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In-Flight Safety
Yonge Dundas Square June 19, 7:45 pm
Are Halifax’s In-Flight Safety Canada’s Coldplay? Based on the crowded show at Yonge Dundas Square, I would say just about. They have the soaring melodies, the anthemic, driving jams and the sensitive lyrics. Combined with the growing, blue twilight and airy venue, they were enough to conjure comparisons to Britain’s best known tearjerkers. Lead singer John Mullane was clearly sighed over by the many females of the crowd, although offering much to sigh over musically as well, with driving guitar melodies and a natural vocal talent. Their set picked up momentum about halfway through, with the band stretching each song to its highest, lowest and widest peaks, achieving several lovely moments of musical communion. While it may not have been the most “hardcore” or “rock and roll” performance of the festival, In-Flight Safety certainly have a mainstream future ahead of themselves.
- Sally Walker Hudecki
Matt and Kim
Whippersnapper Gallery Fri, June 19, 8 pm
When even those with priority passes had to form a line, you know a show is full. Fortunately, Brooklyn-based duo Matt and Kim were running a little late as they played to a jam-packed, hot and sweaty crowd. Playing songs from their latest album, Grand, Matt and Kim thrilled the mostly young audience as Matt Johnson sang and twirled on the keyboard while Kim Schifino banged away on her drum kit. Combined with the crowd jumping up and down, it felt like the floor was going to give way. Audience members at the back were on their toes just to catch a glimpse of either band member and Johnson was quick to dedicate a song to “anyone under five-foot-five” (although folks taller than that couldn’t see either). They finished their set with the crowd-pleaser “Daylight” but not before rocking out to the opening riff of Europe’s “The Final Countdown,” which brought applause and laughter. Although Matt and Kim were exceptional, they were too big a band for the Whippersnapper Gallery and one audience member summed it up best when he shouted out: “it’s fucking hot.” Overall, it was a great, although flawed show and it definitely required a cold shower afterwards.
- Jon Brazeau
Valery Gore
Reverb June 19, 9 pm
Due to an insane line that would fill the Dakota Tavern two times over, I had to abandon my dream of spending most of the evening there. One has to wonder how long those tight-vested cowboys of the city would wait in that insurmountable line. A quick contingency was necessary and Valery Gore was playing at the same time! I hurried on down to the Reverb to find a surprisingly empty venue that would thicken up a bit by the time Ms. Gore took the stage with her big ol’ band, wearing her favourite sparkly gold shirt. With lively keyboard playing and terrific support from her brass section, Gore put on a terrific show. The big horns complimented her fast fingers and breathy vocals, which on the faster songs crammed as many words as possible into each chorus. Some audience members (one) took the fast-paced songs as an opportunity to dance like dinner rolls being wielded by Charlie Chaplin. When things quieted down, the heavy metal from downstairs became quite prevalent and it was impressive to see Gore maintain her focus. Not sure why they put such jazzy pop sounds in a venue that generally features blood-curdling screams but hey, there are only 60 other venues right? Most of the crowd seemed to be media types - taking notes and photos - but Gore definitely has the creativity and presence to become a cross-country talent given the right exposure.
- Daniel Demois
Cut Throat Britva
Rancho Relaxo June 19, 9 pm
Cut Throat Britva — named for a Nadsat word from Anthony Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange meaning “razor” — are certainly as sharp and enigmatic as their droogie counterparts, although slightly less threatening. Frontman Caleb Timmermans has a natural stage presence; his syncopated, howling vocal performance was captivating. In fact, Timmermans carried the show. His bluesy riffs drove the moody, catchy songs while his effortless authority was such that the rest of the band, talents that they were, faded into the background at points. Their style was a welcome rock and roll respite to a crowd perhaps bored by the synths and wannabe attitude of the day. Although the crowd was enthusiastic, one was left wondering whether their straight, charged rock and roll will be as welcomed as it deserves in today’s music climate. Wherever they’re going, Cut Throat Britva have a cunning leader in Timmermans and the well-matched backing band (with a particularly gifted bass player) proved last night to be making each place they go just a bit more dobby, as those young droogs would say — that is, good.
- Sally Walker Hudecki
The Craft Economy
The Velvet Underground June 19, 9 pm
Upbeat The Craft Economy seemed out of place at hard-hitting The Velvet Underground, juxtaposing their rainbow coloured shirts against the Gothic decor and drawing attention to themselves as something a little bit different. The band had great energy as they played to a relatively small crowd of 30-40 head-bobbing listeners during the early 9 pm showcase slot. Fronted by both male (Konstantine Kurelias) and female (Linda McKenney) vocals, The Craft Economy played a set of catchy pop songs from their independently released album Is On Your Side, including crowd favourite “Menergy!” Despite the high skill level of the band members, some vocal harmony pitch issues distracted from The Craft Economy’s ability to fully engage their audience and bring them into the performance. The band’s enthusiasm was contagious, but would have been better suited to a different venue to create a different overall energy for the performance.
