School Night Toronto is launching a new chapter with MODO Live at The Dance Cave, located above Lee’s Palace, with its free monthly showcase series beginning Thursday, October 8. The relaunch will feature performances from Isla-Maria, Ley Vara, Jon Kabongo and Andye. Admission is free. RSVP HERE
Taking place on the second Thursday of every month and hosted by local legend Branko, the series will bring together some of the most exciting emerging artists from Toronto and beyond, giving music fans and industry insiders an ongoing destination to discover new talent live.
Founded in Los Angeles in 2010 by Chris Douridas and Matt Goldman, School Night has built an international reputation around a simple idea: giving audiences the chance to discover exceptional artists early. Over the years, School Night stages have famously hosted then-emerging artists Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Lizzo, Hozier, HAIM, Miguel, ODESZA, Father John Misty, Florence + The Machine, Moby and Alt-J, to name just a few.
What began as a remarkably intimate, 350-capacity tastemaker showcase in Hollywood quickly became a must-attend Monday night destination, with high-profile shows frequently generating close to 1,000 RSVPs and long lines stretching down Vine Street. Today, that intimate showcase has grown into an international platform for emerging music, with active chapters in Los Angeles, London and Toronto.
School Night Toronto launched in 2019 and has since developed an impressive alumni list of its own, including Aysanabee, Preston Pablo, Sofia Camara, Rêve, Bibi Club, Sebastian Gaskin, Bells Larsen and Alex Sampson. Since appearing at School Night, those artists have gone on to earn JUNO Awards and nominations, Polaris Music Prize recognition, multi-Platinum certifications, major festival appearances and hundreds of millions of global streams.
As part of this next chapter, School Night Toronto will also place a greater focus on artist development, creating opportunities for featured artists to perform in front of leading international industry professionals, including festival bookers, A&R representatives, booking agents and other key tastemakers. By bringing global industry leaders into the room, the series aims to help emerging Canadian artists build meaningful connections and create new opportunities beyond the local market.
School Night Toronto is run by Adam Kreeft, Laura Cappe and Meagan Davidson, with support from FACTOR and Ontario Creates. Kreeft, Cappe and Davidson add: “School Night bridges the gap between digital discovery and real-world community. Today’s music industry is increasingly driven by screens and data, with talent often discovered by scanning metrics on A&R platforms rather than seeing artists perform live. At the same time, the rising cost of live music has made discovering a new band in a room inaccessible for fans.
School Night offers an alternative. It’s a free event that encourages the industry to step out from behind their screens, see artists perform IRL and invest in talent from the ground up, while giving fans a night out and the chance to discover their next favourite artist without breaking the bank.
We’re so excited to enter a new chapter at Dance Cave in Toronto and expand School Night’s presence across the country by partnering with events already rooted in their local music communities. We hope you’ll join us in welcoming the next wave of artists emerging from Toronto and across Canada.”
The October lineup continues its focus on artists at various stages of their breakout moments. Ontario singer-songwriter Isla-Maria arrives following a run of new 2026 releases including “Familiar”; Ley Vara released her latest single “tribute” earlier this year; Toronto artist Jon Kabongo recently shared his new EP Jon Nash; and rising R&B singer-songwriter Andye comes fresh off “Safe”, his new collaboration with JUNO Award-winning artist Savannah Ré.
The Dance Cave relaunch also comes during an increasingly active period for School Night Toronto beyond its monthly series. Earlier this month, School Night joined forces with Polaris Music Prize and Exclaim! for a free showcase as part of Toronto’s inaugural Second Summer festival. The team is also taking School Night on the road with showcases surrounding BreakOut West and M for Montreal, following additional recent programming at Supercrawl.
Through its monthly Toronto series and expanding showcase presence, School Night continues its mission of creating meaningful opportunities for emerging artists to connect with new fans, media and the wider music community.
Be sure to check out Modo Live to see what other great acts they will be bringing to Toronto this year.
