GO Toronto...

There are plenty of holiday destinations around the world for the discerning music fan. Most people would automatically think of New York or London. To that duo add Toronto. Maybe not the first place you would think of but Canada's largest city has a thriving live music scene and also a thriving independent record store scene. It is one of the best cities in the world to be a musician with grants and loans available to bands to help with touring and making videos, partly funded by the government and by TV and radio broadcasters.

I last visited Toronto 5 years ago and visited all the independent record stores I could manage while I was there and they were all bustling. My personal favourite was a store called Soundscapes which reminds me a bit of Mono in Glasgow with equally knowledgeable staff. It was just really refreshing to see such a vibrant scene. Sadly Toronto institution Sam The Record Man is no longer trading but there still remains many great music stores.

As for the music scene rather than touting a single defining sound, Toronto has a myriad of different scenes with the likes of Feist, Fucked Up, Metric and Crystal Castles amongst many others. By welcoming people from all cultures, Toronto has fostered an environment where ethnicities mingle, which can create some stimulating noise as evidenced by the eclectic spread of different genres that are developing within the city.

Toronto will always hold a special place in my heart as it was where I went on my honeymoon and my 10th wedding anniversary and although I am no longer married someday soon I hope to return to my favourite foreign city and hopefully catch a band or two while I am there.