Tuesday July 17

LITTLE JUNIOR

MYTHLESS

MIDDLE KID

$10 Backstage / Doors at 7:30

When power-pop foursome Little Junior were still performing at all-ages clubs around their native Toronto, a sound engineer asked what their setup would be for a show that night. Lead singer Rane Elliott-Armstrong answered the way he had so many times before: They had two guitars, a bass, and drums. "Oh," the sound engineer responded. "You don't have a sampler or an acoustic guitar or any of that gay shit?" Elliott-Armstrong, who identifies as gay, was aghast. And so Elliott-Armstrong wrote a song about the encounter, the snot-punk anthem "Cry Baby," which is set to appear on Little Junior's forthcoming debut record, Hi. Much of Hi sounds like a clear combination of lo-fi basement punk with pop melodies, the album's sunny tone subverted by Little Junior's petulant lyrics. Ultimately, though, it's vital to Little Junior that they help create a space for all music fans, regardless of background or identity. Check them out.