culture
Wu-Tang Members, Bad Religion to Join Flaming Lips at NXNE
Food-fixated rapper Action Bronson and local alt-country favourites The Sadies also added to the fest's schedule.
Fans in Yonge-Dundas Square during last year's NXNE.
A large chunk of this year’s North by Northeast line-up was revealed today, including several of the headlining acts.
In addition to Grammy award-winning experimental rock legends the Flaming Lips, whose presence was announced this morning, other scheduled headliners will include one quarter of the Wu-Tang Clan in the form of Ghostface Killah and semi-local Raekwon, veteran California punk band Bad Religion, and Canadian hero Matthew Good.
Several other smaller but no less interesting names are also scheduled to take part in the June festival. Ultra-dark Sacramento-based alt-rap crew Death Grips—who recently and somewhat inexplicably signed with Epic Records—will bring their anarchic, hard spitting, discordant sound to town. Notoriously high-energy Australian (by way of Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Brooklyn) art punk crew The Death Set are also scheduled to appear.
In non-death related news, New York-based chef-turned-rapper Action Bronson will also take part in NXNE this year. Post-hardcore supergroup Rival Schools were another act announced today. Consisting of former members of Gorilla Biscuits, CIV, Youth of Today, and Iceburn, Rival Schools have been working as a three piece since late last year, when guitarist Ian Love quit the band.
There will, as always, be tons of local content at NXNE as well. Alt-country stalwarts The Sadies are scheduled to do a show, as are noisy art punks Metz, and self-described “noh wave” band Yamantaka//Sonic Titan.
More artists, as well as schedules and venues, will be announced the in the coming weeks, and wristbands are now on sale.
It was previously stated that Action Bronson will be playing in May at Wrongbar, but that show has been cancelled.