Toronto · No. 028Thursday, 7 August 2026Established somewhere after midnight

Cover Story · Long read

Everybody Wants
to Be Devoured

Inside the slow, ecstatic rise of Black Chapel, the Toronto quartet turning every basement in the city into a private catastrophe.

Read the story
On the wire
Violet Teeth announce an all-night set at The CisternJuliet LaRue’s new single is a love letter to a room with no exitsFestival of Ashes lineup gets stranger, thank God

Selected pieces

New noise,
properly heard.

02

Album review · 9.1

Fever Thread are not interested in your forgiveness.

Their second record sounds like a church collapsing beautifully, and nobody has thought to leave.

Read review

Live · The Axis Club

Fawn Calloway takes the room apart, one piano key at a time.

By Francie Hollaren

Interview · Berlin

“Make it pretty, then make it hurt.” With Angel-8’s Kiki Neumann.

By Clara Saint

Obituary · 1954–2026

Paul Mercado taught a generation of guitarists to play like they meant it.

By Francie Hollaren

Field notes

TORONTO
AFTER DARK

Dispatches from the city’s rooms, rooftops, green rooms, and bad decisions.

All Toronto stories
DON’T
LOOK
DOWN

The five best new bands playing to fewer than fifty people.
Scene report · 6 min

The last night at The Paragon was louder than its demolition.
Memory lane · 4 min

The radar

Three things
you should know.

01

September 12 · Houndstooth Theatre

Little Mourning’s first Toronto show is already sold out.

Details
02

New release · Now listening

Static Bloom have made the breakup record of the year.

Listen
03

Good cause · This Friday

Six local acts play the Orchard Room for the Night Kitchen Fund.

Go
Frances Hollaren

Frances Hollaren
Editor at large

The Hollaren column · Every Thursday

On the peculiar
intimacy of a
bad encore.

The song ends. The lights come up. Nobody has gone home. This is where the truth of a performance begins.

Read Francie’s column

The nightly dispatch

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open.

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