Every night, deafening metal music pours out of Foufounes Electriques, a bar and punk music venue in Montreal’s Quartier des Spectacles. But with a 48-hour STM shutdown planned for Saturday, staff are expecting an unusually quiet weekend.

“It’s been very dead” during the strike, said busboy Devon Powell.

As the transit strike drags on, businesses are struggling. With no buses or métro service running at all this weekend, employees at bars, cafés and salons face long, complicated commutes, while many customers are staying home.

Some clients come simply for the cheap beer, but Foufounes heavily relies on shows to bring in patrons, Powell explained in an interview on Thursday. On the bill this Saturday are heavy metal bands Pathogenic, Apogean, and Inner Turmoil. He’s unsure if people will

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