Toronto’s Mod Club and Round Venue have closed permanently due to COVID

Gaia Writer

The coronavirus continues to be brutal on the live music industry. Two Toronto venues -- The Mod Club and Round Venue -- have announced they'll be permanently closing due to the pandemic.

"Serving you for the last two decades has been full of great memories and good times," wrote The Mod Club on their website. "We hope we have been successful in adding to the community since we first open doors in 2002. Our goal was always striving to bring big smiles, positive vibrations, and memories that will last a lifetime. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the years of love, we appreciate every single one of you! Let the good times keep rollin'."

Shows at The Mod Club that got canceled this year include Jay Electronica, Yves Tumor, AC Slater, Tokimonsta, and YFN Lucci. Pre-pandemic, they hosted shows by Life of Agony, Ra Ra Riot, Tiny Moving Parts, Jade Bird, Prateek Kuhad, JS Ondara, Connan Mockasin, YBN Cordae, Yeasayer, Rolling Blackouts, Deicide, Tim Hecker, Julia Jacklin, Foxing, Mick Jenkins, Guster, Alex G, Phosphorescent, BEAK>, Graham Coxon, M. Ward, Yob, Bell Witch, Code Orange Bhad Bhabie, and many more.

As for Round Venue, which opened in Toronto's Kensington neighborhood in 2013 and was known for its DJ nights and parties, blogTO reports that they were evicted by their landlord who changed the locks after months of unpaid rent due to COVID. The club's owners say they tried to get their landlord to sign up for the Province's rent relief program, to no avail. "There was already a problem for venues in the city and [the pandemic] has just exacerbated it," co-owner Ashley Giesecke told blogTO. "And it's not just venues, it's everyone. Promoters, DJs, people who do deco: everyone's affected."

Victoria, BC club Logan's also recently announced it was closing for good due to the coronavirus.