The Cobalt appears to be the latest focus of our city’s ongoing live-venue woes. Two noise complaints in late February brought the heat down on Vancouver’s venerable hardcore bar, which has operated at its Main Street location for most of its nine years. Bar manager wendythirteen told the Straight that the Cobalt received the first visit from the police when it hosted surf-punk stalwarts Agent Orange on February 22. She said the second visit related to “a woman screaming in distress”, likely from the hotel above the bar. But this small amount of friction between the City of Vancouver and the bar was enough to prompt an independent Keep the Cobalt Alive Facebook group, which quickly collected close to 5,000 members. Thirteen fears that the bar is being “forewarned”.

“It’s this new bylaw,” she speculated, referring to noise-control conditions placed on bars with extended licensing hours. “You have to put all this crap in. Security systems, a metal detector, ID scanner—we have all that, but now soundproofing?” Thirteen said that the cost of soundproofing would mean “me out of business”, adding: “I haven’t received anything formal, but it’s been coming for a while. I guess once they’re done torturing the Astoria, it’ll be my turn.”

The Astoria recently spent $120,000 on renovations for the purpose of soundproofing.