Are you a hardcore chocoholic? This former Yorkville chocolatier has a new location focusing more on gourmet truffles and pastries as well as espresso based drinks and hot chocolate.

Find out more in my profile of the new MoRoCo Chocolat.

Though "Chix" is in the name, this new restaurant actually celebrates the love of all food, and drink too. With two highly-trained chefs running the casual but upscale operation, it'll only take a visit to this neighbourhood-y spot to get you to love everything that's going on here.

Read my profile of Love Chix in the restaurants section.

It's not always easy to make new friends in a big city like Toronto. But an American company making its way here aims to connect you with a random group of like-minded people over a cup (or two) of tea.

Tea With Strangers, as Metro reports, is getting ready to launch in Toronto. The concept is quite simple - you just sign up online for a chance to meet up with about five or six people over tea.

The goal is to give locals a chance to meet in real life, and not just via a screen. Tea With Strangers already operates in 15 different places, including in New York, Seattle, Nairobi and Boston.

Similar initiatives have popped up in Toronto before, including Random Dinner, which brought strangers together for supper.

Would you have tea with strangers? Let us know in the comments.

Photo via Tea With Strangers Facebook page.

If you haven't busted out your winter clothes just yet, you can probably procrastinate for a little while longer because meteorologists predict that we're going to have a warm beginning to fall.

An Environment Canada meteorologist tells Metro that October and November look like they're going to be warmer than usual, with temperatures hitting 18 or 19 C during the first week of October (or next week).

This is great news if you're planning to go apple picking, hiking or on a day trip within the next few weeks. However, don't get too excited because we still might see some snowfall in November. But before you worry about that, enjoy our extended summer.

Photo by Gerardo Rico via the blogTO Flickr pool.

The best pizza in Toronto is little a slice of heaven. The delectable union of cheese, sauce and crust is undeniably delicious in all of its many forms, from thin, crispy crusts to cheesy deep dish squares.

Here is the best pizza in Toronto.

The best things in life are free, especially when they're Krispy Kreme donuts. So if you're craving sweet, deep-fried balls of dough, you should probably head to one of Krispy Kreme's three Toronto locations tomorrow.

That's because in honour of everyone's favourite non-holiday, National Coffee Day, this American-based company is giving away free original glazed donuts and cups of drip coffee all day long on Sept. 29.

If you haven't had a Krispy Kreme since they first became popular in the city about 12 years ago (remember when people would line up for hours to grab a dozen?), consider this your opportunity to indulge.

You can get donut-happy at these Toronto Krispy Kreme locations: 215 Harbord St., 164 McCaul St., and 400 Spadina Ave. Opening hours are 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Photo via Krispy Kreme's Facebook page.

New details regarding the redevelopment of the Broadview Hotel have finally been announced. While the main opening of the building in still slated for 2017, a ceremony will be held October 5 at 7 p.m. to unveil the restored facade of the 125 year old hotel, which has been under hoarding for months as crews have worked on the masonry under the guidance of ERA Architects.

The plan is to illuminate the building at night, so as to position it as the centrepiece of the neighbourhood. The west-facing facade has, in fact, already been exposed in the last few days, revealing a fresh-looking brick and a new logo for the building that reads B Hotel.

The glass addition on the rear side of the building, which will host a rooftop bar with a view of the skyline, rose above the existing building in the spring and will be fascinating to see in the context of the completed facade. This looks like it will be a stunning place to drink.

We've also learned today that the hotel element of the redevelopment will consist of 58 rooms, and that there will be a coffee shop and cocktail bar in the first floor lobby. There will be 4,000 square feet of event space when the hotel is finally operational.

It's hard to glean a lot of concrete information about the restaurant component from today's new's release, but it's confirmed that area restaurateurs Erik Joyal and John Sinopoli (Escari Enoteca, Hi-Lo) are behind the menus. It will be located on the ground floor, and should help to animate the street corner.

There's still a ways to go before the inside of this massive dual restoration/renovation project is revealed and we get a close look at the work of DesignAgency, but the early indications are that the interior design will be contemporary but with plenty of gestures to the building's history and the Toronto of old.

Images via Streetcar Developments.

