Fucked Up are currently at work on their followup to last year's excellent David Comes to Life, but they'll pause the process this winter for a string of unique events in their homebase of Toronto. The "Long Winter" series is "a monthly night of immersive and interactive music, installations, visual art, readings, food, and dance to help Toronto get through our long and cold winter," according to the series' website.
The band's goal is for "lots of people from different communities come together under one roof," guitarist/co-leader Mike Haliechuk told Exclaim!. The shows will feature Fucked Up as well as work by various artists, lecturers, dancers, videographers, and other performers.
"What we're planning is a kind of event we've never really been a part of," Haliechuk told Exclaim! "The idea is to match up people who go to disparate events in Toronto but don't really have the chance to be part of the same thing."
The first show, taking place tonight, November 9 at Toronto's Great Hall, will be presented by Exclaim! in celebration of the Canadian magazine's 20th anniversary. It features performances by Fucked Up, Diana, Wyrd Visions, and more, plus readings, visual art, films, and more.
Other events will follow on December 14, January 11, and February 8, all at the Great Hall.
Watch Fucked Up's Damian Abraham tell a story about smashing glass into his head for Pitchfork.tv's animated series "Frames":