Take in a concert with up-and-coming bands and a young, energetic crowd with a simple bathroom and only light graffiti
Recently, I took a trip to Montreal to eat some poutine, speak very bad French and, for one night, take in a concert from local pop-punk bands in the basement of Casa del Popolo (translated from Italian, it means “The House of the People” and this venue was fittingly named La Sotterena, Italian for The Subterranean).
This venue is the definition of the underground Montreal musical scene. There are no signage displaying its name – instead you see a nondescript building showing the name of a since-closed Tapas restaurant.
Walking in, you pass a bar, some tables, and a larger venue with a 300 person capacity (called “La Sala Rosa,” Italian for “The Pink Room.”) With little signage, you take a leap of trust by going down a dimly lit stairwell and entering through two sets of doors before being greeted by a man at a fold-up table to take your cover charge and let you in to the show.
For seven dollars (Canadian) I took in a raucous concert in a tiny venue that can fit 200 people. This night, the number was closer to 50. Almost everyone in the standing room area were college students or members of one of the four bands that played from 10:30 PM until 1:30 AM.
Apparently, Canada knows how to rock and roll on a budget
One of the highlights for me was The Fake Friends, whose beer-bellied lead singer took off his tarp (that’s Canada for shirt) midway through his 30-minute set. That said I enjoyed every band I saw during this mid-week show in May, and so did the young and energetic crowd who spent the night moshing (I witnessed at least one person have to retire to one of the couches in the corner to nurse a severely sprained ankle).
Naturally after three hours of cheap drinks and hard rock, I had to utilize their subterranean bathroom. I’m not going to lie, I was worried. I was an outlier in a crowd of drunk and aggressive college students. And I have seen how drunk and aggressive can lead to bathroom terror.
Shockingly, the bathroom situation was…surprisingly well-maintained
It’s an interesting choice to have two toilet stalls and just one urinal. And it looks like they put two sinks in a station clearly meant to have three and didn’t space them out, but it was clean and thankfully odor free (despite what the graffiti choice of spraying the word “fart” would imply).
Is La Sotterena Poopable?
If you’re up for a late night of raucous music without worrying about a nightmare bathroom scenario, you’re in luck. La Sotterena is very poopable, and makes for a fun, cheap night out. Just make sure not to injure yourself while dancing along.
Neil