As is our Thursday tradition, we have dug through the mass of Canadian concert listings to give you Exclaim!'s Can't Miss Concerts, our weekly concert guide for Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Edmonton. Here's what we deem your best concert bets.
Vancouver
Thursday, June 3
All right, Vancouver, we hope you got your Music Waste passes because our favourite West coast DIY festival is breaking out some killer shows this week. For Thursday, we're going to keep it loud, and recommend you head to this throw-down featuring Baptists, Boogie Monster, Ahna, Joyce Collingwood and Hidden Towers, and don't forget the earplugs. Like all our Music Waste recommendations this week, head to the festival website for further band and ticket info.
Baptists
Boogie Monster
Ahna
Joyce Collingwood
Hidden Towers
$5/Free with pass at Lick
Friday, June 4
For Friday night, we're thinking Music Wasters are best off to hit up this show at the Astoria, especially if you have a craving for weird-ass, synth-noir pop. Exclaim! faves MYTHS will be there, as will MT 40, Animal Bodies and Muscles. Ride those cold waves, kids.
MT 40
MYTHS
Animal Bodies
Muscles
$5/Free with pass at Astoria
Saturday, June 5
Despite there being a million and one Music Waste events happening on Saturday, this Anza Club show sticks out as the most interesting/fucked-up-looking. Along with globally minded Vancity heroes Basketball, blip-bleeper Bartel and experimental dance-party dude Vincent Parker are dropping beats, making this your best bet for tripped-out love dancing.
Bartel
Vincent Parker
Basketball
$5/Free with pass at Anza
Calgary
Thursday, June 3
Montreal's headbanging heshers Barn Burner are bringing the melodic riffing and general heaviness of their recently reissued Bangers full-length across Canada, and the Thursday night party is going down at the Republik. The only possible excuse to not attend is you hate fun.
Barn Burner
The Get Down
$TBA at Republik
Friday, June 4
Calgary punks Spastic Panthers play a perfect blend of '80s hardcore and rock'n'roll-flavoured punk. They've just released a split seven-inch with local garage punk trio the Throwaways, and they're celebrating with a headlining show at Broken City. With local support Sabretooth and Weird Shits, this is Calgary punk at its finest.
Spastic Panthers
the Throwaways
Sabretooth
Weird Shits
$TBA at Broken City
Sunday, June 6 Canadian hip-hop king and current Exclaim! cover star Shad will bring the unique, fun and honest raps from his TSOL record to Calgary's Republik. There's a chance he's going to blow up worldwide, so catch him here before he's forced to play stadiums.
Shad
$45 at Republik
Edmonton
Friday, June 4
More than 30 years into their career, Los Angeles punk legends the Dickies are still going strong as they continue to tour. With support from local punk old schoolers Let's Dance and No Problem, watch the old and new collide in an ideal manner.
The Dickies
Let's Dance
No Problem
$TBA at New City
Sunday, June 6
Expect a lot of gym strip and hardcore dancing with this raging punk from double headliners Strike Anywhere and Bane. These heavyweights tour ceaselessly, so they'll know what they're doing when they hit the Avenue Theatre.
Strike Anywhere
Bane
Touche Amore
Lowtalker
$TBA at Avenue Theatre
Toronto
Friday, June 4
Toronto punk heroes the Diodes have revived their original 1977 line-up and here's your chance to see them live in the flesh. As an extra bonus, Liz Worth, the author of Treat Me Like Dirt: An Oral History of Punk in Toronto 1977-1981, will be doing a little pre-show talk.
The Diodes
$15 at Horseshoe Tavern
Saturday, June 5
Out supporting their new Revolutions Per Minute LP, much-loved hip-hoppers Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek are bringing their Reflection Eternal back to Toronto. Hands in the air and all that.
Reflection Eternal
$29.50 at Sound Academy
Tuesday, June 8
After being forced to call off their North American tour a few months back, Norwegian folk strummers Kings of Convenience are finally making it for it with this rescheduled show.
Kings of Convenience
Franklin for short
$21.50 (advance)/$25 (door) at Phoenix
Montreal
Thursday, June 4
As music-loving Montrealers all must know, the 11th edition of MUTEK is going down this week in the city. While there is a lot going on Thursday night, our recommendation is this show featuring local Freida Abtan, "hauntology figurehead" the Caretaker (aka James Leyland Kirby) and post-industrial legends Nurse with Wound. Yep, it's going to be dark as fuck in the best way. Like with all this week's MUTEK picks, you can learn more about the artists and ticket information at the festival's website.
Nurse with Wound
The Caretaker
Freida Abtan
$25 at Monument-National (1182 Saint-Laurent Blvd.)
Friday, June 5
For Friday night MUTEKing, our money is on this monster of a show. And we're not kidding about the "monster" part - this show is so big it's being held in two venues. On deck are a pile of dubsteppers, post-dubsteppers, techo heads and a whole lot in between, including acts such as Kingmidas Sound (featuring the Bug's Kevin Martin), Demdike Stare, Actress (aka Darren Cunningham), Jacek Sienkiewicz and Shed.
Shed
Jacek Sienkiewicz
Cheap and Deep
Actress
Orphx
Ikonika
King Midas Sound
Demdike Stare
Overcast Sound
$35 at Club Soda/SAT (1195 Saint-Laurent Blvd.)
Saturday, June 6
Saturday night at MUTEK equals your time to get your experimental groove on. With acts such as ambient maestro Tim Hecker, droner Carl Michael Von Hausswolff, Vladislav Delay and Ben Frost, it's guaranteed to get heady. Vladislav Delay
Carl Michael Von Hausswolff
Tim Hecker
Ben Frost
Tim Hecker + Ben Frost
$25 at SAT (1195 Saint-Laurent Blvd.)
