During the heyday of rock n’ roll, Toronto’s music scene was alive with the electric hum of guitars and the thunder of drums echoing from dimly lit bars and clubs that once lined the streets.
From Yonge Street to the outer edges of the city, these venues became sanctuaries for fans and bands alike. While the golden age of rock may have faded, the legacies of Toronto’s rock bars continue to persevere.
Here are five rock venues of the past that became pillars in shaping the city’s dynamic music culture:
- The Gasworks, 585 Yonge St.
-
The Gasworks, affectionately known as Toronto’s legendary hard rock club, opened its doors in 1968 and quickly became a cornerstone of the city’s hard rock and metal scene.
Throughout the ’70s, ‘80s, and early ‘90s, the venue played a vital role in launching the careers of local, international, and major touring rock bands. For musicians, performing at The Gasworks was a badge of honour — something many dreamed of, as it symbolized that they had made it in the local rock scene.
With the rise of hair metal in the 1980s, Yonge Street and The Gasworks simultaneously turned into Canada’s equivalent of Los Angeles’ Sunset Strip, becoming the country’s premier destination for all things rock.
The venue quickly became a landmark of metal and popular culture when it was referenced in Wayne’s World (1992). In the film, Mike Myers’ character Wayne declares, “This is The Gasworks, an excellent heavy metal bar! And always a babe fest.”
When the building was first constructed, it originally had a tan exterior with a small neon-red sign glowing above the entrance. This unassuming design contrasted with the energy inside the venue. Musicians recall the chaos and intensity of The Gasworks, where fights often broke out in the crowd and even between fans and bouncers.
By the early ’90s, its exterior underwent a transformation with a colourful mural of influential musicians featured alongside the building — artwork more reflective of the energy that thrived inside.
Throughout its 25-year run, The Gasworks stage saw performances from acts such as Skid Row, Triumph, Rush, Helix, Platinum Blonde, Lee Aaron, and Slik Toxik. Even Black Sabbath made it a regular hangout while recording in Toronto in 1978.
Despite its closure on Jan. 9, 1993, its influence has endured. In 2015, VH1 ranked The Gasworks #5 on their list of the Top 10 Most Legendary Heavy Metal Clubs of All Time.
Located at the corner of Dundonald and Yonge Streets, the building’s former shell now houses the Mississaugas of the Credit Medicine Wheel shop. However, for those who played or partied there, The Gasworks will always remain an irreplaceable part of Toronto’s rock and metal history.
- Rock ‘N Roll Heaven, 90 Bloor St. East
-
Advertised as “The place to hang, the place to rock,” Rock ‘n Roll Heaven was a famed Toronto hairband and glam metal hotspot rocked by the likes of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Vixen, Tora Tora, and more.
Like The Gasworks, Rock ‘n Roll Heaven would spotlight many upcoming bands until its closure on Feb. 15, 1992.
Many attribute the closure of this iconic rock venue to the rise of 1990s grunge music, which eventually eclipsed the glam metal scene that had once defined the era.
However, Gareth Brown, the manager of Rock ‘n Roll Heaven, confirmed that the venue’s closure was simply due to the expiration of its lease. In a 1992 interview with Much Music’s Music Entertainment show, he explained, “Nothing lasts forever, it was the right time to do it, and everybody’s remembering the club in a good and positive light.”
- Larry’s Hideaway, The Prince Carlton Hotel, 121 Carlton St.
-
The now-defunct Larry’s Hideaway was located in the basement of the Prince Carlton Hotel on the northwest corner of Allan Gardens, sitting at Carlton and Jarvis streets. Prior to 1961, the room was a restaurant but later became a jazz venue in the late 1970s.
By the late ‘80s, Larry’s Hideaway had established its reputation as a grimy hardcore punk club. Infamous for its unkempt, dirty atmosphere, further solidified by cheap beer, drugs, and brawls, the bar quickly gained its status as “The biggest sh*t hole in the city,” although bands reportedly loved to perform there.
The venue became a hub for new wave and alternative rock. Bands like Bauhaus, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, The Cult, and the Cramps played here early in their careers.
“In an era where original music was difficult to play and find, Larry’s was a gateway to this new sound. Because of Larry’s, punk music flourished in Toronto,” Karolina Weglarz wrote in The Eyeopener, an independent student newspaper at Toronto Metropolitan University.
Larry’s Hideaway closed in the summer of 1986, but the hotel remained open and was, unfortunately, the scene of many crimes that later took place. In September of the same year, the hotel was raided by the Toronto Police. They arrested 26 people and seized thousands of dollars of stolen goods and drugs.