Thanksgiving dinner in Toronto traditionally features turkey, but if a home-cooked meal isn't in your cards, you're not out of luck. Leave it to the professionals to prepare your feast and spend the holiday stuffing your face instead of slaving away in the kitchen,

Here's where to eat Thanksgiving dinner in Toronto for 2016.

Veloute
Reserve a table now for this $36 menu featuring turkey with all the trimmings; stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy, mashed potatoes, pumpkin soup and pie.

Daisho
Book a table on Sunday, Oct. 9 for a prix fixe feast priced at $70 per person. Expect smoked fish buns, roasted chicken with sausage stuffing and sides of scalloped potatoes, Brussel sprouts and cabbage. Finish off with maple butter tarts topped with crème fraiche.

America
The festive $65 prix fixe menu at this 31st floor restaurant in the Financial District is available from Oct. 8 to 10. You'll get three courses with your choice of roasted turkey or honey glazed ham, pumpkin pie and more.

Thanksgiving Brunch Cruise
Mariposa presents this Thanksgiving feast on the water on Sunday, Oct. 9. Tickets are $50 for adults, $45 for seniors and $26 for kids and include a holiday-inspired morning menu with French toast, fresh fruit and hickory smoked bacon.

Cafe Boulud
This prix fixe menu is on offer for $85 per person on Oct. 9 and 10. The selection is expansive, but the main event is likely the roasted heritage turkey dinner served with pumpkin-sage stuffing, brussels sprouts, pomme purée, cranberry chutney and gravy.

Globe Bistro
This restaurant on the Danforth is offering a prix fixe menu for Thanksgiving dinner on Oct. 9 as well as an a la carte turkey feature on Oct. 8. Find options like butternut squash purée, turkey, ricotta gnocchi and pumpkin pie crème caramel on the prix fixe menu.

Barque Butcher Bar
Instead of roasted turkey this season, consider a BBQ'd bird. The prix fixe feast is priced at $39 per person and features wings, salad, BBQ meats by the pound with sides of fries, cornbread stuffing and chilled green beans.

Fairmont Royal York
Executive chef Robert Mills presents a seasonal menu for $89 at this historic Toronto hotel. Start with butternut squash soup and salad followed by a roasted turkey dinner with pomme purée, apricot-sage stuffing, green beans, cranberry gastrique and pumpkin cheesecake for dessert.

The Blake House
A Thanksgiving turkey with all the trimmings and apple crumble for dessert will be served up for $23 between Friday, Oct. 7 and Monday, Oct. 10 at this public house on Jarvis.

Annona
Celebrate the holiday at the Park Hyatt Hotel where Thanksgiving brunch and dinner menus are available on Oct. 9 and 10. Brunch for $47 features a trio of apps, a turkey entree and a deep dish pumpkin pie for dessert. Dinner is $60.

Photo from Cafe Boulud.

Back in late 2011 a proposal for a 34-storey hotel in the Distillery District made headlines in Toronto for its modern design and attractive address at 60 Mill St. Designed by Saucier + Perrotte Architects, the initial plans even won an architectural award.

Just a few months later, however, the Design Review Panel cited a number of issues with the proposal -- most notably the height of the structure given its context -- and it seemed like the project was destined for the cutting room floor.

The main concern the DRP highlighted in its review is that the Rack House D redevelopment would set a height precedence that would be taken advantage of by lower quality buildings in the future. Following the DRP review, Cityscape Development indicated it still hoped to go through with the project.

Everything went quiet for a number of years until the project popped by up on the agenda at a Toronto and East York Community Council meeting in June. It would seem that in November 2015, the initial "application was appealed to the OMB by the applicant pursuant to Section 34 (11) of the Planning Act due to the City not making a decision within the prescribed timeframe."

In other words, the proposal is back on the table, but this time at the OMB. A pre-hearing was held in August and the formal hearing will take place in March 2017. In the meantime, the city has reevaluated the plans and come to the same conclusion it did the first time.

"The height, massing and density proposed by this proposal are a significant departure from
the existing planning framework for the area, where no additions above the heritage building
were contemplated," reads the city report on the proposal.

In a nutshell, the city believes "that the building represents over-development and will negatively impact the heritage character of the Distillery District...and the proposal cannot be supported in its current form."

