Toronto concerts, August 2013
Toronto concerts worth knowing about in August, 2013.
Kendrick Lamar is sold out, as is OVO Fest, and if you were just going to OVO to see Frank Ocean instead of Drake, not only are we in a very different place in our lives, you might want to look into a refund — Ocean cancelled due to vocal chord injury, meaning day 1 is completely bust, and James Blake is now playing OVO day 2. Live Nation states: "Fans who purchased single day tickets for August 4th will be refunded in full at the point of purchase. Fans who purchased two-day passes will automatically be refunded for the August 4th show at the point of purchase."
There's not much else to say, except that I hope this TURF Festival missed connection led to lots of twee love. Lots like, 500 days, even? Sorry, nevermind.
HOT TICKETS
JIMMY EAT WORLD | AUG 2 | THE PHOENIX | $30
It's important to cry, even in summertime. Especially in summertime. So let's go cry at Jimmy Eat World. Let's cry about how they have 1.3 million Facebook fans when they will always be a Myspace band. Let's cry because I still know the words to every song on Clarity. Let's cry because the new Jimmy Eat World album is confusing but I listened to the whole thing and basically didn't mind it even though it's ridiculous. Let's cry because we are never ever getting back together. Let's cry because summer will end again.
GROVE MUSIC FESTIVAL | AUG 3 | FORT YORK: GARRISON COMMON | $60 - 100
Grove Fest is that thing that was supposed to happen with Macklemore, Bob Mould, and Pretty Lights at Niagara on the Lake, but then people who live there were like, "ew, popular music" so now Grove is taking place right here in Toronto, without (WITHOUT, people) the three acts named above. Phoenix are headlining, plus Girl Talk, Hot Chip, Earl Sweatshirt, Gaslight Anthem, Waaves, Young Empires, Palma Violets and Nightbox.
VELD | AUG 3 - 4 | DOWNSVIEW PARK | $220 - 395
VELD is an EDM festival. If you haven't experienced the burgeoning multi million dollar industry that is a massive corporately sponsored EDM "rave" (notice quotes please) now is the time. It looked pretty fun last year. If you hate fun, do not pass go, no not proceed to VELD — just wait for the slideshow. This is where Pretty Lights are playing, plus Deadmau5, Steve Aoki, and other stuff some (...most?) of the attendees won't ever know by name like Araab Muzik.
ROMAN KOV | AUG 6 | BASSLINE MUSIC BAR | PWYC
One of Toronto's most talented up and coming producers, Roman Kov caught the pre-Google glasses eye of the internet a few years ago with the moody, forlorn Drake remixes his project High Park was putting up. The Ukraine-born resident of (where else) High Park Ave has been living in Kiev, and this will mark Kov's first Toronto appearance of the summer. Also playing are Castledrum Records label mates Burglar and Lexander James.
FEAST IN THE EAST | AUG 9 | GERRARD ART SPACE | $7
Feast in the East is like a house party organized by your local genius. It's usually insanely crowded and everyone's so (rightfully) happy about the ticket-inclusive food and art installations it can be hard to focus on the bands. I get a bit overwhelmed but we could all stand to cuddle up a little more on the reg, right? Plus: delicious food. Toronto's L-Con (who we recently featured), Marine Dreams, Isla Craig & Ivy Mairi, and Les Heures are on the line up.
ALL CAPS! | AUG 10 - 11 | TORONTO ISLAND | $16 - 67
This will be an emotional weekend for some Toronto music lovers: the ever evolving Wavelength are throwing their final ALL CAPS! camp-a-thon festival. Sending them off into the great beyond are a solid line up of Canadian indie acts including Halifax's Rich Aucoin, Montreal's Elfin Saddle, and one of my Toronto favorites, environmental psych duo Pachamama (one half Petra Glynt, one half Mas Aya.)
SOFT METALS | AUG 16 | DRAKE HOTEL | $10
American electronic duo Soft Metals are playing The Drake Underground, meaning it will be in-ti-mate. Their sexy cold wave / synth pop sound will appeal to fans of Glass Candy and the Drive soundtrack, and while they've been banished to the Drake basement, I'll be there drooling in a corner over their gloom-pop song writing talents, so... there's that.
