Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever is one of the tightest live bands around. Following an almost 2 year wait, the Melbourne quintet finally made their way back to Toronto, delivering a melodic setlist of jangling, effervescent rock and roll. Kicking things…
When it comes to crafting mystery with smart hooks, look no further than Welsh-born Cate Le Bon. Now six albums into her career, she belongs to an idiosyncratic group of pop alchemists, strong on visuals with a knack for infectious,…
As a band, Lime Cordiale is pure theatricality. Formed by brothers Louis and Oli Leimbach, the Australian duo inhabit colourful western “nudie” suits and strong music chops, all while performing songs with clever twists. At Toronto’s Velvet Underground, the audience…
The current tour by Alanis Morissette has been characterized as a Jagged Little Pill 25th anniversary tour. Following an intimate opening montage of home movies and MTV clips, the Ottawa-born singer kept the sold-out crowd on their feet with the likes…
Led by vocalist Baden Donegal, Australia’s Ocean Alley‘s sound leaves you torn between sweet vocals and scorching musicianship. At Toronto’s Opera House, the band began with ‘Tombstone’, a searing track from their latest LP Lonely Diamond. From there they continued with a…
Returning with his sophomore EP Ellis, Texan Tim Husmann, aka 1st Base Runner, has cultivated an atmospheric journey across five melodic tracks. Driven by Husmann’s soulful voice, delivered in hypnotic dulcet tones, its 17-minute runtime offers an extensive toolkit that only…
Liverpool’s King Hannah is a band with a fully-formed sound that seemingly came out of nowhere. Led by the duo Hannah Merrick and Craig Whittle, their debut, I’m Not Sorry, I’m Just Being Me is an Americana-tinted, slowcore amalgamation that…
It’s been 23 years since Slipknot broke out of Iowa with their horror masks and aggressive metal machine music. Having built an enormous audience – never more apparent than at Toronto’s outdoor Budweiser Stage – the band has channelled sentiments…
Vocalist Hannah Merrick and guitarist Craig Whittle – better known as Liverpool dream-pop duo King Hannah – deliver cavernous sounds given their minimalistic design. Since their 2022 debut, I’m Not Sorry, I Was Just Being Me (an LP steeped in…
South London quartet Dry Cleaning deserve the hype. Their breakthrough record, 2021’s New Long Leg, presents a tightly-wound anomaly, surreal and thrilling in its 42 minutes of post-punk. The exact kind of music that wouldn’t necessarily translate well to stage….