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/>
