1. Kitch’s Cinco de Mayo opening party Saturday May 5. The Junction’s newest sure-to-be hotspot opens this weekend with a Cinco De Mayo themed grand opening celebration. Kitch is half restaurant half bar: they turn the lights down low when it gets late, but they serve their tasty-looking mexican comfort food all night.
2. Spiritualized, Saturday May 5. The English space rock band will play tracks from their new album Sweet Heart Sweet Light at the Phoenix.
3. The Greek America Foundation Documentary Screening, Sunday May 6. Greek filmmakers Nikos Katsaounis and Nina Maria Paschlidouwill be in town to screen and discuss their award-winning documentary “Krisis.” The night will also feature a director’s cut of “Hello Anatolia” – a project supported by the Greek America Foundation about a filmmaker who relocates to Izmir, Turkey in search of his family’s Greek roots.
4. M83, Sunday May 6. Electro dance party! Doo doo… DOO! Doo doo… DOO! Doo doo… DOO! Doodoodododo.
5. Artist Talk: Adi Nes, Monday May 7. The Israeli photographer will give a talk on “his artistic perspective on contemporary Israeli society and the politics of identity” as part of the Scotibank Contact Festical at Ryerson University.
6. TFC v Montreal Impact May 9. After drawing nil-nil last week, central Canada’s finest soccer clubs (Toronto is 0-7-1, Montreal 2-5-2 on the season) lineup for a rematch in the second leg of the semi-finals of the Amway Canadian Championship at BMO Field. Can the Reds pull out their first MLS win of the season? Let’s not hold our breath.
7. Full Frontal T.O. Wednesday May 9. By my estimation this should be one of Contact’s more interesting exhibits: Patrick Cummins has photographed storefronts in Toronto for over 30 years charting the evolution of the streetscape – particularly the “unimportant” architecture – over the years.
8. Bootleg Film Festival Thursday May 10. This travelling celebration of the “truly independent filmmaker” was founded in the UK and makes its North American debut at the Tranzac this weekend. The festival kicks off Thursday with a special screening of the suddenly-slim Darcy Michael’s new comedy special “One Skinny Bitch,” live comedy and the obligatory after party.
9. AIDS Wolf Friday May 11. Witness the end of an era as the noise rockers/formalist/unknown wavers play their final show at the Garrison. Since forming in Montreal in 2003 as part of the “wolf” band bubble, AIDS Wolf’s brand of grinding fuzz has garnered love and hate in equal measure, which is a good sign they were doing something interesting.
10. Wildlife Friday May 11 But out with the old, in with the new! While Wildlife tend more toward epic choruses than shattering cymbals, they seem poised to carry the banner for a new generation of Canadian indie kids along with Topanga, Pkew Pkew Pkew and Reversing Falls. Go see four of Toronto’s (and Montreal’s) hottest young bands at The Horseshoe this weekend for an injection of youthful vitality.
