Justin Trudeau used to be a world leader, but now he's found a more important, prestigious and influential role: pop star backup dancer on TikTok.
Continuing his triumphant run as Katy Perry's boyfriend, Canada's former PM makes a cameo in Perry's latest TikTok clip for her actually-pretty-good new single "Watch It Burn."
In the short clip, Perry lip-syncs and dances to the song in what appears to be the parking area of a concert. Around her, various crew members pogo dance — and this includes Trudeau, who hop-hop-hops through the frame and briefly makes eye contact with Perry.
Regardless of what you think about Perry and Trudeau, respectively, this whole thing is pretty gross and cute, and I'm happy for them! A better-matched celeb couple has never existed.
See the clip below.
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Vader have announced the Reign Forever in Kingdom of Blood North American tour, kicking off this September with support from Jungle Rot, Fleshcrawl and Trash Panda.
Starting in Milwaukee on September 5, the 21-date run includes a pair of Canadian stops in Montreal and Quebec City. All four bands will hit the former on September 10 and the latter on September 11. From there, the tour returns to the States, wrapping up in Chicago toward the end of the month.
See the schedule below, and head to Concert Central for more Canadian show listings.
Vader, Jungle Rot, Fleshcrawl and Trash Panda 2026 Tour Dates:
09/05 Milwaukee, WI - X-Ray Arcade
09/06 Detroit, MI - The Sanctuary
09/07 Lakewood, OH - Mercury Music Lounge
09/08 Albany, NY - Empire Underground
09/09 Lowell, MA - Taffeta Music Hall
09/10 Montreal, QC - Le Studio TD
09/11 Quebec City, QC - Festival Envol & Macadam
09/12 Hamden, CT - Space Ballroom
09/14 Brooklyn, NY - The Meadows
09/15 Bensalem, PA - Broken Goblet
09/16 Greensboro, NC - Hangar 1819
09/17 Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade (Hell)
09/18 Orlando, FL - Conduit
09/19 Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room
09/20 Tampa, FL - The Orpheum
09/22 Austin, TX - Come and Take it Live
09/23 Houston, TX - Scout Bar
09/24 Haltom City, TX - Haltom Theater
09/25 Tulsa, OK - The Shrine
09/26 Lincoln, NE - 1867 Bar
09/27 Chicago, IL - Reggies
If you're out on the road, feeling lonely and so cold, why not head home to none other the original Gilmore Girls house in Unionville, ON?
A little piece of Stars Hollow could now be yours, with the three-bedroom, four-bathroom heritage home at 31 Victoria Avenue, where Lorelei (Lauren Graham) and Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel) lived, is now up for sale for a cool $3,880,000. (For that price, it'd better come with a lifetime of free coffee from Luke's.)
While production on the mother-daughter dramedy eventually moved to Los Angeles, it famously began by shooting its pilot in this suburban Markham community; many Main Street locations appear onscreen in the first episode, which aired on October 5, 2000.
Built in 1875, the house overlooks a river and ravine, and is secluded by mature trees despite being steps away from Main Street. Best of all, it features a sprawling wraparound veranda — the perfect place to sit on a Muskoka chair and try to reparent your inner child while listening to a chorus of "las," transitioning you to the next scene.
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Heated Rivalry's explosive popularity was big news for the Canadian music industry, and with the show's soundtrack getting its vinyl release, indie stores across North America are throwing parties for the soundtrack.
Across the country, 29 record stores will host listening parties between July 10 and 12. A press release notes that these parties will include things like "freebie items, activities, exclusive merch, signed prizes" and more.
The list of participating Canadian stores is below. Check each individual store for specific event details and, in some cases, RSVP links.
Heated Rivalry's soundtrack is on vinyl and CD now. It's coming to cassette on August 14 and is available to pre-order now.
Alberta
Fort McMurray: The Music Room YMM
Medicine Hat: Poprocks Candy and Vinyl
British Columbia
New Westminster: Relove Records
Surrey: Elevated Music
Vancouver: Neptoon Records
Manitoba
Winnipeg: Argy's Records, Frenchie's Records
New Brunswick
Perth-Andover: Folkd Up Records
Nova Scotia
Halifax: Taz Records
Ontario
Cornwall: Bud's Records
Dundas: Revolution Records
Hamilton: Dr. Disc | Revolution Records
Kingston: Now And Then
London: Grooves
Mississauga: High Notes Vinyl Shop
St. Catharines: Mindbomb Records
Toronto: Dead Dog Records, Dine Alone Store, High Notes Coffee + Vinyl, Hopeless Romantic Books, Kops Records, Pop Music
Windsor: Going Thru Vinyl Records
Quebec
Longueuil: Le Noise
Montreal: Aux 33 Tours
Québec: Le Knock-Out!
