Photo by cobrasnatch. Everybody's favourite Elastica video directin', acclaimed stencilin', and self-proclaimed "super Indian babe" is rocking the Sound Academy stage on Monday. What can be said about M.I.A. that hasn't been said before? She's so talented that she can make a song about robbing you and you can't not dance to it. The multitalented Ms. Arulpragasam will be joined by local upstarts Holy Fuck, who you have to wonder after four years how......

This Friday's Steam Whistle Unsigned is already the fourth in a series of independent music showcases at the Roundhouse, but it's the first we're really excited about. Really excited. Check out this lineup: The Carps are the best thing to come out of Scarborough since... er... hmm. Right. Anyway, the punk-soul duo recently opened for MIA at the Kool Haus, and if they're good enough for Maya, they're good enough for you. Opopo sound like......

Photo of Tokyo Police Club by Conway L. It’s baaack! The two-day island explosion of rock ‘n’ roll that is the second annual Virgin Festival will be taking place this coming Saturday and Sunday at Toronto Island Park, bringing huge names and talented locals alike to Centre Island for a whole bucket-ton of music-making. "Great!", you say. "But I am sorrowed, for I know not who to watch at this great veritable cornucopia of......

On September 4, the The Misshapes released their style book, and the trio of trend-setting, New Wave rock-producing New Yorkers are hitting Toronto on Thursday, September 6 in celebration of its release. Who are The Misshapes? Known for their weekly Saturday night parties—the "best in hipster Manhattan" since February 2004—these musicians (and cutting-edge fashion influences) have established themselves as "an intersection of music, art, and fashion." The Misshapes are Greg Krelenstein, Leigh Lezark, and......

If you're not already exhausted on September 7 after trying to check out M.I.A., Stars, The Hidden Cameras, k-os, and You Say Party! We Say Die! playing for free for U of T and Ryerson's frosh, why not throw in a little free Yeah Yeah Yeahs for good measure? That night––if you're still looking for time to kill and bands to see––Vice, Rimmel London, and CKIN2U are hosting the Yeah Yeah Yeahs at the Berkeley......

The bands for both the University of Toronto and Ryerson's frosh week concerts are all confirmed and good to go, and they're all extraordinarily excellent. At about 4:30 p.m. next Friday, September 7, the Hidden Cameras and Stars will play a free concert on U of T's Back Campus (north of University College, at Devonshire Place and Hoskin Avenue) which is restricted to current students. While last year's U of T frosh week saw......

A lot happens in and around Toronto, but we can only write about so much in a week. Here's the best of the rest, in a new weekly feature we're calling Superfluist. Superfluist will appear every Friday night. Cathy Gordon decided to get very, very publicly divorced on Monday, with an art piece she called "On My Knees." For it, she crawled around Toronto for a while (on her knees!), signed divorce papers, and then......

The WSFF's program of not oft seen music videos is always a good time, even if it's not always true - it can be a bit annoying to pay good money to see Franz Ferdinand's latest onscreen, when you have indeed seen it on Much ad nauseum. But, for the most part, Scene Not Heard offers up little seen gems. This year, we're curious about Howie Beck's video. To wit: 'A nebbish dance floor neophyte......

Didn't get your ticket for MIA/LCD at the Opera House? You're not entirely outta luck, cause Diplo launches his new website (and Them Finest a mix cd) and drops some fat beats at the Social following the social event of the weekend. Featuring DIPLO, NICK CATCHDUBS, RORY THEM FINEST and WENDY MORGAN. $10 before midnight.......

TO's got its own little one woman Huffpost in the Star's Antonia Zerbisias. Get ready for the Star media maven's music picks, or 'chick licks,' as she so, uh, cleverly, calls them. Mildly frightening, but TOist knows you're all very strong people. - Meanwhile, The Star's attempts at multi-media savvy continue apace. John Sakamoto, formerly of the terrific Eye Anti-hit list, and presently of the Sunday Star, podcasts his way through the usual stuff. Podcasts,......

After sifting through the heaps (mounds?) of MIA discussion around the internet over the past few months, Torontoist thought it's about time we came up with some of our own opinions on the Sri Lankan/British, by-way-of-blog superstar. As most conscious MIA listeners already know, there's a growing controversy over MIA's Palestine Liberation Organisation shout-out as well as alleged ties to the Tamil Tigers. As Torontoist interprets it, the MIA debate surrounds the political message of......

While most of the world has moved on to M.I.A., Torontoist hasn't forgot about that lone handclap in "Rebellions (Lies)" or the Win Butler-as-the-next-Springsteen notion of 2004. But before adding another blog post to the most blogged about band in history, TorIst does throw down a few new tracks for the week... 1. 13 + God - "Men of Station" Thanks to Scissorkick, here's the new Anticon collabo between the Notwist and Themselves... 2. Of......

Last night the Drake was a veritable spectacle of boldfaced grandeur, trendy sneakers and perfectly worn in high-heeled leather boots. M.I.A. took to the stage, and a gaggle of journos, bloggers, and people with Dov Charney-esque facial hair shook their booties like TOist has rarely seen in this town. PopWherry, our occasional concert cohort, was tucked in the back, and Eye guy Stuart Berman was somewhere thereabouts too. Torontoist hero Mr. Zoilus told us that......

It's a very Sakamoto of us to put a cover song in this week's mixtape, but it's a nice cover and the two bands seem to be the subject of a lot of talk lately. Don't worry though; we'll stay away from any of those Strokes/Chingy mash-ups that Sakamoto likes so much. 1. The Arcade Fire - This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) A clever cover of one of the Talking Heads' best singles.......