NxNE 2009 in review

NxNE Day One - aborted (June 17, 2009)
This Book Is Broken book launch @ The Courthouse featuring:

Broken Social Scene (unannounced special guest)
Apostle of Hustle
Jason Collett
Happiness Project
Years

***No review due to being denied entry due to unforeseen circumstances.***



NxNE Day One (June 18, 2009):

Timber Timbre @ The Courthouse

The official NxNE schedule listed Zeus during this time slot, so I was surprised to show up and find out they had already played. Disappointed, I stuck around to check out one of the newest signings to the Arts & Crafts roster, Timber Timbre (a.k.a. Taylor Kirk). Playing to a surprisingly full room, Kirk strutted the plaintive and sparse ballads from his new self-titled disc. The set started off with birds chirping on loop pedals and the rest of the set felt like listening to someone on a deck up at the cottage. Kirk barely addressed the audience (or even looked up), but the introspective songs seemed to go over well as he got an enthusiastic round of applause at the end of the set.

Black Lips @ Yonge-Dundas Square

A wide cross-section of demographics were on hand at this free show to witness the Atlanta, Georgia quartet rock out. The blues-inspired boogie rock had many in the audience dancing and eventually led to a stage invasion by some (drunk?) female audience members who eventually started making out.
I missed it, but apparently King Khan joined them onstage at the end.

The Most Serene Republic @ The Courthouse
It's been three years since I had last seen TMSR; and in the ensuing time, the initial novelty of them being the first non-Broken Social Scene related group to sign to Arts & Crafts has visibly waned. Their 2007 album Population got lost in the shuffle of other A&C releases and the hype for the just-released ...And The Expanding Universe has been minimal from what I've seen. Their live show is still essentially the same however. They've streamlined their sound somewhat into a more conventional rock sound, but still feature the chaotic indie pop that have come to characterize their oeuvre. They have a dedicated following, but will continually be overshadowed by their iconic labelmates for the foreseeable future.


You Say Party! We Say Die! @ The El Mocambo

The notoriously slow streetcars (a recurring problem during the festival) prevented me from arriving until two-thirds through the set. However, from what I did see, the band were testing out new material from their upcoming album, XXXX (which is scheduled for release in late September). Singer Becky Ninkovic is still a consummate frontwoman, but like The Most Serene Republic, their sound is evolving into a more conventional sound than the frantic party anthems on their earlier recordings.

HEALTH @ The Horseshoe Tavern
The Los Angeles based experimental noise rockers are seeing their stock rise after opening a portion of dates on Nine Inch Nails' Lights In The Sky tour last year. It was evident that the residual effect of that is paying dividends as the Horseshoe was packed for their set and more than a few people were excited. A small-ish mosh pit - something I've never witnessed in my four years of covering this festival - developed over the first few songs and the communal energy continued throughout the set.


NxNE Day Two (June 19, 2009):

Brides @ The Music Gallery

It's a little strange to walk into a venue expecting a rock show and seeing the audience politely sitting in church pews. However, the avant-garde, experimental noise rock quickly filled the venue. As the set continued on, they enlisted additional help from their friends in attendance (including ex-Republic of Safety guitarist Johnny Dovercourt) to contribute to the cacophonous sonic assault (by the end there were at least 5 guitarists).

AIDS Wolf @ Sneaky Dee's

In what must have been a first in the history of the venue (Sneaky's is well-known for running behind schedule at the best of times), AIDS Wolf apparently went on slightly early.
Arriving about two-thirds into their set, I enjoyed what brief moments I could. Singer Chloe Lum was in the midsts of throwing herself around the stage as her bandmates created a sonic collage that pleased the packed audience.

Blood Ceremony @ The Reverb

Despite a thin turnout, the local doom-metal group had a few diehards throwing the goathorns and headbanging at the front throughout the set. Their Jethro Tull-inspired occult rock (complete with flute!) stood up on it's own, but undoubtedly, many of them were there to fawn over singer Alia O’Brien.

Change Of Heart @ The Horseshoe Tavern

Admittedly, this band was a little before my time and the decidedly older crowd proved as much. Guitarist Ian Blurton began the set by announcing that he was "scared shitless" for the band's first gig in nearly a decade. Despite the slightly older demographic, they were lustily cheered after every song and the appreciative crowd ate up every minute of the set. Even the self-admitted sub-par encore (a rarity for NxNE) was well received.

METZ @ The Silver Dollar

A non-stop sonic/experiemtnal assault (I'm running out of adjectives) that was undoubtedly one of the best of the entire festival. Relentless percussion and bass lines meshed surprisingly well with the angular guitar and howling vocals. This band is loud and fast, but the unconventional song structures set them apart from traditional hardcore acts.

