Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Vancouver on the Cheap: The Cobalt

If you were to create a Venn diagram where one circle was labeled "cheap" and the other labeled "awesome", the middle point where they cross over could be labeled "Vancouver on the Cheap".

Got a cheap-living tip you'd like to share? Send it in!

If you were to create a Venn diagram where one circle was labeled "cheap" and the other labeled "awesome", the middle point where they cross over could be labeled "Vancouver on the Cheap". In other words, this is a weekly series on things to do and places to go in Vancouver that fall into that magical category of being both cheap and awesome.

When I was a young high schooler in the 'burbs, I remember my punk rock friends telling stories about driving in to The Cobalt on Friday nights for, let's just say, some reasons that are the same reasons why my parents would never let me join them.

Since those days The Cobalt has done some evolving beyond hosting a band of screaming teenagers playing 3 power chords on stage, and while you can still check out some awesome local punk, metal, and rock bands there, they have branched out their offerings. Now, on top of helping local rockers find their footing, local artists are finding their way at The Cobalt as well though the awesomely cheap SNAG Wednesdays!

The basic idea for SNAG is that it is a weekly live painting raffle where you get to "snag" artwork (get it?) by local and international artists for super cheap.

The deal is as follows: you get in for free (NO COVER!), and while you're partying to the music of BIKES (described as Nu Disco/Indie Dance/House/Deep House/Future Funk/Hip Hop) and drinking some $4 drinks, artists are creating new paintings right in front of you. Then, should you choose, you buy a raffle ticket for $5-20 (depending on how many tickets you want), and you could walk home with some sweet, freshly-created art at an amazing price.

Ultimately, depending on your drink choices and how many raffle tickets you buy you could have a bevvie, leave a tip, and get some art for $10, total!

Creator Drew Young describes it as "a response to a need for the classic 'cafe' scene, a sort of art melting pot."

The collective goals of Young and The Cobalt was to create an environment that is totally accessible to everyone. This works because, as Young says, "The Cobalt is the last place you can expect an egotistical crowd, everyone gets a casual opportunity to talk to artists on a real level", something that he feels is generally lacking in the Vancouver scene where everyone is concerned with saying the "right thing."

On the style of work, Young says, "I come from an illustration and representational background and generally keep within those genres circles." In his experience, he says that representational work has "more curb appeal ... Rothkos aren’t for everyone", letting every winner go home happy.

Some of the participating artists include Ben Tour, Andrew Pommier, Andrea Wan, Taka Sudo, and Nomi Chi, and Snag has hosted illustrators, graphic artists, graffiti writers, figurative painters, typography designers, sign painters, graphic designers, comic artists, tattoo artists and screenprinters.

SNAG Wednesdays

Every Wednesday, 9pm-1am

The Cobalt - 917 Main Street