FOUNDRY BBQ | AUG 17 | MOCCA & 99 SUDBURY | $15 - 20
The sequel to spring's month-long Foundry Music and A/V series, LA's Nosaj Thing and NYC's Tim Sweeney and John Robert headline this summer showcase of international electronic talent. Producers and DJs are taking over the MOCCA courtyard for Foundry's barbecue, where hungry fans will be fed by food venders A-OK Foods and Heo Yeah. Then, 99 Sudbury will host two rooms of forward thinking music and art. Passes are available for both day and night at $20, or separately for $15.
WHIRR | AUG 17 | THE SILVER DOLLAR ROOM | $8.50
It's okay to be a sucker for shoegaze. What's the best kind of terrible show? A terrible shoegaze show. Sloppy, incompetent, terrible shoegaze is comparatively wonderful, and a bad shoegaze crowd is probably full of nice people who would help you move if you asked. Then there's groups like Oakland's Whirr, who are making splendid, delightful shoegaze with no nod to the fact it's 2013, because who really cares? Vocalist Kristina Esfandiari could be recording sad songs in echoing rooms with His Name is Alive, but she's here, delicately guiding slow shoegaze jams and uptempo shoegaze jams that kind of knock on pop punk's window. This is the date pick of the month. R U lonely? Meet someone cute. Bring them to Whirr.
JOAN OF ARC | AUG 22 | THE GARRISON | $13
It's a cool and beautiful thing that Joan of Arc still tour. Tim Kinsella's Chicago art rock project actually has a new-ish song that goes "stamina has proven to be the final virtue," and while this isn't true for many bands, it is for Joan of Arc, although they've definitely mellowed out over the decades since the Cap'n Jazz days. The lyrical enchanters are touring their new (I mean it came out yesterday) album Every House Has a Door.
RIOT FEST | AUG 24 - 25 | FORT YORK | $50 - 190
The Toronto installation of Riot Fest features The Replacements, Iggy and the Stooges, The Weakerthans, Dinosaur JR, and Grade, meaning that I would have really, really enjoyed chilling proudly on a picnic blanket with my cool older pals at this in highschool. Expect flannel, bangs, and a pretty laid back weekend.
OTHER NOTEWORTHY CONCERTS THIS MONTH
BEN HOWARD | AUG 1 | ECHO BEACH | $30 - 40
KENDRICK LAMAR | AUG 2 | SOUND ACADEMY | $79 - 99
MACKLEMORE | AUG 2 | ECHO BEACH | $45 - 75
PRINCE INNOCENCE | AUG 2 | DOUBLE DOUBLE LAND | $7
FATHER JOHN MISTY | AUG 3 | THE DANFORTH MUSIC HALL | $16 - 20
OVO FEST ft DRAKE | AUG 5 | MOLSON AMPHITHEATRE | $50 - 300
BACKSTREET BOYS (again) | AUG 7 | MOLSON AMPHITHEATRE | $23 - 100
VISIONS 8.10 | AUG 10 | BLK BOX | $10 - 15
WIZ KHALIFA | AUG 10 | MOLSON AMPITHEATRE | $20 - 60
BLACK SABBATH | AUG 14 | AIR CANADA CENTRE | $30 - 130
JOHN MAYER | AUG 14 | MOLSON AMPHITHEATRE | $32 - 90
THE PINK NOISE | AUG 16 | SOYBOMB HQ | $8
GOGOL BORDELLO | AUG 19 - 20 | DANFORTH MUSIC HALL | $34
ALICE IN CHAINS | AUG 20 | MOLSON AMPHITHEATRE | $20 - 80
ADAM ANT | AUG 20 | THE PHOENIX | $40
GRAND ANALOG | AUG 20 | DRAKE HOTEL | $15
HUNX & HIS PUNX | AUG 22 | HARD LUCK | $12
SELENA GOMEZ | AUG 24 | AIR CANADA CENTRE | $31 - 91
MUMFORD & SONS | AUG 26 | MOLSON AMPHITHEATRE
MAROON 5 | AUG 29 | MOLSON AMPHITHEATRE | $23 - 99
Photo of Soft Metals by Deneb Catalan.
Aubrey Jax is drooling in a corner on Twitter.
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