Music News Digest: Hamilton's 2025 Supercrawl Lineup Includes Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Basia Bulat & More

Now in its 17th year, Hamilton's Supercrawl festival has long established itself as one of Canada's biggest and best annual free summer music festivals. Held on three stages on the James St. North strip downtown, Supercrawl 2025 will run from Sept. 12-14. The recently-announced lineup features some 65 local, regional, national and international talents, with organizers claiming "this is the most expansive roster of musical talent the festival has ever showcased."

An eclectic group of headliners include Polaris Prize-winning cult heroes Godspeed You! Black Emperor, acclaimed singer-songwriter Basia Bulat and indie rock faves Born Ruffians. Other notable artists performing include platinum-selling hip-hop star Classified, Toronto rapper TOBi, the Andy Shauf-featuring Foxwarren, songsmith Donovan Woods, and Austin cult fave Jean Caffeine, while a strong local contingent includes prize-winning rapper/poet/DJ Cadence Weapon and blues star Steve Strongman.

The lineup was announced recently at a press event at Mills Hardware, presided over by Sonic Unyon/Supercrawl head Tim Potocic. It had a circus theme, with Potocic channelling his inner clown, candy floss, hot dogs and a carnival type reveal process in which attendees threw darts to pop balloons covering the lineup names on a wall. Expect some circus activity at Supercrawl too. Check out the full lineup here.

– Project Nowhere festival returns for a third year to Toronto’s west end on Oct. 2-4. Held at six venues in the Dundas Street West area (Nineteen Seventy Eight/Expo Vintage Outlet, St. Anne's Parish, The Garrison, The Baby G, BSMT254 and Hank’s Liquor) the event is focused on underground sounds. The just-announced lineup features artists from across Canada, plus some U.S. and U.K. acts. Notable names include Detroit hardcore punk spectacle The Armed, U.K. funk-punk alt-rockers Warmduscher, rising stars Water From Your Eyes, fuzz-fueled 60s garage elaborators The Mystery Lights, Montreal shoegaze rswonder No Joy, surf-psych rockers TEKE::TEKE, ambient dub duo Freak Heat Waves, alt-shoegazers Her New Knife, alternative post-punk four-piece Ribbon Skirt, experimental songwriter Scott Hardware, goth art-pop group Vallens, psych-pop prophet Gus Englehorn, Alex Edkins of METZ and Graham Walsh of Holy Fuck in their latest project Noble Rot, plus an album release party for Toronto's psychedelic doom rock band Witchrot. A final lineup will be announced on July 8. 3-Day passes go on sale here on June 26.

– The 1st annual My HOUSE Junction Jazz Festival in Toronto has begun, and it runs to June 29. The event features artist-in-residence Brownman Ali, who will be on stage all week as either sideman, soloist, leader, MC, class clown or fire marshall. He closes the fest out on June 29 (4 pm matinee) by leading a tribute entitled Miles Davis: The Prestige Years. More info here. Tickets here.

– The Toronto Fringe Festival has over 100 shows in 22 venues taking place July 2 - 13. The 37th edition announced its programming recently, and it includes shows by four-time Juno winner Jack Grunsky and Juno nominees JJ Tartaglia, and Roula Said. Running for the duration at Soulpepper Theatre's Kevin & Roger Garland Cabaret, Playground is based on the songs of children’s singer-songwriter Grunsky. Acclaimed performers Maryem Tollar (Metcalf Prize winner) and Roula Said (Juno nominee) star in timely Fringe comedy Very Shady Arab Ladies, on July 3 - 13 at Video Cabaret's Deanne Taylor Theatre, while Thunderor (July 3 - 12 at Deanne Taylor Theatre) is an epic full-scale Rock Opera musical written by Tartaglia and performed with a live band. Another music-themed show is Bob Marley: How Reggae Changed the World, created by Duane Forrest. More info here.

Industry News

The Toronto Blues Society (TBS) Talent Search culminated in a June 22 performance by the six finalists as part of the 2025 Toronto Jazz Fest. Emerging as the winner was Isy Aboagye, with J.E. Lopez as runner-up. Prizes are a professional development package including festival gigs, mentorship meetings, graphic design and more. Catch the winning performance below.

Artists News

In what is surprising but welcome news for fans of Canada's beloved songbird Anne Murray, the singer has explored her archives and put together a new album of previously unreleased songs. Canadian Press reported the news on Friday, Murray's 80th birthday. The collection, entitled Here You Are, is her 33rd studio album, and is set for release Sept. 5. Of note: It includes a cover of the 1983 Bryan Adams hit “Straight From the Heart," initially recorded for Murray’s 1984 album Heart Over Mind.

–Montreal-based musician Ada Lea (Alexandra Levy) releasesher new album, when i paint my masterpiece, on August 8 via Next Door Records. She has just put out a second advance single,“something in the wind,” described as "a meditation on love born out of a dream." She also just announced North American dates that follow U.K. shows in August. Check the itinerary here.

– A popular veteran of the Toronto music community, singer-songwriter Maja Bannerman launches her new album, What A World, on June 29 at The Tranzac Club in The Living Room. She informs Billboard Canada that "there are two shows, same set, at 2 pm and 4 pm. I will be backed by my partner, Rusty McCarthy, who was the producer and guitarist on the album, plus pianist Doug Wilde, bassist Steve Goldberger and Brandon Agnew on drums. This collection of songs embodies the best of my intentions — the attempt to maintain an unswerving gaze upon the world, with all its struggles, while simultaneously expressing my deep love of people and life."