BeatRoute Magazine ON Edition - March 2020

03.20YYZMUSIC
The Cheat Sheet BR PICKS THE 5 ESSENTIAL LIVE MUSIC SHOWS
1
SUDAN ARCHIVES
Fri, Mar 6 at Longboat Hall
The L.A.-based self-taught violinist
utilizes neo-soul and looping
downtempo R&B to launch a
mesmerizing commentary on the
aesthetics of the human body and
desire.
2
LOWER DENS
Thur, Mar 12 at the Velvet
Underground
This darkly electrifying Baltimore
band has been able to oscillate from
gothy electronica to bright, aromatic
pop by the anchoring voice of their
alluring frontman, Jana Hunter.
3
MDOU MOCTAR
Sun, Mar 15 at The Garrison
The Tuareg guitar wielder’s
impressive debut gave every era of
American rock a heady retreatment
with a style of guitar picking called
assouf. File next to both Tinariwen
and Hendrix.
4
STURGILL SIMPSON
Wed, Mar 18 at Coca-Cola Coliseum
Country’s beloved crossover
experimentalist has made a dash to
the big leagues, armed with brass
strings, flaming cars, and a fascination
with the shocking and surreal.
5 SHOPPING
Tues, Mar 31 at The Monarch Tavern
Few bands have puffed more oxygen
into the crevices of post-punk than the
Glasgow trio who craft riffs designed
to trace with your finger, and serve
them up with a side of synths.
1 SULACO
Fri, Mar 13 at Sneaky Dee’s
The Rochester band eschew easy
categorization by blending the
foundations of relentless grindcore
with a curiosity for progressive rock,
and a flair for chugging doom.
2
CONTROL TOP
Wed, Mar 11 at The Monarch Tavern
Frantic, skittering, and heartstoppingly
irresistible metallic punk
that bleeds the kinetic energy of the
B-52s with the lyrical bite of Bikini Kill.
3
UNIFORM AND THE
BODY
Sun, Mar 22 at The Garrison
A mammoth double bill of the
industrial New York noise rock
group, and the perpetually sunless
doom duo from Rhode Island. Bring
earplugs and a big, bleeding heart.
4 DEAFHEAVEN
Fri, Mar 27 at Lee’s Palace
After spinning together a collection of
the most majestic elements of heavy
music, their newest music finds the
band coating a penchant for death
metal under their nails.
5 ANXIOUS
Sat, Mar 28 at Sneaky Dee’s
Connecticut group makes an
updated case for why jagged,
scrappy, and grating pop-punk, with
a desire to pick apart the world,
always makes the bad stuff go down
a little easier.
1 AMAAL
Sat, Mar 7 at The Great Hall
Catch this rare opportunity to see
one of Toronto’s rising R&B stars
play her first headline show in her
hometown.
2
AUDREY MIKA
Thurs, Mar 12 at Jasper Dandy
One of YouTube’s biggest success
stories, this talented teen has sprung
her social media savvy and sizeable
following into a buzzing career.
3 HUNNY
Fri, Mar 20 at Rivoli
Blending bright pop hooks with
arrangements influenced by '80s
alternative rock, this California-based
foursome put an upbeat spin on
heartache.
4
DOJA CAT
Fri, Mar 27 at The Phoenix
Concert Theatre
She rose to prominence with her
viral ode to cows "Mooo!" but Doja
Cat has since proved she’s legit with
irresistible radio hits like “Juicy.”
5
SAMPA THE GREAT
Tue, Mar 31 at Velvet Underground
This Zambian-Australian singersongwriter-rapper
lives up to her
name with her powerful melange
of funk, soul, R&B, hip-hop and
spoken word that also incorporates
traditional folk chants.
1
MAYA JANE COLES
Sat, Mar 7 at Coda
One of the UK’s greatest musical
multitalents, Coles has been
producing and releasing music
since she was 15 years old and
her experience shows in both
her original productions and DJ
pedigree.
2
AC SLATER
Fri, Mar 14 at The Mod Club
Renowned for this “Night Bass”
sound that fuses elements of house
music with the dirty basslines of UK
garage.
3
HORSE MEAT DISCO
Fri, Mar 27 at Nest
London’s iconic queer dance party is
often credited with the resurgence of
disco nights in England’s capital.
4 ANDY C
Sat, Mar 28 at The Opera House
Head of RAM Records and one of
the most iconic figures in global
dance music culture is back in
Toronto with a cast of all-star locals
for a night of drum and bass.
5
REALITY CHECK
Sat, Mar 28 at Club 120
Boy Pussy, Jules Bangsworth, Sonja,
Tim Shannon. A night of dancing
and debauchery to celebrate the
aesthetic and insanity of the early
naughts.
1
TAY MONEY
Thurs, Mar 5 at Toybox
They say everything is bigger in
Texas and the saying couldn’t be
more true when it comes to the
charisma and energy of this rapper
known for her Southern accent and
cartoonish style.
2
FREE NATIONALS
Fri, Mar 6 at Velvet Underground
More a funky soul band than
anything, we slotted the Free
Nationals in hip-hop as they rose
to prominence for their work with
rapper Anderson .Paak
3 BBNO$
Tue, Mar 10 at The Mod Club
He went viral in China thanks to a
dance challenge, and now BBNO$
is looking to build notoriety in North
America for his turnt up trap beats
and wild shows.
4 GASHI
Wed, Mar 11 at The Mod Club
The son of Kosovo Refugees, the
self-styled “Trap Phil Collins” went
from a janitor to a major labelsigned
rapper in a matter of years.
5
LIL MOSEY
Thurs, Mar 26 at Rebel
At barely 18, Lil Mosey already has a
Billboard hit and a rabid fan base. He
sold out a smaller venue in Toronto
last year and returns to take on
Rebel.
38 BEATROUTE MARCH 2020