Nick Flanagan
NOW Magazine
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Past articles by Nick:
Concert review: Earl Sweatshirt's show at Rebel was anything but a mope-fest
Earl Sweatshirt's introspective lyrics and mellow flows don't always translate live, but they worked at this concert at Toronto's Rebel. → Read More
Review: Weezer's Teal Album has no reason to exist
Album review: Weezer, The Teal Album: The surprise all-covers album features proficient yet utterly tone-deaf versions of songs by TLC, Toto, Michael Jackson and more – without controversy, without anything. → Read More
The best Toronto New Year's Eve parties of 2019
Cover songs, psychedelic country, warehouse raves and the final blowout for a 2010s party institution – here's where to spend New Year's Eve 2018 in Toronto. → Read More
These Toronto concerts grabbed news headlines in 2018
From Pusha T's Danforth Music Hall brawl to Gordon Lightfoot calling last call at Massey Hall (for now), these Toronto concerts resonated beyond the stage. → Read More
The 10 best albums of 2018
It was an anxious year, and that was reflected in NOW's critics' 10 best albums from 2018, which alternated between amplifying our insecurities and soothing them. → Read More
The 10 best Toronto albums of 2018
What does Toronto sound like? This year's best local albums, as voted by NOW critics, offered many different ways to hear it → Read More
Review: Vince Staples trims the fat on FM!
Album review: Vince Staples's FM! While many new hip-hop albums are full of bloat, Staples packs blunt, clever verses, elastic flows and two solid guest appearances into just 22 minutes. → Read More
Adelaide Hall changes its name to RADIO
Toronto music venue Adelaide Hall is rebranding as RADIO. MRG will continue to book live music, while new owner Noel Copeman promises to give the Entertainment District venue "more of a personality" and book late-night cover bands on weekends. → Read More
Wu-Tang Clan played their classic debut in full in Toronto
Concert review: all of Wu-Tang Clan came together for the 25th anniversary of their classic debut at Toronto's Rebel – a free concert sponsored by a cannabis company. → Read More
An ode to Toronto dance parties of the 00s
The return of party pioneer Mike Wallace with his Dreamshatterer project recalls a DIY era of Toronto's recent past. → Read More
Review: 17-year-old Toronto rapper Lil Berete impresses on his debut mixtape
Lil Berete, the current pride of Regent Park, could stand to personalize his northern trap style on his debut mixtape Icebreaker, but the potential here is vast. → Read More
Review: Aqua and Prozzäk sent off summer with a joyful retro pop hootenanny
Aqua and Prozzäk joined fellow colourful 90s pop throwback Whigfield at Toronto's Echo Beach for a chilly night of unabashed retro joy – including an honest-to-goodness Much Video Dance party! → Read More
In memoriam: Mac Miller (1992-2018)
Mac Miller has died at the age of 26 of an apparent overdose, cutting his promising career frustratingly short. → Read More
Musicians and parents speak out against PC cuts to Sistema Toronto
Doug Ford's government rescinded $500,000 in funding to after-school music program Sistema Toronto, and artists like Brendan Canning and Amy Millan have thoughts about it. → Read More
Nicki Minaj's Queen fails to make full use of her talents
Album review: Nicki Minaj's Queen. Her inconsistent mix of romantic vulnerability and cartoonish boasting is starting to get old. → Read More
Review: Smashing Pumpkins were more than a nostalgia trip at Scotiabank Arena
Smashing Pumpkins' almost-classic lineup reunion concert at Toronto's Scotiabank Arena showed how well their eccentricities blend into crowd-pleasing arena rock. Together with Metric, it was a big night for guitars. → Read More
Marilyn Manson cancelled, but Rob Zombie did his best to shock Toronto
Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie's Twins Of Evil tour became just one Evil at Budweiser Stage as Manson pulled out due to "unforeseen illness" right before he was scheduled to perform. → Read More
The debut album from Toronto rap trio Prime Boys should be heard worldwide
Prime Boys' debut album Koba World is both celebratory and mournful – the Toronto trio's first music since their manager and friend Koba Prime's murder in a Queen West shooting. → Read More
Drake shows off his complete range on Scorpion
The hip-hop superstar's double album doesn't take chances, but at 25 tracks, it's a masterful summation of his strengths as a rapper and singer → Read More
Drake escaped his Pusha T beef the only way he could: a Degrassi reunion
Drake's I'm Upset video has definitively brought things back to his wheelhouse: fun, nostalgic fan service. So much for the Pusha T beef – there's a Degrassi reunion! → Read More