TONE is a strong example of how an independently curated music program can feel both scene-rooted and forward-looking. Built around record releases, Toronto debuts, and cross-scene collaborations, the series returns this June with five shows across the city and a clear focus on experimental, adventurous, and genre-fluid music. For anyone with an interest in Toronto live music, TONE gives you a month-long snapshot of where the city’s underground sounds are heading, while connecting local artists with international voices and established niche communities. Here’s what you can expect ahead for this year’s edition of the event series.
Why TONE Matters If You’re A Live Music Fan in Toronto
TONE has become a recurring fixture in Toronto’s experimental calendar by leaning into what bigger summer programming often overlooks: improvisation, noise, electronic abstraction, post-punk, and risk-taking performance.
This year’s edition also reflects a DIY-minded model, with curators Tad Michalak and Karen Ng continuing to present shows without institutional funding while collaborating with local and touring partners.
Rather than concentrating programming in a single venue, TONE distributes its June schedule across several venues and locations, including Standard Time, Wavelength @ St. Anne’s, BSMT 254, The Jama, and Cafeteria Upstairs, giving the program a citywide footprint.
The result is a structure that feels sort of like a guided tour through Toronto’s underground music infrastructure.
Meet the Artists, Acts, and Musicians Highlighted in this Year’s TONE Schedule
Originally beginning in 2017 as a way to provide opportunities for touring artists to engage with local musicians and audiences in positive listening environments across Toronto, TONE is now celebrating its 8th season.
The 2026 lineup is anchored by five dates in June and includes several album releases, plus a pair of Toronto debuts and a high-profile return from Dutch experimental punk veterans The Ex.
Glissandro 70, Khra, Mas Aya, and Sweet Lips — June 4, 2026
On Thursday, June 4, TONE opens at Standard Time with a release-show energy that sets the tone for the rest of the month. Glissandro 70 celebrate the release of their long-awaited second album, Bones of Dundasa, while Khra and Mas Aya share the bill in support of their collaborative record Primordial Mind. Sweet Lips open the night, adding a tape-collage and avant-pop element that fits the series’ taste for textural, left-of-center programming.
Luge, So Perfect, and Bag — June 12, 2026
On Friday, June 12, TONE partners with Wavelength at St. Anne’s for Luge’s Miarklez LP release. Luge’s new project is positioned as a concept album built from two six-song EPs that can be heard in multiple configurations, which gives the show a strong narrative hook for fans of ambitious rock records. So Perfect and Bag open the night, helping make the bill feel like a broader statement about Toronto’s current art-punk and freak-pop ecosystem.
Lucas Abela, Death Kneel, Nimmie Amee, and Triptych — June 21, 2026
On Sunday, June 21, TONE partners with More Noise Please to present Lucas Abela at The Jama. Abela’s performance style, which involves extracting sound from amplified glass shards, makes this one of the most visually and sonically memorable events in the series. The night also includes Death Kneel, Nimmie Amee, and Triptych, making it a dense showcase for noise, collage, and exploratory performance.
Setting, High Alpine Hut Network, and Shabason/Gunning — June 24, 2026
Wednesday, June 24 at The Jama shifts the focus toward layered composition and hybrid forms. Setting arrive from North Carolina with a self-titled record that blends americana textures, synthesized tones, and transcendental rhythm, while Toronto acts High Alpine Hut Network and Shabason/Gunning bring structured improvisation and ambient-jazz sensibilities into the mix. This is the kind of bill that rewards attentive listening and appeals to readers who follow the overlap between jazz, experimental composition, and electronic music.
The Ex, not a band, and Andy Moor/Yannis Kyriakides — June 25, 2026
The TONE series of events finally closes on Thursday, June 25 at Cafeteria Upstairs with The Ex, one of the most recognizable names on the lineup. Their long-running mix of punk urgency, noise, jazz, and global influences makes them a compelling headliner for the finale, especially given their return to Canada for a short tour. They are joined by Toronto’s not a band and by Andy Moor and Yannis Kyriakides, whose duo offers a more experimental, electronic counterpoint to the main set.
One Year After Another: TONE Continues to Build Audience and Appreciation
What makes TONE compelling for the average ticket buyer who may or may not have previously attended is its clear curatorial identity.
The series is not trying to appeal to everyone at once. Instead, it focuses on discovery-driven shows, cross-genre collaborations, and performances that often don’t appear in typical concert listings. That focus gives the programming a strong sense of trust and consistency.
If you connect with one show, there is a good chance the rest of the series will be in your lane.
The tradeoff is that the lineup can feel unfamiliar at first glance. For someone not already deep in the scene, some names or formats may not immediately signal what the experience will be like. That said, it’s a lot of recognizable venues, known collaborators, and co-presenters that can help any Toronto live music fan understand where each show sits and what kind of night it will be.
Discover What’s Happening in Toronto this June with A Ticket to TONE
TONE’s June series of shows are a rare chance to experience Toronto’s experimental music scene at its most focused and forward-looking.
Built through careful curation, strong community partnerships, and a clear commitment to programming outside the mainstream, the series brings together five distinct shows across the city that feel connected yet completely unique.
With a mix of record launches, boundary-pushing collaborations, and standout local and international artists, it offers something you will not find in a typical concert calendar. Whether you are already familiar with the scene or stepping into it for the first time, TONE provides an easy way in: a path through venues, artists, and ideas that define where this music is right now.
Buy tickets here to TONE and catch some of the city’s best musicians at any of these one-of-a-kind performances.
