Eight and a Half play a private show for hipsters and real estate developers at a soon-to-be Ossington condo

Last night, a strange brew of Queen West hipsters and condo developers packed into the transitional space at 109 Ossington for an invitation-only concert from Eight and Half, a Can-con indie music super collaboration featuring Broken Social Scene drummer Justin Peroff and Dave Hamelin and Liam O’Neil of The Stills. While the concert, which was promoted as a “pop-up” (aren’t they all?), was ostensibly pretty much the most cartoonishly hipster event ever—exclusive affair (check), warehouse environs (check), on Ossington Avenue (check), cool new indie band (check)—the show was actually clever bait for a preview of a new condominium development from Reserve properties. The party on the ground floor, with drinks and canapes, served as a de facto showroom for the funky and surprisingly spacious suites (some of the fourth- and fifth-floor units even sport sizable terraces looking west and east), while the unfinished second floor held an intimate experience with Eight and a Half. True to form, no one was dancing (of course, no one was purchasing a pre-build condo either).