The Agenda gets the lowdown on T.O.'s 80s hardcore punk scene

Steve Paikin is keen to find out what the attraction was to this "head-banging crap" from Tomorrow Is Too Late co-authors Shawn Chirrey & Simon Harvey.

Toronto's Ugly Pop label digs the 60s

Lately it seems Simon Harvey has been on a time traveling adventure with his vinyl-only Ugly Pop label. What began with a strictly punk and/or hardcore mandate, befitting an operation that takes it's name from a Lip Cream tune, eventually moved from releasing singles by Rajoitus, Legion and Marilyn's Vitamins into putting out late 70s archival recordings by The Dream Dates. Then, earlier this year, Ugly Pop suddenly started pumping out look-alike repros of  overlooked Canuck seven-inch classics from Crash Kills Five (pre-Shadowy Men), Arson, Hot Nasties, The Spys and The Rock 'n' Roll Bitches – all welcome reissues but a surprising change in direction for a label that was launched with a contemporary hardcore tribute to Negative Approach. More intriguing still is the latest batch of Ugly Pop releases.