In the lead-up to Good Kid's recording session in Los Angeles last January, the members of the Toronto group were naturally excited to explore the city and its picturesque surroundings. "We went thinking "Oh my god, we're going to go to L.A. and have the best time, go hiking, hang out," says guitarist Jacob Tsafatinos.

Instead the band — Tsafatinos, singer Nick Frosst, guitarist David Wood, drummer Jon Kereliuk, bassist Michael Kozakov — arrived just ahead of the wildfires that devastated the city. As a result they were confined to their Airbnb and producer John Congleton's Animal Rites studio.

For three weeks it was "the five of us together all day, every day," playing video games, watching movies and writing songs, says Tsafatinos. "We also fought. You know, big arguments, some of the worst arguments. If we weren't as close as a band like that, the process of just recording the record, being stuck inside all day for three weeks, would have probably killed us."

Out of this crucible came their debut album Can We Hang Out Sometime?, a 26-minute blast of bright 2000s indie rock hooks and earnest explorations of connection and communication in an increasingly disconnected world. It's also the culmination of more than a decade of hard work during which the band have released four EPs totally independently, netting them millions of streams, sold-out shows and even a JUNO Award nomination. Not bad for a group of friends who met while studying computer science at the University of Toronto.

Like any devoted fandom, Good Kid fans are gearing up to stream the new record, buy it on vinyl, catch the band on tour or rock one of their T-shirts. But as both fans and artists, the members of Good Kid feel that's not enough. Comic books, anime and video games are all grist for the mill of Good Kid's inspirations; all make use of immersive universes beyond their primary mediums, creating an immersive and often symbiotic fan experience. Good Kid see no reason to limit the way their fans interact with their music.

"One of the things we love about art is art that gives as much as you put into it," says Frosst, who recalls becoming obsessed with an X-Men encyclopaedia in high school. "You read Lord of the Rings once, and have a great time. Or you can read Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion and get into all the histories."

The band's own lore started when they needed cover art for their first single and turned to their friend Gabriel Altrows. "We were just like, 'Hey, the name of the band is Good Kid," says Frosst. "The first song is called 'Nomu.' Listen to it and draw whatever you want." Drawing inspiration from bands like Gorillaz and Twenty One Pilots, the band have since spun off an entire universe of interconnected characters, worlds and adventures from that initial image.

Fans explore and interact with this world through the band's music videos, as well as hidden websites, augmented reality games, chatbots and even a video game. Reddit and discord communities dedicated to the band have, in turn, produced their own fan art, videos, cosplay, and multi-page Google Docs that break down the world for n00bs.

Broadly, the Good Kid Multimedia Universe revolves around "a group of friends who work at a pizza shop, deliver pizzas and then at night and play music," says Tsafatinos who cites long-running manga and anime One Piece as a favourite expanded universe. Their adventures take place in a fictional city called Neo-TO where music plays an important role both infrastructurally and culturally. "It's about them getting into trouble, dealing with interpersonal issues, and the chaos that comes from their own flaws."

"If you want to explore, you can dive in," says Frosst. "There's secret phone numbers and websites out there that some people have found that other people haven't found yet. But there's a bunch of other things that no one has found. We're lucky enough to have enough fans at this point that someone is going to find it all eventually."

While Tsafatinos says he has 70 pages of ideas for this world — he'd ultimately love to create a comic book or animated series featuring these characters — they are inspired by the band's music and not the other way around. "We write stuff about our own experience," says Frosst, "and then the themes in there, we weave into the stories in the lore."

Neo-TO feels like an idealized version of Toronto that prizes art and friendship above all else, and it's easy to see why this would be a utopia for Good Kid. Both Frosst and Tsafatinos had played in bands prior to forming Good Kid; Tsafatinos and Wood together in Streets Ahead, named for a Community reference, while Frosst's old band played "weird" music that included a glockenspiel. Growing up in Toronto, Tsafatinos took advantage of the vibrant network of all-ages venues that existed at the time. "You would go to the movies or you go to a concert," he says. "Those were your two options."

In lesser hands, the Good Kid Multimedia Universe could feel like a bad marketing pitch, but they find this kind of world-building immensely rewarding creatively. They also are the rare group with the computer skills to pull it off. All five members of Good Kid have worked in tech and have a generally optimistic view of the industry; Tsafatinos previously worked at Uber, while Frosst is co-founder of Canadian AI unicorn Cohere, where Kozakov also works. Yet their approach to music is decidedly old-school.

"The lore is the byproduct of the media we consume; the same is true of our music. It's how we learned our instruments," says Tsafatinos, who notes he learned guitar by playing along with the first two Flatliners records. Adds Frosst: "It's great to play live music with analogue instruments."

It's that attitude that led them to Congleton. "He is really, really good at making a band feel like a band," says Tsafatinos, citing Congleton's work with St. Vincent. "The records he worked on felt very guitar-forward."

Yet they were surprised that, as well as being an excellent engineer, Congleton was also a great people manager. "I didn't understand that part of [being a producer] is being a good leader," says Frosst. He says Good Kid are unique in that they don't have a traditional leader. Anyone can bring their ideas, express their opinions or make suggestions. And while that is great for ensuring everyone feeling included in decisions, it can make for a "chaotic" recording environment. Frosst acknowledges, "You're trying to do something that is personal and vulnerable, and you're trying to express stuff, and you're trying to do that as in a group, in a moment that will be recorded forever. The stakes are hot."