Rimouski: Audition Musik
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu: Le Noise
Trois-Rivières: La Puce Rock
During a global fan event in support of Dune: Part 3 this week, director Denis Villeneuve shared how the National Film Board of Canada influenced the conclusion of his space opera trilogy.
"I was raised watching experimental movies from [the] National Film Board," he said. "That's where my cinematic education started. I wanted to bring that experimental feeling to Dune: Part 3. To do so, I created a special, small unit — very tiny unit — of a few filmmakers and their task was to do experiments in front of the camera to bring some crazy, insane footage that I would use for the movie."
The Montrealer enlisted the help of two young French-Canadian filmmakers to head up this team, which he named the Psychedelic Unit, and revealed that they created "some crazy images that you will see in the movie."
Villeneuve and surprise guest Timothée Chalamet participated in a Q&A in Los Angeles for the event, which was broadcast to IMAX theatres in Toronto, Montreal, London, Berlin, Mexico City, Abu Dhabi, Chicago and Dallas. A new trailer and footage previously shared at Cinema Con were also aired.
The filmmaker's love for Canada continued when asked for a restaurant recommendation in La Belle Province, to which Villeneuve quickly responded with his "favourite spot on Earth": Byblos Le Petit Café, an Iranian restaurant in Montreal. According to Villeneuve, Byblos has the "best breakfast in the galaxy," and he'd love to share their omelette fêta with the cast.
The final chapter of Villeneuve's adaptation of Frank Herbert's classic sci-fi epic novels opens in theatres and IMAX on December 18.
Check out the latest trailer of Dune: Part 3 below.
Swiss-Ecuadorian sibling duo Hermanos Gutiérrez are gearing up to release their latest collection of Latin Western instrumental music, Los Ojos Del Cóndor (out September 25 via Easy Eye Sound), and have now shared plans for an accompanying string of North American tour dates this fall.
With Y La Bamba supporting the pair's headlining dates — they also have a handful of gigs as Jack Johnson's special guests — Hermanos Gutiérrez will kick off the run on Canadian soil, performing at Vancouver's Queen Elizabeth Theatre on September 24. That will be the lone stop in Canada, with the remainder of the tour to be completed stateside, wrapping up on October 21 in Houston, TX.
Tickets are on sale now. Check out the full schedule of dates below, plus the music video for Los Ojos Del Cóndor's title track.
Stop by Concert Central for more information on upcoming Canadian shows.
Hermanos Gutiérrez 2026 Tour Dates:
09/24 Vancouver, BC - Queen Elizabeth Theatre †
09/26 George, WA - The Gorge Amphitheatre ^
09/27 Woodinville, WA - Chateau Ste. Michelle †
09/29 Portland, OR - Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall †
10/03 Denver, CO - Mission Ballroom †
10/05 Albuquerque, NM - Popejoy Hall †
10/06 Phoenix, AZ - Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre ^
10/09 Chula Vista, CA - North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre ^
10/10 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl ^
10/11 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl ^
10/18 Austin, TX - ACL Live at Moody Amphitheater †
10/20 Dallas, TX - South Side Ballroom †
10/21 Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall †
^ with Jack Johnson
† with Y La Bamba
When he's not walking up to AI worship slop, Toronto Blue Jays' Daulton Varsho comes to bat to Alex Warren's "Ordinary," which was quite the controversy a few months ago! After staying strong and not changing his walk-up song despite a fan petition begging him to, he's caught the attention of Warren himself.
Speaking with iHeartRadio Canada, the musician was asked if he'd heard about Varsho's fan backlash. He said he hadn't, but then recalled hearing about it after the interviewer gave a bit more context. "Heck yeah! I think I saw a video of him walking out to my song, and I think I followed him on Instagram," he said.
"Daulton, thank you so much, you're the man," he continued, before exclaiming, "Fuck, we should've invited him to the show!" When his team informed him that he was indeed invited but that the Jays are on the road, he shouted, "Damn it!"
Warren also revealed that he avoided baseball games following the death of his father, but the first time he went afterwards, it was a Blue Jays game.
We aren't fans of "Ordinary" 'round these parts, but this was honestly pretty wholesome. See Warren talk about Varsho and the Jays below.
