Music/Festivals

Toronto’s North by Northeast (NXNE), the city’s summer new-music-discovery festival, has announced its first wave of close to 150 acts playing the festival from June 12 through 16 in 22 clubs across downtown.

International acts from Australia, Norway, Morocco, Mexico and more join a packed lineup of Canadian and local acts. A full festival wristband that gains access to all events throughout the festival is only $29, the same price NXNE charged when it launched in 1995 in partnership with Austin’s SXSW.

“We’re hearing magic in the music submissions,” says NXNE president Michael Hollett. “June can’t come fast enough. We’re thrilled to unveil the exceptional talent. We’re handpicking more than 250 artists from 2,500 applications to grace the summer festival with amazing music.”

Some of the highlights from this announcement include Toronto eclectic folk-rock singer-songwriter Talia Schlanger; Halifax, NS, queer alt-folk duo Pillow Fite; Hamilton’s Soft-Shell Modern Yacht Rock band Ten Minute Detour; Vancouver-based Afro-soul band Serengeti; London, ON multi-instrumentalist, composer and performer John Fellner; Calgary singer-songwriter Victory; Toronto singer-songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Dawson Gamble; Brooklyn pop-rockers Strawberry Launch; queer singer-songwriter Holly Clausius; Toronto’s alt-pop AIKO TOMI; and Boston’s art-pop band Little Fuss.

With an always artist-centric approach and emphasis on accessibility and inclusion, NXNE strives to make its mark by empowering and supporting artists through connection, education and — most importantly — a forum to play. Unlike many other similar festivals, NXNE has been committed to reducing financial barriers for people to both create and consume music by not charging performers to apply, ensuring artists get paid for their performances and keeping festival passes at the same price as when the festival first launched in 1995.

The first round of emerging artists confirmed to perform at the 29th annual NXNE festival include:

• 4sante (Toronto, ON, Canada)
• Aaron Ball Band (Pocatello, ID, USA)
• Abroad (Sydney, NSW, Australia)
• AIKO TOMI (Toronto, ON, Canada)
• Anaïs & The Hoops (Brooklyn, NY, USA)
• Andy Colonico (Welland, ON, Canada)
• Aphrose (Toronto, ON, Canada)
• Attack the Sound (Chicago, IL, USA)
• Avery Dakin (Halifax, NS, Canada)
• Avery Jane (Victora, QC, Canada)
• Barber for the Queen (Montreal, QC, Canada)
• Barren Womb (Trondheim, Norway)
• Basterds (Drummondville, QC, Canada)
• Bealby Point (North Vancouver, BC, Canada)
• Big Loser (Winnipeg, MB, Canada)
• Blu Beach Band (Regina, SK, Canada)
• blue monday (Toronto, ON, Canada)
• Braden Lam (Halifax, NS, Canada)
• Brian Revels/Brian Revels & the Heat Lightning (Rochester, NY, USA)
• Brooke Stilla (Sydney, NSW, Australia/Toronto-based)
• Caravane (Quebec City, QC, Canada)
• Ché Aimee Dorval (Vancouver, BC, Canada)
• Chelsea Stewart (Montreal, QC, Canada)
• Chris Pierce (Savannah, GA, USA)
• Christopher Atkins (Vernon, BC, Canada)
• Clay Hazey (Montreal, QC, Canada)
• Cory Hotline (Toronto, ON, Canada)
• Curt James (Calgary, AB, Canada)
• Dali Van Gogh (Halifax, NS, Canada)
• Dany Horovitz (Toronto, ON, Canada)
• Dawson Gamble (Toronto, ON, Canada)
• Dawson Gool (Vancouver, BC, Canada)
• dichotomi (Tampa, FL, USA)
• DBMK (Brooklyn, NY, USA)
• Discontinuity (Toronto, ON, Canada)
• Dozie (Calgary, AB, Canada)
• Duke & Goldie (Vancouver, BC, Canada)
• EB3N (Edmonton, AB, Canada)
• Espanglish (Mexico City, Mexico)
• Falls for the Elderly (London, ON, Canada)
• For Ernest (St. Catharines, ON, Canada)
• Garrett Neiles (Toronto, ON, Canada)
• Gentle Sparrow (Perth, ON, Canada)
• Good Boy Nikko (Lancaster, England, UK)
• GOODBADUGLY (Brampton, ON, Canada)
• Grimelda (Saskatoon, SK, Canada)
• Hollow Core (Hamilton, ON, Canada)
• Holly Clausius (Exeter, ON, Canada)
• JACE Carrillo (Montreal, QC, Canada)
• Jasmine Kiara (Toronto, ON, Canada)
• Jesse Maxwell (Toronto, ON, Canada)
• Jiants (Toronto, ON, Canada)
• John Fellner (London, ON, Canada)
• JoJo Scott (Portland, OR, USA)
• Jr. Rhodes (Edmonton, AB, Canada)
• Julyan (Quebec City, QC, Canada)
• June Body (Halifax, NS, Canada)
• Junko Daydream (London, ON, Canada)
• Justin Maki (St. Thomas, ON, Canada)
• Kasador (Kingston, ON, Canada)
• KAYO (Halifax, NS, Canada)
• Landon Gamble (Toronto, ON, Canada)
• Larysa Musick (Winnipeg, MB, Canada)
• Lattitude (Toronto, ON, Canada)
• Lauren Carson (Kingston, ON, Canada)
• Linebeck (Hamilton, ON, Canada)
• Little Fuss (Boston, MA, USA)
• Little Junior (Toronto, ON, Canada)
• Loryn Taggart (Montreal, QC, Canada)
• Lost Arts (London, ON, Canada)
• LTtheMonk (Hamilton, ON, Canada)
• Maddi O’Brien (Bellingen, Australia)
• Maddisun (Cranbrook, BC, Canada)
• Makadi (Vancouver, BC, Canada)
• Makena Tate (Santa Barbara, CA, USA)
• Mallory Chipman (Edmonton, AB, Canada)
• Manny Walters (Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa)
• Marbi (London, England, UK)
• Marissa Burwell (Regina, SK, Canada)
• Mary Shelley (Brooklyn, NY, USA)
• Maxyme (Montreal, QC, Canada)
• May Davis (Pembroke, ON, Canada)
• Maya Killtron (Toronto, ON, Canada)
• Me + Nobody (Long Island, NY, USA)
• Merv xx Gotti (Regina, SK, Canada)
• Meteor Airlines (Rabat, Morocco)
• Mighloe (Pickering, ON, Canada)
• Miro (Montreal, QC, Canada)
• Mountain Daisies (Montreal, QC, Canada)
• Mouraine (Edmonton, AB, Canada)
• N’nerjie (Ottawa, ON, Canada)
• Nat Vazer (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)
• Newby (Toronto, ON, Canada)
• Noah Malcolm (Charlottetown, PEI, Canada)
• Old Soul (Montreal, QC, Canada)
• Oleyada (Mississauga, ON, Canada)
• Paper Lady (Boston, MA, USA)
• Paula Sofía (Toronto, ON, Canada)
• Phillip Vonesh & The Spare Parts (Toronto, ON, Canada)
• Pillow Fite (Halifax, NS, Canada)
• Polluted (London, ON, Canada)
• Pony Girl (Ottawa, ON, Canada)
• Propter Hawk (Scarborough, ON, Canada)
• Queens & Kings (Toronto, ON, Canada)
• RBNX (Poughkeepsie, NY, USA)
• Rob Fitzgerald (Burlington, ON, Canada)
• Rory Taillon (Ottawa, ON, Canada)
• Rosier (Montreal, QC, Canada)
• Ryan Gazzola (Vancouver, BC, Canada)
• Sam Krüger (Montreal, QC, Canada)
• Samantha Marie (Los Angeles, CA, USA)
• Sandman (Winnipeg, MB, Canada)
• Sarah Vanderzon (Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, QC, Canada)
• Sea of Lettuce (Calgary, AB, Canada)
• Serengeti (Vancouver, BC, Canada)
• Sinzere (Calgary, AB, Canada)
• Sophie Noel (Halifax, NS, Canada)
• Sorry, Peach (Spartanburg, SC, USA)
• Starpainter (Lethbridge, AB, Canada)
• Stephen Babcock (Buffalo, NY, USA)
• STRAWBERRY LAUNCH (New York, NY, USA)
• SUNVOLUME (Chicago, IL, USA)
• SWiiMS (Toronto, ON, Canada)
• SYTË (New York, NY, USA)
• Talia Schlanger (Toronto, ON, Canada)
• Tara Lord (Toronto, ON, Canada)
• Ten Minute Detour (Hamilton, ON, Canada)
• The Baxbys (Amherst, MA, USA)
• The Gilberts (Halifax, NS, Canada)
• The Holy Gamblers (Toronto, ON, Canada)
• The Moonjacks (San Luis Obispo, CA, USA)
• The New Hires (Ottawa, ON, Canada)
• The Order of The Precious Blood (St. John’s, NFLD, Canada)
• The Paisley Daze (London, England, UK)
• The Silver Lines (Birmingham, West Midlands, UK)
• The Summit (Cincinnati, OH, USA)
• The Wesleys (Montreal, QC, Canada)
• the Wilderness (Kingston, ON, Canada)
• TIGERA (Milwaukee, WI, USA)
• Tractor Beam (New York, NY, USA – based)
• Trick Casket (Toronto, ON, Canada)
• Under High Street (Nashville, TN, USA)
• Victory (Calgary, AB, Canada)
• Waryaa (Mississauga, ON, Canada)
• Willem James Cowan (London, ON, Canada)
• Yellow Magnolia (Toronto, ON, Canada)
• Yester Daze (Montreal, QC, Canada)