An album wasn't the goal of the sessions, but they emerged with 10 songs that express a struggle with finding the time and space, both mental and physical, for the people and things that you love. It ends with "Ginger Lemonade," whose opening line gives the record its title. It's also the closest thing they've come to a mission statement for the band.

Wood brought the riff for the verse to the band and lyrics about hanging out with friends on a Minecraft server, but got stuck. Tsafatinos took the baton and wrote a pre-chorus, chorus and bridge. Meanwhile Frosst tweaked the lyrics to be "more obviously about us," specifically the line "Now we've got enough new chords and lyrics we can't afford / So Davey just get on board and we can play tunes until we die."

"The band is so important to me," Frosstsays. "It's important to everybody in the group. It's nice to have a song that's like, trying to communicate that."

https://exclaim.ca/music/article/fruit-bats-tortoise-hayden-pedigo-and-7-more-shows-we-are-in-the-future-is-bringing-to-toronto 2026-04-03T14:00:00.000Z

We Are in the Future is back with more shows to add to your calendar over the next few months, including Fruit Bats (pictured above), Tortoise's first Toronto show in 10 years and Hayden Pedigo's rescheduled Canadian tour and more. 

Head over to Concert Central to check out more Canadian tour announcements, show recommendations, listings and more. 

Vacations
The Garrison, June 24 and 25
Get tickets:

Vacations are thrilled to announce a special run of exclusive live shows in celebration of their forthcoming single "Holy Grail." After a year spent recording, the band are ready to get back on stage, play new music, and give fans an early glimpse of what's to come. Tickets are moving fast for the shows — get them before it's too late! 

Tortoise
The Concert Hall, July 3
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Tortoise return to Toronto for their first show in ten years! Don't miss out on seeing them live at the Concert Hall on July 3 in support of their latest record Touch. Get tickets now.

Fruit Bats
The Concert Hall, July 21
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The midwest, particularly the part of the midwest Eric D. Johnson hails from, is a largely flat expanse. Zipping through it on the it highway, you'll see cities and towns rise up in the distance, but blink and you'll miss other man-made rejoinders to horizontal living dotting the landscape, hill after hill, built from the refuse of the past: landfills. Some of these hills make for great sledding spots, parks, and trails. Others turn organic waste into compost. 

The Landfill, Fruit Bats' upcoming album (out June 12 via Merge Records), is something else entirely: a mountain dominating the landscape of Johnson's heart. Don't miss the show at the Concert Hall on July 21.

Cruz Beckham and the Breakers
The Garrison, July 31
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Cruz Beckham and the Breakers make their Toronto debut at the Garrison on July 31. Get tickets now.

Daily J
Drake Underground, September 11
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Born and bred in idyllic Marlborough, New Zealand, Daily J has grown its own unique sound, offering blissful blends of dreamy, swirling melodies, warm basslines and a hazy pop electronica influence that leaves you feeling swooned — the perfect soundtrack to your golden hour. Catch them live at the Drake Underground on September 11.

Altin Gün
Danforth Music Hall, September 18
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Since bursting onto the scene in 2018 with their debut album On, Amsterdam-based Altin Gün have been at the vanguard of the 21st century revival of Turkish-influenced psychedelic grooves. Coming straight out of the gate with a wah-wah and organ heavy sound that effortlessly captured the spirit of Anatolian 70s psych-funk masters like Baris Manço and Erkin Koray, they deepened and expanded their palette with 2021's Yol, which brought synths and drum machines into the mix for a more 80s-influenced dream-pop vibe. Don't miss them live on September 18 at the Danforth Music Hall.

Hayden Pedigo
The Great Hall, October 6
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Fresh off signing to Sub Pop Records, Hayden Pedigo makes his highly anticipated return to Toronto on October 6.

Friko
The Great Hall, October 19
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When Friko delivered their debut album Where We've Been, Where We Go From Here, the Chicago-based band introduced a galvanizing new voice into the indie-rock canon. Both uncompromising in spirit and thrilling in impact, the 2024 LP landed on best-of-the-year lists from the likes of Pitchfork, the cover of NME, and led to glowing acclaim from Rolling Stone, Paste, NPR Music and more.

In the making of their sophomore full-length, vocalist/guitarist Niko Kapetan, drummer Bailey Minzenberger, guitarist Korgan Robb, and bassist David Fuller gained a powerful new clarity on their purpose and vision while embracing an even bolder sense of abandon, exploring everything from noise-rock to avant-garde classical to '70s-era symphonic balladry. Equal parts sonically extravagant and emotionally searing, their forthcoming new record Something Worth Waiting For ultimately locates a wildly elusive balance between the wide-eyed idealism of youth and the self-possessed grit of lived experience. Hear songs from the album live on October 19 at The Great Hall.

