Toronto concerts September 2013

Toronto concerts, September 2013

Toronto concerts worth knowing about in September, 2013.

Summer is over, so, to quote this VELD Festival missed connection: "I sat next to you by the Bacardi tent when I lost my friends. You were nice. I should have gotten your number." Yes, it was a summer of deeply moving assemblies and experiences. None of us will ever forget Toronto's summer of festival hits, misses, and brief connections. Now it's time to get serious. Here are your hot music picks for September in Toronto.

PATTI SMITH AND HER BAND | SEPT 6 | MASSEY HALL | $50 - 80
When I was about 15, my parents asked "if Patti Smith jumped off a bridge, would you?" and I thought about the local man who'd recently jumped from a bridge to save his dog from the river below (or was it the other way around?) — then I said "I'd jump first, MOM AND DAD," then I dropped the needle on Horses so loud that our small bungalow shook with the echoes of the thunderous, divine voice of Smith, Smith, Smith for years to come. This audio haunting lowered the value of the property and and the other houses on the street, but made me the complete human being I am today. Thanks, PS.

FOUR TET | SEPT 6 | THE GREAT HALL | $15
Recent Burial collaborator Four Tet will be in Toronto for the first time in three years next week in advance of his upcoming album Beautiful Rewind. The influential London musician defies genres or classification; get into the most abstract headspace you can find and roll in to this party.

TORONTO BICYCLE MUSIC FESTIVAL | SEPT 7 | ASSORTED PARKS | FREE
Summer ain't over till it's over, and no one knows it better than these spoke loving festival programmers. The fourth annual Bicycle Music Festival kicks off at David Crombie Park at 12:30pm, makes a midway stop at Grange Park later that afternoon, and finishes at Trinity Bellwoods Park at 7pm. The idea is you grab your bike (or unicorn, whatever), show up, and make your way from one concert to the next en masse. This year's performers include Kae Sun, Quique Escamilla, Birds of Chicago, Wilderness of Manitoba and The Strumbellas.

OHBIJOU'S LAST SHOW | SEPT 7 | THE GREAT HALL | $20
Toronto indie pop band Ohbijou are splitting up, or at least going on hiatus, citing in part the shittiness of people they've encountered along the way. Joining them at the Great Hall are The Rural Alberta Advantage, Snowblink, the Wooden Sky and the Acorn. I think it would be really sad if each band covered Jeff Buckley's "Last Goodbye." I hope they do; I dig sad stuff.

TEENANGER | SEPT 14 | THE SILVER DOLLAR ROOM | FREE
Raw Toronto punks Teenanger are so excited about their new record Singles Don't $ell that they're playing a free release show, just for you. You're broke as hell so this rules! They'll be joined by bffs Cellphone and Comet Control.

CHELSEA WOLFE | SEPT 17 | THE HORSESHOE TAVERN | $15
Wolfe, touring her new album Pain is Beauty, is proof to shy people everywhere that we shy people can get shit done, in a stunning, core shaking, momentous way. Chelsea Wolfe is Kafka's Josephine (except maybe she's a better singer), if you, like me, pictured Josephine as a melancholic, kinda-goth, kinda-black metal, kinda-folk diva of a mouse songstress. The Horseshoe is well beneath her talent but will just make this dark star performance shine brighter, and I'll be there with black oil eyes, melting and using strangers for support beams, shyness forgotten. Sorry in advance, solidly built Wolfe fans.

MANIFESTO | SEPT 19 - 22 | VARIOUS | TBA
Manifesto Festival's packed 7th installment promises to be as rad as ever, to the point where things are looking a little over whelming. Think art exhibitions, markets, keynotes, panels, and classes meeting dance parties, an award show, and Foundry co-presented producer showcase, then Jhené Aiko and Souls of Mischief headlining a day of hip hop at Yonge & Dundas Square on the 22nd. Full line up is here.



MICHAEL MORLEY | SEPT 21 | DOUBLE DOUBLE LAND | $10
Avant-garde heavyweight Michael Morley (AKA Gate) of hugely influential New Zealand art/noise rock outfit The Dead C is rolling into town for what I can safely call Toronto's most anticipated experimental show of the month. Morley, backed by a huge (and amazing) solo discography has a deep feeling for making droney yet genre-less lo-fi recordings that creep up under your skin and stay there for life. It's hard to say what he'll be doing for his Toronto show, but if he sings, I'll get emotional. Psych folk guitarist Tom Carter (Charalambides) is also on the bill, so get there early—in fact, I'd advise camping out in the DDL alley over Friday night to ensure a good spot at the Saturday show... they'll think that's really cute.

CANADA'S WALK OF FAME FESTIVAL | SEPT 19 - 21 | MASSEY HALL | $30 - 126

The three day long, forth annual Walk of Fame Fest will showcase Burton Cummings (and Band), Serena Ryder, and Maestro Fresh Wes (joined by K-OS, Kardinal Offishall, Classified, Shad, and more). You can see the 2013 Walk of Fame inductees here. Congrats to Terry Fox, though I'm not sure why no one asked The Vulcan Dub Squad to reunite for this year's fest, since they once actually made like, an album about him.

