As part of Molson Canadian’s new Altered States concert series, it was about live performances in unexpected, secret landmark locations in three Canadian cities: Calgary, Toronto and Montreal. Wristbands could not be purchased – only won. Metric kicked off the series in Calgary at the historic Victoria Pavilion while Chromeo and A-Trak played at an old shipyard in Montreal.

Toronto’s own favourites, Death from Above 1979, rocked in their hometown on Friday, September 26th along with opening band, The New Pornographers. The secret Toronto venue turned out to be the beloved Honest Ed’s with the nostalgic sign lighting up the Bloor and Bathurst intersection. Hundreds of lucky attendees went into the vacated record store, Sonic Boom, inside Honest Ed’s.

The landmark building is slated to officially close on 2016.

The lineup around the block at Honest Ed's

The lineup around the block at Honest Ed’s

Although it was a secret event, hundreds of fans lined up around the block with their wristbands, ready to hear DFA’s new sounds, as their last album, You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine was put out ten years ago. DFA 1979 hails from Toronto and is a punk rock band comprised of bassist Jesse F. Keeler and drummer Sebastien Grainger. For those interested, a documentary called Life After Death From Above is due to come out on Oct 7th, detailing the years between the 2006 breakup up until the duo’s September release of their second album, The Physical World.

Starting the night off, The New Pornographers were a mellow opener with their light-hearted pop sounds in contrast to DFA’s loud dance punk rock beats.

Surprisingly, the acoustics at Sonic Boom were pretty good considering it used to be a record store.

Attendees had obviously been itching to start the mosh pit, a soon as Grainer opened his mouth, the floor quickly became filled with pushing bodies and body surfing – an obvious indication as to how much the band has been missed by its hard core followers.
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All elements combined the evening was a success.

Keep an eye out for the DFA’s album, The Physical World.

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Photos by Nick Lee

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Jo-Anna Davidson

Jo-Anna Davidson is a fashion stylist based in Toronto ON, Canada. She has worked with top photographers and noted people in the industry. Her portfolio includes work published in magazines both in Canada and worldwide.
Her strength is her energy and responsive creative vision. This has led to executing distinct style and a recognizable ability to effortlessly fuze all elements which shape her stories.