Further, the Heritage Easement Agreement registered on 60 Mill St. (or Rack House D) stipulates that adaptive re-use is permitted, but no additions are authorized for the building, which obviously runs counter to a massive tower proposal.

What will ultimately happen to the Rack House D project remains up in the air. The OMB is notorious for siding with developers but the city brings a strong case and mandate to oppose the project at the hearing, particularly as pertains to the heritage status of the building.

It's still possible that the developer and the city could reach a compromise before the hearing, but right now the showdown is set for next year.

What do you think of the plans? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Have you ever wondered what it would look like if King Kong wreaked havoc on Toronto's cityscape? Wonder no more. Thanks to the very talented Toronto photographer Justin Main we can stop imagining. He seamlessly places the giant ape on top of the CN Tower being attacked in what looks like an epic movie still.

The Instagram photo has racked up over 3,000 likes on Justin's @photified account and this is just one of many wicked edits you can find when you browse through his stream. He reimagines Toronto in surreal ways and gives his followers a look at our city like we've never seen it before.

Photo via @photified.

The top parties in Toronto this October aren't all about Halloween. Those parties mostly happen towards the end of the month and require a lot of dressing up. This list is a whole other monster and includes a lot of dancing and celebrating and no masks or capes.

Here are my picks for the top parties in Toronto this October.

First Thursday with Kardinal Offishal (October 6)
This First Thursday party is called We Do Us and takes over the entire art gallery with a DJ set from Kardinal Offishall, as well as work from Dainesha Nugent-Palanche, Asian Arts Freedom School, and AGO's new Artist-in-Residence Walter Scott. There'll also be snacks, lots of drinks and a drag musical pop up.

Wedding Night (October 7)
There's something comforting about a wedding dance party with your friends. You know all the songs, you drink way too much, and someone ends up going home with someone they like or don't. Wedding Night at the Piston mixes funk, soul, rock, disco, hip-hop, edits, Norman Greenbaum, Notorious BIG, New Order, Nas & Nina Simone.

Craft Ontario Grand Opening (October 13)
Craft Ontario has changed location to the human-traffic friendly area of West Queen West. Celebrate the move with this big party! It's a new 3750 square foot space a 1106 Queen St W and will feature all types of Craft Ontario projects, food and lots of bubbles.

Cruel Club (October 13)
This is a new dance party a The Steady on Bloor West, one of the most inclusive and sweaty dance spaces in the neighbourhood. DJ Frustra is involved and alongside Massive he'll be spinning techno, electro, bass and retro. No cover.

Power Plant Fall Opening Party (October 14)
Any excuse to get down to see the giant, waterside space that is The Power Plant is a good one and their fall opening party is a goodie. Be the first to experience three new exhibitions by artists Yto Barrada, Maria Loboda and Latifa Echakhch and the odd drink or 10.

Boobyball (October 14)
This is a massive Rethink Breast Cancer fundraiser party with the greatest party name of our times. A few cool things of note, it's happening at The new Sound Academy, now called Rebel, and the space is being transformed into a tropical paradise. There'll be custom drinks and snacks from Earl's. Everything starts around 8p.m.

Boop & Wip (October 15)
There are a string of very cute DJ and culture collectives around the city throwing parties you never thought possible. This is one of them and Boop is that group. Experience a wild night of dancing inside The Tranzac, a space normally reserved for folk shows and slow dances. DJ Zoz and RAMZi from Van City as well as Toronto's own CL join the fun.

Hush Hush (October 15)
Party inside the Bloor/Gladstone Library for one night only... dressed up as a hero or villain! Hush Hush is an after hours party in the stacks and is a night of cocktails, eats and live entertainment all the name of the Toronto Public Library. Like, all funds go back to them, and in the meantime you get to drink and run around a library screaming at the top of your lungs for once.

Artificial Sounds (October 21)
Double Double Land is one of the most magical dance venues in the city. Tucked away in Kensington Market, Artificial Sounds is the night to experience what it's all about with blogTO fave CL, Scott Hardware and Berlin's Pelada spinning techno and other mind altering dance music. Cover is $10, get there early.

Boombox (October 26)
You might thing TIFF is the crown jewel of the Lightbox, but really, it's the Boombox party. This year's theme is based around the 50th anniversary of Star Trek and is a building-wide, multi-sensory adventure complete with open bar and loads of fun activations and performances.

