Fucked Up

Fucked Up is not your ordinary hardcore band. For starters, the Toronto group released a seven-inch containing a cover of a tune by the Shop Assistants — a mellow, twee-pop band dating to mid-'80s England that's more of an influence on, say, Canadian indie-rockers such as Stars. But unorthodoxy also marks last year's Jade Tree release Hidden World, a CD that's certainly hardcore in spirit, politics and execution — check the muscular guitars, vein-popping vocals and built-for-speed tempos — but far more varied in terms of influences; other touchstones cited in its Jade Tree bio include Minor Threat, Black Flag, Negative Approach and the Undertones. (For sonic and video evidence, check out Fucked Up's excellent blog, lookingforgold

.blogspot.com.) This underground gig features compatible openers Step On It (last show!), the Humanoids and Cross Examination.