Despite the fact that Live Nation reached a settlement with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) in its federal antitrust case last month, the trial has been ongoing for the last five-plus weeks, as a coalition of attorneys general continued the lawsuit on behalf of 32 states and the District of Columbia.
After the states argued during their closing statements last Thursday (April 9) that the concert giant was a "monopolistic bully," a New York federal jury has now found Live Nation Entertainment and its subsidiary, Ticketmaster, guilty of illegally monopolizing the market for ticketing and live events by violating state and federal antitrust laws, Bloomberg reports.
The jury's verdict was a total defeat, meaning that it had not only cornered the market on ticketing services and amphitheatre use, but that it illegally tied the use of its venues to its concert promotion services, estimating that consumers on average overpaid by $1.72 USD per ticket.
The fate of the case, which was initially filed by 40 attorneys general and the DOJ in 2024, now rests in the hands of Judge Arun Subramanian, who will be the one to decide if Live Nation must make the drastic move of selling off Ticketmaster — which the previous settlement with the DOJ, purportedly personally pushed into action by President Donald Trump, was said to prevent.
While critics have long demanded the breakup of Live Nation and Ticketmaster since their 2010 merger, as per Billboard, it would be a rare feat to see a judge order their separation, predicting a much higher likelihood of the ultimate verdict merely banning certain anti-competitive conduct.
Either way, Live Nation will presumably challenge the outcome. Early on in the trial, a "bombshell" release of court documents saw some of the entertainment mecca's high-level employees boast to each other about "price gouging" customers.
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You know that feeling when the billowy fog grimly blankets the field of battle and you wipe the mud from your soiled clothes as you rise from your knees, exhausted but triumphant, and you mount your equally exhausted noble steed, and you lower your dented helmet over your brow and raise your sword to the heavens, and you kick your horse into motion, and the respect that flows between you two is older than the the ground on which you ride, and the Valkyries fly and sing you to Valhalla, and Ragnarök crescendoes all around as the earth rumbles and shatters, and torrents of ash and bone swirl as you climb the air, and you're handed your horn of mead and you realize, this is paradise?
That's what Sunn O))) sounds like. Only heavier.
The brainchild of Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson, the band — named after the legendary high-powered amps and speakers favoured by the Melvins, Mountain and Jimi Hendrix — have been making towering, uncategorizable noise for more than a quarter of a decade, walls of distortion, feedback and HIWATT amps turning every show into an endurance test for their transfixed audiences. How far will your eyes roll in the back of your head? How long will you survive the onslaught? Most do, but not all; coming out on the other end, you feel dazed and confused but elated, cleansed in the brooks of sound that have penetrated your marrow.
Last night (April 14), on the heels of their latest effort, the self-titled Sunn O))), the band returned to Toronto for the first time in almost a decade, turning the concrete and metal slab, the bunker that is 131 McCormack Street, into a smoky bastion of pulsating soundscapes and quelling guitars.
There was a nervous energy in the crowd before they began. People mentioned how this was their first time seeing them, how this would be a hard show to mosh or dance to, and warned each other to be safe and NOT remove their ear plugs. There seemed to be a novelty to the setup, to the two-dozen-plus amps and cabinets on stage. People took photos and made jokes — it looks pretty funny, a few microphones dangling in front of a wave of glass and wood and wire. It's all fun and games until this behemoth, this Goliath, this leviathan is turned on, and all hell and brutality is set loose.
When the first spurt of the smoke machine sounded, some people gasped and immediately took photos. The white plumes drifted between the speakers and from the front of the stage without pause for the rest of the show, the amps and players silhouetted against the translucent white plumes. In a venue like McCormack, there's nowhere for the sound to go but into the audience, bouncing off the walls and at you, barely buffered by the other bodies in the space. These aren't simply chords; they're frequencies, jagged waves that oscillate and reach into your veins, boiling your blood down to blackened syrup.
Sweat dripped down my back as the venue packed and the temperatures rose. Suddenly, the lights dimmed, and sound started coming from the speakers: an extended and edited selection of bonkers Venom live banter. It was the only time we would hear drums. The lights were like serpents leaping to consume and grab, spines with gaping jaws, extending above the speaker setup. As they flashed and twitched, the space filling with enough smoke to choke us all out, Sunn O))), robed and mythical, came out waving, the horns aloft.
It's impossible to discern between the two unless you know their guitar brand of choice. There was no opener, no pretence, no introduction and without a word (a common theme), they took to their instruments, and unleashed the monolith.
What happened over the next 105 minutes is somewhat difficult to explain. There will, of course, never be a "greatest hits" compilation of Sunn O))) material. Their music isn't made for that. And similarly, their concerts aren't meant for requests. They have all the accoutrements of a concert, but they're also very much a spectacle. Even though they move at a sub-glacial pace, there's a sense of pageantry to the proceedings: there are costumes, fluctuating gelled lights, set decorations, special effects and amps positioned particularly, in a crescent shape. There are even choreographed strums, the duo standing, facing each other, arms raised, the pick a source of life and light, brought down theatrically against the strings.
As the opening sounds emitted from the wall of chaos behind them, they gestured to the sky, fists raised, the headstocks fo their guitars grazing the ceiling. Blue and red lights bathed the scene a cool magenta — later, it would be green, and red, and warm yellow. You'd think it'd be all black all the time, but this band did release Life Metal, so it can't possibly all be darkness. Anderson grabbed onto the light tracks and low hanging rafters, small gestures that cut through the oppressive stillness, near stasis, of the unending sound.
I closed my eyes and searched for tones and patterns in the pandemonium, for something to latch onto and ride, and when it came, it was unnerving and beautiful. It was a pure sonic moment, a meditative experience in sound. Sometimes it screeched, sometimes it stuttered and sputtered, and sometimes it roared, all of it wordlessly. I smiled at the absurdity of what sound can do to a body: my teeth clenched involuntarily, a pain running down my ear canal and jaw and through my neck.
The duo doubled over during momentous strums, squealing guitar lines soaring as they pressed their guitars against the cabs, against the pillars of the venue, against the ceiling, the music more like hues or swathes of paint, profound in its ambiguity. My muscles and spine and organs twitched involuntarily. My calves and my feet and my chest cavity rattled. I could FEEL every second of this, their subterranean tunings overwhelming the senses. At certain points, you start to hope for some respite, but it never comes. There was one single brief pause halfway through, mere seconds long, before the second half commenced.
With no beat, you start to find your own rhythm in the din. There were moments when the crowd inexplicably started to sway like blades of grass. And then, it would just as quickly stop, the rooted bodies inert, the wind and waves subsiding as the dominos collapsed. You must give in to the sound, give yourself up to it. Many stood with their eyes closed and arms raised, as if in prayer or meditation. One witness in front of me cupped his hands towards the stage, his brain runneth over with fuzz, splashing the sound on his face, guzzling it. To be cynical is to call it performative; I call it devotional.
Some stood mouths agape and shell shocked. It's comparable to a blistering sauna or a transpacific flight with no layovers, a challenge to one's own ability to withstand and endure. And yet, at the end of the day, it's still just a concert — at one point, a stagehand came out to fix something on one of the stacks, briefly shattering the illusion, but there was absolutely no way to tell that something was amiss.
