Montreal punk-rock venue Katacombes will close for good after Christmas

After 13 years in business, punk-rock music venue Katacombes is shuttering its doors for good at the end of the year.

The venue at the corner of St-Laurent Boulevard and Ontario Street, easy recognized by its skull-and-crossbones logo and the dozens of prop skulls and chains that adorn its interior, was a regular home to live music, including events put on by the Heavy Montréal and Pouzza festivals.

Janick Langlais, co-owner of the Katacombes Co-op, told CBC Montreal's Let's Go that it's a sad day for the city's music scene.

The owners announced the closure in a Facebook post on Thursday, saying that, after hosting nearly 2,000 shows at the venue, they were now saying goodbye.

The post went on to say that they are closing because the building is in need of repairs and the rent is too high for them to stay afloat.

"It was like a stake in my heart," said Langlais of writing the farewell post.

She said she's been comforted by the "wonderful comments" she's received since making the news public.

"It cheers me up a little bit," she said.

Langlais said the closure will mean "a big loss for the Montreal musical community," adding that they hosted a diverse array of events there, including concerts, comedy, improv and swing dancing nights.

"It was a really important space for the underground community, not just locally but also pretty much around the globe since there's a lot of international bands that performed at our space," she said.

She said it's a shame to see independent spaces like Katacombes and before that, Divan Orange, closing because of financial pressures.

"As it is right now, there's not really any spaces left that are run by [people in the scene]."

Katacombes will be organizing a farewell series of shows in December to "honour the space" and go out on a high note.