Canada’s discovery music festival, North by Northeast (NXNE), has announced the full artist lineup of 300 emerging acts for this year’s festival running from June 13-18, in over 20 of Toronto’s hottest live music venues. New additions to the lineup include ANNIKA (Calgary, AB), boy wonder (Toronto, ON), Clay Orange (Vancouver, BC), Diamond Weapon (Toronto, ON), MonoNeon (Memphis, TN) and Tana (London, UK), who will join previously announced acts Black Note Graffiti (Ann Arbor, MI), CHARMAINE (Toronto, ON), Jordan Occasionally (Memphis, TN), Fionn (Vancouver, BC) My Son The Doctor (Brooklyn, NY) and Platinum Moon (New York, NY) this June.
“We are extremely fortunate to be able to program the top 300 acts from the thousands of applications we have received from around the world to give NXNE fans a week of the best-of-the-best in new music,” says NXNE founder Michael Hollett. “We’ve got top talent in all major genres, I encourage people to try something totally new in addition to seeking out future stars in their favourite style of music.”
NXNE headquarters will be located at It’s OK* Studios, a new independent Black-led and operated, interdisciplinary, multipurpose arts space. Transformed from a vacant retail building in the historic Queen West district, the space is a hub for artistic growth and development, a vibrant gathering place for Toronto’s artistic community. It will be home to NXNE artist performances, conference panels and two art exhibits open to the public.
The first exhibit, Anything Goes: The Clubs of Queen Street West jointly curated by The Flyer Vault and It’s OK* Studios, celebrates the legendary clubs and concert venues of Queen West, showcasing classic concert flyers and posters from the independently-owned clubs that defined Queen West's DIY ethos. The second exhibit "Nothings New: Capturing the Essence of Toronto's Contemporary Club and Concert Culture" is curated by J'don McSween and Nigel Hernandez. Embodying the inclusive and diverse nature of Toronto's club and rave scene, the photo exhibit embraces the amalgamation of cultures, identities and perspectives, fostering a spirit of acceptance and unity.
Bands will be greeted in style with a jam-packed tote bag generously provided by Frank And Oak. NXNE will also be teaming up with the Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA), with a series of enriching music industry panels featuring keynote speaker Amit Nerurkar, Artist & Labels Team at Bandcamp, Meagan Davidson, Co-Founder of Tiny Kingdom Management, Jesse Northey, Executive Director at Victory Pool, Michael Upfold, Founder and CEO of Norfside Entertainment and Leigh Brown, Customer Relations Manager at Side Door for performing artists that should not be missed!
NXNE is also thrilled to announce several showcase partnerships this year that will introduce music fans to a wide variety of up and coming acts. 2023 partners include the Corporation of the City of Brampton, Consulat Général de France à Toronto in partnership with Canada’s Music Incubator (CMI), Humber College, Lemmon Stage, Slaight Music, MANIFESTO, Music Export Memphis, POP Montreal, Queen Street BIA and Victory Pool.
The previously announced free outdoor stage activation “Little Tennessee” in partnership with Tennessee Tourism in Liberty Village, will be home to southern eats, craft beers, boutique shopping and more - with some of the best talent Memphis and Nashville has to offer with Grace Leer (Nashville, TN), Halfway to Hazard (Nashville, TN), King Calaway (Nashville, TN), MonoNeon (Memphis, TN) and Tommy Prine (Nashville, TN) as just a few of the artists scheduled to hit the stage. As part of NXNE’s official launch celebrations on June 14, each floor of The Drake Hotel will also be transformed into a replicated famous Tennessee music venue, featuring free live music performed by artists from the state! NXNE Festival pass holders will receive early bird, front-of-the line access to events.
NXNE is grateful for the support of all of our partners including It’s OK* Studios, City of Toronto, FACTOR, Government of Canada, Government of Ontario, Slaight Music, Tennessee Tourism, Bulova, Neo, Molson Coors, Carlsberg Garage, Steam Whistle, Frisky Beaver, Smoke & Gamble, Athletic Brewing, Music Export Memphis, CIMA, Neal Bros + Crank Coffee, Frank And Oak, Indie88, Long & McQuade, Side Door Access, The City of Kitchener, Corporation of the City of Brampton, Humber College, MANIFESTO, POP Montreal, Consulat Général de France à Toronto, Lemmon Stage, Canada’s Music Incubator, Victory Pool, Capture the Dream Photos, Flying Colours Music and Inside Out Film Festival.
For venues, performance schedules and to purchase festival passes and single venue tickets, fans can visit nxne.com.