Did I miss your fave party this month? Add it to the comments.

Photo from the AGO on Facebook.

Nuit Blanche 2016 is smaller than in previous years now that Scotiabank stopped sponsoring the massive all night art affair. Naturally, it'll be interesting to see what it feels like without this corporate monolith hanging over it. But with 90 installations scattered throughout the city, there's still plenty to experience from 7 p.m. on Oct. 1 until 7 a.m. on Oct. 2.

Here are my picks for the top exhibits to check out at Nuit Blanche 2016.

TOP PICKS BY ZONE

ZONE: Oblivion
Where: Nathan Phillips Square/City Hall
Curators: Janine Marchessault and Michael Prokopow

Oceans (City Hall)
Locally based artist and architect Philip Beesley will transform the Rotunda at city hall into a dazzling light show - it might even be more intriguing than a city council meeting.

Death of the Sun (Nathan Phillips Square)
It'll be hard to miss this giant white ball floating in front of city hall. Check out Director X's project on Nuit Blanche and experience his immersive experience that chronicles the slow death of the sun.

ZONE: Militant Nostalgia
Where: John Street (Dundas to Front)
Curators: Paco Barragán

New Project (AGO)
Montreal's Rebecca Belmore, a multi-disciplinary artist and member of the Lac Seul First Nation at Frenchman's Head, will debut a new performance piece inside Walker Court at the Art Gallery of Ontario.

Meet Me In The Glass House (Metro Hall Plaza)
New York-based, Polish artist Tim White-Sobieski looks at the idea of genetic memories, or the memories we're supposedly born with in this immersive, multi-screen installation.

ZONE: And the Transformation Reveals
Where: Bay Street (Dundas to Front)
Curators: Camille Hong Xin

Vertigo Sea (The Design Exchange Trading Floor)
John Akomfrah uses three separate films, shot in the Isle of Skye, Faroe Islands and Norway to investigate our relationship with the sea as well as the ocean's role in our history of slavery, migration and conflict.

Hand-held (Church of the Holy Trinity)
Move your hand through space and an object will appear in it. That's what'll happen in you visit David Rokeby's interactive installation, which fuses art with computer science.

Literature vs. Traffic (Old City Hall)
Imagine floating down a river of books. At Nuit Blanche, you'll be able to thanks to the anonymous collective Luzinterruptus from Madrid, Spain. This light installation will feature piles of donated book - if you visit late enough, you might even get to take one home.

Everyone Thinks the Same Thought (Commerce Court)
No, the Thought Police aren't behind this installation. But this interactive piece from KURT will usher visitors into an enclosed space filled with screens and speakers and invites everyone to enter a "collective mind space" by focusing on the same thought simultaneously.

ZONE: Facing the Sky
Where: Waterfront (Bay to Harbourfront Centre)
Curators: Louise Déry

Ascension (33 Harbour Square)
What are the most notorious smells in Toronto? Sniff 'em for yourself on Saturday night as you pass through Julie C. Fortier's olfactory installation.

Silent Dedication (Harbourfront Centre Theatre)
Watch artist Shary Boyle's film, which stars Beth Hutchison, at the Harbourfront Centre Theatre. It's being shown in its original 16 mm for the first time in Canada.

Electrosmog Toronto (The Brigantine Room)
Jean‑Pierre Aubé, along with his team of performers, will track the electric smog - or things like phone signals and satellites - that hang above our city. See what the night sky really looks like at the Brigantine Room.

INDEPENDENT PROJECTS

The Museum (Artscape Youngplace)
Artist Novka Ćosović is building a pool inside Artscape Youngplace because in times of war, empty pools are often used as morgues. "They are domesticated-institutional-communal spaces that are perverted by war and violence," reads the Nuit Blanche website.

Girl Talk (Artscape Youngplace)
Pop by 401 Richmond, which is going to be filled with art on Saturday night. And don't miss this installation by photographer Zahra Saleki, who's filling a greenhouse with 500 pieces of graffiti art collected from women's washroom in Toronto, Montreal and New York.

Browsing (David Mirvish Books)
This book store closed a while ago, but you can still visit it on Saturday night. It'll look even cooler than usual when Kelly Jazvac covers its inside walls with a slew of salvaged billboards.