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After its successful inaugural edition last year, Buddies Fest is returning to Tillsonburg, ON, this August 7 through 9. Organizers have now revealed the full lineup of artists who will be taking over Paddy's Underground and the outdoor stage behind the Mill Inn & Eatery (20 John Pound Road) for punk, rock and alternative performances.
Wheatus, All, Chixdiggit, the OBGMs, Tommy Stinson, B.A. Johnston, the Anti-Queens, Drag the River, Ultrabomb, the McBains, All My Senses, Audio Visceral and more will contribute to the singular atmosphere, combining the stacked bill of a major music festival with the community spirit of an intimate small-town gathering.
Weekend passes and single-day tickets are on sale now. Kids under 10 get in free! Find the full lineup details below, and visit the Buddies Fest website for more information.
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The Polaris Music Prize has announced the 10-album short list of nominees for the 2026 edition of the award.
Following the 40-album short list, the cross-Canada journey has narrowed the nominees down to the following 10 albums:
Angine de Poitrine - Vol. II
Aquakultre - 1783
Begonia - Fantasy Life
Bibi Club - Amaro
Charlotte Cornfield - Hurts Like Hell
Beverly Glenn-Copeland - Laughter in Summer
Rochelle Jordan - Through the Wall
Les Louanges - Alouette!
Peaches - No Lube So Rude
Tanya Tagaq - Saputjiji
The winner will be announced at a concert and award ceremony at Toronto's Massey Hall on September 22. Polaris has already confirmed that many of the nominees will be performing at the event, including Aquakultre, Begonia, Bibi Club, Charlotte Cornfield, Beverly Glenn-Copeland (with Elizabeth Copeland), Les Louanges and Tanya Tagaq.
Slash Need will be performing an interpretation of Peaches, while Angine de Poitrine and Rochelle Jordan are unaccounted for. Maybe that fake Russian band could perform for Angine de Poitrine?
Odario Williams (CBC Music's Afterdark) will host. The winner will receive $30,000. Unlike past years, when the winner was decided by a small grand jury, this year's top honours will be determined by a vote from the full Polaris jury.
Tickets to the Polaris ceremony are on sale now.
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Yungblud has announced that he will no longer be performing at Calgary's Cowboys Music Festival this Sunday (July 12), alluding to mental health concerns in a statement explaining the decision.
"To all my family in Canada I apologize for not being there with you all this weekend — I'm currently in a place where I'm working on myself and taking time off at home in the UK," the artist wrote. "I'm taking this extremely seriously and facing head on what's going on for the good of the long term. I will never take any of this for granted and I will see you all soon. I love you all."
Some upset fans in the comments pointed out that this isn't the first time Yungblud has cancelled a Calgary performance: he was scheduled to play MacEwan Hall back in April 2020, which he wasn't able to go through with due to obvious COVID-19 pandemic reasons.
Recently, the artist born Dominic Richard Harrison shared a video of himself, overcome with emotion while performing at his Bludfest event in Králové, Czechia. He wrote a long caption detailing a recent "breakdown" over the public perception of his rising star, with detractors referring to him as an "industry plant." The musician received an outpouring of support, including from industry veterans like SZA, Gary Holt (Slayer/Exodus), Scott Ian (Anthrax) and Alissa White-Gluz.
According to Yungblud's management, all of his other tour dates are expected to go on as planned. The festival has urged affected ticket holders to check their emails for information on their options, including full refunds. Nelly and Steve Aoki will now be headlining on Sunday (June 12).
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Twin Temple are a married duo based in Los Angeles, CA, who blend vintage '50s/'60s rock sounds with campy occult theatrics for what they call "Satanic doo-wop." Their top three songs on Spotify are entitled "Lucifer, My Love," "Satan's a Woman" and "Let's Have a Satanic Orgy," so it's safe to say they're pretty upfront about the whole thing.
Somehow, this was news to Charley Crockett. Twin Temple say that the country star has now decided he doesn't want them involved in the two shows they were supposed to play opening for him next week in Troutdale, OR, and Paso Robles, CA.
UPDATE (7/10, 11:54 a.m. ET): Jack White has now offered Twin Temple the opportunity to open for him at the Hollywood Palladium on September 29 as part of his tour behind new album Frozen Charlotte. He posted a photo of the duo on his ever-active Instagram account today posing the question, adding, "Get in front of me Satan!"
"Today we were informed that Charley Crockett has decided to remove Twin Temple from his upcoming shows next week due to our Satanic imagery," the band wrote in a statement posted to Instagram yesterday (July 8).
