Inside Toronto’s North x NorthEast Festival

Nature TV photographed by Alex Stefan

North x NorthEast Music Festival took over downtown Toronto last week to showcase a wide variety of new and upcoming artists from around the world. Hosted in over 20 venues across the city with hundreds of performers, there is something for everyone, every night. Ranging from country to hip hop, punk, electronic, Latin, and more; performers of all genres came together throughout the week to provide unforgettable shows. I spent 4 days running around the city chasing upcoming rock and indie bands and only managed to see a fraction of the insane lineup presented by the festival. 

The week kicked off Tuesday night at The Bovine Sex Club (notably, not actually a sex club) with My Son the Doctor, who set the bar incredibly high. The band commanded the room with ease, drawing everyone into the performance while cracking jokes and telling stories in between songs. This was followed up by the Hormoans, a loud, heavy rocking garage band with a surfy twist. 

On Wednesday we headed to the Horseshoe Tavern, starting the night with rock duo The Lookout Service who offer a twist on the classic rock sound. Next up, hailing all the way from the UK, indie band Nature TV took the stage with humor and groove, armed with a setlist you couldn’t help but bop along to. The Get Alongs took the stage next and took over the room easily. With the perfect rock to dance along to, they were just fun to watch, grooving along as they dominated the stage. 

Headed to The Handlebar on Thursday, we started the night with Electric Religious, a husband and wife pairing with incredible vocals and undeniable rhythm. Up next was Sunvolume, who were unforgiving from start to finish and impossible to look away from, with heavy rockers and insane energy, they hypnotized the audience through the entire fire-fueled setlist. Followed by Hyaenas, the 4 piece girl group got the whole room up and dancing through a setlist of indie-rock tracks with an air of confidence and ease. 

Back at the Handlebar on Friday, the night kicked off with a full house for The Pacifiers as they ripped through a set list of rhythmic indie tracks. Ellis In Transit took over the room next with an undeniable classic rock sound and insane vocals, a must-see if you happen to be so lucky to have the chance. This was followed by the Sunglaciers, with high production and full tracks, maintaining the energy late into the night.

I genuinely cannot stress how cool NXNE is, and how little of the full lineup I got to see of the hundreds of artists gathered in Toronto to represent the best of new and upcoming bands. While it’s easy to get caught up in the production of stadium shows, I must urge you to see shows in bars and support your local bands, even if you have never heard of them before the show. Some of the best shows I’ve seen were this week in small bars, where the feeling of the energy on stage is unlike anything else. Although many of the performers were armed with little more than an EP or two, they all offered incredible performances and I will be impatiently waiting for new releases and to see where they go in the future. The only downside to falling in love with small bands is, in fact, the most heartbreaking, finding out your new favorite band only has 3 songs on streaming services. Please support your local small bands, if only for my entirely selfish reasons of needing more music from them. 

All photos by Alex Stefan.