Balancing on the Edge (The Collective Space)
Go to circus this Nuit Blanche. You might have to hike to get to Sterling Road, but you'll be rewarded with a live performances, music and even a Speaker's Corner-style confessional booth. Shows start at the top of every hour.

Urban Syncopation (Gardiner Museum)
This wall is supposed to emulate the Toronto's collective heartbeat. Sound sensors will track activity levels in one part of the city and the sculpture will present this data via pulsating lights.

Laneway Canopy: Public Living Space (25 Kensington Ave.)
Toronto has a lot of laneways. So this project by Mark Francis looks at how we can easily animate some of these spaces to make urban life just a tiny bit better.

MAJOR INSTITUTIONS

White Line (Drake One Fifty)
You'll be able to walk around and explore this massive sculpture made of plastic buckets. It's by New York-based visual artist Jason Peters.

Salute the 6ix ~ Piece by Piece (Bata Shoe Museum)
You become the artist in this Drake-inspired piece that invites Torontonians to help create a huge mural using puzzle pieces. Sure, it might sound kindergarten-esque, but it'll be interesting to watch what the drunken hordes of Nuit Blanchers add to it throughout the night.

Fly By Night (Gladstone Hotel)
The Gladstone is always filled with art, but for Nuit Blanche, the entire hotel will come alive with work (shown for one night only) in its second floor studio spaces and hallways. Oh, and there will also be a Stranger Things-themed dance party happening at the same time.

What's we miss? Let us know in the comments.

Photos (in order) by: Natta Summerky, via Nuit Blanche and The Drake Hotel.

Today in Toronto not only is Charles Bradley in town for a big show at the Danforth Music Hall, but the Forms Festival kicks off at The Great Hall. This is a great big art and dance party for your imagination. Food events, comedy and film are also all going on across the city.

For more events, click on over to our events section.

• Charles Bradley (Danforth Music Hall)
• Forms Festival (The Great Hall)
• Steers & Queers (The Dakota Tavern)
• Pop goes house (Bassline)
• No Forks Necessary: A Taste of Ethiopiques (Ethiopiques)
• A room full of black boys (Blank Canvas Toronto)
• Bowie's Berlin (The Ossington)
• Mommy screening (Alliance Francaise de Toronto)
• King Charles (Adelaide Hall)
• IAMX (Mod Club)
• Comedy/Documentary Festival (Carlton Cinema)
• Songbuster - An Improvised Musical for JFL (Bad Dog Comedy)
• Oktoberfest (Amsterdam Brew House)
• SheWolf Radio 1st anniversary party (Handlebar)
• Innit Vol. 2 (Bambi's)
• Analogue Gallery grand re-opening (Analogue Gallery)
• BYOV - Bring Your Own Vinyl (Brewhaha Craft Brew Lounge)

Have an event you'd like to plug? Submit your own listing to the blogTO Toronto events section.

Photo of Charles Bradley by Matt Forsythe.

The local brand that's been taking Toronto by storm with eye-catching, unisex graphic tees with ballsy slogans like "Toronto Vs. Everybody" officially has its brick-and-mortar flagship location up and running. Here's where to go to show everybody you think "Home is Toronto," "Canadian is Bae," and that you're "Canadian Built."

Read my profile of Peace Collective in the fashion section.

Toronto Restaurant Openings highlights the latest restaurant openings and closings in Toronto and also gives a preview of what's coming soon. Find us here every Thursday morning.

OPEN NOW

• Birreria Volo, the new offshoot from the folks behind Bar Volo, is now open at 612 College St.
• Hungry Ammo, a cocktail and snack bar, is now open at 74 Ossington Ave. Find Scotch eggs, falafel and oysters on the menu.
• Upmarket steakhouse STK is now open and accepting reservations at 153 Yorkville Ave.

RECENTLY REVIEWED

• Love Chix
• MoRoCo Chocolat
• Planta
• Mnandi Pies
• Masseria
• The Independent
• Good Neighbour (Koreatown)
• Pray Tell
• Power Up Game Bar
• The Baby G

OPENING SOON

• Smoke Signals BBQ will soon be offering dine-in and take-out meals like ribs, brisket and pulled pork at 1242 Dundas St. West. Look for an opening in the next few weeks.
• Cadillac Jenkins opens this Saturday in the old Linwood Essentials space at 930 Queen St. West. Expect a Caribbean influenced menu of sharable snacks, mains and cocktails.
• Cheesesteak specialist and poutine purveyor Philthy Philly's is coming soon to the Stockyards.
• Curry Bar is in the works at 1074 Bloor St. W., near Dufferin.