Vancouver
Thursday, June 3
All right, Vancouver, we hope you got your Music Waste passes because our favourite West coast DIY festival is breaking out some killer shows this week. For Thursday, we're going to keep it loud, and recommend you head to this throw-down featuring Baptists, Boogie Monster, Ahna, Joyce Collingwood and Hidden Towers, and don't forget the earplugs. Like all our Music Waste recommendations this week, head to the festival website for further band and ticket info.
Baptists
Boogie Monster
Ahna
Joyce Collingwood
Hidden Towers
$5/Free with pass at Lick
Friday, June 4
For Friday night, we're thinking Music Wasters are best off to hit up this show at the Astoria, especially if you have a craving for weird-ass, synth-noir pop. Exclaim! faves MYTHS will be there, as will MT 40, Animal Bodies and Muscles. Ride those cold waves, kids.
MT 40
MYTHS
Animal Bodies
Muscles
$5/Free with pass at Astoria
Saturday, June 5
Despite there being a million and one Music Waste events happening on Saturday, this Anza Club show sticks out as the most interesting/fucked-up-looking. Along with globally minded Vancity heroes Basketball, blip-bleeper Bartel and experimental dance-party dude Vincent Parker are dropping beats, making this your best bet for tripped-out love dancing.
Bartel
Vincent Parker
Basketball
$5/Free with pass at Anza
Calgary
Thursday, June 3
Montreal's headbanging heshers Barn Burner are bringing the melodic riffing and general heaviness of their recently reissued Bangers full-length across Canada, and the Thursday night party is going down at the Republik. The only possible excuse to not attend is you hate fun.
Barn Burner
The Get Down
$TBA at Republik
Friday, June 4
Calgary punks Spastic Panthers play a perfect blend of '80s hardcore and rock'n'roll-flavoured punk. They've just released a split seven-inch with local garage punk trio the Throwaways, and they're celebrating with a headlining show at Broken City. With local support Sabretooth and Weird Shits, this is Calgary punk at its finest.
Spastic Panthers
the Throwaways
Sabretooth
Weird Shits
$TBA at Broken City
Sunday, June 6 Canadian hip-hop king and current Exclaim! cover star Shad will bring the unique, fun and honest raps from his TSOL record to Calgary's Republik. There's a chance he's going to blow up worldwide, so catch him here before he's forced to play stadiums.
Shad
$45 at Republik
Edmonton
Friday, June 4
More than 30 years into their career, Los Angeles punk legends the Dickies are still going strong as they continue to tour. With support from local punk old schoolers Let's Dance and No Problem, watch the old and new collide in an ideal manner.
The Dickies
Let's Dance
No Problem
$TBA at New City
Sunday, June 6
Expect a lot of gym strip and hardcore dancing with this raging punk from double headliners Strike Anywhere and Bane. These heavyweights tour ceaselessly, so they'll know what they're doing when they hit the Avenue Theatre.
Strike Anywhere
Bane
Touche Amore
Lowtalker
$TBA at Avenue Theatre
Toronto
Friday, June 4
Toronto punk heroes the Diodes have revived their original 1977 line-up and here's your chance to see them live in the flesh. As an extra bonus, Liz Worth, the author of Treat Me Like Dirt: An Oral History of Punk in Toronto 1977-1981, will be doing a little pre-show talk.
The Diodes
$15 at Horseshoe Tavern
Saturday, June 5
Out supporting their new Revolutions Per Minute LP, much-loved hip-hoppers Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek are bringing their Reflection Eternal back to Toronto. Hands in the air and all that.
Reflection Eternal
$29.50 at Sound Academy
Tuesday, June 8
After being forced to call off their North American tour a few months back, Norwegian folk strummers Kings of Convenience are finally making it for it with this rescheduled show.
Kings of Convenience
Franklin for short
$21.50 (advance)/$25 (door) at Phoenix
Montreal
Thursday, June 4
As music-loving Montrealers all must know, the 11th edition of MUTEK is going down this week in the city. While there is a lot going on Thursday night, our recommendation is this show featuring local Freida Abtan, "hauntology figurehead" the Caretaker (aka James Leyland Kirby) and post-industrial legends Nurse with Wound. Yep, it's going to be dark as fuck in the best way. Like with all this week's MUTEK picks, you can learn more about the artists and ticket information at the festival's website.
Nurse with Wound
The Caretaker
Freida Abtan
$25 at Monument-National (1182 Saint-Laurent Blvd.)
Friday, June 5
For Friday night MUTEKing, our money is on this monster of a show. And we're not kidding about the "monster" part - this show is so big it's being held in two venues. On deck are a pile of dubsteppers, post-dubsteppers, techo heads and a whole lot in between, including acts such as Kingmidas Sound (featuring the Bug's Kevin Martin), Demdike Stare, Actress (aka Darren Cunningham), Jacek Sienkiewicz and Shed.
Shed
Jacek Sienkiewicz
Cheap and Deep
Actress
Orphx
Ikonika
King Midas Sound
Demdike Stare
Overcast Sound
$35 at Club Soda/SAT (1195 Saint-Laurent Blvd.)
Saturday, June 6
Saturday night at MUTEK equals your time to get your experimental groove on. With acts such as ambient maestro Tim Hecker, droner Carl Michael Von Hausswolff, Vladislav Delay and Ben Frost, it's guaranteed to get heady. Vladislav Delay
Carl Michael Von Hausswolff
Tim Hecker
Ben Frost
Tim Hecker + Ben Frost
$25 at SAT (1195 Saint-Laurent Blvd.)
