> CONCERT SAMPLER
Live music highlights from March 17 to 23: Thursday Andra Day, “Forever Mine” The 31-year-old retro soul stylist sprung from the traps with debut LP Cheers to the Fall last summer and has gone on a dizzying climb: this Spike Lee-directed video, a couple of Grammy noms, a White House date and that Apple ad with mentor Stevie Wonder that was ubiquitous around Christmas to the point of annoying. She and her four-piece band get the spot to themselves here. With A-list backing and profile-building, not to mention an October date at the Horseshoe that was cancelled, this overdue T.O. debut is in high demand. (Mod Club, doors 6:30 p.m.) Friday Carole Pope & Rough Trade, “High School Confidential” It’s been 40 years since singer-songwriter Carole Pope and multi-instrumentalist Kevan Staples swelled their creative partnership into a full rock band as the boundary-busting and always outré Rough Trade, riding out of the ’70s and into the early ’80s New Wave surge, including the lusty lesbian cri de coeur mentioned above. Their reunions are rare, so a chance to witness these two saucy musical miscreants perform entire classic album Avoid Freud, among other Trade tunes and Pope solo hits, should be a decadent treat.
With special guests including Vag Halen’s Vee Stun, and the Spoons’ Gordon Deppe and Sandy Horne. (Phoenix, doors 8 p.m.) Saturday Stormzy, “Shut Up” Week in and week out, the U.K.’s grime scene seems to deliver another to our shores, though it’s yet to yield an Atlantic-crossover superstar; perhaps charismatic freestyle king Michael Omari, a.k.a. Stormzy, will be the one. The South Londoner is on his inaugural North American run after making waves at home — his pointed eyebrow helped spark debate over the Brit Awards’ lack of diversity, for example — and this “Shut Up” breakthrough track went beyond viral (even spawning a parody tribute that’s recommended for Arsenal footy fans).
It’s a tough ticket, so good luck. (Velvet Underground, 10 p.m.) Sunday A-Wa, “Habib Galbi” The close harmonies of sisters Tair, Liron and Tagel Haim, from a southern Israel desert town, and boom-booming hip-hop beats turned this traditional Yemenite folksong (“Love of my Heart,” it means) into the first Arabic-language tune to top the Israeli pop charts. They’re here for this T.O. debut, part of the ongoing Spotlight on Israeli Culture series that also has pianist Guy Mintus returning this week (Thursday, at Gallery 345) and continues into next month. (Mod Club, doors 8 p.m.) Monday Melanie Martinez, “Pity Party” Having graduated The Voice (or perhaps endured it is a better word), Martinez is coming out of the fledgling phase of her career staking out a corner of the dark pop acreage dom- inated by the likes of Lana Del Rey. Her updating of a ’60s girl-pop standard adds some Stephen King shenanigans to Leslie Gore’s tears, and this live rendition adds some growls and howls.
She must be doing something right; her local debut in October at the Mod Club was a sellout and she is right back ready to conquer the primo rock club in town. (Danforth Music Hall, doors 6:30 p.m.) Tuesday Bombino, “Inar” Born in Niger and coming from bonedeep tribal roots, guitarist Omara “Bombino” Moctar’s playing style merges the sonic sensibilities of his Tuareg people’s native instruments with western rock.
Nomadic touring led him to meet filmmaker Ron Wyman, enabling the recording of 2011 solo album Agadez and inspiring the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach to produce followup Nomad.
Ranging from energetic acoustic tunes to rocking syncopated raveups like single “Akhar Zaman” off soon-to-be-released Azel, this is one psychedelic yet focused guitar-hammering jammer, singing in the beautiful Tamasheq language, undulating to his band’s driving rhythms: hypnotic bliss, and the pick of the week. (Horseshoe, doors 8:30 p.m.) Wednesday Metric, “The Shade” Relative to their standards, the Toronto foursome’s 2015 release Pagans in Vegas was pretty low-key. Don’t expect them to do the same live. With a decade and a half or so together and holding home-court advantage in a place they’ve slam-dunked before, their formula is wellworked and not to be tinkered with: sharp hooks enlivened by big synths and the flashy guitar work of James Shaw, plus Emily Haines’ blend of smartass and vulnerable in the middle of it all.
Death Cab for Cutie and pedigreed duo Leisure Cruise are on the undercard. (Air Canada Centre, doors 6 p.m.)