The Casbah

Great spot to see a band and have a few drinks. It’s small, they have lots of beer on tap. We were in the main spot to watch a band, there were some folks sitting at the back. I’m not sure how much they could see but they seemed to be having a good time.
From what I understand from my friends that live in Hamilton, the Casbah gets some good bands in. There have always been a good music scene in Hamilton & I think the Casbah is keeping it alive and well.
**if you want to check out some like music, check it out**

Such fun times here.
Came here to see Die Mannequin On Friday 29^th.
Since the below Unilocalers have done an awesome job at summarizing the place, I shall continue with only focusing the experience of this particular event.
The lounge has a parking lot in the back. If you are driving and the lounge is on your left, keep driving, there’s a few businesses with parking lots in the back. It’s safe to park there.
This spot is a few streets down from Hess Village so around 2am there is a fun amount of drunken folks walking around. There’s a few food places open late if you do get hungry.
The crowd this night The Casbah was a VERY interesting mix. This is because it’s usually friends/​family of the band members. So don’t come expecting a select type of crowd. Anything goes here. Since I’ve brought up the subject of interesting and anything goes, what’s up with all the one way roads in Hamilton? The main street (Casbah located to your right) is ALL one way, so if you are anything like me (meaning — nil-​ch sense of direction) be careful… you will most likely be driving/​facing ONTO coming traffic. (true story), Thankfully, the people here are quite nice. They waved to me (after I waved. thinking *gosh they’re so nice here* I realized why. Made an illegal U turn mid street. They guided me and THEN laughed. Just use the «I’m not from these parts sir». Works every time.
There’s no chairs and the stage is quite tiny. They have about 4 – 5 bands play before the main band comes on stage. So if you are travelling, don’t rush. They do check ID and stamp you. The smokers section is decent. Again, no seats. You will be working out your legs, unless your kind of a weirdo like me and plop right on the corner edge of the stage.
I found beer to be a bit pricey here. There’s only one bar located right on the far right corner of the venue, as soon as you walk in.
I can only assume, this is where they make money.
The bathroom is dinky. Small with 4 stalls. 3 of them have broken handles. Guys kinda just waltz in here, drunk or trying to help a girlfriend etc. So, be super careful. Ask a girlfriend to keep watch at your stall door.
The best part about this place? — there’s only 1 bathroom section in the whole place. Meaning, you WILL bump into band members. It’s pretty cool. Caroline Kawa from Die was the coolest chick in the world. She helped me fix my hair and was SO down to earth.
Now if I could just get Metric to play here so I could bump into Emily Haines, I’d die a desert happy girl.
Even with all the sketch guys who overhear you talking about how hungry you are and respectively INSIST on walking down the street to get you a poutine, gawk at you from tiny dark corners, I still like this place. It’s got a bit of a grunge feel to it so you can really dress how you want– venture into GaGa Land for the night? — I THINK SO!
If you’re into rocking out, you’ll end up having a good time. If you’re female, you’ll have an even funner time trying to hide behind big equipment «helping» the band through the back door. Yes ladies, there IS a back door. No need to fret about creepers. Once you walk into the hall to the bathrooms, it’s straight ahead. No alarms so you can push and run out onto a parking lot facing the main street. You can park here so you can get right into your car. They thought of everything. I like that.
xoxo
M.

The Casbah is one of the tiniest venues used for bands that I have ever been to. The main room is about as large as my apartment living room. The crowds make for a very sweaty and uncomfortable experience. There aren’t many seats there most of the time, so unless you arrive early or are the mother of a band member, you will be standing (which is fine for most people, since you will usually be there for the music anyway and sitting isn’t always ideal when watching a band play).
The drinks are priced relatively normally, and there is usually a $ 5 to $ 10 entrance fee depending on the reason you are going there (bigger bands have higher entrance fees). The Casbah is one of those places that some people LOVE and others refuse to go to. I have been several times and still go there occasionally, but only to support my friends’ bands and such. I would never willingly go there to see a show that my friends were not performing.
All in all, if you are into indie bands and like to listen to cool music, the Casbah isn’t all bad. But if you are looking to have a good time whilst NOT sweating your face off and being pushed by the crowds, you may want to look elsewhere!

This fixture of the Hamilton music scene is located next door and upstairs from La Luna — so you can grab the best falafel anywhere before catching a gig. Indie acts of all sizes come through here, I’ve only been a handful of times but seen the Constantines, Weakerthans, and Wax Mannequin. The room is a bit of a dive, low ceilinged and loud and dark, which makes a wicked atmosphere when things are a rocking. Search out their Facebook group page if you want to know what’s going on, there’s something almost every night. On tap: Mill street, Steamwhistle, Creemore, and — of course, it’s Hamilton — 50.