Photo: "Patio Weather" by a_mandolin, member of the blogTO Flickr Pool.

Events on Toronto's Radar for FRIDAY JANUARY 8, 2009... lovingly handpicked from blogTO's events calendar.

MUSIC | Dayglo Abortions Last Double Night Madness at the Kathedral
The death knell for Queen and Bathurst hard rock temple the Big Bop was sounded late last year, and already the exterior of the twenty-five year old venue has been stripped in preparation for its demolition to make way for a Crate and Barrel. BC punk band Dayglo Abortions have been around for longer than the Bop, so there's no band better qualified to play the Kathedral's last double-bill. They hit the stage with Lumbergh and the always charming Rectal Carnage tonight, and tomorrow they're supported by Endprogram and the Punching Nuns.
Kathedral, 651 Queen St. W., $30, 7 pm Friday, 8 pm Saturday

PARTY | Arcade Fridays with Vivi Diamond and Vaneska
Arcade Fridays returns for its first instalment of 2010 with a sexy electro party helmed by two of the city's hottest DJs. Vivi Diamond can usually be seen at the Bovine on Sunday nights as part of Thunderpussy, and Vaneska has been spinning tunes at Toronto's hippest private parties for a couple of years, so they know how to get a room pumping. A good spot for dancing if you'd rather be spared the crowded clubbing district.
The Mod Club, 722 College St., $10, 10 pm

THEATRE | gas
When gas premiered in Montreal in 2007, the actors performed in fatigues in a giant pool of sand, a passable stand-in for the play's setting in war-torn Iraq. The Toronto premiere of the play will have new staging and a new version of the script, but hopefully it won't be too different from the original, which earned some extremely positive reviews for its moving portrayal of the violence and tragedy of war. Runs til Jan. 17 as part of the Next Stage Theatre Festival.
Factory Studio Theatre, 125 Bathurst St., $12-$15, Various times

PARTY | X's and O's at the Barn
Are you a girl looking for another girl but don't like the uncertainty and potential for disaster inherent in the bar scene. The Barn makes is easy tonight with its X's and O's party. Every gal will sport two bracelets, one on each wrist. Pink means she's single, yellow means she's taken. It doesn't guarantee that you'll go home with someone, but it should at least cut down on some awkward convos.
The Barn, 418 Church St., $5 before 11 pm and $7 after, 10 pm

COMEDY REVUE | Marty Topps House Party
Sporting your father's douchy 1970s mustache and a set of matching sideburns, Marty Topps is the sleazy kind of comedian who bases a whole skit on his sexual attraction to girls he's glimpsed in the background of old Richard Simmons workout videos. Tonight is the fourth edition of his comedy revue, featuring his own personal backup dancers (they are not sexy) and BA Johnston, Hamilton's overweight song and dance man. Expect weird DJs, piano comedians, and fistfuls of glitter.
Bread and Circus, 299 Augusta Ave., 10 pm

GALLERY | Static and Loss, and Limbo at XPACE
Now that WhipperSnapper is closing its doors, XPACE Cultural Centre is a more than suitable gallery to carry the torch for Toronto's emerging artists. Providing artists a crucial stepping stone between their careers as students and established artists, XPACE is has proved itself a vital gallery since opening up shop on Ossington in 2007. Tonight the non-profit gallery hosts receptions for two new exhibitions, one of which is Static and Loss, a show made up of playful knit sculptures. The other is Joshua Barndt's Limbo, which consists of immersive sculptures covered with grass.
XPACE, 58 Ossington, Reception 7 pm - 10 pm

GALLERY | Harder Faster: Sculpture by Jim Hake
Sculptor Jim Hake's work has reportedly become well known in Italy, the country in which he has lived the past 13 years. That's not bad, considering the sculptors the country has produced over the centuries. His pieces are often images made of mosaics of large stones, and tonight he presents his work in Toronto for the first time with an exhibition at Headbones Gallery, which explores the somewhat disturbing links between childhood and adult fantasies. Runs til January 27.
Headbones Gallery, 260 Carlaw Ave., Reception 6 pm - 9 pm

For full listings, head on over to our events calendar.
Have an event you'd like to plug? Submit your own listing to the blogTO calendar, contact us directly, or use our handy Facebook app.

For Toronto movie showtimes, view our Movie Listings section.