They continued, "We are really disappointed as we were looking forward to getting back out and seeing you, and also what it meant as far as bringing different types of people and music lovers together," adding, "We're grateful for your support, not only of Twin Temple, but more importantly of artistic freedom. HAIL SATAN! 93/93."
Perhaps Crockett is feeling like he has to play it extra safe following the cancellation of his Canadian tour earlier this year over being barred entry to the country due to a 2014 felony conviction for marijuana possession? However, he's not particularly one for playing by the rules, either: he recently re-released Clovis, the swift follow-up to Age of the Ram, after it was pulled from circulation due to a label dispute.
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Bonnie Tyler, the Welsh singer responsible for the definitive '80s power ballad "Total Eclipse of the Heart" — as well as "Holding Out for a Hero," the epic from Footloose — has died. She was 75.
Tyler passed unexpectedly yesterday (July 8) at a hospital near her home in Faro, Portugal, according to a statement posted to her official Facebook page. She had been hospitalized since May, when she underwent emergency intestinal surgery and was put into a coma. Tyler had spent the last two months recovering in intensive care, but died as a result of the original unspecified illness.
"We will issue a further statement shortly, but for now ask for privacy to deal with this tragedy," Tyler's team wrote.
Born Gaynor Hopkins in Skewen, Wales, the artist was first inspired to pursue a singing career after she was entered into a local talent contest by her aunt in April 1969, where she placed second to an accordionist. She worked as a backup singer for Bobby Wayne & the Dixies before forming her own band, Imagination, wherein she performed under the name Sherene Davis to avoid confusion with the Welsh folk singer Mary Hopkin.
The singer was then discovered by talent scout Roger Bell when she was performing with her band in 1975. He invited her to London to record a demo and, several months later, she was offered a record deal by RCA Records. It was at this point that, after compiling a list of surnames and first names from a newspaper, she chose the name Bonnie Tyler.
Following the 1977 release of her debut album, The World Starts Tonight, Tyler underwent surgery to remove nodules on her vocal cords. Her doctor advised her to stay on vocal rest for six weeks, which reportedly made her scream in frustration one day, resulting in her hallmark raspy tone.
Tyler released three more albums with RCA to modest success, but declined their offer to extend her contract and signed with Columbia Records. Her first choice as a producer for her next record was Jim Steinman, who penned "Total Eclipse of the Heart," which Tyler first performed at his New York apartment a few weeks after their initial meeting.
Released in the UK on February 11, 1983, "Total Eclipse of the Heart" became one of the fastest-selling singles of all time, as well as the country's fifth best-selling song that year. Tyler's Steinman-produced fifth album, Faster Than the Speed of Night, debuted at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart, and reached No. 4 on the US Billboard 200.
The very next year, Tyler contributed "Holding Out for a Hero" to the Footloose soundtrack, and later, a version of "Here She Comes" for Giorgio Moroder's restoration of Metropolis, which earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.
While these songs' enduring legacies as karaoke classics reflect that this period of time was the peak of Tyler's success, she continued to release more than a dozen albums that often had meagre hits in Europe. After an eight-year break following the 2005 release of Wings, she made a comeback with 2013's Rocks and Honey, and represented the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest with "Believe in Me."
Tyler's most recent album remains 2021's The Best Is Yet to Come. She's survived by her husband, real estate developer Robert Sullivan. His cousin, actor Catherine Zeta-Jones, posted a tribute to Tyler on Instagram, remembering her as "an extraordinary woman with vocals to match. A one of a kind artist, who so easily could have been a comedian because she was one of the funniest people I ever met."
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Could all-night clubbing become a thing in Toronto? A city councillor has put forth a recommendation that the city investigate implementing a "Montreal nightlife hub model" that could allow some clubs to operate until 6 a.m.
Councillor Paul Ainslie, deputy mayor of Scarborough, presented a motion [via Toronto Today] dated June 26, requesting that the members of the Economic Development Committee "review recent developments in Montreal, where the City has introduced designated 'nightlife hubs' that permit select venues to operate with extended hours — up to 6:00 a.m. during approved events — beyond the standard last call. This model is intended to support the nighttime economy, enhance cultural vibrancy, and create more coordinated and managed late-night activity."
Ainslie is requesting an assessment of whether Toronto residents and businesses have the appetite for such a policy, and how it could be tailored to Toronto. Such issues could include "enhancing public safety and wellbeing, sound conflict mitigation, transportation, and harm reduction measures necessary to support extended hours."