When Anderson raised his arms, most of the venue followed suit. The lights shimmered and fractured, rays splitting through the porous amp heads and their tubes. At one point, every major strum was complemented by a smattering of red then white light. People with earplugs covered their ears with their hands, extra protection from the crush, and not everyone managed to stay until the end. Still, others welcomed the fray: couples hugged and held each other and kissed, the emotions of life in their purest musical form. Time was stripped away and lost all meaning as thunderclaps careened throughout the venue. You forget where it begins and where it ends, or how, or why; a cacophonous ouroboros.
Before the apocalyptic finale, there was one brief moment when the duo's faces were illuminated by lights shining up from the floor; otherwise, the cloaks did their job. They stood and lifted their guitars to the rafters, O'Malley's Travis Bean left hanging from some protruding wires, a possibly improvised and wholly appropriate image — sometimes, it felt like these instruments played themselves. The band stood and took it all in, the torrents of sound cascading into oblivion. O'Malley saluted and bowed to his guitar, before strumming it openly toward new blankets of devastation.
At the end, the pair froze, O'Malley's hands in a triangle, Anderson with his Gibson raised triumphantly in the air, before managing to get it stuck up there as well, dangling from the ceiling. As the crowd cheered, clapped and saluted their dark lords, the duo embraced, their guitars dual hanging pillars continuing to feedback and bleed. Then, suddenly, the sound was clicked off and it dissipated into nothingness.
At a Sunn O))) show, there is of course music. It's brooding and dark and loud and a test of wills, but it's also a sight, a vision. It's a marathon of gain and clipped waveforms, of inhaled dry ice, of backlit spectres — but that's all part of the experience, of the playbill. O'Malley and Anderson came here to perform, and that's exactly what they did. Every strum and finger position change was a revelation, a transmogrification; catharsis, sustained and punishing.
And yet, surprisingly — against all odds, almost inexplicably — it's also fun. I don't think I've ever seen their music described that way, but here's my claim, and I stake it without hyperbole or irony: seeing Sunn O))) is a pleasurable, transcendental experience, masochistic yet joyous, exciting and painful. Getting pummelled with sound is fun. Getting your ear drums masticated is fun. Listening to astoundingly, exponentially, horrifically, terrifically, hallucinatorily, almost unbelievably, loud music is fucking fun!
It takes patience, perseverance and dedication to both make this music and to listen to it. However, there's an almost mystical sense of enthusiasm from both the crowd and the performers, something that seems counterintuitive to what they're both supposed to present. Not everything that makes you happy has to bounce, or bob, or splash. It doesn't need to have melody or rhythm. Sometimes, you just need to be crushed before the ascent.
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Kelowna, BC's annual Rock the Lake Festival is returning to Prospera Place from July 10 to 12 this year, and organizers have announced its second wave of artists joining in on the festivities.
Alexisonfire (pictured above) have been added to this year's bill as a headliner, as well as April Wine, Glass Tiger and the Hip Replacements. They'll be joining previously announced headliners Default and backflip guy Cameron Whitcomb. More additions to the lineup will be unveiled in the upcoming weeks.
"Rock The Lake 2026 brings our vision of an inclusive rock festival to life," General Manager & Vice President, GSL Group Sports & Entertainment Trish Jelinski shared in a release. "One that stays true to its classic rock foundation while also celebrating great Canadian music across generations, past, present, and future. Alexisonfire are such an iconic band for a whole generation of Canadian rock fans, so to be the festival that brings them to BC this summer is so exciting. As we promised, this is 'rock for all."
Three-day general admission and VIP festival passes are on sale now. Head over to Rock the Lake's website for more information.
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We need to talk about Geese. This is something that could have ostensibly been said by anyone — particularly those with feelings about the ecosystem in music culture we tenuously label "indie" — any time over the past year, and it would've been very much of the moment.
Like seemingly anything else, the discourse around Geese has long been rife with enthusiasm and derision in near-equal measures. Whenever there's an opportunity to lean harder into one of these two extremes, the gang mentality of social media dogpiling feeds the fire, with everyone racing to post the most correct take or the funniest meme. This is how the conversation continues to pick up steam.
This is also how bands like Geese rise to the level of acclaim of being considered amongst the upper echelons of modern indie rock. Of course, their music was also involved, but perhaps even less so than arguments about whether it was good or bad — although at this point, I think we can all agree that the career whirlwind they've experienced since the release of Getting Killed is indicative of at least some level of quality.
Still, there have been questions about the band's worthiness of such levels of fame. Much has been made of frontman Cameron Winter's privilege, which he himself has acknowledged; he and his bandmates having been able to live with their parents — his mom being bestselling author Molly Rosen Winter — in otherwise-unaffordable Brooklyn, NY, for pretty much the entirety of the project's duration (something that might have changed since Winter and bandmate Max Bassin spoke about it in a September 2025 interview with Blackbird Spyplane.)
Much like how Bassin cited notorious rich kids the Strokes in that conversation, it's become a classic "indie meme" to look up an exciting new artist's bio on Wikipedia and discover that their parents' names are highlighted in blue. While whether or not you attended private school shouldn't necessarily make or break your authenticity as a musician, many would probably argue otherwise. For decades, the authenticity debate has been central to what we consider good rock music — mainstream or otherwise.
But now the question has evolved beyond, "Are Geese good?" and "Are Geese authentic?" The latest mutation is, "Are Geese a psyop?"
This is the argument John Semley makes in unnecessarily militarized language — which honestly feels akin to accusing someone of gaslighting you because they lied — in a viral article for WIRED. While I do admittedly find it refreshing to see a band mostly made up of men being industry plants, it's probably a bit of a stretch.
A couple of weeks ago, Billboard senior correspondent Kristin Robinson interviewed Jesse Coren and Andrew Spelman, co-founders of the digital marketing agency Chaotic Good Projects, for the publication's On the Record podcast. Coren and Spelman spoke candidly about how they work to "induce" virality using a method called "trend simulation," which involves creating hundreds or thousands of fake accounts and posting video content they think will appeal to the demographics of an artist's fanbase with their song in the background, creating the effect of a trending audio on platforms like TikTok and Reels.
While Chaotic Good Projects is an extremely popular company in the space — having run successful campaigns for acts like Chappell Roan, Zara Larrsson, Coldplay, Alex Warren, sombr, Due Lipa, Shawn Mendes, Justin Bieber, Dijon, Mk.gee, Laufey, Wet Leg, Oklou, Jane Remover and Mitski — Robinson said in an Instagram Reel on the subject that she's interviewed many industry folks in this space, and the one thing everyone agrees on is that a song has to be good to succeed, even with this Trojan Horse-style marketing.
"I think everyone would agree that this whole thing is weird," the journalist says in that video. "But the truth is that labels would love to guarantee a hit and they never have been able to. Ever. This tactic gives songs a leg up, but the song still has to be good."
In the days following Robinson's podcast interview with Coren and Spelman making the rounds online, indie rock singer-songwriter Eliza McLamb wrote a personal Substack essay after digging into the client roster on the Chaotic Good Projects website (which was edited shortly thereafter), where she discovered that Winter's Heavy Metal track "Love Takes Miles" was part of a "narrative campaign" by the company, who also apparently worked on user-generated content for Geese's Getting Killed.
"I thought this was the kind of thing that was only deployed in service of mass-market, commercial pop — secretly, also, that this was the only kind of music such marketing would work for," McLamb reflected, having discovered "Love Takes Miles" a week after its release and feeling like she was one of the few in on a secret, something we've all no doubt all experienced when truly invigorated by a new musical discovery.