Subsequently, the hotel was sold in 1988 and was boarded up and left vacant, sometimes used by squatters.
On Oct. 16, 1991, a three-alarm fire destroyed much of the hotel. The City of Toronto bought the land and demolished the building in order to increase the size of Allan Gardens Park. The location is now an off-leash dog park within the green space.
- The Edge, 70 Gerrard st. East
-
At the northeast corner of Church and Gerrard St. stands a modest three-story building with a rich history of transformations. It’s believed to have once been the home of Egerton Ryerson, a notable Canadian educator, albeit known for his role in the development of residential schools.
In 1852, he established the Toronto Normal School, which was located at the intersection of Bond and Gould streets. Ryerson University was named in his honour, as was Egerton’s Restaurant and Tavern, a popular student hangout and folk music venue that opened in the early 1970s.
Licensed as a listening room and required to sell food, Egerton’s was open seven days a week, sold cheap beer, and booked live performers. During the later part of the ‘70s, new management became interested in Toronto’s growing underground music scene. The modest pub was rebranded as “The Edge” and transformed into a live music venue. By Dec. 31, 1978, it had begun hosting live performances with local favourites Martha and the Muffins ringing in the New Year.
The Edge hosted a diverse lineup of artists, including Sun Ra, Cecil Taylor, and Etta James, as well as Talking Heads, Johnny Thunders, and a then-unknown trio called The Police as a part of their Canadian debut.
“The club was an exploding black box inside a colonial historic building. Sometimes the vibe was chilled by free jazz, folk legends, or blues artists, but the dominant sound was a mix of crunchy post-punk and British new wave,” veteran Toronto live-music programmer, Derek Andrews said to Then & Now Toronto.
This short-lived club closed in the early ’80s and is now the location of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul-Mary’s Home, an emergency shelter for women.
- The Big Bop, 651 Queen St. West
-
Opened in July 1986, The Big Bop venue was known for its eclectic mix of live performances, with local and touring bands spanning various genres. It became a hub for Toronto’s alternative music scene, attracting a loyal following of music enthusiasts.
The blueish-purple building located on the southeast corner of Queen and Bathurst transformed from a dance club to an all-ages live music hub. What now houses a modern furniture and décor store was once home to punk, metal, hip-hop and darkwave devotees.
Originally known as The Occidental Building, it was constructed in 1876. The architect behind this project was E. J. Lennox, a Toronto-born designer who also created notable landmarks such as Old City Hall and Casa Loma, among more than 70 others in the city.
In 1948, the upper portion of 651 Queen St. West was demolished, and the location reopened as the Holiday Tavern. The Holiday operated as a dinner club featuring stage shows, including jazz and R&B bands.
Eventually, the Tavern transitioned into a beer hall and strip club. During the 1980s, efforts were made to revive it as a live music venue, with bands like The Shuffle Demons holding residencies. As part of the revival, the building’s predominantly white exterior underwent a neon, new-wave transformation in 1984.
Successful club owners, the Ballinger brothers — four farm boys turned impresario — arrived in Toronto after finding success in Cambridge, Ontario, with their very own Ballingers Danceteria and Videotheque club. They went on to rent the Holiday Tavern building, crafting it into a space designed to draw in crowds. Each floor had its own distinct name — Kathedral, Reverb, and Holy Joe’s — all part of the larger Big Bop complex. The brothers marketed the venue as a “Disneyland for adults,” promoting it as a four-floor funhouse, Lon Ballinger told Then & Now Toronto.
The Bop saw performances by Canadian bands like Alexisonfire, Down With Webster, and Billy Talent in the formative stages of their musical careers. At the time, it was one of the few clubs in Toronto capable of hosting over 1,000 people.
The building stood out for its multi-level design, unconventional layout and décor, and a mix of music rarely found under one roof. The Ballingers were trailblazers in the city’s multi-floor dance club scene, and the Big Bop was anything but subtle.
During the latter half of the 1990s and the early 2000s, the building struggled to keep pace with Toronto’s rapidly evolving club district and the emergence of competing venues like The Horseshoe Tavern. As gentrification transformed the area, the once-iconic music hub was forced to close its doors in 2010, signalling the end of an era for The Big Bop.
Toronto’s nightlife has changed dramatically since the ’80s and ’90s. Many once-beloved clubs and bars have faded into history, leaving only their physical structures as reminders of what they once were.
While the city continues to evolve, the spirit of these iconic venues lives on through the stories shared by those who danced, drank, and discovered their favourite bands there. Though the neon lights may have faded, their legacy continues to resonate in Toronto’s current live music scene, serving as a reminder of a time when the city was alive with boundless energy and where the night seemed to never end.