Sammy Rae and the Friends with Melt
The Concert Hall, November 10
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For as much as Sammy Rae & the Friends may be a band, this collective of dreamers and artists considers themselves a family first. That all-for-one and one-for-all camaraderie ignites their unforgettable and can't-miss live shows, which serve as a catharsis for both the musicians and their fervent audience.

Fronted by singer/songwriter Sammy Rae and honed through years of touring, the group is capable of flourishing in any spotlight thanks to its signature blend of palpable chemistry, deft virtuosity, and vocal fireworks. They return to Toronto on November 10 to play the Concert Hall with support from Melt.

Mama's Gun
The Garrison, November 19
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Mamas Gun is a 5-piece band from the UK, who's sound straddles that so-called blue-eyed soul and the best of soul in the Black music tradition. Echoes of artists such as Marvin Gaye, Bobby Caldwell, Bill Withers, Lewis Taylor and Sly Stone can be heard weaving in between the sonic threads of their frequently uplifting and heart-rending music. Catch them live in support of their new record Dig! at the Garrison on November 19.

]]> Exclaim! Staff @exclaim.ca https://exclaim.ca/contact https://exclaim.ca/film/article/dead-lover-film-review 2026-04-02T13:57:46.433Z

Early in Grace Glowicki's Dead Lover, the Gravedigger protagonist, magnificently portrayed by Glowicki herself, asks her would-be lover, "You want to touch my hand?" She's bewildered at the thought that another human would deign to even touch her. Her question forms the crux of Glowicki's film, one that depicts the mortifying, silly and grotesque aspects of searching for connection and acceptance.

The Gravedigger, long-orphaned and exceedingly stinky from her work, is looking to attract a mate. She's tried various homemade perfumes but nothing can mask her awful stench that's been driving away any chance at attachment. When the Gravedigger slays a beast with her shovel, saving a mourner (portrayed by Glowicki's real-life partner Ben Petrie) from certain death, a moment of miscommunication follows: the Gravedigger offers her shovel to help the mourner up, their conversation falters, devolving into banter, and then he asks for her hand, prompting the Gravedigger's query.

Describing the plot in any meaningful way beyond it being a loose Frankenstein adaptation would be a disservice to audiences and the film. It's the kind of movie that makes one wonder, "How the hell did she come up with this?"

Glowicki makes no effort to ground Dead Lover in a specific time or place; we simply live in her fever dream. The geographic untraceability of the accents unmoors the setting; some characters, like the Gravedigger, speak in English accents of varying provenance, others are American, and others affect the diction of yore. Though the costuming is distinctly period; which "period" remains unclear. Shot completely on a sound stage, Glowicki presents her film in the vein of black box theatre using colour and light against an absorbing black backdrop to exact electric composition.

With only four cast members, everyone plays multiple roles each delivered with ferocious commitment. The genderfluid roleplaying lends a theatrical sensibility that serves the film's conceit well. Glowicki teases out broad yet controlled performances out of her cast, reminiscent of the zany stylings of the great comedian and playwright Cole Escola. Glowicki constructs Dead Lover with camp and artificiality; the care Glowicki and her collaborators place on the actual craft of filmmaking reads as unfussy and unpretentious.

It is this timelessness, or rather its anti-time prerogative, that makes Dead Lover so modern, contrasting the relentless thrum of nostalgia and recycling of trends that often dates contemporary film. Stripping away the film's whimsical qualities reveals Dead Lover as a love story firmly reflective of the present. An awkward woman, unlucky in love, seeks companionship, and along the way falls victim to the trappings of 21st century dating: ghosting, gaslighting and so on. Glowicki's basic premise isn't particularly novel, but the form with which she executes her vision elevates the material. Perhaps the concern of alienating viewers discourages today's filmmakers from taking similar big swings.

In the last few years, a slew of movies have attempted to depict a woman discovering and exploring her sexuality — Poor Things and Babygirl immediately come to mind — each with varying degrees of success. There's a tendency in these stories to substitute the depiction of sex for sensuality, leaving viewers not just cold and unmoved, but unable to buy into the fiction the filmmaker seeks to portray.

Glowicki makes no such compromises, not even when playing up horniness for laughs. She recognizes the tangible, physical components inherent to sex and desire; mashing this with her penchant for the slimy, bloody gags that pepper the film, Glowicki's romance is of the Charles and Camilla Tampongate variety.

That the Gravedigger lacks Poor Things's Bella Baxter's guilelessness improves Dead Lover; after all, a film about women's sexuality that divorces desire from shame is incomplete. Glowicki and Petri's acknowledgement of the Gravedigger being shamed into believing her own undesirability, and her subsequent struggle to overcome this narrative, makes the film resonate that much more.

The film's intertitle, a quotation from Frankenstein author Mary Shelley, establishes this journey early: "There is something at work in my soul, which I do not understand." The enactment of all the disgusting facets of not just sexuality, but also simply being human makes Glowicki's genre-bending body horror film shine. Stating merely that "girls acting gross is good" reduces Dead Lover to basic feminist aphorisms. The film embraces the quotidian, that being alive and real confuses not just others, but also ourselves. That this journey differentiates us from the other species inhabiting our planet.

