Shinedown perform live at Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto, Canada. Photo By: Justin Michael Carriere By: Justin Michael Carriere Toronto, Canada - I was at a university gym when I first heard Shinedown in 2004. Their song “.45” came on over the sound system and when the chorus dropped, I instantly added an extra 200 lbs to my bench press… or maybe it was an extra 2 lbs on a calf raise (I don’t remember exactly as it was over 20 years ago)… Regardless, I felt an infusion of adre

Kim Mitchell performs live at Meridian Place in Barrie, Ontario. Photo By: Michael Drukarsh By: Michael Drukarsh Barrie, Ontario - Kim Mitchell Headlines Barrie Butter Tart Festival (insert Spinal Tap joke here)! But wait, it's true! And, believe me, the free outdoor concert at Meridian Place was no joke! After having to cancel a couple of previous concerts in Barrie due to weather conditions, Kim and his band, consisting of long time collaborator and friend Peter Fredette on

Six Feet Under perform live at Lee's Palace in Toronto, Canada. Photo By: Jay Broderick By: Jay Broderick Toronto, Canada - This was one of those nights where Toronto’s metal community proved exactly why they're one of the greatest crowds in the world. Soaked in rain, sweat, riffs, and absolute unity! Six Feet Under’s first Toronto appearance in 23 years turned Lee’s Palace into a furnace, and thanks to Inertia Entertainment, the city finally got the long‑overdue beating it d

Winona Fighter perform live at The Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto, Canada. Photo By: Michael Durkarsh By: Michael Drukarsh Toronto, Canada - By night I may be MICHAEL DRUKARSH PHOTOGRAPHER! By day though I am Mr. Drukarsh, grade 7 Science teacher. After finishing the year only a week or so ago and looking forward to a wonderful summer, I did not expect to get called back so soon. However, when Winona Fighter personally invites you to attend Summer School, well, you go! A

Screamin' Rebel Angels perform live at Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto, Canada By: Jay Broderick Toronto, Canada - An early summer heatwave, The FIFA World Cup and Cristiano Ronaldo at BMO Field, the Horseshoe Tavern, and three bands ready to tear up a Thursday night. That was Toronto on July 2nd, 2026. And this Screamin’ Rebel Angels show was a full‑blown rockabilly revival, the kind of night that makes you remember why live music lives in this city. The streets were buzzing. I

Godsmack perform live at RBC Amphitheatre in Toronto, Canada. Photo By: Jay Broderick By: Jay Broderick Toronto, Canada - A summer night at RBC Amphitheatre (formerly Budweiser Stage) hits different, especially when it’s the first LOUDTO "official summer" show of the year and the bill reads Godsmack, Stone Temple Pilots and Dorothy. Toronto’s waterfront may be a construction-riddled maze with parking that feels like a myth, but once you break through the chaos and step into t

Diamond Weapon perform live at The Spot in Newmarket, Ontario. Photo By: Michael Drukarsh By: Michael Drukarsh Newmarket, Ontario - As the final stop on Diamond Weapon’s Letters From the Flood tour, The Spot was once again host to a variety of bands ready to support the self-described Post Hardcore Punk band from Toronto, Sublunox Sublunox perform live in Newmarket. Photo By: Michael Drukarsh Taking the stage first, Sublunox, a hard rock band out of St. Catherines, Ontario. T

The Divine Project perform live at The Bovine Sex Club in Toronto, Ontario. Photo By: Jay Broderick By: Jay Broderick Toronto, Ontario - Walking into Queen Street's Bovine Sex Club for the first time feels like a rite of passage, and on June 11, I finally lost my “Sex Club virginity.” For a venue that barely fits a couple dozen bodies before it feels full, it’s wild how right it is for a night like this. Small, sweaty, intimate, and loud… exactly where local music thrives. NX

Terror perform live at Lithuania House in Toronto, Canada. Photo By: Ernon Schneeberger By: Ernon Schneeberger Toronto, Canada - On June 5th, hardcore legends Terror brought their relentless energy to Lithuanian House in Toronto, marking another stop on their tour promoting their latest release Still Suffer. The night featured powerful opening acts Pain of Truth, and Start Today. Together, these three bands filled the venue with the kind of raw, uncompromising hardcore that d

Teenage Head perform live at The Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto, Ontario. Photo By: Michael Drukarsh By: Michael Drukarsh Toronto, Ontario - To paraphrase Teenage Head, it certainly was a nice night for a party, wasn’t it. Cheesy I know, but any good reviewer who doesn't use some variation of that line when covering Teenage Head just doesn’t get it! First taking the stage at the legendary Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto back in 1977, Teenage Head continued to celebrate 50 years of C

