Long live Divan Orange

The venue is closing, but not till spring. Go tonight! + More great shows this week.

hammerthumb Montreal has been really lucky with venues lately, with handfuls offering up their stages for local and out of town bands every night and more popping up all the time.

One of the best venues for sight lines, sound and a great staff would be Divan Orange, located in the heart of the Plateau. Unfortunately the co-op announced last week that it would be closing its doors in the spring of next year. After constantly fighting noise violations due to the increased amount of condos that were built long after Divan Orange started banging away, the venue has been pooped from the fines and lack of support from live music fans.

I have personally never been treated better in a venue as a musician, and hope the staff goes on to bigger and better things in 2018. If you would like to support this great venue while it’s still slammin’, check out their Friday night shindig listed below.

Thursday: The first night of the Montreal weekend starts tonight with my big pick of the week: If you have ever had the immense pleasure of seeing Colin Stetson live, you are not going to want to miss his decidedly “heavy” project Ex Eye, who will obliterate Phi Centre. If there is any doubt on Stetson’s heavy cred, he did ink a deal with Relapse so…. Putting the thumb on the scale is Besnard Laker Sheenah Ko, will warm up the room with ethereal electronics and crooning. 407 St-Pierre, 8:30 p.m., $23.33

Friday: Fans of middle-era Voivod will want to check out E-Force at Katacombes, headed up by ex-Voivod singer Eric Forrest. Opening is Mutank, Aeternam and Vortex. 1635 St-Laurent, 8 p.m., $15

For those of you snobs who only liked Snake as the singer in Voivod, you may want to make tracks down to Corona to catch ex-metal glamour puss’ Children of Bodom with Carach Angren, Lost Society and Uncured. 2490 Notre-Dame W., 7 p.m., $43

On the flippity flop of this metal-filled Friday, you can catch the amazing croon of Cold Specks with La Timpa at Phi. 407 St-Pierre, 8 p.m., $21.7-$25.47

If you can actually remember Montreal garage legends the Gruesomes and when bands were more concerned with making you move your hips than making art you will want to make it down to Divan Orange for Fuad and the Feztones who take up the middle slot between Men in Gray Suits and the Luckies. 4234 St-Laurent, 9 p.m., $10

For an early gig and of special note if you are looking for some winter duds, you can make it to the opening of Marche Noir at 5 p.m. to catch and indoor performance by Silver Dapple. Best of all this is completely free.

Saturday: If you remember the heydays of Station 10 and Psych Records, Foufs when it was actually fun etc you will want to make it down to l’Esco to catch the Americana twang and tear in your beer classics of Three O’Clock Train with the Speed Fairies. This show starts at 9:30 sharp and is over early so don’t say I didn’t warn you. 4461 St-Denis, 9:00 p.m., $20-$23

Those kooky funsters Speed Fairies are going to have to hustle, as they are double booked and will take up the middle slot between rawk and roll punkers Ashtray Heart and local super group En Fer at Brasserie Beaubien. 73 Beaubien E., 9 p.m., price unlisted

Looks like the whole heaping load of metal continues banging with Reanimator, Burning the Oppressor, Branded by Pain (which is one of the worst ways to be branded btw) and Smirking Reven at Katacombes. 1635 St-Laurent, 9 p.m., $12/$10 advance

Monday: Fans of Parquet Courts are going to want to squeeze into l’Esco to catch their main man A. Savage dazzle and electrify with Kristian North. 4461 St-Denis, 9 p.m., $15-$18.50

Tuesday: If you ever wanted to know who lurked under the Lederhosen Lucil braids it was none other than Krista Muir who will present The Tides with opener Xanaia at la Vitrola. 4602 St-Laurent, 8 p.m., $10/PWYC

Easily one of the most anticipated gigs of the week would be Ted Leo and the Pharmacists who bring some swagger to indy rock at Sala with opener Sad 13. 4848 St-Laurent, 9 p.m., $20

Current Obsession: Various Artists, Nuggets II boxset.