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The Middle East

Hearty platters of falafel and hummus gave this Central Square club its name, but it's the wide variety of live music that's made its reputation. As well as free music in the ground floor dining room, there are two larger, scruffier performance spaces—one upstairs and one down—where local and nationally known rock, punk, and hip-hop acts perform seven nights a week. Past lineups have included such wide-ranging acts as Peaches, Death Cab for Cutie, The Hives, and Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings.