Freaks and Geeks

With many parts of Toronto built before modern-day bylaws, you often have industrial buildings sitting smack dab in residential areas. A lot of them have been converted to condos or torn down, but you can still find the odd survivor. I went on Friday to the Dupont and Dundas St W area to visit a space at 50 Edwin Street.

Metropolis Factory is the moniker of this factory, now a vintage store and event venue. As part of Ontario Craft Beer Week, the Strange Brew event brought together circus performers, craft beer, food trucks, and live bands. Under a full moon, people were milling around the main parking lot, drinking beer and eating tacos, smoked meat, and fish and chips. Every now and then, the circus master would announce an act. These were less professional performers and more those you would find in a local "freak show".

Inside, being a vintage store, there were old suitcases, giant metal boilers, and huge industrial tables. A few local businesses were show-casing their products. For example, a local startup was demonstrating their "haptic headband" technology by having participants pouring beer from a tap with just the power of their concentration. The theory being that the device can detect different types of brain waves through its sensors.

I missed opening act Jumple, a Serbian folk-punk band which I have seen previously. The Golden Dogs played a vigorous pop-punk sound with the male guitarist and female drummer trading lyrics on most songs. They were backed by a keyboardist who sometimes added some alto harmony and a Geddy Lee look-a-like bassist. The final act was everyone's favourite cover band, Dwayne Gretzky. It was their usual energetic performance but their vocals were muddily buried in the mix despite the sound guy's attempts through both sets to fix it. I guess it didn't matter too much as most songs were familiar to the crowd.