Wavelength Music warms up winter with the launch to their 20th anniversary year and the Wavelength Winter Festival, a live curated mixtape featuring twenty of the best independent music artists from the Canadian underground scene February 13-16, 2020.
The festival launches Thursday, February 13, exactly 20 years since Wavelength’s first show at Ted’s Wrecking Yard. Despite that venue being a distant memory, Wavelength will provide a nostalgic nod to its older days by presenting the first night of the festival at Sneaky Dee’s. Festival venues also include Longboat Hall (Fri & Sat nights), Sonic Boom Records (Sat. afternoon – all ages plus it’s free) and The Garrison (Sun night).
We’ve pulled together our top five acts that you don’t want to miss during the festival.
- SlowPitchSound lay down some ambient/experimental turntablism at Sneaky Dee’s on February 13.
- Indie folk-pop collectivists The Hidden Cameras will play their first show in four years at The Longboat Hall on Valentine’s Day.
- Delivering some tasty post-punk energy wave, Psychic Weapons (ex-Creeping Nobodies/Parts Unknown) will be playing a day show at Sonic Boom on Feb 15.
- No-wave punk trio New Fries bring some of their weird sounds to your ears also at the free Sonic Boom day show.
- Mimico will give you some space-rock soundscapes also at Sonic Boom on Feb 15 for the day show.
Single-day tickets are on sale now for $15-$20 in advance, or $50 for an all access festival passes (limited number available). Tickets are available in person at Rotate This (801 Queen Street West, Toronto) and Soundscapes (572 College Street, Toronto) and online at wavelengthmusic.ca.
“As one of Wavelength’s co-founders, I’m grateful and elated to be celebrating this momentous milestone of reaching our series’ 20th anniversary,” says Jonny Dovercourt (Jonathan Bunce), Wavelength Artistic Director. “When our original collective of independent musicians came together two decades ago to find new ways to build excitement and a sense of community in the Toronto music scene, we never expected it to have this longevity – or grow into an institution that continues to champion grassroots artists.”
As well as glancing back at the past 20 years, Wavelength’s winter festival programming is future-forward, a “live curated mixtape” line-up of the newest, freshest and most exciting sounds in the Canadian independent music scene. Guest Co-Curator, Ian Steaman (Different Kitchen, CBC), brings a fresh new voice to the programming mix with the inclusion of more acts from the worlds of hip-hop, R&B, electronica and art-pop, as Wavelength continues to expand the boundaries of “indie” music.
#WL2020 full festival line-up + schedule
Thursday February 13 @ Sneaky Dee’s
- LAL “Corners” 20th Anniversary Album Performance
- LES MOUCHES
- SANDRO PERRI
- SLOWPITCHSOUND
Doors 7pm
Tickets: $15 advance / $20 at the door
Friday February 14 @ Longboat Hall
- THE HIDDEN CAMERAS
- LITTLE SCREAM
- KAIA KATER
- SHEENAH KO
Doors 7pm
Tickets: $20 advance / $25 at the door
Saturday February 15 @ Sonic Boom Music (Free Afternoon In-Store)
- NEW FRIES
- MIMICO
- PSYCHIC WEAPONS
- SILVER POOLS
Showtime 2pm
Admission: FREE
Saturday February 15 @ Longboat Hall
- HAVIAH MIGHTY
- LOU PHELPS
- YVES JARVIS
- DESIIRE
Doors 7pm
Tickets: $20 advance / $25 at the door
Sunday February 16 @ The Garrison
- NOTIFI
- TORII WOLF
- KEITA JUMA
- TRP.P
Doors 7pm
Tickets: $15 advance / $20 at the door