HEALTH @ Bovine Sex Club



A secret show that was announced the previous night to those who attended their set at the Horseshoe. The Bovine was packed to capacity as Health played another set that had the crowd engaged and demanding more.
Members of Change of Heart strolled in about halfway through the set and I overheard Ian Blurton remark at the impressive array of effects pedals Health uses.

NxNE Day Three (June 20, 2009):

dd/mm/yyyy @ The Horseshoe Tavern



The local math/experimental quintet are quickly earning a sizable cult following and distinguishing themselves with tight shows and a percussion section that is far above many other local acts of this genre. They brought out a massive bouquet of red balloons on stage that obscured nearly half the stage, but played as if they hadn't noticed it. They quickly whipped the crowd up with tracks from their new album, Black Square. The set continued on a high note until the penultimate song when someone turned a pedal or the PA system too loud and the volume grew almost unbearable (even with earplugs) for the rest of the set.

The Zoobombs @ Velvet Underground

The insufferably hot venue was packed for the start of the set and the Japanese group did their best to reciprocate. However, an unecessary half-hour jam dissipated most of the initial energy in the room and had many people looking at their watches or leaving before the anti-climactic end.

C'mon @ Lee's Palace

The Bathurst streetcar ran into a traffic nightmare at College (which was closed for an unrelated festival) and I missed all but the final ten minutes of the set. However, from what I saw, Ian Blurton's main outfit (does this guy ever sleep?) rocked the Lee's stage thoroughly and only added to their status as one of the best live bands out there today.

Hot Panda @ The Horseshoe Tavern

An impossibly long lineup at Sneaky Dee's to see Crystal Antlers had me scrambling for an alternate venue. The most convenient choice was the Horseshoe and these young Albertan upstarts. From the few songs that I caught, I was most impressed with their stage presence and the ease with which they interacted with the audience. The songs are typical indie-synth pop that's nothing to write home about, but their congeniality could very well endear them a promising future.

The Lovely Feathers @ The Horseshoe Tavern


The Montreal quintet have just released their second album, Fantasy of The Lot, and shuttered most of the material from 2006's Hind Hind Legs. Given the 2 AM set time, the Horseshoe audience was in the process of thinning out, but those who stuck around were treated to a tight set of uptempo indie pop from one of Canada's more underrated live acts.

Canadian Music Week 2009 in review

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Will Currie & The Country French @ The Mod Club
It was a little surprising to see the Mod Club already three-quarters full by the time Will Currie & The Country French hit the stage opening the first of two nights for Can-rock heroes Sloan.
The mutual friendship between both bands was evident right from the beginning as they did an admirable job of getting the audience into their 60's-inspired, upbeat indie-pop. Many heads were bobbing to the music during their energetic set and they received an enthusiastic ovation at the conclusion.
Sloan later brought them out to perform their collaboration from last year, "Push Pins", during their encore.

Sloan @ The Mod Club
Nearly twenty years into their careers, it's a rare treat to see a homegrown band like Sloan still look like they're enjoying themselves onstage. Despite performing to a sparse and largely disinterested audience at last summers' MLS All-Star game festivities at BMO Field, they managed to sell out two-nights at the Mod Club this time around and the atmosphere almost felt like a Sloan show from their heyday in the '90's.
Sating the long-time fans in the audience by commencing with "Penpals" from 1994's Twice Removed, they worked their way through cuts from all over their nine albums. Fan favourites like "Coax Me", "The Good In Everyone", "People of The Sky", "The Other Man" and "Money City Maniacs" got rousing sing-alongs while newer material from last year's Parallel Play like "Cheap Champagne", "Witch's Wand", "Emergency 911" and "Believe In Me" sounded comparative to the classic material. Closing the show with a frenetic run through "She Says What She Means", Sloan showed how to keep a crowd engaged for the entirety of their set and exactly why they're deserving of their hard-earned reputation.


Thursday, March 12, 2009

Flowers of Hell @ Velvet Underground
This band first gained local attention after emerging from left field to open the highly anticipated My Bloody Valentine show last fall. A sweeping orchestral ensemble, this Canadian/British instrumental collaboration would appeal to fans of Mogwai, Do Make Say Think, Bell Orchestre and Explosions In The Sky. Given a little more time and experience, the dozen or so people in attendance at the Velvet Underground might have witnessed the beginning of something very promising.

We Are Wolves @ El Mocambo
The stacked francophone lineup (also featuring fellow Montrealers Malajube and Duchess Says) made for an interesting atmosphere inside the El Mo. The people heard speaking French inside and outside made for a surreal experience.
No doubt excited to be opening for Bloc Party the following night, We Are Wolves let loose with an explosive set that had the venue rattling from the relentless rhythm section. The band quickly had the crowd worked into a frenzy and the response was equally appreciative. Leave it to the French to put typical Toronto audiences to shame.

Matt Mays + El Torpedo @ Lee's Palace
A consummate showman that didn't need to try to hard to appease the fans that packed Lee's Palace. The set was heavy on East Coast guitar jams but began to lose momentum and wane in the later stages when they delved into campy sing-alongs, but the crowd didn't seem to mind.

