“I Actually Saw Them At NXNE Before They Blew Up”
4 Nonstop Days of Music Later…
Summer in Toronto is officially in full swing, and, as I do every year, am making a promise to myself to be outside. I want to be sipping Jelly Kings at Trinity Bellwoods, burning to a crisp on a Tiki Taxi en route to Hanlan’s Point, biking through High Park to visit the capybaras (I’ve never seen them, but mark my words: I will this summer), and dancing with my friends at as many music festivals as possible.
This past weekend I had the pleasure of being outside for 4 straight days attending NXNE for the first time.
If you’re like most people in Toronto, you may only have a vague idea of what North by Northeast (NXNE) is, so don’t worry. Here’s the 411 (why don’t we say that anymore?):
NXNE is an annual music festival held every June in downtown Toronto since 1995. Events include 40-minute sets from local and international artists at venues across the city. Additionally, they host industry panels, gear expos, and parties.
Here’s a venue map I made because I’m a nerd
NXNE isn’t just a music festival, but a music industry trade show and networking event, with musicians and industry professionals coming to town from all over the world. NXNE gives emerging artists the chance to showcase their talent and connect with people who can help them grow their careers.
The artists are also paid for their sets and there’s an award show held on the last day with huge prizes up to be won.
Some notable alumni of NXNE’s past include The Arkells, Daniel Caesar, the Weeknd, The Beaches, Lizzo, the Lumineers, and Mac Demarco. I think one of the greatest draws of this event is the fact that attendees get a chance to see new and upcoming musical acts in intimate venues before they inevitably blow up. Imagine the cultural cache and bragging rights you could hold over peers?!
You may be thinking, “Are they affiliated with SXSW?” According to NXNE themselves: “We knew them before they had Southby and had the pleasure of watching them grow the amazing event close up. They helped us launch NXNE; their staff were onsite and helped us produce the festival in the first few years and they remain friends and advisors to this day. We're not shy about getting tips from some of the best festival and conference creators in the world.”
Many artists pulled out of SXSW this year to protest the US Military being a major sponsor of the event and to show solidarity with Palestinian people. Although affiliated, NXNE didn’t receive the same backlash as they aren’t sponsored by the US Military.
Attendees of NXNE include artists, industry professionals, brand reps, NXNE volunteers, and music lovers from all over. One of the greatest parts about NXNE is just how incredibly affordable the ticket is. A festival pass, which gives you access to 300+ shows in 20+ venues over 4 days, will only run you $29.
Yes, the same price as 1.5 cocktails in any downtown bar.
They also sell single-show tickets for $20 each for people who are bad at math.
NXNE HQ at It’s OK Studios
Sierra and I were both able to score media accreditation for NXNE, making this the first music festival we got to cover as ~press~.
We had a lovely, exhausting (in a good way) whirlwind of an experience. These few short days were a crash-course in journalism, business networking, and brand building. The experiences we shared were invaluable for ourselves, professionally and personally.
Sierra was also able to conduct several interviews with artists during the fest that you should definitely check out on our TikTok and Insta.
We saw 30 (yes, THIRTY) different acts between us and visited 8 venues that neither of us have been to before, despite growing up here and living in Toronto for years.
My standout venue was Burdock Brewery— their music hall is like a cozy country bar with an amazing, warm sound. I can’t wait to go back their to try the restaurant and check out their bottle shop as well. Another venue I need to mention is It’s OK* Studios, where NXNE HQ was. I love the concept behind this studio and definitely have been meaning to go work their during their co-working hours.
Let’s get into the nitty-gritty — here are my standout sets from this weekend:
Sorry, Peach
I fell in love with their energy most of all. It felt like the band was made up of besties and they really liked each other. They would hit cute poses and stick out their tongues at eachother during the set — I love that friendly vibe. Music wise, every single member was excellent at their instrument and the lead singer’s voice had such a beautiful tone and feeling to it. Extra points for Jonathan hitting a gorgeous electric guitar solo.
JoJo was a standout for me because of her intricate, gorgeous voice and revelatory lyricism. I saw her at Free Times Cafe, which looks like it hasn’t changed much since Joni Mitchell or Bob Dylan had their day, which perfectly matched JoJo’s 70’s aesthetic. Her yellow beret reminded me of the way halos were depicted in Baroque art.
A friend who produces their music videos recommended I check them out, and I’m so glad I did because they rocked. They have a roots/blues/soul sound that filled the room with warm and familial energy and everyone in the crowd, myself included, fell in love with them.