When she spoke to Semley for his WIRED piece, McLamb said these new marketing campaigns being engineered by Chaotic Good Projects and similar digital marketing firms were "no more or less nefarious than anything else that's been going on in the music business since the dawn of time" (as Consequence pointed out, Frank Sinatra's publicist paid fans to scream at concerts in the 1940s, and similar strategies have been employed ever since). McLamb added that she personally would absolutely consent to take part in a similar campaign.
Consent is key here, because the immediate question that follows learning about these artists having these kinds of campaigns promoting their music is, how aware were they that these companies were essentially bastardizing fan accounts — a symbol of pure, unadulterated devotion in online circles predominantly populated by young women figuring out who they are in the world — in the name of marketing? Furthermore, was it them or their teams that asked for their names to be pulled from the Chaotic Good Projects clientele list after word started getting around?
"We took things down from the site so our artist partners don't get wrapped up in false accusations or misconceptions about how their music was discovered," another Chaotic Good Projects co-founder, Adam Tarsia, told Semley. "Much of the discourse around 'narrative campaigns' we were seeing online was not accurate to how they actually function. In practice, narrative campaigns mostly consist of consulting on digital PR strategy."
He added that Geese have "worked hard building a real grassroots community to achieve all their recent success," explaining, "We're protective and aware of the relationship between fan community and artist and want to aid that connection, not force it. We are vehemently opposed to the use of bot farms, and our team solely consists of genuine music fans."
In summation: Chaotic Good are simply gaming the system, which has arguably in many ways become in need of gaming. With vertical video platforms like Reels (notably owned by evil Meta mastermind Mark Zuckerberg) and TikTok, which recently produced an AI-generated microseries based on Love Island with anthropomorphized fruit, becoming regarded as the supreme music discovery method for both new artists' releases and even renewed interest in older music, everyone is being pressured to make content. If we're being generous here, trend simulation at the very least takes the onus off of the artists.
Of course, it still feels a little seedy and gross — you know, just like that metalcore guy trying to get people to pay to have their songs played between sets at his band's shows, or Drake's messy-ass lawsuit against his own label (which at one point included accusations of UMG working in cahoots with Spotify to inflate the streams for Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us"), or Taylor Swift's Billboard chart-domination strategies and vinyl variants, all variations on old-school payola schemes that saw label execs wining-and-dining radio DJs. Choatic Good's strategy is barely distinguishable from common practices like cutting a deal with the very-boycotted Spotify for preferential algorithmic placement — a feature that Canada's famously "DIY" Men I Trust are the face of.
And let's not forget all of the others ways the industry has changed since the advent of streaming, with musicians being paid measly fractions of dollars while platforms push uncontested AI slop that even gets uploaded to real artists' platforms, cribbing their styles.
Is the type of marketing services Chaotic Good and other like companies are offering musicians ethically murky? Absolutely, and it's a choice these artists and their teams are making, however informed the songwriters are of the tactics. There are plenty of acts not choosing to use trend simulation in their promotional campaigns, and that should be applauded — however, is it inherently evil to play by the new rules of a hellish system? I'm not so sure.
What I do know for sure is that this story is much bigger than Geese, although they're perhaps the ideal lightning rod for it. This is a call for more awareness about how algorithms introduce us to music, as well as the fact that there are — and always have been — marketing campaigns behind new releases. They've undeniably changed shape, and this new shape feels particularly grotesque for those of us who grew up in online fan communities.
But this is also happening in television, in film, in literature and beyond, whether real influencers are being paid to promote the art, or fake bot accounts are compiling video clips of trucks set to the same country song to create the illusion of a viral sound. The internet's instant access provides us with more art than we could ever engage with in a lifetime, as well as the illusion of choice. But the truth is, taste and opinions have now been consolidated algorithmically.
For a band like Geese, the authenticity of their rise to prominence will always be called into question. A pop star as gifted and outspoken as Chappell Roan will always have weird stories involving pro soccer players accusing her of hating children or whatever. At this point, it just comes with the territory — and nobody can sail away from it in a big green boat, however much we believe "going analogue" might fix us.
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Vancouver's Brass Camel's self-titled, third studio album has arrived today. You can listen to Brass Camel on all platforms.
Marking the first record since the band's five-man lineup was solidified, Brass Camel was tracked largely live-off-the-floor at the Chalet Studio in Uxbridge, ON, and was co-produced by Kevin Comeau (Crown Lands) and mixed by Terry Brown (Blue Rodeo).
The album was previewed by three distinct singles; January's "Ice Cold," March's "What Are You Going to Do," and the recently released "Everybody Loves a Scandal," which, according to press notes, is a "sardonic walk in the shoes of an individual who creates music, unrepentantly, with AI." To the song's narrator, AI is just another tool/shortcut that they can use and abuse; "And if it gets them talking / At least they're talking about us."
However, Brass Camel maintain that the creation and the performance of this song — and album — are anything but artificial.
"Brass Camel is our distillation of everything we love about music — funk, prog, big art-pop harmony, shredding solos, dynamic mood pieces and ear-bleeding auditory assaults — combined with our group's absolute passion for playing live as a unit," the band shared in a statement. "We wrote and recorded this in very little time and we'd love to think the whirlwind process and resulting LP translates our group's chemistry. It's a tough industry so might as well play whatever the hell we want to play and it play it bloody loud' ethos. There's no rulebook followed, boxes ticked, to achieve a 'sound' or toe genre-lines. It's raw and it's weird and it's 100% Brass Camel. We can't wait to hit the road across this beautiful country and leave it all on the stage every night. See you out there, Canada."
You can listen to the album on your player of choice below. Brass Camel are currently on tour throughout Canada this spring, and you can find their itinerary here.
Viral Japanese pop duo Yoasobi have announced their biggest North American tour yet, which will bring them to Canada for two dates this summer.
They'll play a festival set at Osheaga on July 31, marking their first-ever Canadian performance. The headlining shows will officially begin in August with a date in Boston, MA, on August 4.
The duo will eventually return to Canada to play Hamilton's TD Coliseum on August 8, before continuing the rest of the trek stateside.
Preales begin April 21, which will be followed by general on-sale on April 23. Check out the schedule below, and head over to Concert Central for more Canadian tour announcements.
Yoasobi 2026 Tour Dates:
07/31 Montreal, QC - Osheaga
08/02 Chicago, IL - Lollapalooza
08/04 Boston, MA - TD Garden
08/06 Brooklyn, NY - Barclays Center
08/08 Hamilton, ON - TD Coliseum
08/12 Seattle, WA - Climate Pledge Arena
08/14 Oakland, CA - Oakland Arena
08/16 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl
Jessie Ware will be blooming in a city near you when she tours in support of this year's Superbloom on her biggest headlining venture to date.
She'll kick off the tour with a lone Canadian date at Toronto's History on October 5, and will play venues across the US, Mexico, Europe and the UK into November. She'll be joined by Dhruv and Naomi Scott on select dates.
Tickets go on sale April 23, following presales beginning April 21. Check out the schedule below, and head over to Concert Central for more Canadian tour announcements.
