Last February, Muzique — a popular club on Saint Laurent Boulevard — had to close after a 16 year run. John Gumbley, one of the owners of the club, admitted the club had grown run down in recent years and needed to modernise, describing the closing as “bittersweet.” Muzique was a major nightlife institution in Montreal, having hosted some of the world’s most prominent DJs like Tiesto and Avicii.
In July, Blue Dog — another bar on Saint Laurent — had to close due to frequent noise complaints from neighbours. This same pressure was put on Champs, which had to consequently cancel its dance and live music events. Even stages that used to host Montreal’s rock and indie scene in intimate venues, like Divan Orange or The Divine Bell Social Club, are closing up due to the high number of noise complaints they have been facing.
Is the closure of these institutions a testimony to Montreal’s dying nightlife? Have clubs and live music only become a nuisance to gentrified Montreal neighbourhoods?
The cost of living in Montreal has risen dramatically in the last decade. With rent prices in Montreal skyrocketing by 71 per cent since 2019, ‘going out’ has become rarer as people opt for nights in over nights out to save money. ‘Home-tainment’ has become increasingly popular, with greater access to varied music through streaming, as well as the diminished price of consumption at home. This trend is not constrained to Montreal: nightclubs and bars are closing across North America and Europe as well. Great Britain, for example, went from having 3,144 nightclubs in 2005 to only 1,733 in 2025. The gentrification of certain areas of the city, like Mile-End or the Plateau, contributed to rises in rent and consumption prices, and in turn the arrival of new residents either less inclined to enjoy or more intolerant to nightlife activities. This also means that nightclubs and bars are more exposed to noise complaints in Montreal. Unlike cities such as London, Toronto, and Melbourne, Montreal nightlife venues are not protected by the system of the agent of change principle. In these other cities, this system protects venues from abusive noise complaints by decreeing that new buildings in the neighbourhood adapt to their surroundings and take responsibility for their own soundproofing.
The new “framework policy for nighttime activities,” issued by the Mayor of Projet Montréal, has been criticised by venues and nightlife actors. Despite promoting cohabitation, it does nothing to limit the costs of owning a venue. In fact, the framework proposes ‘24h spaces’ free of noise complaints, which would only lead to rental prices — and consequently consumption prices at these venues — skyrocketing. This is according to Mathieu Grondin, director of Mtl 24/24: an organisation that seeks to develop and destigmatize nightlife in Montreal, particularly in the underground scene. Furthermore, if the plan agrees to financially support mainstream “centres of nightlife vitality” and independent theatres, not a cent will be sent to the underground scene of Montreal, arguably the most thriving cultural scene of the city.
Rave culture and the techno scene emerged in Montreal as early as the 1990s, stemming from the UK’s late 80s electronic tradition. At the time, G’nat, co-organiser of Montreal’s first rave, admits that “techno was still pretty obscure” as Montreal’s music scene was dominated by House music. However, the genre grew rapidly into one of the most widespread in North America. Today, the rave scene, which is now both underground and legalised, have become popular to younger partygoers seeking novelty away from commercial clubs. While the DJs in a regular club often play one trendy hit after another, DJs and underground artists come with their own compositions and remixes, contributing to the novelty of the rave experience. Although illegal drugs used to contribute to the ‘novelty’ of the rave experience, the recent expansion of raves to the public, legalised scene has shown a growing inherent interest among youth in electronic music, from house and edm to hard tech and industrial sounds. Raves and electronic music have emerged from the underground scene to the point that it was in Montreal that the first 36h party marathon of Canada was organised by Mtl 24/24 in August 2023. Halte, Montreal’s first open-air rave festival, also shows the rave scene’s emergence from the underground. Independently run by rave crews and collectives like Octov or Hauterageous in June of this year, the festival showcased underground sounds and artists while boasting as an open-air event accessible to everyone. Moreover, the electronic scene has also reinvented itself to conquer new territory: more intimate and cozy venues like Cafe GotSoul or Cafe FAME provide alternative experiences of live and electronic music in inclusive spaces. These have brought the electronic culture out from the traditional club scene, which typically involves copious amounts of alcohol, loud bass and late nights out.
In addition to these alternative spacesFurthermore, Montreal has seensaw a boom in the number of festivals it hosted, welcoming more and more especially during summer. While these are temporary events, they show the willingness of people to continue going out and enjoy live music and artists outside of the regular, commercialised night-out format.
The charm of Montreal’s live music venues and intimate spaces is one we can strive to preserve in various ways. Even with looming social problems, like gentrification and the surge in rent and cost of living, the Montreal nightlife scene has adapted: bringing its underground rave scene into the spotlight while learning from its resilience and constant renewal.