Have you seen restaurants opening or closing in your neighbourhood? Email tips to editors@blogto.com

Susur Lee might just be Toronto's most famous chef ever. While he and his family are now associated with various restaurants in the city, it's his namesake one on King West that's home to many of his signature offerings.

Read my profile of Lee Restaurant in the restaurants section.

Night skywatchers have reason to be excited tonight as a powerful solar wind might bring the Northern Lights near Toronto. You won't be able to see them from the city thanks to light pollution and the relative power of the storm, but the odds are decent for a display in cottage country.

Predicting the Aurora Borealis is notoriously difficult in the sub-Auroral zone (basically everything south of James Bay), but there was significant geomagnetic activity last night and more is forecast for tonight. The Weather Network seems particularly confident a light show is in store, but it's always good to keep your expectations in check unless you're way far north.

If you want to get in on the display, you'll have to get up to at least the Gravenhurst area but ideally further. The reason for this is twofold. One, the further north you go, the better the chances of increased geomagnetic activity, and two, there will be cloud cover tonight and early tomorrow morning to the south, which kills all view opportunities outright.

There are a few things you can do to get prepared to watch the Northern Lights:

• Monitor the geomagnetic forecast using Canada's Space Weather Agency
• Choose a location with little to no light pollution with the Dark Site Finder.
• Use the Clear Sky Chart to ensure there's no cloud cover where/when you plan to view

Best of luck. This looks like a decent storm. It's not the type of monster event that would make me suggest breaking all plans to head up north, but those who live or travel a couple hundred of kilometres north of Toronto might be rewarded with a stunning display tonight.

Photo by Soumya Banerjee on Flickr.

If you're feeling like the Hulk and don't live near North York to let your anger out, you can now smash a bunch of plates, electronics and chairs right in the heart of downtown Toronto.

That's because Battle Sports and the Riddle Room teamed up to open a Rage Room near Yonge and Wellesley.

To celebrate, the two companies are offering free access to the new Rage Room on Oct. 8 from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. It'll operate on a first come, first served basis, but just imagine how satisfying it'll be to let loose after waiting in line. And once you do get in, you'll get to smash five items - just be sure to wear closed-toe shoes.

This new Rage Room will be located inside Riddle Room at 579 Yonge St., on the corner of Dundonald. Happy violent catharsis sessions!

Photo via Battle Sports Inc.

The Yonge Eglinton Centre is a shopping mall and busy transit hub that connects to nearby office buildings as well as to the subway and various bus routes.

This bustling midtown spot got a facelift, and it's now much less drab than it used to be. It's filled columns of colour-changing LED lights and giant digital billboards advertising everything from Apple Pay to the new Toronto Nordstrom. When walking through it, the Yonge Eglinton Centre feels futuristic, in a suburban kind of way.

Best of all, for those usually stuck inside all day, the space now features a free rooftop patio. While it'll likely sit empty all winter, it looks like a great spot to take your lunch break in the warmer months.

To celebrate these renovations by RioCan, the Yonge Eglinton Centre is hosting a series of events this weekend, including a free rooftop yoga session on Oct. 1 at 9 a.m. And it'll be interesting to see how the Centre utilizes this new space.

Along with the outdoor features, this revitalized mall includes a massive green wall and big-name retailers like Winners, Indigo and the largest Sephora in North America.

While this revamped mall isn't extraordinary, it's definitely an upgrade for those who need to travel through it on a daily basis. And, it points to the massive development boom currently happening in this part of the city.

What do you think of the new Yonge Eglinton Centre? Let us know in the comments.

Photos via Yonge Eglinton Centre.

Toronto's top concerts this October aren't particularly scary, but they are packed with stadium-filling pop, raucous DIY punk and, duh, Drake. Always Drake.