The motion doesn't request any results back until Q4 2027, so it will still be some time before anything can come of this. So, until then, all-night ravers might want to make plans to go to Montreal.
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The FIFA World Cup's first-ever Halftime Show, presented by Global Citizen, is set to take place next Sunday, July 19, at New York New Jersey Stadium (MetLife), and Canadian superstar Justin Bieber will headline alongside Madonna, Shakira and BTS.
With additional performances by Burna Boy, Gustavo Dudamel, and Coldplay with the fourth- and fifth-grade PS22 Chorus, the Chris Martin-curated performances will raise money for the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, which has already raised $100 million USD to "expand access to quality education and football for children worldwide." The Muppets from Sesame Street will also be in attendance (lol).
"The FIFA World Cup brings the world together in a way nothing else can. I'm grateful to be part of this Halftime Show, and even more grateful knowing it's already helping expand access to education for children around the world," said Bieber.
The show is reportedly set to be the most-watched Halftime Show in history. Take that, Bad Bunny!
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In the wake of acts like Etran de L'Aïr and Anna von Hausswolff reconfiguring their tour schedules due to delays in their US touring artist visas being approved, Exclaim! New Faves alum Maryze is raising further awareness about exactly how long international artists are waiting — and how few answers they're getting.
In a video shared on social media, Maryze, who splits their time between Montreal and Los Angeles, explained that they applied to renew their visa about 11 months ago, and the request hasn't even begun processing. They still don't know if it'll be approved or denied, either.
"Wait times used to be four to five months, so I applied for my visa to start in January of this year last July," they said, adding that they were encouraged to pay $2,800 USD for premium processing, said to expedite your application to the top of the pile — but that most touring musicians can't afford this on top of the already high visa fees, which increased by over $500 USD each in April 2024.
Maryze also pointed out that, since they applied for the visa for January through December of 2026, if their application does get processed, they'll only have the remainder of the year to use it. "I don't want to solely blame this on the administration, but let's just say last year this wasn't a problem," the artist remarked.
In the Instagram comments, Exclaim! Class of 2023 grad Jaguar Sun said that he's been waiting a full 12 months for his visa. fanclubwallet also commiserated, sharing Maryze's video to her Instagram Story and admitting that it had cost her "like 5k" to perform in the US.
"We're lucky to have gotten touring grants but I always have to front the cost and cross my fingers that it works out," the artist born Hannah Judge went on, adding in a subsequent post that wait times were 45 days in 2012; in the single year of 2024–2025, regular processing times rose from 184 days to approximately 365 days, an increase of about 97 percent.
Judge has also shared a questionnaire, in which she's gathering data from fellow Canadian touring musicians who have been impacted by visa delays. See screenshots of her stories below, as well as Maryze's full video.
Back in January of last year, Exclaim! talked to the OBGMs and Wolf Parade's Dan Boeckner about how US border relations could impact the touring industry — and Densil McFarlane advised Canadian musicians to get their visa applications in ASAP.
Things being what they currently are, there's a moment every couple of weeks that feels like a damning indictment of the state of music journalism. The latest came yesterday (July 7), when Pitchfork featured Peppa Pig as the latest guest in its Over/Under video series.
And here I am now, adding fuel to the fire by writing about the fallout from this editorial decision — which not only targeted music writers and fans of music writing everywhere, but three pop stars.
In the video, the cartoon porker had some undeniable Clairo shade to offer. When asked if the singer-songwriter beloved by bisexual Brooklyn men was overrated or underrated, Peppa Pig answered simply, "I don't know her."
The artist born Claire Cottrill later took to the social media platform formerly known as Twitter and shared a screenshot of a DM from Charli xcx, who sent an @PopBase tweet about what Peppa Pig said and added, "Let's fuck her up."
PinkPantheress, who the swine praised as overrated — "Her name is Pink! That's the best name ever! Does she like animals? Maybe she would like me because I'm pink too and everyone likes me" — also put her dukes up, tweeting, "ain't shit sweet until you put respect on clairo 💯."
Remember back when Peppa Pig was inspiring one of the best lines in The White Lotus and roasting Ye's hog? It's a bing bong zoo out there, folks. See Clairo and Pink's tweets below, as well as the full Over/Under feature.
The indie rock project helmed by Brooklyn, NY-based musician Harry Springer with over 100 million streams, Moon Walker, has announced a handful of Canadian tour dates behind his latest album WASTELAND COUNTRY.