In a time when large studio films make films to appeal to the masses, it's refreshing to watch a film that, like the Gravedigger's scent, erotic only to her lover, attempts the opposite. Perfume can disguise your natural scent for a few hours, but it's impossible to wash away the mark of who you are. Glowicki's fable of romance and sex underpins the ultimate story of an individual overcoming social ostracism, such that it's no wonder that Dead Lover could only be told in this specific fashion, wearing its budget on its sleeve and prioritizing its maker's unique vision. While others debate whether having a boyfriend is embarrassing, I'm not above admitting that Dead Lover made me yearn for what the Gravedigger searches for — and what Glowicki and Petrie have found — so desperately: to be understood deeply and completely.

]]> Alexa Margorian @exclaim.ca https://exclaim.ca/contact https://exclaim.ca/music/article/former-turnstile-guitarist-brady-ebert-arrested-for-attempted-murder-report 2026-04-02T16:06:27.720Z

After calling out his ex-bandmates on social media for "pandering" to fans on social issues back in January, former Turnstile guitarist Brady Ebert has reportedly been arrested for attempted murder.

UPDATE (4/2, 1:32 p.m. ET):  The band have shared a statement [via Rolling Stone] about the incident involving Turnstile frontman Brendan Yates's father:

Turnstile cut ties with Brady Ebert in 2022 in response to a consistent pattern of harmful behavior affecting himself, the band, and the community. After exhausting every available resource to support his access to help and recovery, a boundary ultimately had to be set when healthy communication was no longer possible and he began threatening violence.

In the years since, his baseless tirades have continued in public. We never addressed it. We chose to protect his privacy and the circumstances around his departure, even when he did nothing to be deserving of that protection. Over the past few months, his threats only escalated further.

This past week, that violence led to a physical attack when Brady went to the house of Brendan's parents and used his vehicle to run over Brendan's father, causing severe physical trauma. We are grateful that Mr. Yates survived, has successfully undergone surgery, and we're hoping for the best possible outcome in his recovery.

We have no language left for Brady.

Please respect our privacy in this time.

UPDATE (4/2, 11:58 a.m. ET): According to local publication The Baltimore Banner, Ebert has been accused of intentionally hitting Turnstile frontman Brendan Yates's father, William Yates, with a car. Montgomery County Police found the 79-year-old in the front yard of his Silver Spring home on Sunday (March 29) with "trauma to his lower extremities."

Yates alleged that Ebert had driven up to the house, honking his horn and cursing before driving off — only to later return and hit Yates, who was standing in the driveway, with his vehicle.

Prior to the arrival of first responders, Ebert reportedly returned again to tell Yates that he "deserved it." As per The Baltimore Banner, the frontman's father told police that the former guitarist had "been causing issues with his family since being fired from the band."

While the news was first reported by Lambgoat yesterday (April 1), this seems to be real and not April Fool's hijinks: there's a case filing on the Maryland Judiciary Case Search & Record Portal showing that Ebert is currently in custody for felony charges of attempted second-degree murder and first-degree assault that allegedly took place on March 29.

As of yet, there hasn't been any verifiable information reported about the incident(s) that led to the arrest or the victim(s). Ebert is slated to appear in Montgomery County court this afternoon for a bail and bond review hearing.

The founding guitarist parted ways with Turnstile in 2022. In 2025, Ebert formed a new Baltimore-based hardcore band called the S.E.T., but was kicked out of the group prior to the release of their debut EP last month due to the aforementioned inflammatory comments he'd made about Turnstile, claiming that "no one" in the band "cares about ethics or social issues in general."

Shortly after being ousted from the S.E.T., the guitarist seemingly formed another new band called the Experience, sharing practice videos on Instagram.

]]> Megan LaPierre @exclaim.ca https://exclaim.ca/contact https://exclaim.ca/music/article/bass-coast-unveils-2026-lineup-with-daphni-skratch-bastid-mat-the-alien 2026-04-02T14:19:28.173Z

Bass Coast's annual festival returns to Merritt, BC, from June 10 to 13 in 2026, and after teasing its initial lineup last year, organizers have now unveiled the fest's full roster of performers.

In addition to previously announced headliner Daphni (a.k.a. Caribou's Dan Snaith), the festival will also host Addison Groove, Bakey Burchill, Bushbaby, Christian Löffler, Cinthie Coffintexts, Craze Craze, D. Tiffany, Dane, DJ Minx, Dylan Fogarty, Fort Knox Five, Hypho, Ivy Lab, JPS, Kahn, KiNK, Lauren Flax, Mat the Alien, Mike Servito, OAKK, Opiuo, Paul Woolford, Rumpus, Sabre, Skratch Bastid, Slynk, Smalltown DJs, Special Request, Surusinghe, Tailor Jae, the Funk Hunters, the Librarian Visages, Vnssa, Young Franco and many more.

In addition to musical programming, the festival will also offer workshops, yoga instruction, murals, interactive arts, performance art and more.

"We program for people who are genuinely curious about where dance music is going," says Co-Founder and Music Director Andrea Graham a.k.a. the Librarian. "These artists are leading that conversation globally, and a lot of North American audiences haven't experienced them yet. That's exactly the point." 

Festival passes, camping passes, bell tents and more are on sale now via the festival's website. 

See the poster below.

