Live music picks for WEDNESDAY JULY 6 through TUESDAY JULY 12, 2011.

WEDNESDAY JULY 6 / MAKEOUT VIDEOTAPE / THE PORT / 1179 DUNDAS W / $5 / 19+
After their short stint at this year's NXNE festival, Vancouver buzz trio Makeout Videotape return to Toronto as headliners in a line-up that includes Tops, Tonkapuma (Daniel Lee and April Aliermo of Hooded Fang) and Henri FabergĂŠ. Makeout Videotape plays in support of their lo-fi, grunge-hewn debut LP Ying Yang.

THURSDAY JULY 7 / THE BLACK KEYS / MOLSON AMPHITHEATRE / 909 LAKESHORE W / $27- $50 / ALL AGES
Five-piece Kentucky band Cage the Elephant play their raucous rock and smouldering riffs (perfect for a hot summer day) before headliners The Black Keys take the stage. Playing in support of their Grammy Award-winning LP Brothers (Best Alternative Music Album), The Black Keys perform with force; the kind of sweaty rock n roll that tousles hair and makes the legs go weak.

FRIDAY JULY 8 / THE BOX TIGER / SUPERMARKET / 268 AUGUSTA AVE / $6 / 19+
"We are always looking for ways to make the sound as big as we can," lead vocalist/guitarist Sonia Sturino says in her blogTO interview. The Box Tiger are a tight-knit local group full of swagger and energy, and their songs growl mightily with roaring riffs and crashing choruses. Casino and Parks & Rec join the line up.

FRIDAY JULY 8 / GIRL TALK / SOUND ACADEMY / 11 POLSON ST / $30-$40 / ALL AGES
Gregg Gillis aka Girl Talk does not usually have other artists or bands open for him, so the audience at Sound Academy gets to have a little something extra when local synth-pop band Young Empires kicks off the evening. But the real treat comes when the Pittsburgh mash-up DJ puts on his sweatsuit-and-headband ensemble and delivers an 'anything goes' dance-a-thon that fills the venue with a mix of musical genres from electro-pop to funk and hip-hop.

MONDAY JULY 11 / U2 / ROGERS CENTRE / 1 BLUE JAYS WAY / $57-$200 / ALL AGES
Rock legends U2 bring their 360° Tour to the Rogers Centre, allowing audiences to surround the stage from all sides - a once-in-a-lifetime experience for fans of the Dublin quartet. NYC post-punk band Interpol opens for one of this summer's must-see concerts.

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Lead photo of U2 by Chuck Heeke.