TORONTO CALLING ³...from the faraway towns...² Canada Day. 1 July, 2010 Trafalgar Square, London. ŒToronto Calling¹ is a dynamic visual document of a vigorous and exciting era of Canadian music history on display for the first time in the UK. These photos are selected from an exhibition recently held in Toronto taken by Simon and Nick White during 1979-1982. Many of the original punk bands passed through Toronto during their first North American tours which was one of only a half dozen cities these bands visited during this period. While thriving local scenes were established in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa and Halifax it was the punk bands such as The Ramones, Blondie, The Clash, The Stranglers, and later U2, The Police and Public Image Limited that helped to spread the punk and post punk sound that had originated in New York City and in England in the mid 1970¹s. The desire to create local scenes was reflected through Canadian punk groups such as The Viletones, Teenage Head, DOA and The Diodes and it¹s their lasting legacy that has helped shape what is now an exciting and dynamic Canadian music scene. These photos were taken by 2 teenage brothers with little experience of photography inspired by their photographer father and the ŒDiY¹ ethic of punk. Using rudimentary processing and printing techniques in their parents¹ dusty basement, they documented an era in Canadian music history that until recently hasn¹t been displayed. The essence of the original exhibition which took place at The Steam Whistle Gallery in Toronto in March this year was based around a series of large format 6¹ X 4¹ prints of The Clash during their first concert at The Rex Theatre on Danforth Avenue in Toronto 20 February, 1979. There was also a huge 22¹ long window display of The Ramones in 1980 at The Music Hall Theatre. Other bands featured in the exhibition: The Buzzcocks, Iggy Pop, The Boomtown Rats, Johnny Thunders, Ultravox, Psychedelic Furs, The Pretenders, The Specials, XTC, and reggae acts such as Bob Marley, Black Uhuru and Peter Tosh all photographed at long lost venues such as The Edge, Larry¹s Hideaway, The Concert Hall, The O Keefe Centre and The Turning Point. All of these venues have now passed into folklore as being some of the iconic birthplaces of what was to become one of the most exciting music scenes to be heard in Canada for years to come. For further information and to order special limited edition prints please look at the ŒToronto Calling¹ page on facebook. www.torontocalling.ca <http://www.torontocalling.ca/>
