#37 The Point

Sometimes, the scene is the friends you make along the way.

Sep 22, 2025

Last Monday, I biked over to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre to catch 9 Million open for Ethel Cain.

It’s a rare occasion I can make it to a show that isn’t one of ours. However, friends, several of whom work our shows, opening one of the biggest tours of the year is also a rare occasion.

For years and years and years, the why of what we’ve done has been motivated by the belief that if you give people a chance to get on stage, to create, to share what they think, it will have a generally positive effect on your city, on your community, on your music scene. Punk, DIY, whatever you want to call it at this point, for me, has been predicated on the very idea that if you let somebody have the chance to be and feel heard, positive things will result.

Shit can, and does, happen along the way. We’ve put thousands of bands on stage over the years. Some of them were great. Some of them weren’t. Some of them got better. Some got a lot better. Some got worse. Some of the members were outed as shitheads. Some people were pricks to each other. Some people became friends for life. Some toured the world. Some of them broke up after one gig. All of those things were true, are true and will continue to be true in the future.

Now, I can’t really tell the full story of the who, where, why, when or how of any of those instances. Just anecdotes and examples from years and years of gigs. And to be perfectly honest - while I can say we’ve booked small shows for many that have gone on to become massive, era-defining artists - it’s the local piece that’s always been the real motivating factor. That’s been the point of it all. The lingering motivation. Create the version of the city you want to see. More music, more connection, more space for the version of the world we believe in and so on.

It’s chaos. You rarely, if ever, get to see the forest from the trees. Sometimes it really feels like it doesn’t work. That it is a misguided effort. It certainly has its upsides, but the outcomes often don’t feel like they’re connected to the intention.

But, last Monday, I felt like I was hit over the head with a hammer. As I watched 9 Million play, I saw musicians on stage who have been playing shows we’ve booked for years. Who maybe met each other through our shows. Who have played our shows in numerous bands. Who have released music for other bands that play our shows. Who record bands who play our shows. Who’ve built relationships with out of town bands who have played our shows. Who’ve done sound, done door, loaned & carried gear and otherwise pitched in for years.

That’s not to say a version of 9 Million doesn’t exist without Not Dead Yet. I believe it would. But man, 9 Million certainly felt like the best representation of the whole point of this thing I’ve ever seen the other night. Some of those people were playing our gigs in random hardcore bands over a decade ago.

Progress isn’t a straight line. Make a new friend. Start a new band. Book a show. Play some gigs. Do your thing. Doing it yourself is cool. Doing it with and for your friends is cooler.

AN INTERVIEW

I was interviewed about next month’s TOWN OF HARDCORE festival by the friends over at Total Supply. If you’re bored and are curious what is wrong with me, you can read that thing right here.

THE NEXT TWO WEEKS

There are a lot of shows between now, and the end of September. There are listings below, but for whatever reason I feel compelled to give you a bit more detail on what’s what comin up.

On Thursday, there are two gigs, representing the very polar opposites of the NDY spectrum.

At Monarch, we’ve got one for the punks and skins featuring Pittsburgh’s NO TIME, some very old dear friends who make some serious hardcore influenced skinhead rock. They’re doing a little tour with SIKM, who’s 12” for Beach Impediment last year absolutely rocks. IMPLODERS support, alongside local skin gang STREET CODE & the new young bloods F-BOMBS.

Across town at BSMT 254, you’ve got Jules Reidy, whose “Ghost / Spirit” LP for Thrill Jockey from earlier this year is absolutely incredible. A guitar record that sounds nothing like it. Highly recommend scoping it out. Some of the brains behind Ministry of Phonic Services (who you should absolutely familiarize yourself with) SWEET LIPS, open alongside Tomb Mold’s DERRICK VELLA.

On Friday, our much anticipated LANKUM show has been cancelled unfortunately. But, fear not, we gig on at the Monarch again, with OSSUARY, COPROLITH, MORTUARY SLAB & CONSUMING MISERY. A top to bottom Death Metal gig. OSSUARY’s latest is killer, and COPROLITH are cementing themselves as a new era for metal in Toronto. Hell yeah.

On Saturday, another two gigs. At The Baby G, you’ve got Helsinki’s MODEM, with their saccharine sweet synth pop, touring with the dance punks in CLEAR CHANNEL. NON-OP opens. The folks in MODEM are some very prolific musicians - Ville has even played an NDY Fest in the past as a member of KOHTI TUHOA - and to say they are good at what they do would be selling it very very short. Check out “Megalomania” if you haven’t yet.

And at the Velvet, you’ve got the Texas shoegazers in GLARE, on tour with downer rockers CLOAKROOM and the punks in DESTINY BOND. A lot of folks seem to like staring at their guitar pedals these days, but GLARE have an uncanny knack for it.

On the Sunday, another two gig banger. At Sneaky Dee’s you’ve got NYC rockers MEYRU on tour with HONEYSUCKER. And at the Monarch, you’ve got another gang of NYC rockers in TARANEH and COMET. They’ve got local faves in UNCAUGHT (IN PROMISE) making a seemingly increasingly rare appearance.

On the 30th, there’s California’s SOFT BLUE SHIMMER returning to Toronto, on their latest record of ethereal guitar pop. Locals BLOSUM & WEDDING are opening the gig up at the Baby G. A nice one for those who are fans of guitar based songcraft.

On October 1st, we’ve got ONE LEG ONE EYE at BSMT 254 with ANDREW NOLAN, for an evening of drone, dub and general mischief.

On the 3rd, a monster of a death metal gig with Athenian legends DEAD CONGREGATION returning to Toronto, alongside Quebec’s SEDIMENTUM and Hamilton’s LAST RETCH. A gig perfectly suited to the cavernous Lee’s Palace space.

And, on the 4th - another two! We’re back at Sneaks with LAURA STEVENSON, OCEANATOR & KATIE MALCO for some serious singer-songwriter action. If you' want something with a little more gain on the amplifier though, I’d say go check out PRIVATE LIVES & CULT CRIME above Low Bar at The Rat’s Nest.

As a bonus, I’ll remind you that SECRET WORLD are stopping in Toronto before they join up with the tour HIGH VIS is doing in October across the U.S. They’ll be joined with Niagara HC greats BEST WISHES, as well as ALBERT HOFFMAN and his WORLD PEACE PROJECT.

And well… the rest of October is busy too but we gotta draw the line somewhere.

A PLAYLIST

I threw together a playlist of tracks worth your attention over the past few months. You’ll find it over on BuyMusic.Club, here.

I’d been aggregating tracks for months at this point - there is a lot of great stuff here. I’m not particularly thrilled by the format, but hey, count me among the folks that think Spotify is generally brutal. Consider this an interstitial phase. Will fix something up sooner or later.