by JOHNSON CUMMINS

A lot has changed since 1983, when the town of Victoriaville, a few hours' drive northeast of Montreal, hosted its first Festival de Musique Actuelle, an annual celebration of avant-garde, experimental and out-there sounds by musical artists from all over the world. Back then, for instance, the band Sonic Youth, from whence cometh this week's Mirror cover boy Thurston Moore, had existed a mere two years and hardly been heard outside of NYC hipster circles. Twenty-two years later, avant-jazz god John Zorn has shown up any number of times, motormouth Mike Patton - once of rap-metal hitmeisters Faith No More - has become a repeat visitor, and the members of Sonic Youth have taken periodic breaks from rocking arenas - alternatively, of course - to get weird on FIMAV attendee's ears. Thurston Moore is in fact the first-ever outside curator, allowed to handpick acts for the 2005 edition of "Victo" and bring in some of the most innovative young blood in improvised and edgy music happening right now. Wolf Eyes, Boredoms, Double Leopards - those are all his calls, but they aren't the only items on the menu more than worth a weekend road trip. Here's the Mirror's rundown of FIMAV's 2005 highlights.

Anthony Braxton and Fred Frith: While certainly no strangers to the festival, this odd pairing should really get sparks flying, as both possess the rare talent for diving headfirst into improvisation without any trace of fear or reservation. This will mark Braxton's first visit since his collaboration with Derek Bailey in 1986, and Frith's first since his collaboration with John Zorn in '88. At Cinéma Laurier on Friday, May 20, 8 p.m., $24

The Plastic People of the Universe with Agon Orchestra: Inspired by Frank Zappa and the Velvet Underground, the PPU collective from the Czech Republic formed in 1968 and were granted a special government licence to perform publicly until 1976, when their licence was revoked by the Soviet-oriented government, who claimed their music was "too dark." The band continued in an underground capacity and circulated tapes of their music illegally, which resulted in jail time, harassment and even exile. At this year's festival they'll be performing the composition "Passion Play," which was originally recorded during their dark period, in 1978. At Colisée des Bois-francs on Friday, May 20, 10 p.m., $28

Kid Koala and Martin Tétreault: Once again, Montrealers are represented at Victoriaville, and these two turntablists are a perfect choice. Koala, who continues to delve deeper into the role of storyteller, should need no introduction, and Tétreault's turntables, customized to suit every possibility of his limitless imagination, should provide the perfect foil. At Cinéma Laurier on Saturday, May 21, 1 p.m., $18

Hair Police and Wolf Eyes: Hair Police replace the standard roles for keyboards, guitars and drums with noise elements, while traditional form gets elbowed out for unrestrained energy. Wolf Eyes might be considered the kings of noise, hitting excessively high decibels and exaggerated frequency ranges. All-out nihilism never sounded so good, and the looks on the faces of the jazz snobs should be worth the ticket price alone. At Colisée des Bois-francs on Saturday, May 21, 3 p.m., $22

No-Neck Blues Band: These New Yorkers have been doing guerrilla-style performances for a dozen years now. Famous for suddenly appearing on Manhattan rooftops and heaping their pulsing sounds on an unsuspecting crowd below, this should be interesting to see in a staged venue. Expect the unexpected. At Cinéma Laurier on Saturday, May 21, 8 p.m., $22

Dead Machines and Double Leopards: Dead Machines features Wolf Eyes' John Olson and his wife Tovah Olson. Compared to his other band, this duo may be far less crushing - but no less provocative. New York's Double Leopards are probably the most sedate of Moore's selections, but they weave fascinating soundscapes through use of traditional instruments and cheap guitar pedals, providing a perfect closer to the fest's Saturday night. At CÉGEP de Victoriaville on Saturday, May 21, 12:15 a.m., $18

Boredoms: The return of Japan's legends of loudness caps off the festival. After a five-year hiatus, the Boredoms have shed their thrashy, screaming style to an extent, having recently released a record with just two 20-minute-long compositions, cutting to the essence of what psychedelic music really means in 2005. This new corner turned for the Boredoms easily earmarks this as one of the most anticipated shows of the festival. At Colisée des Bois-francs on Monday, May 23, 9 p.m., $28

For more festival information, go to www.fimav.qc.ca

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