Sting’s love affair with Toronto burns hot 45 years later. Mononym pushed aside briefly, Gordon Sumner and his old band, The Police made their first Canadian and Torontonian appearance way back in November 1978 at the Horseshoe Tavern. Thirteen more shows would follow including a trio of Police Picnics that were likely the first North American ‘new wave’ festivals. Then a spry 27 years old, leaping around bass-slung onstage with his spikey shock of white blonde to last night, well, a spry 71-year-old strutting around bass-slung onstage with his spikey shock of a bit less white blonde. Despite having released…
Author: Aron Harris
The Punk Queen joins the Indie Kings on tour. Miles away, literally and figuratively from where The National’s relationship with Toronto started at the Horseshoe Tavern back in 2005, the Cincinnati band of dad rockers packed in thousands of their kind at Budweiser Stage on August 20. In support of their ninth studio album, First Two Pages of Frankenstein, the first leg of The National’s North American tour began in Chicago in May and ended in early June, peppering in festival stops along the way. Off for July, the tour resumed in August and ended right here in…
North Carolina’s electronic pop duo arrive at History in Toronto. In support of their latest album, No Rules Sandy, vocalist Amelia Meath and instrumentalist Nick Sanborn have hit the road for a North American tour. The couple has been recording and performing as Sylvan Esso for over a decade and No Rules Sandy is their 4th album. The No Rules Sandy tour brought them to Toronto’s History for a sold-out show where they featured songs from all their albums. Opening the night was Chicago’s DEHD.
The King of Americana returns to The Ryman North Touring in support of his ninth studio album, Weathervanes, Jason Isbell and his band, The 400 Unit made a stop at Massey Hall. Jason Isbell was one of many artists ADDICTED was eager to cover back when summer shows started being announced in early 2020. A long six years had passed since Isbell’s last Toronto show, also at Massey, leaving no surprise to this one selling out. As an introduction to Jason Isbell, the artist was born near Muscle Shoals, Alabama not far from the Tennessee state line. After studying English…
A night of moderned-up throwback music thrills a pumped-up crowd. Launched in New Orleans in 2007 when singer/guitarist David Shaw had a chance meeting with guitarist Zack Feinberg. Jams with drummer Andrew Campanelli and the eventual additions of Ed Williams on pedal steel guitar, Rob Ingraham on sax, bassist George Gekas, and Michael Girardot on both keyboards and trumpet, led to the proper formation of The Revivalists. Not to leave the music mix as-is, second drummer PJ Howard joined the band in 2017. Leaping ahead in the timeline, the band has a few EPs and five full albums to their…
On July 14th at 8:30 p.m., a light spiral appeared on the Meridian Hall stage in Toronto. Then a voice said, “Wanna know a secret?” This is how Melanie Martinez opened the night. It would be no surprise if people walking outside the venue could hear the fans screaming at the appearance of Melanie on the stage. She was dressed like the pink four-eyed fairy from her latest album, Portals, her tour also used the album name as it spanned across North America and Europe. The songwriter, singer and producer from Queens, New York, released Portals on March 3rd, as the last…
Declan McKenna ‘s North American The Big Return tour brought him to the Danforth Music Hall on July 11th for a sold-out show. The night began with opening performance by Hawaiian singer/songwriter Eli Smart, who joins McKenna on the second leg of the tour. The audience gave Smart a warm welcome. However, the cheers rose highest as Declan McKenna walked onto the stage. The singer opened the set with his new single, Sympathy, released this past June, and the evening kept going with Why Do You Feel So Down and Listen to Friends from his first album. The set closed with the singer’s most famous…
Words and photos by Laura Agudelo From Manchester, UK, to the stages of North America, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds arrived at the Budweiser Stage in Toronto on July 3rd. A resounding cheer across the venue began as soon as the singer set foot onstage. Opening with Pretty Boy from his most recent album Council Skies, promoted in his North America Summer Tour, Noel united fans’ voices while cardboard signs and flags were held in the air. A flag from the vocalist’s hometown soccer team, Manchester City could be spotted among the crowd. After going through more songs from Council Skies and previous NGHFB…
Aussie pop star returns to Toronto for a sold out show. Ruel, in support of his first full length album 4th Wall, is mid-tour across North America. Finishing with West Coast shows in July, Ruel stopped at the Danforth on June 20. At max capacity, the Toronto crowd came prepared to sing and dance – no one left disappointed.
After almost 4 years, the twin sister duo graces the Danforth stage. A few songs in at Tegan and Sara’s June 15th show at the Danforth Music Hall, they told the story of their first appearance on the street, long before they became a household name. Without creating a mangled paraphrasing of it, that show included a mid-set argument which was all recorded in video for an abandoned electronic press kit. Happily, the fireworks the duo delivered were strictly via their great songs. After their November 2022 show at the same venue was cancelled due to a bout of laryngitis…
Alt-pop quartet, The Aces began playing together in Provo, Utah 15 years ago. Started by sisters, drummer Alisa and vocalist and guitarist Cristal Ramirez, the two brought on friends, guitarist Katie Henderson and bassist McKenna Petty to round out the Aces lineup. Sure, many bands have had as lasting a duration of time together, but few started out in their early teen years and remained a band or even friends. Friendship and communication seem to be two things the band is unlikely to run dry. Creativity and drive join that same list. As an all-female band and one comprised of…
Billed as a sapphic-focused event hosting 2SLGBTQ+ international and domestic talent, lavender wild’s lineup alone was cause to celebrate. Featuring top line acts such as Hayley Kiyoko, Girl In Red and The Aces, musically the importance of the festival was huge. However, on a deeper level, the festival’s 2SLGBTQ+ focus narrowed in on the lesbian and trans communities. As a straight white man of a certain age, I’ll avoid wading into opinions about a community I can only support externally as a proud father and strong ally. But as my two teens fall into both of these focused groups, I…
A bill of heavy music brings the thunder and rain. The Creative Control tour lined up a powerhouse of post-hardcore bands. Headlined by The Used, San Diego’s Pierce The Veil took the penultimate slot. The Toronto stop at RBC Echo Beach opened with DeathByRomy. Unfortunately, severe thunderstorm warnings stopped their set and forced an evacuation into the empty Budweiser Stage amphitheater. Making the best of a cut set, Romy and band treated the evacuees to an acoustic set. To keep the show on schedule, British rock band, Don Broco had their set cancelled, upsetting many who came primarily to catch…
One of the tooliest of tool watches guides the way up and out. The majority of tool watches on wrists offer a small set of features. Generally, the most worn are not in the dark, murky depths but, well, everywhere else. Desk divers, as I’ve heard them called, remove most of the tool functions and perhaps work to give the wearer a look or a feel more than keep them safe. Other tool watches have been designed with and offer features specific to their uses. The Rolex OP Milgauss was built to resist powerful electromagnetic fields that some scientists may…