1. Before sidewalk-swarming, mall-clogging holiday shoppers from the 905
make Grinches of us all, get an early dose of cheer at Saturday's (Nov. 28) kick-off
event for the city’s Cavalcade of Lights, starting with the annual
tree-lighting ceremony, followed by a concert featuring artists
including Steven Page and Fritz Helder & The Phantoms (pictured),
fireworks and a skating/DJ party. There’ll be more of the same for the
next three Saturdays in December; don’t miss Jully Black sharing cuts
from her new album, The Black Book, on Dec. 5. Nathan Phillips Square (100 Queen W.). Free. 7pm.
2. Kid Cudi may have called his album The End of Day but it’s
only the beginning for this Cleveland rapper, whose techno beats are subverted by
his introspective lyrics. On Saturday (Nov. 28), he’ll be racing from the Lady
Gaga show at the ACC (where he'll serve as the opener) to the Kool Haus (132 Queens Quay E.), where he'll greet his own mob of fans who’ll be ready to
party all “Day N Nite.” All ages. $27.50 from Rotate This, Soundscapes, Play de Record, Ticketmaster. 9pm.
3. Paul Morrissey’s 1970 film Trash may have been preoccupied, literally
and symbolically, with waste, but it’s now considered a cult treasure.
In his book by the same name, author Jon Davies traces the film’s
history, elucidating parallels between its drug-addled characters and
the similarly marginalized (and named) artists who contributed to its
making — foremost, Warhol superstars Joe Dallesandro and Holly
Woodlawn. Trash marks the first instalment of the Queer Film Classics
series by Arsenal Pulp Press and will be launched Saturday afternoon (Nov. 28), 1-3pm at Art Metropole (788 King W.). 416-703-4400.
4. London duo Robbie Furze and Milo Cordell — a.k.a. The Big Pink — spend their debut album, A Brief History of Love, tracking
UK rock’s Tony Blair–era transformation from post-shoegaze haze to
Wembley-rattling cocaine supernovas. But The Big Pink craftily fudge
the line between being a retro-’90s indulgence and simply filling a
void: with contemporary British pop taking a turn for the sublime —
from the austere minimalism of The xx to the pixie-dusted mysticism of
Bat for Lashes to the Johnny Marred jangle of The Cribs — The Big Pink
essentially have the whole footie field of lager-lager-lager
rocktronica to themselves. The band makes its Toronto debut Sunday (Nov. 29) at Lee's Palace (529 Bloor W.) with Crystal Antlers and Revolvers. $15.50 from Rotate This, Soundscapes, Horseshoe and Ticketmaster.
5. Joker,
a 20-year-old Bristolian dubstep and grime producer, has made massive
waves in very little time. His 2007 debut, the Kapsize EP, showcased
Joker’s fresh ear; Kode9 was an early champion, bringing Joker into the
Hyperdub label. Since then, Joker has been supported by biggies like
Pitchfork, who dubbed him “Producer of the Year” in 2008. With a string
of solid, soulful and adventurous EPs under his belt, Joker is well on
his way. He checks into Wrongbar (1279 Queen W.) Sunday night (Nov. 29) with XI, Egyptrixx, Hydee, Sidenote and Zed's Dead. $15 from Rotate This, Soundscapes, Play de Record, wantickets.com.