Jessie Ware 2026 Tour Dates:
10/06 Toronto, ON - History ^
10/08 New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall ^
10/10 Washington, D.C. - The Anthem ^
10/11 Philadelphia, PA - The Fillmore Philadelphia ^
10/13 Chicago, IL Aragon Ballroom ^
10/16 San Francisco, CA - The Warfield ^
10/20 Los Angeles, CA - The Greek Theatre ^
10/22 Mexico City, Mexico - Teatro Metropolitan ^
11/10 Paris, France - Casino de Paris #
11/12 Prague, Czech Republic - SaSaZu #
11/13 Gdansk, Poland - Inside Seaside Festival #
11/14 Vilnius, Lithuania - Compensa Concert Hall #
11/16 Berlin, Germany - Huxleys Neue Welt #
11/18 Copenhagen, Denmark - K.B Hallen #
11/20 Brussels, Belgium - Ancienne Belgique #
11/21 Amsterdam, Netherlands - AFAS Live #
11/28 London, UK - The 02 #
^ with Dhruv
# with Naomi Scott
As she gears up to release her new album Neon Summer Skin (due June 5 through Thirty Tigers), Bedouine — the project of Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Azniv Korkejian — has announced a slate of North American tour dates for the last few months of the year, including a couple of Canadian stops in Vancouver and Toronto.
She'll hit the road starting October 21 in Berkeley, CA. Before the end of the month, Bedouine will make her first venture across the border into Canada to perform at Vancouver's Biltmore Cabaret on October 25. Following a handful of additional stateside dates through November and the beginning of December, she'll wrap the run back on Canadian soil with a December 6 gig at Toronto's Longboat Hall.
Tickets go on sale Friday (April 17) at 10 a.m. local time. Check out the full schedule of dates — plus the video for latest album preview "Always on Time" — below, as well as Concert Central for more upcoming Canadian shows.
Bedouine 2026 Tour Dates:
10/21 Berkeley, CA - The Freight
10/23 Portland, OR - Polaris Hall
10/24 Seattle, WA - Ballard Homestead
10/25 Vancouver, BC - Biltmore Cabaret
11/11 Boston, MA - Arts at the Armory
11/13 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's
11/14 Washington, D.C. - The Atlantis
12/04 Chicago, IL - Old Town School of Folk Music
12/05 Ann Arbor, MI - The Ark
12/06 Toronto, ON - Longboat Hall
The Hives are responsible for the first-ever haunted edition of the Exclaim! Questionnaire. While talking to the band's Howlin' Pelle Almqvist and Vigilante Carlstroem (Mikael Karlsson) about a strange encounter the former had with Shane MacGowan, a strange beeping noise went off at Toronto's History. Coincidence? We think not.
Elsewhere in the interview, we spoke about Almqvist tearing his ACL last time the Hives came to Toronto, and the Canadian wilderness that makes the very tall bandmates feel small compared to their Swedish home. Watch it below.
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After having previously teased that she was "putting my heart and soul into new music" in the form of a project she called "Confessions Part 2," seemingly a sequel to 2005's Confessions on a Dance Floor, Madonna has officially announced the upcoming album's release for next year — and her return to Warner Records.
UPDATE (4/15, 9:56 a.m. ET): Madonna has now officially announced that Confessions II will arrive on July 3. The album is now available for pre-order, and you can hear a preview of a track called "I Feel So Free" below.
UPDATE (4/14, 12:35 p.m. ET): It seems some more concrete news on the sequel to Confessions on a Dance Floor might be just around the corner: Madonna has now wiped her Instagram account clean, changing the bio to, "Time goes by so slowly..." — a lyric from the original album's lead single, "Hung Up."
The Queen of Pop's official website also now displays the words "CONFESSIONS II," as well as the image that may serve as the follow-up record's cover art.
The Queen of Pop is going back to the label — to which she was signed for the first 25 years of her career — nearly two decades after her departure. "From being a struggling artist in New York City to signing a record deal to release just three singles, it seemed at the time my world would never be the same again and in fact that couldn't have been truer," Madge said in a statement.
"Since the beginning Warner Records has been a real partner with me," she continued. "I am happy to be reunited and look forward to the future, making music, doing the unexpected while perhaps provoking a few needed conversations."
In an Instagram post, the pop star added, "Back to music, back to the dance floor, back to where it all began!"
Thus far, there is no release date beyond the year 2026 (or any additional information, for that matter) for Confessions on a Dance Floor Part 2, other than the fact that it sees Madonna reunite with original COADF producer Stuart Price. It will be the follow-up to 2019's Madame X, as well as the recent Ray of Light remix album, Veronica Electronica.
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Katy Perry and boyfriend, former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, were spotted together at Coachella this weekend, and in response to a social post promoting Complex's coverage of Perry's reaction to Justin Bieber's set, Orange Is the New Black actor Ruby Rose has alleged that the singer once sexually assaulted her in Australia.
UPDATE (4/15, 9:18 a.m. ET): According to Variety, Perry is now under investigation in Australia over Rose's sexual assault allegations.
"Melbourne sexual offences and child abuse investigation team (SOCIT) detectives are investigating [an alleged] historical sexual assault that occurred in Melbourne in 2010," the Victoria Police said in a statement issued to the publication. "Police have been told the incident occurred at a licensed premises in Melbourne's CBD. As the investigation remains ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage."
"Katy Perry sexual [sic] assaulted me at spice market nightclub in Melbourne. Who gives a shit what she thinks," Rose wrote in response to a Threads post [per Variety], going on to claim, "She didn't kiss me. She saw me 'resting' on my best friends lap to avoid her and bent down, pulled her underwear to the side and rubbed her disgusting vagina on my face until my eyes snapped open and I projectile vomited on her."
She continued, "After it I threw up on her, I told the story publicly but changed it to be a 'funny little drunk story' because I didn't know how else to handle it. Later she agreed to help me get my US visa. So I kept it a secret. But I DID tell yall she wasn't a good person."
Perry's representation responded to the accusation in the following statement provided to Variety:
The allegations being circulated on social media by Ruby Rose about Katy Perry are not only categorically false, they are dangerous reckless lies. Ms. Rose has a well-documented history of making serious public allegations on social media against various individuals, claims that have repeatedly been denied by those named.
Rose said she doesn't plan to press charges, but explained of her disclosure, "You don't need people to believe you, you just need to get it out of your poor body, before it gives you cancer."
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Happy CanFilmDay! "Let's Dream Together" forms the theme of this year's National Canadian Film Day, evoking the power of movies and a call for unity across the country, if for just one day.
In its 12th year, CanFilmDay makes a significant expansion beyond borders and offers 150 screenings in 49 countries, in addition to the 2,000 free screenings being hosted in our country (including every province and territory) today.
Whether you attend a free local screening, catch some CanCon on streaming, or dust off that Blu-ray/DVD/VHS of your favourite Canadian movie, get in the spirit and celebrate the strength of our country's cinematic storytelling.
Visit National Canadian Film Day's website to find a screening near you, and check out my picks for this year's best emerging Canadian directors to ring in another very merry CanFilmDay.
Kevin Claydon and Phil Moniz, Racewalkers
(In theatres July 10)
With Racewalkers, Kevin Claydon and Phil Moniz give audiences the wholesome comedy we all desperately need right now. The duo's directorial feature debut takes a markedly different tone from their hilarious R-rated web series Short Term Sentence, but the laughs and gags aren't diluted in the slightest. As the directors, writers and stars of the film, Claydon and Moniz tell a story about friendship and persistence with biting humour. With a theatrical release scheduled for this July, I can think of no better summer film than Racewalkers.
