The Vans Warped Tour made their anuual stop in Toronto for their 15th anniversary on July 9th, 2010. What started out as a day full of rain eventually turned out to be the perfect conditions for over 70 bands to hit the stage, while hundreds of fans watched, moshed and sang along (without many worries of heat stroke). I managed to capture 12 sets of the day including fan favourites such as Bring Me The Horizon, Every Time I Die & The Dillinger Escape Plan. Check out all the photos below and be sure to catch the Vans Warped Tour in a town near you!

Also keep a watch out for more photos from Josh Mahoney in the near future for Damaged Press Magazine.

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Not even two years old the Waterloo/Kitchener/Cambridge/Guelph based band has thrown in the towel. The news was announced to their adoring fans the night of June 24th on both their Facebook and Myspace pages. The biggest question being directed at the band is “what happened?”

After playing their first show in October 2008 and being signed by Underground Operations not even a year later, the band seemed to have everything going for them. Sponsorships, album releases with chart topping results, Canadian tours with larger bands, not to mention their own headlining tours, and an ever expanding and loyal fan base were just a few things Kingdoms had on their side; all of which are almost unheard of for a band just under 2 years old. So, seriously, what happened?

The note that was put up on both of the band’s fan pages states:

To make a long complicated story very short, we’ve unfortunately grown apart and some of us have decided to head in different directions.

Although this is very brief and does not go into a lot of detail, it sounds as if things were just not clicking within the band as a whole. The idea of forcing something that just was not there is something the band has come to a conclusion with, and therefore, decided to not go on and fake it. This was not handled well by their devoted fans, with a lot of “WTF”s and confessions of tears being shed are all over their fan pages.

Kingdoms has stated that, for now, their final show will be at this year’s SCENE Festival in St.Catharines, Ontario. There are hopes of a final hometown farewell show, but as of right now SCENE is your best bet to see these guys give it their all one last time. They play the Jagermeister Barracuda Outdoor stage at 6:35 and tickets for the entire festival can be bought at the doors. If you have never been to SCENE Fest before, now is a good time.

To leave this article and situation on a good note, do not despair too much fans alike. There have been rumours of a new band forming from the ashes of a couple bands in the Ontario scene, so keep your eyes and ears open to news of this in the near future. In the meantime, continue to support the Ontario music scene and continue to go to shows.

To read Kingdom’s announcement note click HERE.

To find out more information and to buy tickets for SCENE Fest click HERE.

A history book’s last chapter was written and finished on May 14th, 2010 when A Satellite Connecticut reunited on stage for the last time playing one last show. After announcing their breakup in November of 2007 and playing a couple farewell shows, the members went their own ways. Now, over two years later, A Satellite Connecticut announced they would please their fans for the last time and officially end the band as a whole. Die-hard fans, old and new, strapped on their riot gear and and showed the band it was like they never left the stage. ASC were joined by Waterloo’s Mockingbird Wish Me Luck and Hamilton’s Counterparts.

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On April 24th Dead & Divine made a stop at Toronto’s MOD Club on their “HELL HATH NO WASTE LIKE US” tour. Bringing along good friends The Bled, Blind Witness and Let Live they all brought out the good side of an early show. Even with fights, puke and $100 Michael Jackson t-shirts, it was an energetic and enjoyable show. The tour is only 4 shows in, so be sure to catch this line-up if you’re lucky enough to have them stop in a city near you.

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The boys in Gracefield just released their new EP called “Villains” for free on their WEBSITE a couple days before this show. Joined by good friends Farewell to Freeway, Callahan & Set Anchors, Gracefield played their new tunes for the first time.

Be sure to catch Gracefield in a city near you in the near future. Some new tour dates can by found on their Myspace. Also be sure to catch Farewell to Freeway & Callahan on their “Bad Atti-Tour” across Canada. Tour dates can be found on Farewell to Freeway’s Myspace or Callahan’s Myspace.

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Back on February 26th Thomas Erak, the lead vocalist and guitar shredding maniac and mastermind, posted a blog on the band’s MYSPACE stating that they had come to a mutual agreement that this was the end of their existence together. The blog doesn’t go into depth as to why the band is calling it quits, but Thomas writes that there was no drama or fighting between the members. Thomas states in the heart-filled BLOG,

… it’s simply the three members of this band are on three different paths in our lives.

I always hold true to the fact that it’s better to go out in style, to ride off into the sunset, than go down in flames.

As sad as this is, Thomas finishes the blog with a re-assurance to fans that this is not the end of him, and he plans on continuing to make music. Until then, be sure to show Thomas, Andrew and Frank how much you’ll miss them by catching the band on their last tour called “The Marked-Men of 2010″ with Envy On The Coast and Twin Atlantic.

After the big hoopla on Refused’s website with a banner stating “Coming Soon…” it turns out what was coming soon was all too short of what fans were actually hoping for. It looks like the people at Epitaph know how to grab a fan’s attention because what’s “coming soon” is only a deluxe re-issue of The Shape of Punk To Come. Sure, that is cool, but not as cool as the band reforming.

Even after this info was released by Epitaph, there were still rumours of the band taking the stage once again. However, these rumours became null and void after an e-mail was sent to a website called Buddyhead by Refused frontman Dennis Lyxzen. Lyxzen states:

No, we are not reforming. Me and David are going on tour next week with our new Hardcore band Ac4 — sleeping on kids floors and playing doordeals, that seems to be more in line with what we deserve… haha.

Sorry fans alike, let’s all keep dreaming.

The Dillinger Escape Plan dropped by Toronto once again, but this time on their headlining tour. Selling out the Opera House, DEP played a lot of new songs off of their newest album Option Paralysis, which drops in stores on March 23, 2010. Their set was very dark, while including their notorious strobe lighting. However you could still see everyone in the band rip every ounce of energy out of themselves during each song.

DEP was joined by Darkest Hour and iwrestledabearonce (and yes, Krysta is wearing a Furby outfit.) Unfortunately Animals As Leaders didn’t make it over the border for this show.

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As some of you may or may not have known Daniel, frontman of  Burlington’s I Am Committing A Sin, had recently revealed that their days as a band were coming to an end. This announcement came out of no where at one of their previous shows, and left their growing fanbase with an empty feeling inside. Daniel had claimed that he was leaving the band to pursue “personal academic exploits.” Although it was not announced on their Facebook, Myspace or Blog, words traveled quickly and talks of the band playing these last show as their farewell shows were in the air.

However, earlier today Daniel posted a personal Blog on the band’s page stating that he had done some “un-soul searching” and that the lump, called “quiting,” was all too hard to swallow.

We’re sick of trying to swallow it and we’re not going to. I want those of you who still care about us to know that IACAS isn’t dead just yet. The 5 of us together have decided that at this point in our lives, both for us and for you, we won’t be giving up on art and we’ll be finishing what we’ve started.

This is all too good news for all you IACAS fans out there as you’ll still be able to witness them belt out their hearts by screaming vocals and bashing their instruments with almost no cares at all. To read more of the blog click HERE.

Keep supporting these boys because they’ve put it all aside for you, the fans. You should also visit their Myspace page, if you haven’t already, to check out their new music.

IACAS Myspace

… Onto likely one of the saddest days in Hamilton’s music history; SRTL plays their last hometown show to yet another sold out crowd. If you were lucky enough to see the show the night before, then imagine that but ten times as crazy. They were joined once again by friends Kingdoms. The Oxford Street Montage opened, and coincidentally enough, it was their last show also. What a night to remember.

RIP SRTL

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