A constant at every show I attended was that people were afraid to stand near the stage—probably because the venues were only half full. Julyan noticed this and created a really special moment by coming out and singing with us in the crowd. It was such a beautiful, life-giving moment that reminded me that I was alive.
This band is one viral moment from superstardom. I’m so serious. They’re so ready to take off. Future Christine, am I right?
Honourable mention: Stumbling upon a Random show in an alley in kensington Market
En route to our second venue, Aliya and I heard the sound of a rock band covering Michael Jackson floating out of a dimly lit alley in Kensington Market… so of course we had to go and explore! This is the magic of NXNE, it gets you outside and exploring.
Coming out of this weekend, I have so many thoughts about the festival itself and what they do well.
First of all, I think NXNE is smart to involve local media outlets, especially radio stations, and especially Indie88. I’ve been a big fan of Indie88 since their inception in 2013 and I think they are one of the only hip and cool stations we have left in Toronto. They’re the only station I still make an effort to listen to because of their cool hosts and their coverage of Toronto culture. I was even influenced to go check out Bella Cat on day 2 of the festival due to hearing Lana Gay interview her on my drive down to the city.
I think NXNE also excels from a logistical and operational perspective. Pretty much every show I went to ran exactly on time. Artists had ample time to tear down, set up, and sound check before their set. I only witnessed one performer at one venue have sound issues, and the event staff and sound engineers helped resolve it quickly.
The strict 40-minute sets also gave attendees a good 20 minutes to hop over to other venues before the start of the next round of performers. Most venues are a 10-20 minute walk away from each other, which makes it perfect to be able to catch artists at different venues. I liked that the venues were allotted different genres, so you could go to a venue and understand if the acts you were going to see were Rap, Rock, Country, etc.
The artists that NXNE invited were all absolutely top-notch. I didn’t watch a single show where I thought that the artist was too inexperienced to be there. In fact, most shows I went to I was mad that there weren’t more people in the audience to witness how great they were. I’ve found so much new music and artists that I’m listening to now.
Finally, although I didn’t attend any, I did like that they put on career development panels and host parties. These events are great for artists themselves to advance their careers and network with other artists as well as industry professionals.
Sierra and I in the bathroom at the Collective Arts Taproom
That being said, there are definitely some areas that I think NXNE needs to work on for the sake of keeping the event alive for generations to come.
My biggest qualm is with the event marketing, especially leading up to the event. I don’t think they leaned into their value proposition enough with their pre-event marketing.
I believe the value proposition (yes, I did graduate from one of Canada’s top business schools with really good grades) of NXNE is that it’s an extremely low-cost way to get out and explore the Toronto music scene and participate in community and culture. Customers can check out venues you otherwise might not, connect with like-minded people (new friends or meet cute opportunities!), and watch and speak to artists that are statistically likely to blow up, all while supporting their art.
This isn’t just a music festival ticket, it’s a way to participate in local culture and to build your community, a way to get inspired creatively, all with the backdrop of incredible live music.
The marketing that I saw from NXNE was none. I didn’t get any NXNE ads on any of my social media feeds. The only TikTok I got was a non-sponsored post from Christy Ann Collins. This is a problem. I believe NXNE has the power to be so much bigger than it is, at least as big as SXSW. And I think NXNE owes some bigger crowds to the artists that attend because they really are that good!
My advice to the NXNE marketing team is to leverage the “throwing spaghetti at a wall” tactic — do lots of different styles of marketing promo to see what people respond to (they only did one type from what I saw). Also leverage Toronto influencers like Bomanizer, Chlobow, and Shoshana Rose.
You can’t just hire a slew of Gen-Z interns and expect that to be enough to have good digital marketing. There needs to be a strategy, a vision, and a plan. And NXNE deserves that, it’s such a cool concept and I want to see it survive and grow for years to come.
Photo of The Paddock Tavern
As a young indie mag based in Toronto, this festival was the perfect practice ground for us to cut our teeth as an entertainment outlet and media company.
We were able to make invaluable connections, practice pitching our mag, and generate a bunch of buzz for our mag with artist interviews. When I told my Dad about getting media creds, he was super hyped for me and told me how he remembers when they started it in 1995. From his excitement, it seems like NXNE had a lot of cultural clout with his generation and it makes me sad to see that it’s not as celebrated or known in my age group. But I think this can change, I think NXNE is too cool a concept to let die. I believe NXNE can be as huge for our generation with a little more energy directed toward strategic marketing and branding.