Hot Ticket

Hot Ticket: Cookie Monsta, Male Bonding, Neon Windbreaker, Huddle, Peter Bjorn & John, Memoryhouse, J. Cole, Kamelot, The Agonist and Blackguard

Live music picks for WEDNESDAY AUGUST 31 through TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 2011.

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 31 / COOKIE MONSTA / WRONGBAR / 1279 QUEEN ST W / $12 / 19+
Nottingham dubstep producer and DJ Cookie Monsta offers crumbly beats and energetic sets, mixing booty-moving electro with deep, filthy bass.

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 2 / MALE BONDING / HORSESHOE TAVERN / 370 QUEEN ST W / $10 / 19+
London, UK noise-pop trio Male Bonding play a free in-store at Kops Records before they headline a show at the Horseshoe later on the same night. Locals Neon Windbreaker and Huddle open for Male Bonding (already full of swagger after opening for the likes of No Age and Best Coast). The band plays short and sweet surf-rock tracks, packed with plenty of reverb-filled vocals and frenetic riffs.

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 2 / PETER BJORN & JOHN / LEE'S PALACE / 529 BLOOR ST W / $20 / 19+
Guelph dream-pop duo Memoryhouse will release a reissue of their EP The Years on September 13, and they also open for Swedish indie-rock trio Peter Bjorn & John. PB&J are crowdpleasers, never shy of interacting and chatting with their audience while entertaining with whistled hooks, whirling harmonies and bass line-driven pop boogies. PB&J play an encore show at Lee's Palace on Saturday.

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 3 / J COLE / SOUND ACADEMY / 11 POLSON ST / $31.50 / ALL AGES
Jermaine Cole aka J. Cole began the year as an opening act for Drake. Now, the North Carolina rapper and current protégé of Jay-Z headlines his own show with the release of his debut LP Cole World: The Sideline Story due out in stores in late September.

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 4 / KAMELOT / MOD CLUB / 722 COLLEGE ST / $25 / ALL AGES
Melodic power metal band Kamelot produces hair-raising juggernaut performances with dramatic power riffs and vocal vibrato-filled enough to shake the stage. Expect head and goatee tilts, vein-popping solos and vocal belts that make you feel like you're watching an opera or on Broadway. Fellow metal bands The Agonist and Blackguard join the line-up.

For more music listings, head on over to our events calendar.

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Lead photo of J. Cole by Marqel Dupre.


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