Sounds Gay: A monthly queer live music gathering

Musician and audio tech Nim Agalawatte is the creator and host of the open mic events for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community at The Casbah.

Nim Agalawatte, an audio tech and the self-identified bass and synth queen of Hamilton alt-rock band Basement Revolver, is the creator and host of Sounds Gay, a Hamilton-focused monthly live music event for 2SLGBTQIA+ music fans.

“I noticed a lack of music representation in the queer scene here in Hamilton,” Agalawatte told HAMILTON CITY Magazine. “I had performed at some Pride events, and often I would be the only musical artist. There’s a lot of drag, which is great, but queers come in all art forms, so I wanted a space to specifically celebrate music within the queer community.”

The next Sounds Gay open mic, on Wednesday, Oct. 23, will take place as usual at The Casbah at 306 King St. W. The event started in November 2021, and has been consistently popular over the last three years.

“At first I was a little ambitious trying to put on curated shows every month, so part of the shift is also for my own capacity,” said Agalawatte. “I stopped booking artists that often, and stopped ticketed events. Even though it was a sliding scale, I just didn’t want a monthly event to be something that people have to pay for, for accessibility reasons. So now the monthly event is always an open mic, and free, and only once in a while we have curated, ticketed shows.”

Agalawatte works at The Casbah, naturally making the venue an easier space to book, but The Casbah is also known as safer space as the venue hosts several queer events, has gender neutral bathrooms, and a lounge that is wheelchair accessible.

“What is really cool now is that once I started the open mic, people are now coming to me, instead of me reaching out to artists like I used to,” said Agalawatte. “It’s taken a few different forms, but whatever event I decide to do, they get a lot of engagement from the community, and there are constantly new people coming. That’s a great sign of a successful event, that every month I see new faces.”

Queer-friendly and inclusive spaces like Sounds Gay are harder to find in smaller cities like Hamilton, and Agalawatte knows from their first-hand experience how important it is to organize and craft safe community spaces like these.

“A lot of folks who perform, some of them haven’t performed before or haven’t in a long time. Or some folks perform here for the first time since starting HRT (hormone replacement therapy), so they might have voice changes or body modifications,” said Agalawatte. “So the response that I often get from people is how inviting the audience is, that it feels like a safe space.”

Agalawatte would like to eventually expand Sounds Gay.

“I have lots of ideas,” said Agalawatte. “I’d love to have some resources for musicians, like getting some grant funding so we can offer accessible recording for people. I’d also love to do a festival, even if it’s only a one-day thing. Those are some dreams of mine.”

Join Nim and other queer music lovers at The Casbah on Wednesday, Oct. 23 from 7 to 10 p.m. This is a free event, learn more on the Sounds Gay Instagram page.