Napalm Death perform live at Lee's Palace in Toronto, Canada. Photo By: Jay Broderick By: Jay Broderick Toronto, Canada - Another kick‑ass Inertia Entertainment night at Lee’s Palace... and for once, I rolled in with only minutes to spare. Totally unlike me, but whatever. The second I stepped inside, the room already felt charged. Five bands, a packed 19+ crowd, and a legendary grindcore institution ready to tear the roof off. What followed was one of the most exhausting, exh

Cryptopsy performs live at Lee's Palace in Toronto, Ontario. Photo By: Jojo Taylor By: Jojo Taylor Toronto, Ontario - The trend I usually see in Toronto audiences is that we are very polite at concerts. I have heard many artists say this about our city. I truly believe they are saying we are too quiet. We usually wake up at the end of a show to get that encore song. This was not the case on May 27th at Lee’s Palace. Our Legendary Brutal Death Metal band Cryptopsy and 3 other

Dance Gavin Dance perform live at History in Toronto, Canada. Photo By: Ashley Depaz By: Ashley Depaz Toronto, Canada - On May 24, 2026, Toronto's History played host to a lineup that felt like a love letter to post-hardcore fans. Novelists, Wolf & Bear, and The Fall of Troy each brought their own flavor to the evening, setting the stage for a headlining performance from Dance Gavin Dance that reminded everyone why they've remained one of the genre's most important bands for

The Guess Who perform live at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario. Photo By: Michael Drukarsh By: Michael Drukarsh Toronto, Ontario - Sitting in Scotiabank Arena on Saturday night for The Guess Who and special guest Don Felder brought back memories of summers up in cottage country sitting on the dock with the tunes cranked. This time though, the night was spent with about 18,000 people and the beer was a lot more expensive. Don Felder Don Felder performs live in Toronto, Can

Electric Callboy performs live at Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto, Canada. Photo By: Ernon Schneeberger By: Ernon Schneeberger Toronto, Canada - Electric Callboy rolled into Toronto’s Coca-Cola Coliseum on their Tanzneid World Tour and basically turned the whole place into a massive party, with Scene Queen and Polaris along for the ride. With their mix of metalcore and EDM chaos, this was never going to be a normal show and with a lineup like this, it felt more like a full nigh

Buzzcocks perform live at The Opera House in Toronto, Canada. Photo By: Ashley Depaz By: Ashley Depaz Toronto, Canada - The Buzzcocks brought pure punk energy to Toronto’s The Opera House on Friday, May 15, delivering a loud, fast, and genuinely exciting performance that proved why their influence still reaches across generations of punk and alternative music. As part of their 2026 Attitude Adjustment Tour, the legendary Manchester band showed that even decades into their car

Broadcast Zero perform live at The Spot in Newmarket, Ontario. Photo By: Jay Broderick By: Michael Drukarsh Newmarket, Ontario - It really never really ceases to amaze me how much diversity is on display every time I head to The Spot in Newmarket. Undetermined Undetermined perform live at The Spot. Photo By: Michael Drukarsh Saturday night’s bill opened with Undetermined, a classic rock band made of students ranging from grade 9 to grade 11. The youngest member Nate F. sat be

Dragonette/Tiny Sun perform live at Koerner Hall in Toronto, Ontario. Photo By: Ashley Depaz By: Ashley Depaz Toronto, Ontario - On Thursday May 14th 2026, the glowing wood interior of Koerner Hall became a living, breathing instrument. The acoustics inside Koerner Hall (already regarded as some of the finest in Canada) wrapped around every note with startling clarity, allowing even the quietest moments to linger in the air like suspended light. Every string swell, every soft

The Anti-Queens perform live at The Biltmore Theatre in Oshawa, Ontario. Photo By: Jay Broderick By: Jay Broderick Oshawa, Ontario - The Biltmore Theatre is one of those venues that reminds me why I love covering shows close to home. Award‑winning, intimate, and only minutes away... which matters when you’re staring down a four‑band bill with an 8:00 p.m. start and a 5:30 a.m. wake‑up looming. Tonight’s all‑ages crowd is small but young, buzzing, and ready for a long night as

August Burns Red perform live at History in Toronto, Canada. Photo By: Ernon Schneeberger By: Ernon Schneeberger Toronto, Canada - Toronto’s History played host to a stacked night of metalcore as the Spring Horizons Tour rolled into town, bringing together legacy giants August Burns Red and The Amity Affliction, alongside rising acts Boundaries and Heavensgate. Blending generations of the genre, the lineup felt like a collision between metalcore’s roots and its modern evoluti