Spread out across the city of Toronto, NORTH BY NORTHEAST is a deceptive behemoth of a festival. That’s right, we used the word “behemoth”; it rightly fits, as the annual five-day music festival has showcased names such as Iggy Pop, Kid Cudi, Broken Social Scene, Feist and My Morning Jacket, not to mention hundreds of emerging artists and unsigned acts from various genres. It’s 17th year is no different as we here at BLARE have put together a short pamphlet of sorts, on who to sing along to, who to dance to and which gigs to get prized trophy scars from. 

For dates, venues and times, click on artist’s name below
For your NXNE 2011 fix, keep a tab on @blaremag

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WE ARE WOLVES

(MONTREAL, QBC | DARE TO CARE RECORDS)
“Like rock after the post-modern explosion” (RCRD LBL)

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HOT WATER MUSIC

(GAINESVILLE, FL | EPITAPH)
“Still serve up a killer dose of youthful adrenaline” (SPIN)

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NO JOY

(MONTREAL, QBC | MEXICAN SUMMER)
“The guitars, loud enough to obliterate everything within 50 yards..” (Pitchfork)

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FUCKED UP

(TORONTO, ON | MATADOR RECORDS)
“FU’s brutal grandeur turns pain into power” (Rolling Stone)

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KYDD

(AUSTIN, TX | UNSIGNED)
“His amazing live performances are just what the doctor ordered” (Enjoy Music)

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HEAVY CREAM

(NASHVILLE, TN | INFINITY CAT)
“Catchy, hook-driven power pop with an emphasis on power” (Converse)

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OFF!

(LOS ANGELES, CA | VICE RECORDS)
“It’s no Nervous Breakdown, but it does evoke the old times” (Stereogum)

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METZ

(TORONTO, ON | UNSIGNED)
“A  blisteringly loud, cardiac-arrest-inducing onstage assault” (SPIN)

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INVASIONS

(TORONTO, ON | INDEPENDENT)
“A uniform feel that’s vintage, doom gloom, and irrepressibly cool” (Pitchfork)

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BOUNCING SOULS

(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ | CHUNKSAAH RECORDS)
“Growing up but remaining forever young at heart” (Allmusic)

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CULTS

(BROOKLYN, NY | SONY)
“Frothy and bittersweet pieces of perfectly designed lo-fi pop” (Pitchfork)

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UME

(HOUSTON, TX | MODERN OUTSIDER RECORDS)
“Distortion-heavy jams invite comparisons to Sonic Youth” (Rolling Stone)

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DUM DUM GIRLS

(LOS ANGELES, CA | SUB POP)
“It’s hard not to fall in love at first listen” (Paste Magazine)

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THE FLATLINERS

(RICHMOND HILL, ON | FAT WRECK CHORDS)
“Seamlessly blends upbeat ska with fierce punk rock” (Punknews.org)

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ANTI-FLAG

(PITTSBURGH, PA | SIDEONEDUMMY)
“Four guys willing to scrap the chance at super-stardom to express” (AbsolutePunk)

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EVENING HYMNS

(TORONTO, ON | OUT OF THIS SPARK)
“Harkens back to singer-songwriters of the early ’70s” (Exclaim!)

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TY SEGALL

(SAN FRANCISCO, CA | DRAG CITY RECORDS)
“Garage-rock’s boy-wonder blur, like a more eccentrically volatile Wavves” (SPIN)

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TODAY I CAUGHT THE PLAGUE

(OTTAWA, ON | INDEPENDENT)
“Energetic art reflective of a wide range of sonic expression” (Sputnikmusic)

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MATTERS

(TORONTO, ON | HYPE LIGHTER)
“Lies halfway between the sound of Radiohead and The National” (Rolling Stone)

LINK TO AUDIO

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DESCENDENTS

(HERMOSA BEACH, CA | INDEPENDENT)
“The predecessors of pop-punk as we know it today” (Exclaim!)

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