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Wrongbar - Let’s see if the play on words will beat the demons away from this jinxed location in the heart of Parkdale. The cryptically-named Wrongbar has taken over the old Dragonfly spot (and the short-lived B-Sweet). The difference this time around is that the new owners - Nav Sangha a.k.a. DJ Nasty Nav and Chris Harper a.k.a. DJ Jelly - are well connected in the Queer Queen West scene.
Anchored by the ambitious duo, Wrongbar displays a rugged attention to detail - from the vintage pinball machine to the eclecticly-stocked jukebox. In particular, the boys tried to avoid the contemporary clichés of bar-making, hoping instead to give Wrongbar the austerity of Parkdale’s distinctive character.
In the front area, a long service bar accommodates about forty people, while a dimly lit lounge area is smattered with leather sofas and coffee tables. An elevated DJ station is the focus of the back space, while the dance floor is huge and could clearly host a rocking party – good thing, as people will be lured here to groove to the talent lined up to hit the live stage.
Having a penchant for the area, the location “vibe” was key to Harper and Sangha. The two have worked in just about every indie record shop in the city, including Rotate This, where they worked together. As for street cred, Harper was the original bar manager at The Beaconsfield, and has tended bar at Lee’s Palace, Communist Daughter, and Sweaty Betty’s. Meanwhile, Sangha owns his own independent record store, Play De Record (357A Yonge Street), just started up his own recording label (Nasty Mix), and his name can usually be found attached to any of the hippest events around town.
“We are not opening with a premeditated plan for programming,” Sangha says. “We know music. We’re really just a couple of music nerds that own way too many records. The only difference is that we now own one of the best Funktion One sound systems in the city to play our records on.” All this pedigree had no doubt inflated expectations when the bar opened on New Year’s Eve, and, while there is no pampered bottle service or other clubland accouterments, as a sophisticated music-intensive club, Wrongbar is a success. With Harper and Sangha in the know of all things music, they’ve acquired a scenester staff for everything from bar to security.
In true DIY style, both Sangha and Harper could be could be found spinning behind the turntables, or even running about picking up empties from the tables. The crowd is a mix of Social-ites, Parkdale dwellers, and curious passersby. Don’t expect any high-end wines or liqueurs - this is your more typical tavern style set-up, with 8 beers on tap - but also don’t expect to bust your bank account here (remember, no bottle service).
Now open to the masses, Wrongbar may look and feel like a budget tavern, but sounds and struts like an imperious hardcore music club. Wrongbar, 1279 Queen Street West.
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