Ask a Local: Live Music in Halifax

A great place to begin is in the heart of downtown at The Carleton. Here, it’s all about the music. Housed in one of the city’s oldest buildings, it was carefully designed as a listening room, with not a bad seat in the house acoustically. Booked by one of Halifax’s most important music champions, Mike Campbell, it brings in the best of the best from a wide range of genres throughout the region and beyond. Food is not an afterthought here either, with the resident chef making beautiful culinary music.

If nothing makes you happier than the blues, you’ll want to head over to Bearly’s House of Blues & Ribs. It hasn’t been around as long as the blues, but it feels like that inside. There are no frills or modern décor on tap at Bearly’s. It’s just an authentic blues joint slinging tasty ribs and a revolving door of the best blues players around.

If smashing your head on the punk rock is more your thing, Gus’ Pub has you covered. Kicking it since 1961, the North End venue has an anything-goes vibe, playing host to everything indie—from hardcore punk to pop, metal, hip-hop, alt county, folk, electronic, bluegrass, experimental… well, you get the picture. It’s kind of like Halifax’s CBGBs. It is a great place to catch bands on the way up, the way down, and on the way to the bar to get a pitcher of Olands.

Another much younger upstart venue, Radstorm, located on Gottingen Street, is also becoming a go-to spot for left-of-the dial sights and sounds from some of the city’s youngest noisemakers.

Up the street from Radstorm, you’ll find a music mecca comprised of the legendary Marquee Ballroom and Seahorse Tavern. For decades, many of Halifax’s and the world’s biggest alternative bands have graced their stages. With acts often playing on the upstairs Marquee stage and downstairs at The Seahorse, you may have trouble deciding which floor you want to be on. Add to that the more recent addition of The Local, hosting more intimate shows, and you’ve got yourself a merry-go-round of musical goodness on any given night.

Sometimes, you just want to let loose and dance to familiar tunes played by folks who know them all and know what they’re doing. Downtown Halifax’s Lower Deck and The Split Crow are good bets. Pacifico fits the bill for those more inclined to shake their hips to jazz, funk, soul, and house, with live bands and DJs ready to get you moving. Dartmouth’s Monte’s Showbar Grill hosts an eclectic mix of country, hip-hop, pop, and rock acts doing their own stuff and crowd-pleasing covers.

Celtic toe-tappers will find plenty to raise a pint to at Durty Nelly’s and The Old Triangle on the Halifax side, and Celtic Corner Public House in downtown Dartmouth. Celtic music is a pretty big deal here, so don’t be surprised if you hear it pop up in many places you happen by in the city.

We’ll finish with something a little further afield. Located in Hubbards, just over a half-hour drive from downtown Halifax, you’ll find something special in the Shore Club. This rustic hall has been serving lobster dinners and live entertainment nearly 80 years.

Many local favourites like the Mellotones, Reeny Smith, Joel Plasket, Asia & Nu Gruv, Big Fish, Classified, Rich Aucoin, Matt Mays, and Adam Baldwin make their way there throughout the summer to put on shows that somehow have an extra-special vibe to them. It’s kind of like summer camp but with booze, great food, and fantastic music. My kind of summer camp.

This article only scratches the surface of places where you can experience the sounds of Halifax. Do yourself a favour, throw on some comfortable shoes and wander around the city on any given night—if you hear something you like pumping out a door, drop in and join the party. Everybody’s welcome around here.