CHRISTIAN DEATH | SEPT 26 | THE ROCKPILE | $20
Though founder Rozz Williams committed suicide in 1998, goth-as-fuck outfit Christian Death, who have seen 30 members come and go in as many years, are creeping in to town this month, and if you see one deathrock show this year, this should be that deathrock show. It's... it's Christian Death. In Etobicoke. I can't imagine anything more divinely sketchy. And while I'm always (rightly) wary of elder-bands on tour, this show gets a boost because Toronto's very contemporary (year 2666) SINS is opening.

OTHER NOTEWORTHY CONCERTS THIS MONTH

DEPECHE MODE | SEPT 1 | MOLSON AMPHITHEATRE | $32 - 96
STARS | SEPT 1 | NATHAN PHILLIPS SQUARE | FREE
MUDHONEY | SEPT 2 | LEE'S PALACE | $24
PETER EVANS / CHARITY CHAN / WEASEL WALTER / TOM BLANCARTE | SEPT 4 | GERRARD ART SPACE | $10
CONSTELLATION RECORDS SHOWCASE FEAT. ESMERINE | SEPT 5 | THE GREAT HALL | $15 (COLIN STETSON CANCELLED)
SNARKY PUPPY | SEPT 5 | LEE'S PALACE | $20
FLUME | SEPT 5 | THE OPERA HOUSE | $14
THE MISSION UK | SEPT 6 | LEE'S PALACE | $35
JEALOUSY MOUNTAIN DUO | SEPT 6
THE PACK A.D. | SEPT 6 | YONGE-DUNDAS SQUARE | FREE
JAMES MURPHY | SEPT 6 | THE HOXTON | $15
BA JOHNSTON | SEPT 6 | THE GARRISON | $8
PINBACK | SEPT 7 | LEE'S PALACE | $18
TYLER THE CREATOR | SEPT 8 | SOUND ACADEMY | $30 - 50
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE | SEPT 10 | AIR CANADA CENTRE | $35 - 75
LIGHTNING DUST | SEPT 10 | THE DRAKE HOTEL | $13
DIRTY BEACHES | SEPT 11 | THE GARRISON | $13
DEERHUNTER | SEPT 12 | THE PHOENIX | $20
WALK THE MOON | SEPT 14 | LEE'S PALACE | $20
FEAST IN THE EAST 29 | SEPT 14 | GERRARD ART SPACE | $7
BRUSQUE TWINS | SEPT 14 | LEROY'S 1280 DUNDAS ST. W | $5
VISIONS FEAT. LAPALUX | SEPT 14 | 263 ADELAIDE ST. BACK ENTRANCE | $13
ARCTIC MONKEYS | SEPT 15 | KOOL HAUS | $34
WASHED OUT | SEPT 15 | THE OPERA HOUSE | $20
CHVRCHES | SEPT 15 | THE DANFORTH MUSIC HALL | $32
FALL OUT BOY | SEPT 15 | ECHO BEACH
CHARLI XCX | SEPT 16 | THE HOXTON | $15—*rescheduled: Wrongbar, November 9*
THE WILDERNESS OF MANITOBA | SEPT 16 | YONGE-DUNDAS SQUARE | FREE
MS MR | SEPT 17 | THE PHOENIX | $17
MAJICAL CLOUDZ | SEPT 17 | WRONGBAR | $12
SCOUT NIBLETT | SEPT 17 | THE SILVER DOLLAR ROOM | $12
HOAX | SEPT 17 | PARTS & LABOUR | $10
LOCAL NATIVES | SEPT 21 | KOOL HAUS | $27
SAVES THE DAY | SEPT 22 | THE HOXTON | $15
THE LEGENDARY PINK DOTS | SEPT 23 | LEE'S PALACE | $20
PET SHOP BOYS | SEPT 25 | SONY CENTRE | $50 - 100
CHALI 2NA | SEPT 25 | ADELAIDE HALL | $20
STEREOPHONICS | SEPT 25 | THE DANFORTH MUSIC HALL | $37
HAR MAR SUPERSTAR | SEPT 25 | THE HORSESHOE TAVERN | $11
DIANA | SEPT 26 | THE GREAT HALL | $10
AUSTRA | SEPT 27 | THE PHOENIX | $25
IRON & WINE | SEPT 28 | SOUND ACADEMY | $30 - 40
OKKERVIL RIVER | SEPT 28 | THE PHOENIX | $24
CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH | SEPT 28 | LEE'S PALACE | $23
WAVVES | SEPT 29 | THE OPERA HOUSE | $19
DAUGHTER | SEPT 29 | THE PHOENIX | $21
CHIC GAMINE | SEPT 30 | YONGE-DUNDAS SQUARE | FREE

Photo from last year's Manifesto Festival by Irina No

Aubrey Jax is channeling Josephine on Twitter.


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