Calgary

The recently defunct Night Gallery Cabaret celebrated its 10-year anniversary in 2004, but its freak flag first flew in the 1980s. That’s when the mononymous Bruno, singer for punk band the Golden Calgarians, set up camp in an old downtown dance studio, which soon gained notoriety for raging all-night parties. Bruno’s roommate, Gregg Baekeland, later ran the place as a booze can and eventually went legit with a series of liquor licences and corresponding venue names, like the White Elephant Performing Arts Society and Night Gallery Artist Run Centre. Perhaps it was the residual sensation of being a curious high schooler cowering at the top of the staircase, but the Gallery always felt less like a music venue that hosted DJs and indie-rock luminaries and more like a hipster house party gone awry. Maybe it was the JFK tapestries, Sinatra memorabilia and priceless collection of local punk souvenirs. Or maybe just the dude wearing a White Stripes T-shirt passed out in the can.

– James Martin
– Photo by Zoltan Varadi