Given southern Ontario's rich history of giving rise to some of Canada's finest rock, punk and metal exports, it's a relief that No Man's Land Alternative Music Festival has arrived to celebrate the style. Taking over downtown St. Catharines for two all-ages evenings on May 25 and 26, the festival's inaugural year features longtime favourites and rising talents alike in its lineup.
Festival tickets are now on sale, and, as the event approaches, take a peek at five must-see acts for No Man's Land's inaugural year.
Bad Waitress
Don't let the title of their 2021 debut No Taste fool you — this Toronto outfit come packing plenty of flavour in their fired-up fusion of punk styles old and new. The well-seasoned group come to No Man's Land having shared stages with the likes of Fucked Up, L7 and Rise Against.
Indian Giver
The anonymous, Toronto-based Indigenous outfit are about reconciliation through reclamation. There are few vehicles as effective as the group's relentless hardcore, through which to highlight the continued horrors of settler colonialism, and the modern forces upholding it.
Cam Kahin
The Toronto singer-songwriter/producer made the grade with a memorable performance earlier this year as part of Exclaim!'s Class of 2024 concert series. If you missed him then, be sure not to make the same mistake twice as he takes his guitar-driven tracks to No Man's Land ahead of a late summer spot at Osheaga in Montreal.
Mil-Spec
Last year's Exclaim! Staff Pick-certified album Marathon further stamped Mil-Spec as the makers of some of Southern Ontario's greatest hardcore going. If you aren't yet acquainted, you should run — not walk — to witness the New Faves alums' spirited, melodic aggression, marked by soul-stirring riffs and commanding vocals.
Protest the Hero
The past few years have been rife with change for the Whitby-bred progressive metal favourites — but, over 20 years on from their inception, PTH remain as electric as ever. As vocalist Rudy Walker told us earlier this year, some of the band's earliest material could make its way into their headlining set — and with any luck, the audience could hear some of the new material they've been working on.