Reza Dahya, Boxcutter
(Crave)
Cracking Exclaim!'s list of the best films of 2025, Boxcutter emerged last year as one of Canada's best releases. Using Toronto as the vibrant backdrop to youth's insecurities, director Reza Dahya encapsulates an artist's struggle with an edge and eloquence that betrays the debut nature of the film. Dahya grabs onto the vulnerability his actors, Ashton James and Zoe Lewis, to tell a well-rounded story that runs the gamut of emotion from anger and frustration to joy and laughter. Boxcutter's grounded specificity lends itself to a story that will connect with audiences of all stripes, a feat some directors struggle with after multiple attempts and Dahya demonstrates straight out the gate.
Kunsang Kyirong, 100 Sunset
(In theatres May 1)
There's a moodiness to 100 Sunset not often found in Canadian films. The atmosphere Kunsang Kyirong finds in the Tibetan community in Parkdale will feel unique even to those born and raised in Toronto, quite an accomplishment considering how well-documented the city's may pockets have been. It's in Kyirong's unique touch that 100 Sunset finds its stride, telling an intimate story of otherness, connection and longing with minimal dialogue or reliance on her characters' surroundings. Kyriong creates the ultimate vibe movie with 100 Sunset that gives her cinematic world an unsettling tension and a simmering vibrancy all at once.
Meelad Moaphi, His Father's Son
(Crave)
With the success of movies like 2023's Riceboy Sleeps, it seemed that the Canadian film industry was only interested in seeing immigrant stories insofar as they included a touch of struggle and trauma. In the years since, this narrative has run its course, but Meelad Moaphi finds a balanced — and thereby authentic — approach that renders His Father's Son a refreshing addition to this story type. In peeling back the complex layers of the father-son dynamic with honesty, Moaphi proves himself to be an affecting storyteller for a new generation.
Sophy Romvari, Blue Heron
(In theatres April 24)
Autofiction as a subgenre has become a low-key favourite among indie filmmakers, and Sophy Romvari stands among the best at the form. Blending narrative and documentary elements together effectively and seamlessly, Romvari delivers a time travelling grief exploration in Blue Heron. Given the movie's personal subject matter about Romvari's brother mental health issues and death, the combination of fictional and non-fictional elements adds to the weight of the film and its artistry. Romvari has become known for her short film work, and Blue Heron carries on this success with a distinctive feature that already stands as one of the year's best.
New Jersey punk staples the Bouncing Souls are hitting the road in an extensive North American tour that will stretch from summer 2026 into early 2027.
The run includes five dates in Canada: Winnipeg on July 12, Edmonton on July 14, Calgary on July 15, Kelowna on July 17 and Ottawa on December 6.
The trek doubles as both a celebration of their legacy and the path forward, with the band set to perform material from their upcoming album Born to Be, out June 26. The record follows 2023's Ten Stories High and includes recent singles like "Power," "United," and their latest release, "The Light," which arrives with a lyric video and a familiar, anthemic Souls energy.
Fans can expect a stacked setlist pulling from across the band's catalogue, from albums such as Maniacal Laughter, How I Spent My Summer Vacation and The Gold Record. It's a mix of old and new that leans heavily into the band's staying power in the punk scene.
The Suicide Machines will join them for most dates, performing Destruction by Definition in full. Select stops will also feature a rotating lineup of support, including Death by Stereo, the Drowns, Strike Anywhere, the Flatliners and others.
Check out the upcoming album's tracklist below, where you'll also find their tour schedule.
Born to Be:
1. The Light
2. Bordertown
3. As One
4. All the Good Things
5. Only Echoes
6. Power
7. Lighthouse
8. Asshole Friends
9. United
10. Born to Be
Bouncing Souls 2026-2027 Tour Dates
06/27 Asbury Park, NJ - Stone Pony Summer Stage !
07/09 Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre *
07/10 Omaha, NE - Slowdown *
07/11 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue *
07/12 Winnipeg, MB - Park Theatre *
07/14 Edmonton, AB - Midway Music Hall *
07/15 Calgary, AB - Palace Theatre *
07/17 Kelowna, BC - Kelowna Event Centre *
07/18 Bellingham, WA - Fourth Corner Punk Fest *
09/10 Orlando, FL - The Beacham %
09/11 Charleston, SC - Music Farm %
09/12 Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel %
09/13 Charlotte, NC - The Underground %
09/15 Richmond, VA - The National %
09/16 Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Soundstage %
09/17 Buffalo, NY - Town Ballroom %
09/18 Cincinnati, OH - Bogart's %
09/20 Milwaukee, WI - The Rave %
12/02 Cleveland, OH - House of Blues +
12/03 Columbus, OH - Skully's Music-Diner +
12/06 Ottawa, ON - The Bronson +
12/09 Burlington, VT - Higher Ground +
12/10 Worcester, MA - The Palladium +
12/11 Washington, D.C. - Black Cat +
02/12 San Diego, CA - The Observatory North Park ^@
02/13 Santa Ana, CA - The Observatory ^@
02/15 Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues ^@
02/16 Los Angeles, CA - The Belasco @
02/17 Berkeley, CA - The UC Theatre ^@
02/19 Portland, OR - Revolution Hall ^@
! with Less Than Jake, the Lawrence Arms, Bane, School Drugs, Twenty Two, no Suicide Machines
* with Death By Stereo & the Drowns
% with Strike Anywhere and Human Issue
+ with the Flatliners and the Jack Knives
^ with the Aggrolites
@ with Dead Bars
Although comedies certainly don't need to be complicated or profound, Chloé Robichaud's sex romp Two Women (Deux femmes en or) seems to strive for more insight than it can deliver while offering a fun watch for audiences.
Robichaud has updated Claude Fournier's similarly titled 1970 film. The original made an impact at the time of its release due to its raucous nature and because it presented women liberating themselves from conventional roles. It was a fresh perspective for the era, but requires more depth to resonate now. It also doesn't hurt for a woman to remake man's film about women's empowerment.
Two Women follows two neighbours, Florence (Karine Gonthier-Hyndman) and Violette (Laurence Leboeuf), who grow progressively closer as they share details of their dull lives with mundane gripes growing into fuming testimonials. They share a common bond: both are stay-at-home mothers whose husbands show little interest in their relationships with them.
As unfulfilled women, they both feel powerless and extremely frustrated, sexually and otherwise. Violette, a new mom, finds maternity leave to be painfully boring, especially as her husband Benoit (Félix Moati) constantly travels for his job as a pharmaceutical salesman. It comes as no surprise when we learn that he's also sleeping with his hot co-worker and travel companion (Juliette Gariépy).
Meanwhile Florence lives with her partner David (Mani Soleymanlou), who appears more interested in his greenhouse than her. He even admits that, although he does love her, he just loves her like one of the plants that he dotes upon. She, in turn, hasn't really noticed that they haven't slept together for years until she begins her chats with Violette. The antidepressants she takes have killed her libido anyway.
The film takes on a playful porno premise as the two women decide to take agency, with each embarking on her own adventures in serial sexuality, screwing every man they can find — namely all the repair men that they can summon at their fingertips. The two women of the title are now actually two very horny women.
Eventually, the film's playful edge gives way to increasingly grim interplays, like the dire consequences of being in a troubled marriage giving audiences a great deal to unpack. Once all the film's various elements kick in, the fun sex romp shifts into the realm of something more complex. Subjects like depression and the medicated solutions blend in with the hijinks. It's quite the mix but the glaring question remains: a mix of what?
