OEV’s Music Scene by Farrell Rafferty In January 2023, my partner and I moved to London from Toronto. We settled in Old East Village because there are walkable amenities and it has easy access to art and culture. I tell people who ask me what brought me here that the only thing I knew about London before arriving was that it had a thriving music scene and am constantly reminded that “it used to be better”. Which seems silly because in the short time I’ve been here, I’ve noticed this city is full of upstart promoters, community organizers, and creative curators producing in interesting and unconventional spaces.
While it certainly needs no intro- duction here, one of the first live music spaces that caught my eye when I moved to the neighbourhood is the historical Aeolian Hall. It’s arguably the best sounding venue in the city and one steeped in rich local history. Great Lake Swimmers recorded Ongiara (2007) within its walls and if it’s good enough for Tony Dekker, it’s good enough for me. In the past year alone I’ve caught the aforementioned Great
concert series called Gears. These exceptionally well curated events feature emerging local talent from around the city, and transform a shop usually packed full of bicycles into a tiny venue. To really drive home the point that Old East is a music hub in London, Mike – who organizes the Squeaky Wheel’s Gears concerts – also organizes Inputs, a monthly collective listening social, at Dough EV. Dough EV, at the site of the old Root Cellar restaurant has also started hosting concerts, including Dave Monks (Tokyo Police Club) and Jon McKiel. And the Root Cellar event space upstairs hosts the who’s who of London’s folk music scene. And if we head back east there’s Heads and Tails, The Mockingbird, Anderson Brewing, The Western Fair, and 100 Kellogg. I’m sure a lot of things “used to be better”, but I think we’ve got it pretty good here in OEV when it comes to access to live music (if I do say so myself).
Lake Swimmers, Matt Anderson, Ariel Posen, and Nico Paulo. This is less a hidden gem and more a “I can’t believe a hall that sounds this good is in our collective backyard”. So yeah, this venue is an exceptional live music experience, but Old East has so much more to offer. London is the home of several notable breweries with more than a few setting up shop here in OEV. While I can’t comment on the beer (I don’t drink), I can comment on the musical offerings. Each of Old East’s breweries have their own unique, special thing going on but London Brewing Co-op (LBC) really values having regular, accessible live music programming. From their Tuesday Tunes to Friday Night Live to Sunday Aftertunes, LBC has a broad selection of weekly programming that probably won’t cost you more than a fiver. Throw in their partnerships with Sunfest and Home County hosting year-round festival-adjacent shows and it’s hard to say there’s nothing going on when you can probably mosey on over to your local three to four nights a week and catch a live act. Furthermore, you hardly need 100 people in the house for the vibes to be spilling out onto Burbrook Place. Let’s head back out to Dundas for one more Co-op – the Squeaky Wheel Bike Co-op. Every month since June they’ve hosted a monthly
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Old East Villager November/December 2024 • Page 3
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