Springer comes to the central part of the country this September, starting things off with a September 15 performance at Oshawa's Biltmore Theatre. He has additional Ontario gigs at Warehouse in St. Catharines (September 16), Lee's Palace in Toronto (September 17), Ottawa's 27 Club (September 18) and the Broom Factory in Kingston (September 20), as well as a lone Quebec stop at Montreal's Bar Le Ritz (September 19).
Tickets are available now. See Moon Walker's full Canadian itinerary below, and visit Concert Central for more upcoming Canadian shows.
Moon Walker 2026 Tour Dates:
09/15 Oshawa, ON - Biltmore Theatre
09/16 St. Catharines, ON - Warehouse
09/17 Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace
09/18 Ottawa, ON - The 27 Club
09/19 Montreal, QC - Bar le Ritz
09/20 Kingston, ON - The Broom Factory
Basia Bulat is reimagining some of the songs from last year's Basia's Palace for a new acoustic EP, Bouquet, which arrives August 28 on Secret City Records. In conjunction, she's also announced new additions to her sprawling 2026 North American tour itinerary, including Canadian gigs in Alberta, the Yukon, British Columbia and Ontario.
Bulat's newly announced concerts kick off on September 16 at Sherwood Park, AB's Festival Place Theatre. After playing Whitehorse's Yukon Arts Centre (September 18), the singer-songwriter heads to BC for appearances at Burnaby's Shadbolt Centre for the Performing Arts (September 20), Vernon's Performing Arts Centre (September 22) and Lake Country's Creekside Theatre (September 23).
Following previously announced fall performances across Quebec and the US, the artist lands in Ontario for a string of dates, starting November 19 at the Spire in Kingston. Bulat will also hit Peterborough's Market Hall (November 20), Creemore's Avening Community Hall (November 21), Blue Mountain's Studio 79 (November 22), Paris's River's Edge (November 26), London's Aeolian Hall (November 27) and the Waterford Old Town Hall (November 28).
Tickets are on sale now. Find the full routing below with the new concerts in bold, as well as the EP version of "Right Now." Be sure to check out Concert Central for information about more upcoming Canadian shows.
Bouquet:
1. Right Now (Bouquet Version)
2. My Angel (Bouquet Version)
3. Disco-Polo (Bouquet Version)
4. Baby (Bouquet Version)
5. Laughter (Bouquet Version)
Basia Bulat 2026 Tour Dates:
07/18 Quebec City, QC - FEQ
09/05 Bolton-Est, QC - Bistro du Rucher *
09/16 Sherwood Park, AB - Festival Place Theatre *
09/18 Whitehorse, YT - Yukon Arts Centre *
09/20 Burnaby, BC - Shadbolt Centre For The Arts *
09/22 Vernon, BC - Vernon & District Performing Arts Centre *
09/23 Lake Country, BC - Creekside Theatre *
09/25 Montreal, QC - Pop Montreal *
10/02 St-Hyacinthe, QC - Le Zaricot *
10/03 Montreal, QC - Maison Culture Marie-Uguay *
10/15 Chelsea, QC - Motel Chelsea *
10/16 Chelsea, QC - Motel Chelsea *
10/17 Lavaltrie, QC - Garage à Simon *
10/23 Verdun, QC - Quai 5160 *
10/24 Terrebonne, QC - Le Moulinet *
11/04 Boston, MA - Club Passim *
11/05 New York, NY - Joe's Pub *
11/06 Philadelphia, PA - Philadelphia Ethical Society *
11/07 Washington, D.C. - Pearl Street Warehouse *
11/13 St. Jérôme, QC - Le P'tit DDC *
11/14 Beloeil, QC - Maison de la Culture Villebon *
11/19 Kingston, ON - The Spire *
11/20 Peterborough, ON - Market Hall *
11/21 Creemore, ON - Avening Community Hall *
11/22 Blue Mountain, ON - Studio 79 * (Matinée and Evening shows)
11/26 Paris, ON - River's Edge *
11/27 London, ON - Aeolian Hall *
11/28 Waterford, ON - Waterford Old Town Hall *
* solo performance
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Protomartyr are going on a lengthy run this upcoming fall and winter.
Starting with its North American leg, the tour begins at Phoenix, AZ's Crescent Ballroom on October 19. From there, the band will travel up the US West Coast before crossing the border to play the Pearl in Vancouver on October 28. After a Portland stop and a detour to open for the Jesus and Mary Chain in Austin on October 31, Protomartyr will play the Concert Hall in Toronto and Montreal's Les Foufounes Électriques on November 7 and 8, respectively.
