Though inspired by the shocking iconography of horror shows, slasher flicks, and psychological thrillers, Bonnie Trash (led by twin sisters Emmalia and Sarafina Bortolon-Vettor) turns cinematic tropes on their head. Rather than fashioning nightmares into reality, the band paints reality as a nightmare, rife with pain, suffering, and gothic theatre. Like their forebears Joy Division, Black Sabbath, or John Carpenter, Bonnie Trash understands that everyday atrocities haunt the periphery of our lives. A black cloud looming on the edge of our vision. Curses abound. You can‘t ward them off. You‘d best make an unholy racket. Where their first full length, Malocchio, shrouded Bonnie Trash‘s nightmares in dusky dreamlike reverb, Mourning You is vivid and immediate. Emboldened by the additionof Emma Howarth-Withers on bass and Dana Bellamy on drums – whose thunderous rhythms sharpened 2024's My Love Remains the Same EP into a fine-edged blade – Mourning You is less a post-mortem fantasia than asudden, swift dagger to the heart. This is sorrow not as a lingering bruise, but a gushing wound.
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A confrontational, camp and seductive dramaturge. Toronto’s industrial performance art outfit Slash Need have earned a reputation for putting on high-energy theatrical live performances. The group craft songs that slither, satirize, and scream. Served up raw, Slash Need’s distinct style of propulsive techno and metallic darkwave serves as the backdrop to an unpredictable, ever-changing, and communal performance piece.
Following a viral bout of unplanned, and gratifying, attention from right-wing media in 2023 after their lore-making performance at Toronto Pride, the group has developed a cult following. Conjuring the essence of cherry red lipstick smudged on the rim of a spilled energy drink, baby powder masquerading as Chanel perfume, pheromones, smoke machines, and crossed wires, Toronto’s Slash Need is an invitation:
demanding that we blur the line between repulsion and desire, to arrive at a fierce reclamation of personal autonomy.
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Initially a solo project for Shiv, Shiv and the Carvers has evolved into a collaborative powerhouse, blending fierce hooks with thought-provoking lyrics on themes of sex, politics, culture, and identity. Their sound, forged in the punk-rich roller derby environment, pays homage to influences like The Donnas, Hole, and The Buzzcocks. Incubated in the dusty warehouses of Toronto’s roller derby scene, Shiv and the Carvers have blasted their brand of roaring, queer punk rock in and around their hometown since 2022. Led by the lovable and explosive energy of vocalist Shiv Scott, guitarist Nicole Maxwell, bassist Annie Jane Marie, and drummer Mike Wiznuk yearn to make the listener yell, dance, mosh, shake, and think critically. Having performed with UK’s highly acclaimed political punks Lambrini Girls, selected to play Project Nowhere by Toronto tastemakers, and handpicked by Bif Naked to join her official CMW showcase, Shiv and the Carvers have become a staple in the city’s punk scene as they continue to build their live reputation brick by brick.
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