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]]> Allie Gregory @exclaim.ca https://exclaim.ca/contact https://exclaim.ca/music/article/folk-on-the-rocks-reveals-second-wave-of-2026-lineup-with-great-lake-swimmers-the-darcys-altered-by-mom 2026-04-03T14:30:00.000Z

Yellowknife's Folk of the Rocks teased its 2026 lineup earlier this year, revealing that Aysanabee, the OBGMs, Virgo Rising, Janky Bungag, Justine Giles, Marrow Bones, Robert Adam, Northwyne, Dumb Crush and R.A.S.K.L. were scheduled to join the festivities running July 17 to 19 under the midnight sun.

Now, organizers have shared the second wave of artists, including Great Lake Swimmers, Drives the Common Man, the Darcys, Waahli, Altered by Mom, FONTINE, Electric Lemonade, Daughters of Donbas, Gnarwhal, Jeffrey Straker, Cat McGurk, June Trasher, Stacie Arden Smith, Upper Mall Rats, the Only, Worn and Glam on the Rocks.

As always, the festival will also feature community programming, including NorthWords NWT Storytime, Rock the Arts Puppets and Taiga Yoga, as well as local food vendors, cold beverages, artisans and community organizations.

The third and final wave of performers is expected to be announced on May 15. Early-bird tickets are on sale now via Folk on the Rock's website.

See the second wave poster below.

]]> Allie Gregory @exclaim.ca https://exclaim.ca/contact https://exclaim.ca/music/article/morrissey-beefs-brooklyn-vegan-for-no-reason 2026-04-01T20:06:05.745Z

There are plenty of publications Morrissey could complain about on his diary website for making fun of them (us included), but none of them (in recent history, at least) are BrooklynVegan. That didn't stop him, though!

The disgraced Smiths frontman is mad at the music news site for bringing up his string of cancelled shows in its post about Huntington Beach, CA's Darker Waves Festival. The Gen X nostalgia fest boasts Moz as one of the headliners, and in its reporting, the pub mentioned his sleepy disposition.

This was enough for Moz to call them out with a post on Morrissey Central, writing, "Massive boo's [sic] to BrooklynVegan for their awful announcement of the upcoming Darker Waves festival. Morrissey [sic] friends will boycott BrooklynVegan." He signed off the post the way any other disgruntled 66-year-old man would: with a Bitmoji of himself.

Seems like a strong reaction to an unaggressive half-sentence when some of us get Instagram DMs from unnamed Morrissey associates defending him. Peep Moz's Bitmoji below.

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]]> Sydney Brasil @exclaim.ca https://exclaim.ca/contact https://exclaim.ca/music/article/sturgill-simpson-announces-johnny-blue-skies-and-the-dark-clouds-north-american-tour 2026-04-01T18:58:52.176Z

Sturgill Simpson's latest album as Johnny Blue Skies, Mutiny After Midnight, was released only as physical media — save for some unofficial Bandcamp digital versions that dashed the singer-songwriter's dreams of leaking his own album.

Simpson and his band the Dark Clouds have now announced the Mutiny After Midnight tour, which will take them across North America this September and October — including a lone Canadian stop in Vancouver.

With no openers, the trek kicks off on September 4 in Austin, TX. The musicians will make their way across the border into Canada later in the month for a September 19 performance at Vancouver's Pacific Coliseum ahead of wrapping the run on October 30 in Lexington, KY.

Tickets go on general sale next Friday (April 10) at 10 a.m. local time, with various presales beginning Wednesday (April 8). Find the full itinerary below, as well as more upcoming Canadian shows via Concert Central.

Johnny Blue Skies & the Dark Clouds 2026 Tour Dates:

09/04 Austin, TX - Moody Center
09/06 Rio Rancho, NM - Rio Rancho Events Center
09/08 Glendale, AZ - Desert Diamond Arena
09/09 Santa Barbara, CA - Santa Barbara Bowl
09/11 Inglewood, CA - Kia Forum
09/13 San Diego, CA - Viejas Arena
09/15 Berkeley, CA - The Greek Theatre
09/18 Seattle, WA - Climate Pledge Arena
09/19 Vancouver, BC - Pacific Coliseum
09/21 Eugene, OR - Matthew Knight Arena
09/23 Denver, CO - Ball Arena
09/26 Kansas City, MO - T-Mobile Center
09/27 St. Paul, MN - Grand Casino Arena
09/29 Chicago, IL - United Center
10/02 Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
10/03 Indianapolis, IN - Gainbridge Fieldhouse
10/06 St. Louis, MO Enterprise Center
10/07 Columbus, OH - Nationwide Arena
10/09 Pittsburgh, PA - Petersen Events Center
10/10 Detroit, MI - Little Caesars Arena
10/13 Boston, MA - TD Garden
10/15 Philadelphia, PA - Xfinity Mobile Arena
10/16 Brooklyn, NY - Barclays Center
10/18 Washington, D.C. - Capital One Arena
10/21 Raleigh, NC - Lenovo Center
10/23 Charleston, SC - Credit One Stadium
10/25 Atlanta, GA - State Farm Arena
10/27 New Orleans, LA - Lakefront Arena
10/30 Lexington, KY - Rupp Arena

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]]> Megan LaPierre @exclaim.ca https://exclaim.ca/contact https://exclaim.ca/film/article/the-super-mario-galaxy-movie-film-review 2026-04-01T18:15:24.375Z

For better and for worse, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie delivers a neon-soaked love letter to four decades of Nintendo history. The film celebrates the sense of joy, adventure and camaraderie the Mario Bros. games have brought to generations of gamers while playing out as a cinematic speed run — blasting through signature moments without slowing down long enough to savour why they even matter.