Quest For Fire @ Horseshoe Tavern
Entering a gradually emptying Horseshoe, stoner rock at it's most plodding and meandering wafted through to the front bar. The new project featuring ex-members of the Deadly Snakes is a definite departure from that bands' catalogue. You can tell they're been listening to their fair share of 60's psychedelia and Kyuss records and perform their chosen genre well. They could very well be the next Black Mountain. The crowd may have been a little confused after seeing Chad VanGaalen, but those that remained seemed respectful nonetheless.


Friday, March 13, 2009

Teen Anger @ The Gladstone
Trying their best to channel the uninhibited spastic energy of bands like AIDSWolf to the sizable Gladstone crowd, the set lost all of its momentum when guitarist Steve Sidoli broke a string a couple of songs in and took the better part of five minutes fixing it. Lead singer Chris Swimmings tried his best to crack jokes, but with minimal stage banter from his bandmates to fill the void, the crowd began to get restless. They did an admirable job in getting back on track, but musically, they have some work to do. The songs are quick and to the point, but don't engage the listener as much as they should.

White Cowbell Oklahoma @ Lee's Palace
Local mainstays with a dedicated fanbase (a higher-than-normal amount of cowboy hats in the audience), their website does a better job of explaining who they are and what they do than I ever could: Ass-kickin' southern fried boogie rock with four guitars, sexy ladies, bizarre onstage debauchery, plus acts of filth and destruction. This was undoubtedly the best opening set I saw all weekend and set the stage perfectly for the legendary Supersuckers.

Supersuckers @ Lee's Palace
For over twenty years, the self-proclaimed "Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Band in the World", have built a reputation as a hard-partying band that loves to have a good time.
Lead singer/bassist Eddie Spaghetti knows how to play to an audience and their brand of garage/cowboy punk had the faithful Lee's Palace enraptured and impassioned.
Arguably the best set of this year's festival (and one I was conflicted about leaving).

The D'Urbervilles @ The Silver Dollar
It's been a long time since I last saw The D'ubervilles (a few years ago at the same venue, the Silver Dollar, unexpectedly replacing a disbanded From Fiction during NxNE). Since then, they've apparently gone from nervously jittery Tokyo Police Club-esque indie-pop to Joy Division/New Order gloom. Lead singer John O'Regan certainly does his best to emulate Ian Curtis with his similar vocal style and onstage presence.

The Ghost Is Dancing @ The Silver Dollar
With the forthcoming release of their sophomore effort, Battles On, The Ghost Is Dancing were more energetic and happy sounding than any band should be at 2am. While the new material sounds more straight-ahead and conventional than their previously whimsical ensemble pop, it's a development that seemed inevitable.
This show ended with most of the members in various states of undress with their keyboardist finishing the set in his underwear.


Saturday, March 14, 2009

Bloc Party w/ Holy Fuck @ Kool Haus
The most anticipated show of the entire festival was undoubtedly the return of Bloc Party.
It's been only a scant six-months since Bloc Party was last in town at the Virgin Festival, but they've since released the under-appreciated Intimacy and have been touring in support of it ever since. The fact that they were playing back-to-back sold out shows at the Kool Haus only adds evidence of their ascension to the indie-rock stratosphere.
Whether you like them or not, their live show is brilliantly performed with dazzling lights, signature angular guitar hooks and precision timing only a band that has been on the road for almost a year can execute.

Hometown instrumental freak-outs Holy Fuck delivered a mesmerizing and hypnotic opening set, that encouraged many in the audience to light up and turn the venue into a hotbox by the time Bloc Party hit the stage.
Lead singer Kele Okereke amusingly noted, "There's a very pungent odour of marijuana in the room. You can't fool us, we weren't born yesterday! If you're going to use drugs, use them... responsibly."


Opening with the hard-driving "Trojan Horse" and continuing the onslaught with "Halo" and "Hunting For Witches", the British foursome quickly snapped the crowd out of their herbal stupour with a show heavy on sensory assault.
At various moments, especially during the beat-heavy "Mercury", it felt as if the show was equal parts rock concert/dance party. Along with the intense LED display, one could be forgiven if they thought they'd stumbled into a Daft Punk show.
They liberally chose songs from all three of their albums, with tracks from their 2005 breakthrough, Silent Alarm ("Banquet", "Positive Tension", "Like Eating Glass"), getting the biggest receptions.
Finishing the main set with a the blistering version of "Helicopter", they came back out for two encores before finally wrapping things up with crowd-favourite, "This Modern Love".

On the verge of moving up and filling arenas, Bloc Party proved without a doubt why they're deserving of CMW festival headlining status.

Broken Social Scene w/ Land Of Talk @ Masonic Temple, Brooklyn, NY - 10/24/08