/
1x
Advertisement
Proudly Canadian, obsessively Toronto. Subscribe to Toronto Life!
Food & Drink

Friday’s NXNE picks: Dirty Beaches, Land of Talk, Writer and more

By Mishki Vaccaro
Copy link

This year’s North by Northeast features 650 bands, the bulk of which are playing Friday and Saturday night. Needless to say, we’re finding it harder and harder to whittle down our recommendations to a mere five. But even if we could magic our way from venue to venue, there’s only so much music we could take in on a given evening. With that in mind, check out our selections for Friday, after the jump.

1. Concert—Dirty Beaches
Dirty Beaches is a project from Taiwan-born Montreal musician Alex Zhang, who is living proof that musical talent can be developed at any age. Zhang didn’t start playing music until he was 20 years old, and now, at 30, he’s released a debut EP, Badlands, that’s both dreamy and nostalgic. 10 p.m. Lee’s Palace, 529 Bloor St. W., 416-532-1598.

2. Concert—Cults Is anyone else a fan of David Cronenberg’s film Videodrome? We sure are, and one member of this San Diego band may be as well. Band members Brian Oblivion and Madeline Follin appropriately sampled a BBC interview of real cult members discussing the terrors of the outside world on last year’s breakout single “Go Outside.” 12 a.m. Lee’s Palace, 529 Bloor St. W., 416-532-1598.

3. Concert—Rich Aucoin Rich Aucoin is possibly the only musician who mixes 3-D visuals, Glow Sticks and parachute games into a single show. Far from feeling gimmicky, Aucoin’s sets manage to bring out the wild side in his audience—expect to dance, dance, dance to his high-energy electro pop at this late-night set. 1 a.m. The Garrison, 1197 Dundas St. W., 416-519-9439.

4. Concert—Land of Talk It may be opening for the better-known Stars tonight, but Land of Talk is finally starting to get the critical attention it deserves. The band was just named to the Polaris Prize long list (along with several other NXNE performers) for their album Cloak and Cipher. 8:30 p.m. Yonge-Dundas Square, 10 Dundas St. E.

5. Concert—Writer Another San Diego product in tonight’s lineup, brothers Andy and James Ralphs music fittingly exudes a West Coast vibe. Writer has a hazy lo-fi sound that’s one part surf guitar and one part distorted rock. Check out “Miss Mermaid” if you can’t catch them tonight (oh, and they’re also playing The Rivoli on Saturday at 1 a.m). 9 p.m. Lee’s Palace, 529 Bloor St. W., 416-532-1598.

NEVER MISS A TORONTO LIFE STORY

Sign up for Table Talk, our free newsletter with essential food and drink stories.

By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.
You may unsubscribe at any time.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Advertisement
Advertisement

The Latest

"Success is random—all you can do is keep improving": Max Kerman of Arkells on his new memoir, Try Hard
Culture

“Success is random—all you can do is keep improving”: Max Kerman of Arkells on his new memoir, Try Hard

Inside the Latest Issue

Inside the Latest Issue

The April issue of Toronto Life features the anatomy of a Bay Street fiasco at RBC. Plus, our obsessive coverage of everything that matters now in the city.