Your favourite part of January is back — and dare we say better than ever? In collaboration with legendary local promoter Dan Burke, Exclaim!'s annual Class Of concert series will once again bring the city of Toronto seven nights of live music from some of the best emerging acts in the game in 2025, proudly supported by Mary Brown's Chicken.
UPDATE (12/20, 12:15 p.m. ET): We can finally announce that local shoegaze incendiaries (and Exclaim! New Faves alumni) 9Million will be the special guests at the penultimate show on January 24 at the Garrison. You're not going to want to miss it!
We aren't wasting any time: the festivities will get underway the first weekend of the first month of the year, kicking off on January 4 at the Monarch Tavern with noise rock live wires Accelerant, dynamic dance-punk duo Gaijin Smash, healing hell-raisers Chinese Medicine and local buzz-band Palm Sander.
The following Friday (January 10), the Monarch will dial up the volume even louder in preparation have its speakers blown out by post-punk father figures Your Grandad, Montreal's sparkling no wave-garage shapeshifters Shunk, defiant Hades-conjurers Ancient Greece and power pop/psych rock cowpokes the Crime Family. Things get more introspective the next night (January 11) at the Garrison with the ever-evolving, genre-fluid stylings of Chilliwack-born Tara Kannangara, the definitive (queer) band called Blush, '80s-inspired alt-pop revivalist Wild Black and lofi dream-weaver Angel Apricot.
The weekend after, we'll have our third and final Monarch ball on Friday (January 17), with the live hardware electronic duo World News, noisy experimentalists OOZ, sludgy doom metal devotees Leona Hell and industrial punks Lavoro getting the party started. Indie rock auteur Amelia Maxwell, Toronto's self-proclaimed best boy band Kingdom of Birds, spunky new-wavers Scooter Jay and London grunge-rocker Taylor Holden will pick up the gauntlet on Saturday (January 18) at the Baby G for another unforgettable showcase.
We're being a bit mysterious with the penultimate show, which is to be headlined by a special guest who hasn't been announced yet. (Stay tuned, it's going to be worth the wait!) Said special guest will be joined by the eclectic acoustic-meets-breakbeat sample-heavy sound of Clothesline from Hell, slacker rock anthem-maker Mishi and Toronto-via-Montreal power pop purveyor Pillea at the Garrison on Friday (January 24).
A week later on January 31, we'll move over to the Great Hall to get into the groove pocket for the final show of the series with Guelph soul collective SHEBAD, jazz-fusion party-starters Lavender Town and the atmospheric neo-soul/R&B kaleidoscope of Mileena.
In partnership with the City of Toronto's music office, tickets for the Class of 2025 concert series are on sale now via Showclix. Check out the Facebook event listings below for further details.
Exclaim!'s Class of 2025:
01/04 Accelerant / Gaijin Smash / Chinese Medicine / Palm Sander - Monarch Tavern
01/10 Your Grandad / Shunk / Ancient Greece / the Crime Family - Monarch Tavern
01/11 Tara Kannangara / Blush / Wild Black / Angel Apricot - The Garrison
01/17 World News / OOZ / Leona Hell / Lavoro - Monarch Tavern
01/18 Amelia Mawxell / Kingdom of Birds / Scooter Jay / Taylor Holden - The Baby G
01/24 9Million / Clothesline from Hell / Mishi / Pillea - The Garrison
01/31 SHEBAD / Lavender Town / Mileena - Great Hall