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Large band, small venue

Black and white photograph of five musicians performing in the corner of a wood-paneled room. Two guitar players and a harmonica player are seen in the foreground, a drummer and organ player are seen in the background.

Date: 1965
Credit: Melinda McCracken (photographer), copyright 1965
University of Manitoba Archives collection, Melinda McCracken fonds (A2002-043, PC 147 128)

In this image we see The Sidetrack performing at The New Penelope on Stanley Street in 1965.

Staff and fans remember that the venue at The New Penelope on Stanley Street was so small that when The Sidetrack played there with all its members and all its equipment – keyboards, guitars, drums, harmonicas and amplifiers – the band literally overflowed from the stage!

When the Penelope moved to Sherbrooke St. in 67, it was exciting. The old place [The New Penelope on Stanley St.] was small—when Sidetrack played there, they were six people, and they had two keyboards, one of them was a harpsichord. There wasn’t a lot of room in there.

― Allan Youster, former doorman at both addresses of The New Penelope (interview with ARCMTL, July 2015)