There's no better way to celebrate Halloween's month than with evil music, and long-running hardcore festival Not Dead Yet will oblige with more than 70 bands ruining ears October 13-16. In direct competition is X Avant XI, the Music Gallery's annual new music extravaganza that's happening over the same four days.

Other honourable mentions include The Faint with Gang of Four, Our Lady Peace with I Mother Earth, Meshuggah with High on Fire and, swear to Satan, a real, live rickroll.

Here are the other top picks on the concert calendar this month.

Sigur Ros (October 3, Massey Hall)
The epically dreamy Icelandic band's output has lately been limited to the occasional soundtrack, some totally fitting (Game of Thrones), some less so (The Simpsons), but more substantial things seem to be in the works now. The current tour scales back on the pomp (strings and horns) for a more intimate evening with the trio, perfect within Massey Hall's confines.

Merchandise (October 3, Silver Dollar)
Though they've long been steady adherents to DIY, Tampa's Merchandise seem to be poised for something bigger now. They've partially recorded their latest LP in a studio (rather than just the home setup they've used for years), and somehow managed to get themselves on local morning television, literally the last place you'd expect to find post-punk mope.

Adele (October 3, 4, 6 and 7, ACC)
The patron saint of heavy feels is finally returning to our city. Adele is being generous with us for her 25 tour, sticking around for four evenings to help us grieve our exes with the help of her powerful voice.

Gorguts (October 6, Hard Luck Bar)
One of Quebec's most creative and ambitious death metal bands, Gorguts returned earlier this year with yet another unique offering: an EP that consists of one 33-minute song inspired by ancient intellectual Islamic Golden Age. They'll likely play the piece in its entirety during this gig with prog outfit Intronaut.

James Blake (October 7, Massey Hall)
Adele ain't the only heartbreak-anthem game in town this month. Melancholic crooner James Blake will visit after a prolific summer full of high-profile collaborations with the likes of Beyonce and Frank Ocean, not to mention his own well-received breakup opus The Colour in Anything.

Drake and Future (October 8 and 9, ACC)
Hey, look who's back - our beloved mascot is taking a break from putting up billboards allacrossLos Angeles to return home for round two on his Summer Sixteen tour, which is a bit of a misnomer now, but whatever. If you can't afford the resale and VIP tickets left for these dates, kick back at home and enjoy Aubrey's new cinematic foray and a game of Jumpman instead.

Teenage Fanclub (October 12, Lee's Palace)
Roughly a month after releasing their long-awaited tenth studio album, heralded indie Scots Teenage Fanclub will come to Lee's as part of a lengthy North American tour.

Japandroids (October 15, Horseshoe Tavern)
Taking loud-quiet-loud to some extreme long-form levels, Vancouver's Japandroids followed up the blistering Celebration Rock with three years of silence. Now, just as abruptly, these dudes have casually dropped a tour and cryptic studio photos, all "oh yeah we're back, NBD." They're only playing a handful of cities, but Toronto is luckily one of them.

G.L.O.S.S (October 15, Velvet Underground)
I can't list out all the must-sees for Not Dead Yet here, but one that no hardcore fan should dare miss is G.L.O.S.S's second-to-last ever set. In their short existence, the D.C. band has done so much for the queer/trans punk world, and now that they're breaking up, it's likely your last chance to pay respects.

Sia (October 22, ACC)
It's hard to believe that one of the most successful pop gurus right now hasn't done a blown-out arena tour yet, but Sia will finally sing to the masses on one this month, accompanied by Miguel and AlunaGeorge. Expect a lot of iconic wiggery, Maddie Ziegler and tunes getting stuck in your head for days.

Hinds (October 26, Adelaide Hall)
This young band from Madrid has burst into the indie rock world like a breath of fresh air, all sunny jams, jangly guitars and carefree attitude for their debut LP, Leave Me Alone. Pretend summer never ended at their Adelaide Hall show near the end of the month.

White Lung (October 27, Lee's Palace)
Unlike most of us, Vancouver punks White Lung have had a fantastic 2016 - their newest album spawned near-universal acclaim coupled with a Polaris Prize shortlisting, and the smoothed-out sound has introduced them to an even bigger audience. Celebrate with them at a boisterous Lee's set that includes local fellow noisemakers Greys.

Thanks to Big Rock Brewery for sponsoring this post.

Photo of Adele via Facebook.