The Taphouse bar in Guildford is going back to its roots with a return to live bands starting Friday, Sept. 13, at one of Surrey’s largest licensed establishments.
The Craig Allen Olson-led Pop Junkies are up first, followed by other party bands every Friday night this fall.
"There's no cover charge," noted Owen Coomer, co-owner of Taphouse locations in Surrey and Coquitlam, "although we might do that if it's a special event or band that we book. But typically no, we don't want to charge people to come here for live entertainment."
Coomer is part of a new ownership group of the 500-seat Taphouse Guildford, granted a two-year lease extension in January at 15330 102A Ave., on land where Surrey city council OK’d a 22-storey tower development last fall.
"Around Surrey, aside from Donegal's, I don't really see many places doing live entertainment anymore," Coomer said. "The clientele is there, and I think people are itching for a spot to see bands around here, and this place is designed for bands, it really is. We're going back to the roots of when we opened a decade ago."
The Mirage dance club opened on the site in 1997 and featured some live music including Lady Gaga’s concert there in August 2008, in support of her debut album, The Fame. By 2014 the two-level building was renovated and reincarnated as Taphouse, which hasn't featured live music for several years now.
"People come in and ask for (live bands) all the time, and they hit me up on Messenger, so it's time," Coomer said. "We get a bit of an older clientele here and sometimes they want to get home earlier, so we're starting the bands at 8 p.m. instead of 10 or whatever. So if we get things going at 8, we'll get a bit of the dinner crowd, get people having fun earlier, and there's still late-night dancing for those who stick around. It's the best of both worlds."
In September at the Taphouse, bands booked by Chiggy include The Pop Junkies (Sept. 13), Cassandra Maze & The Mazerunners (Sept. 20) and Prior Street Lush (Sept. 27), followed by Capital Crime (Oct. 4), Dance Mob (Oct. 11), The Repeat Offenders (Oct. 18), 24Seven (Oct. 25) and others in November and December. Check thetaphouse.ca/guildford for updates.
Over on the Surrey-Delta border, on 96 Avenue near Scott Road, Donegal's continues to rock with live music and jams several nights a week, including Fridays and Saturdays (free admission). Ticketed concerts on the calender include March Hare's Back to the '70s Show (Sept. 28), A Whole Lotta LED (Nov. 2), Roadside Attractions (Nov. 23) and New Year's Eve with Crush (Dec. 31). Visit donegals.pub/live-music for details.