Mario (voiced by Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) have come a long way from their days running a struggling plumbing business in Brooklyn, NY. After stumbling through a magical pipe to the Mushroom Kingdom, they befriended its ruler, Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy), and defeated and imprisoned the evil warlord Bowser (Jack Black). Now, they've finally found their groove as the Mushroom Kingdom's resident heroes, applying their lets-a-go attitude to stomping out any threat.

Enraged by his father's defeat, the irascible Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie) hatches an evil plan to kidnap Princess Rosalina (Brie Larson), break Bowser out of jail, and lay waste to their enemies. To stop Bowser Jr.'s reign of terror, Mario and company must venture into space, encountering strange new worlds and a parade of outrageous characters along the way.

Fans of 2023's The Super Mario Bros. Movie are in for a treat. Galaxy takes everything fans loved about its predecessor and dials it up to 11: more beloved characters, more iconic locales, and enough Nintendo Easter eggs to clog every warp pipe in the Mushroom Kingdom.

At a glance, the film's a dream come true for any Mario Bros. fans. Seeing these characters and their worlds brought to life with pixel-perfect fidelity is worth the price of admission. There's no denying directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic custom-tailored the film to delight the diehards. Galaxy comes loaded with deep-cut references that will make Gen Xers and elder millennials feel truly seen. Yet even newcomers who've never picked up a NES controller can still jump into the story and appreciate most of the sight gags without needing Wikipedia deep dives into 40 years of Nintendo lore.

Horvath and Jelenic go above and beyond to make Mario's galaxy feel vibrant and lived-in, with enticing new surprises to be discovered in every scene. The film also features several impressively choreographed action sequences that evoke the rhythm and challenge of playing multiple eras of Super Mario Bros. games.

For anyone who didn't enjoy the last film, though, the sequel doesn't do anything different enough to change their minds — Galaxy proves even more overstuffed and chaotic than its predecessor. Galaxy resorts to the same frantic pacing, paired with thinly-sketched characters that feel like hollow vessels for fan service.

Horvath and Jelenic have the Super Mario Bros. vibes down pat, but falter in crucial areas. It's like a young athlete who makes it to the pros coasting on strength and speed while neglecting the discipline needed to master a sport. Much like a gifted athlete, this movie has all the tools to become a legend — an all-star cast, a massive budget and decades of beloved mythology — yet fails to put it all together in a winning package. Mario and the gang spout iconic catchphrases but lack actual personalities. Characters experience a lot of challenges without experiencing any meaningful growth. It's all sizzle, no steak.

Audiences will love Mario, Yoshi and the crew because they're preconditioned to do so, not because the film does the work of convincing us why they're worth loving. Despite being supercharged with every power-up in the book, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie ultimately struggles to clear the level.

]]> Victor Stiff @exclaim.ca https://exclaim.ca/contact https://exclaim.ca/music/article/this-week-s-new-tours-including-daniel-caesar-deep-purple-and-hayden-pedigo-april-3-2026 2026-04-03T13:15:00.000Z

This week's new tours coming to Canada this year include Daniel Caesar (pictured above), a cross-country tour from Deep Purple, Kansas and Jefferson Starship, and more.

Head over to Concert Central for more Canadian tour announcements, show listings and more. 

Babymetal with Halestorm Tour Dates:
09/07 Toronto, ON - RBC Amphitheatre

Daniel Caesar Tour Dates:
08/02 Toronto, ON - Scotiabank Arena *
08/03 Toronto, ON - Scotiabank Arena *
08/05 Ottawa, ON - Canadian Tire Centre ~
08/06 Montreal, QC - Bell Centre ~
08/10 Winnipeg, MB - Canada Life Centre ~
08/13 Edmonton, AB - Rogers Place ~
08/14 Calgary, AB - Scotiabank Saddledome ~
08/16 Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena ~

* with Faye Webster
~ with 070 Shake

Samara Cyn Tour Dates:
05/13 Toronto, ON - Drake Underground

Deep Purple with Kansas and Jefferson Starship Tour Dates:
08/15 Halifax, NS - Scotiabank Centre
08/17 Laval, QC - Bell Place
08/18 Toronto, ON - RBC Amphitheatre
08/19 Ottawa, ON - Canadian Tire Centre
08/29 Winnipeg, MB - Canada Life Centre
08/31 Calgary, AB - Scotiabank Saddledome
09/02 Abbotsford, BC - Abbotsford Centre

The Flashing Lights with Absolute Losers Tour Dates:
06/11 Halifax, NS - Marquee Ballroom
06/13 Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace

Friko Tour Dates:
09/26 Vancouver, BC - Fox Cabaret
10/19 Toronto, ON - The Great Hall
10/20 Montreal, QC - Bar Le Ritz