The rest of the North American leg will remain in the US, ending in Detroit at Majestic on December 4. The tour will pick back up in February for a run throughout Europe.
Accessory and J.R.C.G. will act as support on different dates across North America. Tickets go on sale Friday (July 10) at 10 a.m. local time. More information can be found on Protomartyr's website.
Check out the full run of tour dates below.
Protomartyr 2026–2027 Tour Dates:
10/19 Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom *
10/20 San Diego, CA - Casbah *
10/22 Los Angeles, CA - Regent *
10/23 San Jose, CA - The Ritz *
10/24 San Francisco, CA - August Hall *
10/27 Seattle, WA - Neumos *
10/28 Vancouver, BC - The Pearl *
10/29 Portland, OR - Aladdin *
10/31 Austin, TX - Far Out Lounge ^
11/07 Toronto, ON - Concert Hall #
11/08 Montreal, QC - Les Foufounes Électriques #
11/10 Boston, MA - Crystal Ballroom #
11/11 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
11/12 New York, NY - Webster Hall #
11/13 Washington, D.C. - Black Cat #
11/14 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle #
11/15 Asheville, NC - Eulogy #
11/17 Nashville, TN - Basement East #
11/18 St. Louis, MO - Duck Room #
11/19 Chicago, IL - Metro #
12/04 Detroit, MI - Majestic
02/11 Leeds, UK - Irish Center
02/12 Glasgow, UK - The Garage
02/13 Manchester, UK - Band on the Wall
02/15 Bristol, UK - The Lantern
02/16 London, UK - Electric Brixton
02/18 Lille, France - L'Aéronef
02/19 Paris, France - Le Trabendo
02/20 Brussels, Belgium - Le Botanique
02/22 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
02/23 Hamburg, Germany - Bahnhof Pauli
02/24 Copenhagen, Denmark - Pumpehuset
02/26 Berlin, Germany - Bi Nuu Club
02/27 Leipzig, Germany - UT Connewitz
02/28 Prague, Czech Republic - Meet Factory
* with Accessory
^ with the Jesus and Mary Chain
# with J.R.C.G.
Hamilton four-piece Actor (including former members of Teenage Kicks) have announced their sophomore album, The Best Of, arriving September 25 via Having Fun / We Are Busy Bodies. The band have also booked a pair of Ontario gigs in celebration of the forthcoming release.
Recorded with producer Matt Snell and engineer Sean Pearson at Boxcar Sound, The Best Of is said to find the band trading in their country-indebted sound for feedback-laden '90s alt rock, power pop and contemporary alt-country, as demonstrated by their lead single "Golden Youth," which you can hear below.
Also below, peep the band's tour schedule; they'll play Toronto's Piston on August 18 ahead of a hometown show on release day at Collective Arts. Pale Blue Eyes will offer support on the latter.
Actor 2026 Tour Dates:
08/18 - Toronto, ON - The Piston
09/25 - Hamilton, ON - Collective Arts with Pale Blue Eyes
L'Rain — the experimental multi-instrumentalist and composer born Taja Cheek — is hitting the road later this year in support of her forthcoming new album, fata morgana (out August 14 via Mexican Summer). She'll make a couple Canadian stops in Montreal and Toronto this fall.
The tour begins September 14. Swiftly thereafter, L'Rain will cross the border into Canada to perform at Montreal's La Sala Rossa (September 15) and the Garrison in Toronto (September 16). From there, she'll complete the remaining dates stateside, wrapping things up on December 8 in Los Angeles, CA.
Tickets go on general sale this Friday (July 10) at 10 a.m. local time, with presales ongoing. Check out the full schedule below, as well as the video for the hypnotic new album track "borderline." Visit Concert Central for more information on upcoming Canadian shows.
L'Rain 2026 Tour Dates:
09/14 Kingston, NY - Tubby's
09/15 Montreal, QC - La Sala Rossa
09/16 Toronto, ON - The Garrison
09/18 Detroit, MI - TSDMAAC (Crypt)
09/22 Pittsburgh, PA - The Andy Warhol Museum
09/23 Washington, D.C. - DC9
09/24 Philadelphia, PA - TBD
09/28 New York, NY - Nightclub 101
09/29 New York, NY - Nightclub 101
11/17 Asheville, NC - AyurPrana Listening Room
11/19 Nashville, TN - The Blue Room at Third Man
11/20 Atlanta, GA - Aisle 5
11/21 Durham, NC - Cat's Cradle: Back Room
12/02 San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Stop
12/04 Portland, OR - Jack London Revue
12/05 Seattle, WA - Baba Yaga
12/08 Los Angeles, CA - 2220 Arts
Vancouver has a long history of appearing prominently in films and TV, and local record collectors will surely recognize one location from Prime Video's new Legally Blonde prequel Elle, which prominently features Main Street staple Neptoon Records.
