Several Canadian rock icons, as well as a group of ’90s West Coast hip hop pioneers, will be making their way to London, Ont., this summer as the Rock the Park Music Festival makes its annual return.
On Tuesday, organizers gave music lovers the first glimpse of what’s to come for this year’s edition of the festival, which runs from July 12 to July 15 inside London’s Harris Park.
Co-headlining Rock the Park’s final night will be Billy Talent and Alexisonfire.
Formed in 1993 in Mississauga, Billy Talent first gained attention in Toronto’s Indie music scene under the band’s original name Pezz.
They found wider success following the 2003 release of Billy Talent, the band’s debut studio album under their current name. The album would go on to be certified four-time platinum in Canada.
Post-hardcore rockers Alexisonfire formed in St. Catharines in 2001 and found success around the same time as Billy Talent with the release of their eponymous debut studio album in 2002. The two bands even toured together around the release of Alexisonfire.
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Last June, the band released Otherness, their first full-length album since 2009’s Old Crows / Young Cardinals.
Silverstein, a Burlington-formed group, will take the stage to bring with them more than two decades’ worth of post-hardcore music. Silverstein has sold more than one million albums worldwide and gave fans their latest offering last year with the release of Misery Made Me.
Also featured is The Dirty Nil, which won the Juno Award for Breakthrough Group of the Year in 2017. The Hamilton rockers released their latest album F–k Art in 2021.
The July 15 lineup will also feature something for hip hop lovers, with Cypress Hill serving as special guests.
Formed in South Gate, Calif., the trio, then featuring rappers B Real, Sen Dog and producer DJ Muggs, burst onto the scene with their debut release Cypress Hill in 1991.
A critical and commercial success, the album featured some of the group’s greatest hits including How I Could Just Kill a Man and The Phuncky Feel One.
The trio followed their debut with 1993’s Black Sunday, which went triple-platinum in the U.S. and spawned the hip hop classic, Insane in the Brain.
In 2019, Cypress Hill became the first hip hop group to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Rock the Park is organized by Jones Entertainment Group and president Brad Jones says they’ll have more lineup announcements in the coming weeks.
“Our plan is, over the next four weeks, every Tuesday, to announce another night,” Jones said.
“This could be the best lineup we’ve had in 18 years.”
Tickets go on sale at 9 a.m. Friday and can be purchased on Rock the Park’s website or over the phone at 519-672-1.967
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