper menu is forthcoming, but there's always a small selection of chow to be had. (LC)

Traffik
101 Joseph-Carrier, Vaudreuil-Dorion (40 West, Exit 35),
(450) 424-6011
If you've got wheels and a thirst for big-room house and R&B, Traffik is one of the larger, more posh new club/lounge/terrasse spots. If the sleek design and big-name guest DJs like Roger Sanchez and Chus & Ceballos doesn't woo club-goers from the regular haunts, the huge terrasse with BBQ and swimming pool just might. West Island punters should take a detour from their commute to take advantage of their Thursday Rush Hour cinq à septs. (RK)