On Instagram, Neptoon posted several screenshots from the series, showing Elle Woods (the character portrayed as a law student by Reese Witherspoon, and here played as a 1990s high schooler by Lexi Minetree) hanging out at Neptoon. The store appears in the second, fifth and eighth episodes of the show.
Elle is set in Seattle, and Neptoon is called Bad Vibrations in the show.
See the screenshots below. In the comments section, local indie pop musician Rose Melberg pointed out that a song from her band Tiger Trap appears in the show.
Elle is out now. It premiered on July 1.
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Having spun off with the satellite festival Outer Space this spring, Toronto's Project Nowhere is back with the details of its 2026 edition, running October 1 to 3.
The first wave of artists announced by the festival includes U.S. Girls, Death, A Place to Bury Strangers, Tobacco, Horse Lords, Ducks Ltd., Ora Cogan, Stefana Fratila, LustSickPuppy, Upchuck, Jay Feelbender, Shirley Hurt, Piper Maru, O/H, Still Depths, Head Crack, Haha Laughing, Scarlett Rose, Mulch, Man Made Hill, WEBB, Edmund Stay, Common Earth Mineral, Mandy Christ, Flake, Dream, Willow Switch, Twin Mask and Nutrients.
Psychedelic visuals for the shows will once again be provided by the Oscillitarium and Anthony Piazza.
Early bird passes for the festival are already sold out, but three-day passes are now on sale, as are Nowhere Club memberships (including priority access to all venues). Individual show tickets will be on sale on July 31. Learn more over at the festival's website.
A second wave of performers will be announced on July 21.
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Just for Laughs Toronto has announced the first wave of artists coming to the comedy festival this fall, including Pete Davidson, John Cleese and Tiffany Haddish.
Running September 24 to October 3, the festival will also bring Brazilian comedian Rafi Bastos, drag star Monét X Change, and a long list of other acts including Johnny Pemberton, Joel Kim Booster, Joe List, Peter Antoniou, the Lauren & Mary Show (Lauren Lapkus and Mary Holland), Alfred Robles, Caitlin Peluffo, Nick Thune, Rachel Feinstein, Red Richardson, the Sklar Brothers, Ray Lau, Conor Janda, Jackie Fabulous, Emma Willmann and Dustin Nickerson.
Shows take place at a variety of theatres and clubs around Toronto.
"Toronto has long been an important city for comedy, producing incredible talent and welcoming audiences who embrace bold and diverse voices," JFL boss Sylvain Parent-Bédard said in a statement. "Just for Laughs Toronto celebrates that legacy by connecting artists and fans from across Canada and around the globe. We're proud to be part of Toronto's vibrant cultural community and to continue building a festival that showcases the power of comedy."
Presales begin today at 10 a.m., with tickets going on sale to the public starting Friday (July 10). Find more info at JFL Toronto's website.
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A new Canadian album prize has arrived on the scene, this time focused on albums from Western and Northern Canada.
Known as the Meridian Prize — referring to geographic lines of longitude, rather than the bank — the winner will be announced on October 3 at the conference/festival BreakOut West in Victoria, BC.
The nominees for the first edition of the prize are as follows:
Begonia - Fantasy Life
Cassia Hardy - In Relation
Emma Goldman - all you are is we
Fontine - Good Buddy
Foxwarren - 2
Home Front - Watch It Die
Jack J - Desert Blue
Jairus Sharif - Basis of Unity
Living Hour - Internal Drone Infinity
William Prince - Further from the Country
According to a press release, the album is judged on "exceptional artistic achievement" and will recognize albums "that stand as complete creative statements and mark a defining moment in an artist's practice."
Meridian Prize executive director Michael Dawson said in a statement, "It's a great privilege to steward this project forward. My sincere hope is that the prize, in partnership with BreakOut West, will serve as a platform for people to discover seminal albums and draw inspiration from the stories behind them. Given the geographic eligibility criteria, there may be a temptation to minimize Meridian Prize as merely a 'regional' award. But it's important to remember that the eligible region spans 6,827,019 square kilometres. That is a vast and diverse landscape whose artists make a profound impact."
The prize is judged by a jury of festival and radio programmers, independent record store staffers, and critics and curators. The winner will receive $5,000.
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