It becomes obvious that the film wants to make a grander statement about modern society. There are discussions about relationships, as the characters start to pull apart the very nature and usefulness of monogamy. Suddenly, Violette attempts to explain the #MeToo movement to a husband who mansplains it back at her.
These questions lead each character, especially Francine and Violette, to question what they really want and how to get it. Catherine Léger's meaty script proves clever enough to manage the film's various parts, but Two Women remains so talky that the actual cinematic interpretation fails to leave a lasting impact.
Robichaud and her cinematographer Sara Mishara make a valiant effort to communicate all of this angst into something visually cohesive. For instance, a fascinating transition occurs as the narrative gets more and more messy. At first, pastel hues bathe the imagery, like a fairy tale or a muted yet still colourful version of Jacques Demy's The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. It signals that the viewer is about to watch something akin to an ancient tale that will leave us more enlightened.
But reality sets in. Eventually, the camera becomes more intent on showing the women's internal strife, as it keeps returning to the overview of the eco-friendly condominium in suburban Montréal in which they live. It's a massive concrete structure. Often the film presents the two women in long shots — tiny figures in the landscape of this ginormous urban setting. They seem visibly trapped and overwhelmed. No illusions or fairytales can survive in this setting.
Throughout Two Women, these characters' escapades are often hilarious to watch, and the film works well when it indulges in its absurdity. Gonthier-Hyndman and Leboeuf turn in stellar performances, each possessing her own genius comic timing. But the overall enterprise can't seem to reconcile those moments with the demands of a script that tries to divulge greater insights.
The film would be much more satisfying if Robichaud could have found a way to focus her vision. As it stands, the film exists as a strange brew of mindless romps, serious marital woes and vague touches on mental health struggles. It simply cannot realize the more profound statement about relationships that lurks within it.
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We're coming up on three years since the release of the latest Rolling Stones album, 2023's Hackney Diamonds — so needless to say, they're getting restless. According to a new report from The Times, the elder statesmen of starting themselves up are teeing up a new LP for release in July, just not under their own name.
Posters promoting a band called the Cockroaches have reportedly cropped up in London's Camden Town neighbourhood in the lead-up to the release of a vinyl-only single entitled "Rough and Twisted" tomorrow (April 11). Said group have a website, where you can sign up to be the first to know more information, as well as purchase a T-shirt that reads, "WHO THE FUCK ARE THE COCKROACHES?"
UPDATE (4/14, 3:43 p.m. ET): After 1,000 numbered vinyl copies of "Rough and Twisted" were reportedly sold at independent record stores over the weekend, someone has uploaded almost the full-length recording to TikTok — for now, anyway. Meanwhile, the Stones themselves have only just now acknowledged the whole Cockroaches bit on their official social media channels.
Again, if The Times is to be believed, the Cockroaches are simply the Rolling Stones incognito for some reason. The publication's Will Hodgkinson reports that the Cockroaches record, produced by Andrew Watt, will be the 25th Stones album — and they're already 10 songs into the 26th, apparently.
However, the band will likely not be promoting their new music on tour. "The Rolling Stones will play when they decide to, not before," a rep told The Times. "There are no concerts planned." (Plans to tour this year were reportedly shut down in late 2025 because Keith Richards felt that he couldn't commit, the band having last made the rounds in North America in 2024.)
Hodgkinson described "Rough and Twisted" — which has yet to surface online — as "classic Stones," with a Richards blues-rock riff and a harmonica solo from Mick Jagger, who reportedly sings, "You just took me to a flyblown town in the middle of nowhere / The smell was acrid and toxic, couldn't breathe the air."
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Andy Shauf's Foxwarren have announced a run of Ontario tour dates taking place this July, presumably extending their support behind last year's reunion outcome, 2.
The summer dates begin with the quintet's festival slot at Mariposa, after which they'll perform headlining gigs in Meaford, Windsor, London, Guelph and Toronto with Hudson Freeman supporting on all dates and Haley Blais joining in for the latter. The Ontario dates end with the band's appearance at Sudbury's Northern Lights Festival Boréal, after which they'll fulfill commitments at Bengough, SK's Gateway Festival and Calgary Folk Music Festival.
Tickets for the headlining dates go on sale to the general public on Friday, April 17, after presales begin tomorrow, April 15, via signing up on the band's website.
See the dates below and head to Concert Central to check out more Canadian shows.
Foxwarren 2026 Tour Dates:
07/03–05 Orilla, ON - Mariposa Festival
07/05 Meaford, ON - Meaford Hall *
07/07 Windsor, ON - Meteor *
07/08 London, ON - Rum Runners *
07/09 Guelph, ON - Sonic Hall *
07/11 Toronto, ON - Harbourfront Stage * ^
07/10–12 Sudbury, ON - Northern Lights Festival
07/24–25 Bengough, SK - Gateway Festival
07/26 Calgary, AB - Calgary Folk Music Festival
* with Hudson Freeman
^ with Haley Blais
When The Boys debuted in 2019, it immediately cemented itself as television's most outrageous show since True Blood. Each episode plays out like a Ryan Murphy-esque take on the Justice League — blood-soaked fever dreams where Aquaman drops molly and Superman's weakness isn't kryptonite, it's mommy issues. Over five seasons, the show's satirical take on comic book tropes often addressed the absurdity of the real world. But now, in its final season, the boozy fever-dream vibes have warped into a foreboding nightmare whose politics hit close to home.
Season 4 ended with the world's most powerful "supe," Homelander (Antony Starr), finally achieving his fascistic mission: consolidating power by overthrowing the U.S. government and installing a puppet president (David Andrews) while locking up his political opposition in "freedom camps."
In the aftermath, Hughie (Jack Quaid), Frenchie (Tomer Capone) and Mother's Milk (Laz Alonso) are captured, with Annie (Erin Moriarty), Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) and Butcher (Karl Urban) separated and on the run. After Annie's resistance movement strikes a major blow, Homelander lures his enemies out by threatening to execute the imprisoned heroes in 72 hours. With time running out, the scattered allies must reunite, not only to free their friends, but to unleash a bio-weapon powerful enough to kill Homelander, even if it means eradicating every superhuman on the planet.
Season 5 features a running bit in which a screenwriter discusses the difficulty of crafting a satisfying conclusion to a beloved series. Through the first six episodes (the final two were withheld from critics), The Boys succeeds at that challenge, doing a note-perfect job wrapping up years of plot and character development in a gratifying way.
Each episode plays like a mini-movie, building narrative momentum with the force of a freight train speeding downhill. Unlike despised final seasons of once-great programs, everything in the final run feels true to the world of the show. Old loose ends pay off and characters evolve in ways that feel earned, with major surprises along the way. Events don't exist simply to shock viewers; instead, story beats feel like part of the long-term plan.
The Boys was always a dark and cynical series, but, by far, Season 5 provides the series its bleakest chapter yet. It has evolved from an unhinged send-up of celebrity worship and superhero clichés to an on-the-nose social commentary about corporate greed, democratic decay and how fascism takes root in freedom-loving societies.
It's tempting to call The Boys a funhouse mirror version of today's sociopolitical climate, but real life has become so outlandish that the show directly reflects a fractured society. When Homelander's minions attack the free press, roll back DEI and spout pro-Kremlin talking points, it isn't boldly satirical; it's simply repeating real-life White House press briefings.