Joe Hisaishi Tour Dates:
05/28 Toronto, ON - Roy Thomson Hall
05/29 Toronto, ON - Roy Thomson Hall
05/30 Toronto, ON - Roy Thomson Hall

knitting Tour Dates:
04/02 Ottawa, ON - Saw Centre *
04/03 Peterborough, ON - Sadleir House
04/04 Toronto, ON - The Cameron House *
04/11 Montreal, QC - La Sotterenea * #

* with Sasha Cay
# with Hiding Places

Muse Tour Dates:
07/15 Toronto, ON - RBC Amphitheatre * ~
07/17 Quebec City, QC - Festival d'été de Québec 

* with Portugal. The Man
~ with the Temper Trap

Hayden Pedigo Tour Dates:
10/04 Montreal, QC - L'Esco
10/06 Toronto, ON - The Great Hall

Sturgill Simpson Tour Dates:
09/19 Vancouver, BC - Pacific Coliseum

Cameron Whitcomb Tour Dates:
08/16 Toronto, ON - History

Yeat wth BNYX Tour Dates:
07/21 Toronto, ON - Coca-Cola Coliseum
07/22 Montreal, QC - Bell Place
08/11 Vancouver, BC - PNE Forum

Yoo Doo Right, Population II and Nolan Potter Tour Dates:
07/03 Montreal, QC - Montreal Jazz Festival
07/04 Chicoutimi - La Noce
07/08 Gatineau, QC - Minotaure
07/09 Toronto - The Garrison
07/10 Saint-Casimir - Vendredis Sains

]]> Exclaim! Staff @exclaim.ca https://exclaim.ca/contact https://exclaim.ca/music/article/saskatchewan-s-long-day-s-night-festival-gets-lemon-bucket-orkestra-marcus-trummer-blu-beach-band-for-2026-edition 2026-04-01T17:10:02.011Z

Long Day's Night Music Festival is returning to its home in Swift Current, SK, from June 18 to 20, and organizers have unveiled the lineup for its 2026 edition.

Leading this year's bill are Marcus Trummer, Hutsul Drive, Peter and the Wolves, Lemon Bucket Orkestra and Blu Beach Band. Margaret's Medicine will close out the festivities with a hometown show at the official afterparty.

"We're thrilled to bring this lineup," Festival Coordinator Keely Williams shared in a release. "Each night offers something unique and we can't wait to see everyone dancing, singing, and celebrating under the big Saskatchewan sky. Just bring your dancing shoes and we'll take care of the rest."

Festival passes and single-day tickets are on sale now. 

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A post shared by Blenders Music (@longdaysnightmusicfest)

]]> Karlie Rogers @exclaim.ca https://exclaim.ca/contact https://exclaim.ca/music/article/people-are-clowning-on-the-new-nightclub-that-took-over-the-velvet-underground 2026-04-01T14:53:40.796Z

This is not an April Fool's Joke: the shell of what once was Toronto's Velvet Underground has already been taken over by a nightclub that looks entirely fake.

The new addition to the once-strong Queen West strip is Hyve, a club and cocktail bar that vows to keep "part of the iconic stage, and continue the legacy of the Velvet," whatever that means. Have you ever been to one of those bar shows where there's not enough room on the stage so the bass player has to play on the floor and inevitably gets bumped into when someone needs to go to the bathroom? That's what this is giving.

Though the club's website says that live performance will be a part of Hyve, its imagery looks like it will be mostly in the form of DJ sets. Which is fine — we certainly aren't elitists who think electronic music isn't "real" over here. We are just mourning the loss of another mid-size venue in Toronto, which is something the city desperately needs.

Beyond the loss of the Velvet, the most offensive part so far is how fake the building's new signage looks. The "Y" of Hyve descends down to near street level, looking like one of those hazardous icicles that can kill you.

It's depressing to see how dilapidated Queen West looks now after being the pinnacle of cool in Toronto just over a decade ago. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

See some reactions to the new nightclub below.

Velvet Underground is now Hyve
by u/jdoe1213 in toronto

What the fuck is this? pic.twitter.com/gxUy4fbSM7

— 🌺SPr1nGt0pH3r ThAw5S1🌺 (@N0tT0pH3rPr1me) March 30, 2026

I repeat, what the FUCK is this??? pic.twitter.com/scwNOCGTQZ

— 🌺SPr1nGt0pH3r ThAw5S1🌺 (@N0tT0pH3rPr1me) March 30, 2026

Toronto subreddit is going HAM on the weird club that's replaced Velvet Underground. It's giving: https://t.co/RwpI82zy9m pic.twitter.com/xCLbY62wVI

— Dan Seljak (@anotherglassbox) March 30, 2026

in true toronto fashion, even the new velvet underground revamp looks like a vape shop

— yan (@v1rtual4ngel) March 30, 2026

]]> Sydney Brasil @exclaim.ca https://exclaim.ca/contact https://exclaim.ca/music/article/hayley-williams-ego-death-toronto-concert-review 2026-04-01T17:06:26.635Z

A bachelorette party and an ego death arguably share spiritual similarities, and both could certainly be cause for drinking through penis-shaped straws. Case in point: Hayley Williams's joint celebration sold out in minutes.

