Vancouver's underground music scene thrives in DIY spaces
Underneath the bustling streets of Vancouver, there’s a hidden heartbeat to the city — an eclipsed rhythm that pulses through skateparks, laundromats, and tiny, dimly lit backrooms.
On a recent Saturday night, a guitar riff drowned out the faint hum of cars passing as a local punk band turned a neighbourhood music studio into an impromptu concert hall. The crowd, a mosaic of electric faces, swayed and shouted along, crammed into the small DIY space.
Alger Liang/Drill Events
DIY (do-it-yourself) spaces are a cornerstone of Vancouver’s underground music scene. These are makeshift venues for parties, events, and shows established in unconventional locations.
Take 648 Kingsway, for example, where shows are hosted in a small, aging building with windows covered by red drapes, hiding the storm raging inside. Or Victory Square Events, which organizes gatherings in a park in Vancouver’s Hastings Street area. Then there’s the Anti Social Skateboard Shop, which recently set up an event right outside its skate shop.
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Vancouver’s underground music scene thrives in the most unexpected places, where unconventional venues — with few rules — set the stage for pure, unfiltered expression.
The true essence of these events lies in the community’s passion to perform, party, and connect. These shows are also often promoted with an allure of secrecy, where the address may not be posted until a few hours before showtime.
@yvrunderground/Instagram
Although Vancouver has long been criticized as a slow, quiet city with nearly non-existent nightlife, event organizers like Nico Gonzales, executive director of Drill Events, are working to dismantle that notion.
“If you really look for it, you’ll find that there [are] all these amazing spaces and collectives that are doing things. We have a beautiful underground scene here that has grown exponentially,” said Gonzales.
Understanding DIY spaces
Drill Pride 2023 (Celina Media/Drill Events)
By transforming unconventional locations into vibrant venues, organizers like Gonzales give local artists a platform to perform, redefining the city’s cultural landscape one secret show at a time.
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The ethos behind these makeshift venues is rooted in creativity, community, and accessibility, even in the face of city pushback. The City of Vancouver recently shut down Black Lab, a staple in the DIY scene, despite locals’ resounding love for the space.
“Venues have closed, opened, died, and been shut down with zero notice,” said Nicole McDonal, events coordinator for Music Waste. “Keeping DIY venues open has always been an issue in Vancouver, and they always will be. But I think it shows the will of our community to keep opening them up and keeping them going.”
@yvrunderground/Instagram
The City of Vancouver’s music officer, Saadi D’Hoore, says the City wants to make space for DIY organizers, but it must prioritize safety above all else. D’Hoore wants to balance supporting arts and culture in a prohibitively expensive city with guarding against accidents.
“Organizers occupy these spaces because they’re more affordable, but they’re not built for assembly,” said D’Hoore, citing a reason for the consistent closures.
DIY venues are often operated with little to no legal framework due to long, drawn-out permit processes, said Gonzales. While Drill Events applies for special event permits, many DIY organizers struggle to get approved for permits, risking possible closure.
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“For years, we’ve called it DIY venue whack-a-mole: one gets shut down, another pops up, then it gets shut down, and so on,” said Ana Rose Carrico, executive director and co-founder of Red Gate Arts Society.
“It feels like we’re on the downswing of DIY venues,” she added, referring to the consistent closure of impromptu venues, leading to a shortage of places to perform and attend shows.
The Red Gate Arts Society is a well-known Vancouver music and art space that began as a group of friends hosting events and art shows in a not-so-legal manner. Since its inception, however, it has evolved into a legal not-for-profit organization.
“When we were faced with eviction, and when we were eventually evicted, that’s when we decided to become an official not-for-profit,” said Carrico. “Now we also work with the City when we can… We worked with them to develop the Arts and Culture Events Licensing program,” designed to make it easier for organizers to host pop-up performances in unconventional spaces.
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In 2019, the City of Vancouver released an infrastructure plan called Making Space for Arts and Culture, which is aimed at raising awareness about art spaces in Vancouver, according to D’Hoore.
“There’s a growing awareness, both in the community and among city staff, of the need to help support these uses and these groups,” said D’Hoore. “There’s definitely a lot more work to be done… It’s a slow process.”
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Keeping the music alive
DIY spaces are typically organized and run by local music enthusiasts and artists passionate about creating an inclusive environment where anyone can perform and everyone is welcome. Unlike traditional music events, unconventional makeshift venues operate on a shoestring budget and rely heavily on the communal spirit.
@yvrunderground/Instagram
“We call it a labour of love because, oftentimes, a lot of us are not paying ourselves. It’s just for the community,” said Gonzales.
Volunteers often handle everything from sound setup to ticket sales, and the events themselves are usually promoted through word-of-mouth or social media, boasting secret locations.
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These spaces offer a refuge for artists who might not be able to perform in more commercial settings, fostering a vibrant, grassroots music culture that thrives on innovation and self-expression.
“Our first ethos is to have zero barriers, so nobody pays to apply… we focus on bands that have maybe never even played before or are just getting their foot in the door, and we try to give them that space to do it,” said McDonal, the events coordinator for Music Waste.
Music Waste is a festival that hosts over 70 bands in various genres, giving underrepresented artists and performers a platform while showing gratitude to the DIY scene. This year’s festival, held from June 6 to 9, celebrated its 30th anniversary.
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These unofficial venues are the heartbeat of Vancouver’s music landscape, facilitating exposure and stage time for emerging talents on their journey toward broader recognition.
“You can’t have artists like Adele unless you have a 50-person venue for her to start off at,” said Carrico. “You can’t have any other level of the cultural ecosystem without these places for the people to start at, for them to experiment and for them to fail, without destroying themselves financially.”
Underground artists would struggle to showcase their craft to the broader Vancouver community without the collaborative spirit and reciprocity inherent in these spaces, where event organizers often operate at minimal profit or even loss.
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As noted by Carrico, these locations become the backbone of a vibrant scene in a collaborative effort among artists, organizers, and attendees. Every participant actively contributes to shaping the community.
“Everyone’s invested, no one’s just a passive member. Performers have to put the work in and also be part of the audience. So, when it does come together, it’s so, so special,” said Carrico.
Without the collective dedication of DIY organizers and participants, mainstream artists may never emerge from the underground, and the rich tapestry of Vancouver’s music culture would remain undiscovered.
Will you be attending an event anytime soon? Let us know below.
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