Series creator Eric Kripke deconstructs the modern superhero to interrogate the systems transforming the American Dream into an out-of-touch fantasy. For four seasons, the show served as a cautionary tale, exposing the mechanisms that allow self-serving, unqualified and dangerous figures like Firecracker (Valorie Curry) and the Deep (Chace Crawford) to attain power. It also astutely probes the social engineering (political partisanship, social media, rage-baiting) that conditions the public to acquiesce to their own subjugation. In its final season, The Boys explores the catastrophic impact of Vought's unchecked power and corruption, forcing its heroes to confront how far they're willing to go to bring the world back from the brink of disaster.
Even at its most dour, The Boys remains one of the most bingeable series on television, anchored by its stellar cast, absurdist humour and unflinching carnage. As The Boys races towards a final showdown with the power-mad Homelander, it raises the spectacle level without sacrificing the heart and soul that make it essential viewing. With the endgame at hand, the show doubles down on its mission and unleashes social commentary as scorching as Homelander's laser blasts.
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Ticketmaster is now making it easier than ever for you to "do your own research" about upcoming concerts in your area by collaborating with OpenAI to launch an app within ChatGPT.
In the oddest form of damage control following those Live Nation employees boasting about "price gouging" in court documents released during the settling of the antitrust lawsuit with the US Department of Justice to avoid breaking up with its parent company last month, Ticketmaster's latest innovation brings "real-time event discovery" to the AI chatbot, per a press release.
Now, if you're distracted while having Chat plan a trip for you or not getting very far in your attempted therapy session with it, you can ask it questions about what live events are going on near you and where to find tickets to them. If you connect your ChatGPT and Ticketmaster apps, you can apparently easily find shows nearby and compare seating options.
"Fan behaviour is evolving. Discovery is no longer limited to search engines or social platforms, as more fans turn to AI platforms like ChatGPT to find events, compare options, and make decisions in real time," Ticketmaster said. "Ticketmaster is helping shape this shift with our app in ChatGPT, ensuring your events are discoverable in these emerging spaces and piloting new ways to reach fans at the moment decisions are made."
OpenAI is also reportedly testing sponsored ad placements in ChatGPT, and Ticketmaster is among the participants in this pilot program. According to OpenAI, the chatbot has over 900 million active weekly users who would surely love to click on those targeted ads.
Alternatively, if you're looking to find out about upcoming Canadian concerts, you can check out Concert Central and feel better about yourself for not contributing to the 500 million gallons of water — equivalent to the use of a town populated by 10,000 to 50,000 people — AI data centres use daily [via the Environmental and Energy Study Institute].
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Love her or hate her, Lena Dunham is very much back in public discourse, and the verbose voice of a generation has underscored her recent returns to television with the release of her memoir Famesick, out today.
In the book, Dunham reveals that she cheated on then-boyfriend Jack Antonoff (who was not so subtly mimed in her recent series Too Much) toward the end of the relationship, while the producer suspiciously formed a "closeness" with an unnamed pop star, which struck an "odd note" with Dunham.
Dunham writes how after her hysterectomy, she reached out to a middle school boyfriend, Nick, "with impunity, saying l'd just had major surgery and I needed to be cheered up. 'Meet me by the bridge? Bring me a stuffed animal?' I got an answer back in less than a minute: 'I'm already running.'"
She writes that she "let my lips wander slowly across his face and onto his, and I remembered how my high school friend Marissa's mother once told us how, when she conducted an affair in the 1970s, cheating on her first husband with Marissa's father, she insisted on wearing a red velvet cape with a hood everywhere she went," adding that she wore "a sweater the size of an airstream trailer, but I too, was ready to do adultery."
Dunham said she told Nick, "'I've been through something awful. I don't want to talk about it, but I need you to fuck me and I need you to do all of the work.' 'I can make that happen,' he said."
Of the multi-day affair, Dunham writes, "On the third night, my parents left town, and Nick met me at their place, where he went down on me while I watched the steady flames hiss in the electric fireplace," continuing, "Afterward, we took a bath, washing each other's hair at the same time, then fucked again on top of my parents' quilt. He looked deep in my eyes as he moved over me and said: 'You're making me want to cut the brakes on your boyfriend's car.'"
After Antonoff returned from a tour, Dunham shares, "I tried to calm my sheer terror by telling myself I was finally home from a bad dream," she writes. "I had fixed myself, proved I could be the freaky sexy lively young woman he fell in love with. I had exorcised the demon. In a way, I had fucked Nick for both our sakes, to make our house a home again. It would all be better now. I fell asleep to the rhythm of Jack's breathing, like I had been doing for almost six years."
The couple nonetheless broke up amicably, according to Dunham, with the two seeking out a couples therapy session to sort out what would happen next. She writes, "Looking back, there's something oddly adorable about a pair of childless thirty-year-olds thinking that anything comes next."
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JUNO-nominated singer-songwriter Lindsay Schoolcraft has detailed her third studio album. Titled Harrowing, the record arrives June 19, and chronicles "survival, rebirth and healing from the severity of narcissistic abuse."
Co-produced by Motionless in White producer Justin deBlieck, the new album is described as Schoolcraft's "most personal work yet," and each track represents a chapter in the survival process. Her signature genre-blend of nu metal, metalcore, rocktronica and classical elements (strings and choirs) offers a metallic edge as she journeys through pain and resilience to get to freedom.
Other collaborators on the album include Krista Shipperbottom on "So Alive," former Evanescence drummer Rocky Gray, composers Spencer Creaghan and Brian Cook and Schoolcraft's own band, guitarist Cody Johnstone and drummer Dylan Gowan.
Harrowing is further previewed today by the music video for "I Wait for You to Fall." Check it out, as well as the full album tracklist, below.
Harrowing:
- Mercy Has Come
- Crucified
- Vague
- I Wait for You to Fall
- Cut Your Teeth
- So Alive (feat. Krista Shipperbottom)
- Chase the Dark
- Losing It (Bonus Track, physical copies only)
After recently defending Diddy, the disgraced music mogul with literally hundreds of sexual abuse lawsuits against him, Usher has made the most logical next career move by announcing a joint tour with Chris Brown.
UPDATE (4/14, 12:08 p.m. ET): Well, it's officially happening: Usher and Chris Brown will co-headline at Toronto's Rogers Stadium on August 11 and 12. Anyone know any good Etsy witches we can hire to curse the weather?
Today, Usher has said "Yeah!" to joining up with another known abuser, he and Brown teasing a co-headlining trek named the R&B Tour — Raymond & Brown, to be clear; these two are surely not representative of an entire genre of music with a rich history. (If you want to see actual R&B live, there are plenty more respectable options.)
Further details about where exactly this tour will take them have yet to be revealed, so stay vigilant. If there's a return to the scene of Brown's 2025 crimes in Toronto, hopefully they'll have the decency to book an outdoor venue so the weather can have its way again.