The Paramore bandleader's first-ever solo tour — six years removed from the one she'd been scheduled to embark on in 2020 behind Petals for Armor — would've been an occasion nonetheless, although the two girls to my right at Massey Hall last night (March 31) maybe wouldn't have worn veils otherwise.

Having gotten caught in a torrential downpour that soaked me to the bone while running the few minutes between the subway station and the venue, it was ironic that Water from Your Eyes were opening. Rachel Brown's endearing rambling between songs included telling the audience that they had recently watched a film about Toronto (Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, obviously) and feeling uncultured for having no idea what the Rivoli is.

The frontperson and co-conspirator Nate Amos, plus live additions drummer Bailey Wollowitz and bassist Al Nardo, felt slightly out of place in such an ornamental setting, but quickly pulled everyone into the wacky and wonderful jankpop world of It's a Beautiful Place — a title Brown would likely also apply to the T&T supermarket they'd gushed about.

It's possible that their nonchalant speak-singing and Amos's hyper-compressed maximalist guitar squalls may have been just slightly too avant-garde for some of the audience, but the duo's place on the bill was a clear reflection of Williams's own tastes, as well as the wide-ranging sonic palette of Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party.

A robotized version of Williams's voice came over the loudspeaker as the lights on the stage roared to life one by one, recommending asking your doctor about ego death as a treatment for depression. Naturally, she and her four-piece band could only follow that with "Mirtazapine," the first taste of the record we'd gotten last summer, and an ode to her antidepressant.

It would be the first taste of the lengthy album in its entirety — the refusal to skip any in the setlist speaking to the strange necessity of every track on Ego Death. It's been months now, and even my least favourite songs on the project have moments I'd sorely miss if they didn't add to the sum of the whole.

There was little time for chatter in getting through a 20-song set, but when she did address the crowd, Williams was as candid and open as ever, admitting that she had stressed out a lot about this tour — which just kicked off less than a week ago in Atlanta, GA — and had been relieved to find it wasn't as scary as she'd thought it would be.

"It's nice to be back. In this very room!" she said, referring to the last time we were both here for Paramore's After Laughter show in 2017. I was instantly transported back to that moment in time, further reflecting on it when Williams repeatedly asked, "Who knew the hard times were the good ol' days?" on "Good Ol' Days." Almost a decade ago now, that had been one of the most emotional and meaningful concert experiences of my life, at which point the water had in fact been from my eyes.

You don't need to hear about that hard semester, losing sleep over my brother's mental health struggles, or the debauched nonsense of driving nearly three hours to Kingston through the night after the show for Queen's Homecoming with my friends — but the big, conflicting feelings of that time were a similar moment of mourning and rejoicing; my ego had left me as I left the building, singing along to "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" with my fellow concertgoers in the slow trickle out of the pre-renovation hall.

For as much as Ego Death is Williams's most fully-realized work, it's work that you can see all kinds of past versions of yourself in; the lines about writing like a volcano ("Negative Self-Talk") that would've adorned notebook pages late into the night as a restless teen; the you falling in love and trying desperately not to fuck it up ("Whim"); the you who maybe got too big for your britches a time or two ("Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party," performed on the piano with rich organ stabs supplementing the mix).

"A lot of these songs are just affirmations… Well, not all of them, but this one is," Williams told the crowd before launching into "Love Me Different," one of the songs she sang without playing guitar or piano. The immediate descriptor for how she moved on stage that came to mind was "freely," as one might if finally free of an exploitative 20-year record deal signed at age 15.

If you've ever seen Paramore live, you know the kind of gravitas Williams holds. At her solo show, however, she had a different kind of fluidity; one that felt less like playing the role of the high-octane, generational frontwoman she's become known as, and more being herself. Wearing a T-shirt with a flowy plaid skirt draped around her waist like a flannel, she danced loosely, like we were all in her living room together.

"I hope you felt safe here tonight," Williams said toward the end of the night. "I hope you were able to let it all go; there's a lot to let go of." Even the raw emotions of the confusing, intoxicating, devastating experiences that informed Ego Death's lyrics — by and large the most confessional of her career thus far — were kneaded into cathartic joy by the hands of a room full of people singing them. "It just completely loses all of its barbs, all of its shadows," Williams remarked.

The singer-songwriter was aware that we're living in dark times, even bridging a moving rendition of "True Believer" into a cover of Nina Simone's "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," the gospel inflections in her vocal runs weaving around words from 1964 like they were penned just yesterday, harkening back to what Williams told me when we spoke over Zoom last September about how "being understood ... is quite a rare feeling in the world," and one she's in the fortunate position to experience from her community.

And we're fortunate to have grown up alongside a once-in-a-lifetime artist like Hayley Williams, as exceptionally talented as she is outspoken, vulnerable, kind, and fearlessly herself. "Happy Trans Day of Visibility," she made sure to point out, speaking on the audience's behalf: "We're proud of you, 'cause it's hard to be yourself in a world that's really fucking cruel."

]]> Megan LaPierre @exclaim.ca https://exclaim.ca/contact