I always say I really appreciate a wangsta. Wangsters were not born into the world of being a gangsta therefore, it does not come naturally to them. A wangsta is someone who has to work hard for their swagger. In my books, a wangsta is not a bad term even if 50 Cent thinks it is. The Urban Dictionary describes a wangsta as the following; “A person who tries to act like a gangster or "gangsta" but is really white.” Coming from my perspective as a white person, what’s so bad about that? I understand that I can’t be full...

The long weekend has concluded and alas, office life resumes.  And so what better way to kick start the workweek than with some dancey disco, curtsey of James Murphy and his cohorts, also known as LCD Soundsystem.  Scorching weather in the AM and screeching vocals at night, last night’s show at Kool Haus was the perfect spring sendoff.  Summer is here. The show begun early. The crack of my first Heineken was inaudible over Us vs. Them. The sold out crowd rushed the stage and proceeded to bounce.  Albeit early, but the Drunk Girls and those who love them were receptive...

Electro nerds Hot Chip got the kids dancing last night. Kool Haus shows have never impressed me and so I wearily approached the evening. My fears were unfounded, the show was sweaty dance floor perfection. My previous encounter with Hot Chip was on the West Coast and was a show that I doubt could be rivaled. Evidently I was mistaken, as new hits, old hits and remixed tracks made for quite the night. Although their most recent record, One Life Stand, is easy on the instant hits, Hot Chip crafted a brilliant set list that pulled the audience in tow. Indie...

Brit singer Florence Welch and her Machine rolled into town Saturday night at Kool Haus. My ilk and I attended this show with great anticipation. Florence’s style eludes definition, an amalgamated style of folk, pop and rock. Her voice takes over a room. The new Patti Smith, but fortunately easier on the eyes. Indeed, Florence took the stage looking freshly roused from a hippie commune. A musical anachronism without label, as great music should be. Now my hard on for the music aside, the show fell short of my lofty expectations. The ginger songstress took the stage and at once broke...

Tegan and Sara have come a long way since their days of selling adorable d.i.y inspired "I'm Tee and Essing" t-shirts at quaint venues across Canada. The days of house shows and being an opening act are over: the girls have arrived, and they are damned well deserving of it. T&S are coming off a massive North American tour (which the lovely Sara Quin has been kind enough to blog about for us) in support of their latest release, Sainthood. Although they've been working in music for over ten years, it's taken them a long time to...

Can we say TGIF!! And what better way to cap off the work week than scoring the best concert tickets in town ( its Pink Mafia, thats how we do). I'm sure your wondering who's in town- its Fever Ray. I kid you not Fever Ray is here live n direct on what is said to be the Final Tour... just in case you live under a rock Fever Ray is the best export from Sweden since meatballs. Fever Ray aka Karin Elisabeth Dreijer Andersson is a one woman machine with a...

Lady Gaga wants your soul, Toronto. And she'd probably fuck you for it, too. A little or a lot of ridiculousness is what most have come to expect from the Lady, and she wasn't skimping on it in Friday night. An overall energetic performance at the Kool Haus, the show started at 10:40pm (about forty minutes late), and ended at midnight. Gaga rocked multiple wardrobe changes, including her “bitch in a bubble” ensemble, and brought out the disco stick. The crowd was filled with Gaga-wannabes; blonde wigs, sequined dresses, eccentric hair pieces (including my own giant flower). Girls...

Thursday evening, Kool Haus was host to a benefit show called Peace Dot Love. With local Canadian talent playing for a good cause, all of the night's proceeds went to youth at risk in an attempt to end the cycle of violence. The line-up included Stereos, Rebel Emergency, Down With Webster, Dragonette, TMDP, USS, and some eccentric dancing troup who joined USS on stage. The night had a good turn out; people of all ages showed up to support the artists and help a worthy...

You know what it's like when a good friend you haven't seen or spoke to in ages, adds you on Facebook and you guys start reminisce wall-to-wall about the good ol'days? Feels good right? That's exactly how I felt when I saw Bloc Party at the Kool Haus last night. The boys were in town for the weekend playing two sold out shows for Canadian Music Week. When I was in high school, I fell in love with Bloc Party's debut "Silent Alarm" an album beautifully put together with spiky sharp chords needling in places and...

And that's exactly what went down Saturday night at the Kool Haus when Paramore took over Toronto. Over 2000 kids, identical in skinnies, converse, and band tees, lined up at 8am to ensure their front row spots. Sacrifices had to be made, but the number of questionable violations that occurred while in the crowd, made you wonder if being dry-humped at all angles is really an acceptable situation to subject yourself to. Opening for Paramore were Paper Route, Phantom Planet (of O.C. theme-song-fame), and Jack's Mannequin. Having to stand through three openers...