Usher and Chris Brown 2026 Tour Dates:
06/26 Denver, CO - Empower Field at Mile High
06/30 Minneapolis, MN - U.S. Bank Stadium
07/02 Detroit, MI - Ford Field
07/03 Detroit, MI - Ford Field
07/07 Cleveland, OH - Huntington Bank Field
07/10 Washington, D.C. - Northwest Stadium
07/11 Washington, D.C. - Northwest Stadium
07/17 Charlotte, NC - Bank of America Stadium
07/21 St. Louis, MO - The Dome at America's Center
07/25 Nashville, TN - Nissan Stadium
07/28 Birmingham, AL - Protective Stadium
08/01 Syracuse, NY - JMA Wireless Dome
08/07 East Rutherford, NJ - MetLife Stadium
08/08 East Rutherford, NJ - MetLife Stadium
08/11 Toronto, ON - Rogers Stadium
08/12 Toronto, ON - Rogers Stadium
08/17 Boston, MA - Gillette Stadium
08/21 Chicago, IL - Soldier Field
08/28 San Francisco, CA - Levi's Stadium
09/05 Las Vegas, NV - Allegiant Stadium
09/06 Las Vegas, NV - Allegiant Stadium
09/10 Dallas, TX - AT&T Stadium
09/25 Los Angeles, CA - SoFi Stadium
09/26 Los Angeles, CA - SoFi Stadium
09/29 Glendale, AZ - State Farm Stadium
10/03 El Paso, TX - Sun Bowl Stadium
10/05 San Antonio, TX - Alamodome
10/09 Houston, TX - NRG Stadium
11/07 Atlanta, GA - Mercedes-Benz Stadium
11/08 Atlanta, GA - Mercedes-Benz Stadium
11/20 New Orleans, LA - Caesars Superdome
12/03 Miami, FL - Hard Rock Stadium
12/11 Tampa, FL - Raymond James Stadium
A little-known fact about David Byrne is that he and his family lived in Hamilton, ON, for about six years during his childhood. Though he hasn't spoken much about it before, Nardwuar the Human Serviette got a bit more about it out of him on the latest episode of his YouTube show.
Mind you, Byrne's short tenure as a Canadian happened in the 1950s, so it must be a bit hard to remember. Nardwuar jogged his memory by asking about East 42nd and Audrey streets, which led the rock icon to talk about the superior Canadian education system.
"Canada's very good at teaching," he said while laughing. "So when I got to the States, I go, I've already learned this stuff. I can coast for a while."
Byrne also talked more about the Toronto New Wave festival that debuted the large iteration of Talking Heads that would appear in Stop Making Sense. The lineup included the B-52s, Elvis Costello and the Attractions, the Pretenders, Hamilton's Teenage Head and the Clash, who apparently didn't show up.
He said, "That was the first time we played with our large band, when we expanded to like a, I don't know, nine or 10 piece. It was the first time we'd ever performed in front of people, and it was at a big festival, so we were fairly nervous. And we were ecstatic that we didn't mess up too badly, and that people liked it."
When asked by Nardwuar what the "elevator pitch" was to get all the musicians involved to join Talking Heads' touring band, he simply said, "We made a record and we can't play it with just four of us. We need help."
Watch Byrne's Nardwuar episode in full below.
Back in October, it was announced that Toronto's Budweiser Stage — to henceforth be known as RBC Amphitheatre — would be undergoing yet another rebrand and name change. (For the uninitiated, B&B is actually an acronym for "Beer and Banks" here in Canada.)
While the amphitheatre will close in 2027 for renovations, it first has a busy season ahead in 2026, which is now set to kick off with an inaugural performance from Imagine Dragons on May 21. April Fools' Day has already passed, so this is seemingly for real.
"Opening Night at RBC Amphitheatre marks an exciting milestone, and we're proud to partner with RBC to bring a stadium-level act like Imagine Dragons to kick off another record-breaking season," said Erik Hoffman, President of Music, Live Nation Canada, in a press release. "As their only amphitheatre performance in North America this year, this moment reflects our shared commitment to delivering unforgettable, world-class experiences while celebrating the unique energy that sets this venue apart."
Making jokes about Imagine Dragons genuinely feels post-ironic at this point; I'm at a loss. Welcome to the new age of Bud Stage, I guess?
Tickets go on sale Friday (April 17) at 10 a.m. local, after presales start tomorrow (April 15).
Imagine Dragons 2026 Tour Dates:
05/21 Toronto, ON - RBC Amphitheatre
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Supporting Schoontertown — one of Exclaim!'s Most Anticipated Canadian Albums of 2026 — indie folk duo the East Pointers have announced a fall headline tour, which will bring them to 10 cities across five provinces this October and November.
The tour gets underway on the West Coast, starting October 15 at Edmonton's Arden Theatre. The pair of Jake Charron and Tim Chaisson have BC gigs at Vancouver's Hollywood Theatre (October 19) and Victoria's Capital Ballroom (October 20), as well as a stop at Winnipeg's Park Theatre (October 22) before heading to Ontario.
There, they've lined up performances at Toronto's Great Hall (November 4), London's Rum Runners (November 5), Hamilton's Bridgeworks (November 6), Peterborough's Market Hall (November 7) and Ottawa's National Arts Centre (November 8) before capping off the run at Halifax's Light House Arts Centre on November 20.
Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday (April 17) at 10 a.m. ET, following presales, which begin tomorrow (April 15). Find the full itinerary below, as well as more upcoming Canadian shows via Concert Central.
The East Pointers 2026 Tour Dates:
10/15 Edmonton, AB - The Arden Theatre
10/19 Vancouver, BC - Hollywood Theatre
10/20 Victoria, BC - Capital Ballroom
10/22 Winnipeg, MB - The Park Theatre
11/04 Toronto, ON - The Great Hall
11/05 London, ON - Rum Runners
11/06 Hamilton, ON - Bridgeworks
11/07 Peterborough, ON - Market Hall
11/08 Ottawa, ON - Babs Asper Theatre at National Arts Centre
11/20 Halifax, NS - Light House Arts Centre
After some previously announced appearances at Canadian festivals like Winnipeg's Burt Block Party, Westfield, MA-hailing metalcore force Killswitch Engage have announced a slate of summer tour dates behind last year's The Consequence on this side of the border, with support from Machine Head and Malevolence.
"For our Canadian dates, we'll be hitting major cities alongside the legendary Machine Head and the relentless force that is Malevolence," vocalist Jesse Leach said in a press release. "This is a power trio bill designed to level every stage we step on pure intensity, groove, and aggression. Canada, roll up!"
The tour kicks off on August 5 at Ottawa's Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. After a detour into Quebec to play Rock La Cauze (August 7), Killswitch Engage return to Ontario for gigs at Toronto's Queen Elizabeth Theatre (August 8), London's Centennial Hall (August 9) and Thunder Bay's Community Auditorium (August 11).
From there, they'll begin a westward run at the aforementioned Burt Block Party (August 13) ahead of headlining concerts at Saskatoon's TCU Place (August 14), Edmonton's River Cree Resort & Casino (August 15) and Dawson Creek's Ovintiv Centre (August 16).
Tickets go on general sale this Friday (April 17) at 10 a.m. local time, with various presales beginning today at noon PT. Check out the band's full schedule of Canadian dates below, plus Concert Central for more upcoming Canadian shows.
Killswitch Engage 2026 Tour Dates:
08/05 Ottawa, ON - Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
08/07 Victoriaville, QC - Rock La Cauze
08/08 Toronto, ON - Queen Elizabeth Theatre
08/09 London, ON - Centennial Hall
08/11 Thunder Bay, ON - Community Auditorium
08/13 Winnipeg, MB - Burt Block Party
08/14 Saskatoon, SK - TCU Place
08/15 Edmonton, AB - River Cree Resort & Casino
08/16 Dawson Creek, BC - Ovintiv Centre