Hot Ticket: Bowerbirds, Dry the River, Chairlift, Nite Jewel, The Psychedelic Furs, The Magnetic Fields, Gotye, Kimbra, Night Beats, Hate Gang, The Bats Pajamas
Live music picks for TUESDAY, MARCH 27 through SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 2012.
TUESDAY MARCH 27 / BOWERBIRDS / THE GARRISON / 1197 DUNDAS W / $15.63 / 19+
In the past, John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats has referred to folk trio Bowerbirds as his "favourite new band in forever." That's extremely high praise, but it's warranted â this is "freak folk" at its finest. The band is led by couple Phil Moore and Beth Tacular, and their real-life chemistry is quite evident in their music. And their stage presence is pretty phenomenal, too. Dry the River will offer support.
WEDNESDAY MARCH 28 / CHAIRLIFT / HORSESHOE TAVERN / 370 QUEEN W / $15 / 19+
If the dreamlike synth-pop by bands such as MGMT is the type of music that's up your alley, then you're probably already familiar with Chairlift. The duo, made up Caroline Polachek and Patrick Wimberly, released their sophomore album back in January to much acclaim, and the Horseshoe should be an ideal venue for them to showcase their catalogue. Nite Jewel will open.
THURSDAY MARCH 29 / THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS / LEE'S PALACE / 529 BLOOR W / $43 / 19+
The Psychedelic Furs are perhaps best known for their song "Pretty in Pink," which was used in the classic 1986 film of the same name. But, seriously, dig deeper into their catalogue, and you'll find out why they're considered to be legends of the New Wave era. They haven't recorded new music in 20 years, but they continue to tour internationally. This is one that fans of New Wave/post-punk won't want to miss.
FRIDAY MARCH 30 / THE MAGNETIC FIELDS / SOUND ACADEMY / 11 POLSON / $41.50 / 19+
This is definitely one of the better weeks in recent memory for live music in Toronto, and the trend continues with The Magnetic Fields at the Sound Academy on Friday. The band released Love at the Bottom of the Sea just three weeks ago, and by all indications, they haven't lost a step. The record is very synth-heavy, which will please fans of the band's 90s material.
SATURDAY MARCH 31 / GOTYE / THE KOOL HAUS / 132 QUEENS QUAY E / $21 / 19+
Belgian indie-rocker Gotye achieved international success over the past year with the release of his absurdly popular single "Somebody That I Used to Know," but he's been on the scene for more than a decade. Not to take anything away from that single (it's good, if not very overplayed), but you should be familiar with his past stuff, as its nothing short of awesome. This will probably be a hard show to get tickets to if you don't already have them. Kimbra, who makes an appearance on the aforementioned single, will open the show.
SUNDAY APRIL 1 / NIGHT BEATS / PARTS & LABOUR / 1566 QUEEN W / $8 / 19+
We'll round out this week's Hot Ticket with something a little different. Night Beats, out of Seattle, refer to their style of music as "Texas Psych-inspired experimental R&B." I won't pretend to have any idea as to what that means, but it's as appropriate a label as any. Their music has a rawness to it, with stripped-down production values and, above all else, it's very fun. Hate Gand and The Bats Pajamas will offer support.
RECENTLY ANNOUNCED CONCERTS
April
May
Beyond
For more music listings, head on over to our events calendar.
Looking for tickets? Check out Rotate This or Soundscapes to avoid Ticketmaster robbery.
Have an event you'd like us to plug? Submit your own listing to the blogTO events calendar.
Photo of Bowerbirds by eji on Flickr.
Join the conversation Load comments