Victoria was a city I was really looking forward to. Canadians, whom I asked about their favorite city in their homeland, they most often listed Victoria as #1. Unlike the previous places I visited, Victoria is not a metropolis, but rather a medium-sized city with a good university and a mild climate. In my head I imagined it to be like my beloved Montpellier – a city in the south of France, where ¾ of the year the weather is warm and where every evening you can find a place with live music and where students are wandering around.
On my way there, I felt both excited and nostalgic at the same time. Victoria was my last stop in my voyage and it was hard to believe that not so long ago I landed in Montreal to start my year-long vagabond. Now my Canadian adventure was about to end and deep inside I was hoping that maybe some magic would stretch out the time. It seemed however that I have pushed the limit of miracles, at least for the time being. Anyway, I still had my last experience with the workaway ahead of me.
Although the bag of miracles might have been empty, the army of angels did not intend on avoiding me. I kind of got used to that happening in Canada already. On the ferry I made a new friendship, which ended up with the exchange of ‘artefacts’ – my book about Nirvana for his mini book about anarchy. You certainly think: ‘Oh wow that’s a weird gift’. And I’m telling you, that book is not likely to beat the toothbrush and an orthodontic case that I got from a friend whose parents run a dental surgery.
My last experience with volunteering has turned out to be great like all the previous ones. I worked in a hotel near the city center and had a bike at my disposal – always helpful in exploring the city, especially after nightfall.
Ok, so what follows now is me admiring the city, which as I suspected had stolen my <3 and took possession of my soul entirely.
First of all, there is so much going on here! I can finally say that I have completely satisfied my thirst for live performances and gigs. Every evening you have plenty of events to choose from, and what was important to me, plenty open mics. On most nights I would end up moving from place to place, unable to decide what was more interesting and entertaining. I immediately should point out that there will be no history lesson this time, but rather a good piece of info about great music venues in Victoria. The reason for it being very simple. City is located on Vancouver Island thus the situation is same as the one of Winnipeg. The isolated nature of the city does not attract big names. Ferry costs and other difficulties make it simply not worth it when it comes to travel arrangements. Victoria is therefore very often missing from the tour calendars. Nevertheless, this isolation influences a strong consolidation of the local music community. There are very few influences from the outside, so under no circumstances don’t confuse the bands from Victoria with those from Vancouver! All local musicians support each other greatly and at the concerts of local bands usually there’s no one headliner, each band is equally respected and important. Unfortunately, the isolation works both ways, stars from the world do not tour in Victoria, and the stars from Victoria will not go out into the world. Touring costs usually outweigh the financial capabilities of the band so they focus on their local audience. However, all this means that Victoria represents her very distinct style and tells her own story with each band. After the short time there I am not an expert on the topic and could only enjoy the here and now.
I remember sitting down in front of the computer with the intention of finding cool venues and concerts. I also remember being amazed when the returned tons of websites about the music events in Victoria and other webpages on the local music scene. Wow! Nice contrast to Vancouver, where It was hard to find anything all. Suddenly it all looked like there is so much going on here that 3 weeks will not be anywhere near enough to see and hear it all. Well done Victoria!
Equipped with addresses, dates, names of the bands, secret passwords and tips from the wide web I went on to discover what music does to people in this far corner of the world.
My absolute #1 is Logan’s Pub on Cook Street. Photos attached at the bottom of the post truly give justice to Logan’s vibes, but they still are nothing compared with the authentic feel you get when inside. Logan’s Pub is a spacious venue where the stage takes a whole separate room. There are also pool tables and restaurant – a place for everyone. They host all genres of music, karaoke nights, jam sessions, open mics or dancings. Logan’s owners boast to be original, authentic and unique and none of this is in any way exaggerated. Logan’s Pub is one of my favorites when we talk about Canadian clubs. The locals are friendly and you will quickly find yourself chatting to someone even if you came in on your own. I found that this is true for most places since Canadians don’t want you have fun on your own.
My second #1 place is the Farnwood Inn, a place where again you will meet the local community. The restaurant will feed you some healthy delicacies and quench your thirst with excellent craft beer. There are concerts every week, and every Thursday a jam session with a long list of artists. Farnwood supports local talent, helping not only the musicians but also other artists sell their works. The whole district and Farnwood Square are all enchanting and very romantic. Heading to the city center on a bike, I would always make sure to pass through Farnwood. The Square is also a home to a the beautiful Belfry Theater. I saw an excellent show about Joni Mitchell there.
I also recommend Copper Owl. Although further down from the center but with great feel and acoustics. It is a small that can boast its rank in the top 50 of the best small music clubs in Canada. Copper Owl provides space for all artistic activities, stand ups, literary evenings, etc. Similarly, Gorg-ous Cafe operates on Gorge Road, a tiny cafe, where several artists from the neighborhood gather several times a week to play, sing, recite, perform or simply share their creations with others. Not far from that little miracle of a place you will find The Loft, especially suitable for blues and rock fans. In Canada, discos with live music are quite common, a thing never heard of in Poland, so dancing in the nightclub to contemporary pop hits played by a live band was quite an experience to me. If you wish experience this kind of venue, you can go to The Darcy’s Pub or Canoe Brewpub.
Irish Times Pub serves mostly folk chased by country and washed down with indie rock. Bigger gigs take place at Sugar Nightclub. While in Victoria, you must check the line up at the Herman’s Jazz Club, District Nightclub, Felicitas UViC on the campus or Wheelies Motorcycles & Cafe. There is literally something for all your thirsts, hungers and tastes. I obviously advice to savor it all.
Victoria is truly a wonderful place. If someone instead of big cities prefers smaller ones with fantastic vibes, picturesque streets and endless festivals then Victoria is an obvious choice. As a bonus there are numerous parks, gardens, there is a mountain view…from the beach. I knew I will come back here but it was still very hard to leave. It was a beautiful finale to my adventure, a beautiful finale to the most beautiful year in my life, and it was time to go home. It was time to say goodbye to Canada….no wait, what am I talking about. Why so miserable….
It was time to say See you for now, Canada. I love you!
Cold night 🙂
Copper Owl
Copper Owl
Farnwood Inn
Farnwood Inn
Irish Times Pub
Irish Times Pub
Farnwood Inn
Logans Pub
Logans Pub
Logans Pub