NXNE 2009 - The Hoa Hoa’s
June 23, 2009
The Hoa Hoa’s
The Silver Dollar Room
June 20 2009
After the mindfuck that was Red Mass and it being 3 am and all, the crowd at the Silver Dollar Room was ready for something a little easier to digest, something a little more relaxed. The Hoa Hoa’s, a Toronto band who wish they were from Manchester, were perhaps the perfect follow-up.
The Hoa Hoa’s are all atmosphere. There is a lot of reverb carrying those guitar riffs and the singer’s accent and vocal inflections are eerily similar to the Liam Gallaghers or Ian Browns of the world; a soaring sneer that floats out over their musical backdrop. [Read more]
NXNE 2009 - Japanther
June 22, 2009
Japanther
Wrongbar
June 21 2009
Enjoyed with: A tall boy of Steam Whistle (Pabst was sold out)
Yelling things like “Fuck George Bush, fuck Barack Obama, fuck the Canadian government fucks, fuck governments, fuck the police…” are all tell-tale signs that punk is indeed alive and well, albeit in a package that can only exist in the post digital liberation 21st century. [Read more]
NXNE 2009 - Ume
June 22, 2009
UME
Neutral
June 18 2009
Enjoyed with: A Budweiser
In the balmy basement that is Kensington Market’s Neutral, this Austin, Texas trio turned it up a notch further with their raw yet refined, and totally refreshing rock. Like the Japanese apricot the band takes its name from, their sound (and looks of the lead lady) can be sweet and alluring with their melodramatic vocals and driving energy. But as the fruit also makes liquor, a potent blast of scorching guitar leaves your appetite whetted for more.
NXNE 2009 - Red Mass
June 22, 2009
Red Mass
The Silver Dollar Room
June 20 2009
Enjoyed with: A bottle of Creemore Springs
Between the stoned guy in drag, the kid wearing a Shriner’s hat, the near-naked girl in just a t-shirt, the red caped leader or the man in the devil mask, there was certainly a lot to grab your attention at the Red Mass show Saturday night.
Playing a three-night stand at the Silver Dollar Room the avant garde collective from Montreal were weird as fuck, but thankfully played some really great tunes. It was all a little out there musically as several guitars and keyboards filled out the sound but beneath the experimental riffs was a solid punk core.
NXNE 2009 - GZA
June 22, 2009
GZA
Yonge & Dundas Square
June 21 2009
GZA – “the Genius,” “the architect of Wu-Tang Clan” as introduced by Fab Five Freddy – took the stage with a hand in his pocket. You could tell almost from the get-go that this was going to be a casual performance.
The first few songs (classics tracks from his highly regarded Liquid Swords album) were welcomed by the hardcore fans but to those unfamiliar with the GZA’s repetoire seemed haphazard – a tuneless purely synthetic number accompanied “4th Chamber” for example, another track featured a tinkling, esoteric loop courtesy of special guest King Kahn (editor’s note: How did this guy manage to appear at every single show at NXNE?) who played guitar on about half of the GZA’s tracks.
NXNE 2009 - Hot Panda
June 22, 2009
Hot Panda
Horseshoe Tavern
June 20 2009
Enjoyed with: A Budweiser
Comprised of youngsters from Edmonton, Hot Panda playing for ‘the first time on radio’ (CBC was airing the show) rocked the Horseshoe like established veterans with their bass-propelled, oft funky, just off-base music.
Though they’ve often been compared to the Talking Heads (true, in their recorded material) the band shed any of the awkward, bizarro performance art vibe David Byrne is known for and simply rocked out like any 21st century band would. Other than the thick glasses and undergrad vibe of the players, you’d have never known this band was ever considered art rock.
NXNE 2009 - Dinosaur Bones
June 22, 2009
Dinosaur Bones
Horseshoe Tavern
June 19 2009
Enjoyed with: A Labatt 50
Dinosaur Bones are one of those bands that while you’re watching them you can’t get enough of their dense, expansive tunes, but come sunrise, you can’t remember a song they sang or why you enjoyed them so much.
Shying away from traditional time signatures and melodies and mixing up the tempo often, Dinosaur Bones were well-received by the Horseshoe audience. The band really put a ton of themselves into their music, which was richly layered and sonically interesting. At times they had a Tokyo Police Club vibe, at other times they couldn’t have sounded any more different.
NXNE 2009 - No Age
June 22, 2009
No Age
Lee’s Palace
June 19 2009
Enjoyed with: A bourbon buzz
It’s surprising No Age didn’t break their instruments, as their feverish, berserker performance at Lee’s Palace nearly broke the ear drums of every one in the crowd. Whether it was a poor sound setup or the lack of any bass intruments on stage, the heavily-hyped two-man band produced a deafening cacophony of tinny, high register noise that made it hard to distinguish between voice, notes, really anything but white noise with a beat. [Read more]
NXNE 2009 - The Organ Thieves
June 22, 2009
The Organ Thieves
Bovine Sex Club
June 19 2009
Enjoyed with: A Moosehead
Fairly new band, The Organ Thieves put on a captivating performance at the Bovine Sex Club Friday night. Featuring strong, gutteral vocals (think Rise Against but put through a more traditional rock blender) mixed with the mesmerizing guitar work of ex-Sum 41 lead, Dave Baksh, The Organ Thieves forced the early night audience to tune in to their passionate performance.
The songs were strong, Baksh’s textured guitar fills (produced by a multitude of pedals) were hypnotizing and a near-naked mandolin player bounced around the stage with glee. This band has all the potential in the world and should be a must-see by next year’s NXNE.
NXNE 2009 - Wintersleep
June 20, 2009
Wintersleep
Yonge & Dundas Square
June 19 2009
The opening to the Wintersleep show at Yonge & Dundas Square was this terrific, sustained low electrical vibration. Not to be hyperbolic, but it was a typhoon of low-end frequency. Lyrics barely registered in the thick frothy audio texture of the air.
About three songs in, the dynamic changed when the lyrics hit the foreground. After that point I felt the energy change – from a soothing rumble to something choppy, rhythms a bit more driving (though politely below the speed limit).