- Heather Adamo
Dual/Duel review:
The Coathangers
Bovine Sex Club, June 18, 11 pm
vs.
Sneaky Dee’s, June 19, 9 pm
While The Black Lips were the more prominent Atlanta-based band to arrive for NXNE, punk rock four-piece The Coathangers also made the trek from Georgia and played two fabulous shows. Which one was better? Well, Thursday’s performance at the Bovine Sex Club was also the birthday show for the band’s bassist/vocalist Meredith Franco, thus it was understandable if they were a little tipsy. On the other hand, their show at Sneaky Dee’s was less than 24 hours later, so it was also reasonable if they were a little under the weather (especially if they had some Sneaky Dee’s nachos before the show). Either way, their performances were top notch. Franco was in fine form both nights, especially during “Stop Stomp Stompin’,” with her high pitch, Minnie Mouse-like vocals being a real treat (perhaps that’s why her nickname is Minnie Coathanger). All the band members took turns on lead vocals and each one exhibited their own unique brand of wailing; guitarist Julia Kugel’s vocals were a little more piercing than the others while drummer Stephanie Luke provided a deeper, meaner authority of singing while simultaneously thrashing behind her kit during “Killdozer.” The band also harmonized well on the song “143” as they all sung “I love you.” Both nights, they mixed it up with musical instrument chairs, as Franco played drums, keyboardist Candice Jones took over on bass, Luke handled guitars and Kugel was left with “just” the vocals and stomping around the stage. At their Sneaky Dee’s show, the crowd grew exponentially during their set, resulting in louder and louder well-deserved cheers after every song. Winner of this match: it’s a draw as The Coathangers played a pair of fantastic sets.
- Jon Brazeau
Mika Miko
Lee’s Palace June 19, 10pm
Don’t call ’em a chick band. Though this five-piece punk rock outfit features four frantic young ladies up front (does this prove that there aren’t any good female drummers? Just kidding), no one should pigeonhole these punks into any sort of “chick band” category. Mika Miko whipped off over 15 songs in their short set, not one tune stepping away from their hardcore style. The music was fast and abrasive. An almost obnoxious amount of noise flew off the stage at any given moment - exactly what any good punk is looking for. The ladies traded instruments like STDs, tambourines were abused, microphones swung around and the screaming was plentiful. Lee’s Palace rewarded the effort with a hectic thrash pit, plenty of raised fists and abundant cheering. These girls are from Los Angeles so there might not be too many opportunities to see them but if you get the chance, make sure you take it.
- Joe Veroni
AIDS Wolf
Sneaky Dee’s June 19, 10 pm
Montreal’s AIDS Wolf were exactly what you expect from them: noisy and loud. Vocalist Chloe Lum screamed like a banshee, ensuring anyone near the speakers would have instant tinnitus (aka club disease). Most of the time, it was impossible to understand what she was saying – she could have been reading Sneaky Dee’s menu – as her vocals were like another instrument meant to make your heart explode. Lum jumped into the crowd, as audience members either dropped back or started a mosh pit (albeit a hipster mosh pit where no one got hurt and no one’s clothes were ruined). Drummer Yannick “Hiroshima Thunder” Desranleau drummed like Animal from The Muppet Show (and even sorta resembled him with shaggy hair and a beard covering most of his face). Myles “BOP” Broscoe and Alex “Kozz” Moskos provided dual chaotic guitar work and made sure their amps were turned up to 11. Other than Lum’s forray into the crowd, the band didn’t acknowledge the audience too much and their set finished rather anti-climatically when they simply stopped playing.
- Jon Brazeau
The Novaks
The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern June 19, 10 pm
Based on their performance at the Horseshoe, The Novaks are going to be the heaviest and best musicians out of Newfoundland in a very long time — probably since Newfoundland has been “new.” Their guitar-driven compositions are stacked with rock and roll attitude and they knew how to push and pull the crowd with them. Drummer Elliot Dicks nearly had a conniption keeping along with the nonstop energy of guitarist Mick Davis and bassist Mark Neary, although they let him melt a bit with the occasional moody, slow song. If they weren’t already, by the time they played “Destroyer” from their debut album, the shoving crowd was completely in The Novaks’ hands. They delivered a perfect shot of classic rock and roll attitude, howling and dragging out their fair share of solos. Based on their show, these Stooges-reminiscent guys are too good to be cooped up in Newfoundland. Alternatively, if this is what they do in Newfoundland all the time, maybe we should consider a change of place.
- Sally Walker Hudecki
The Dead Science
Lee’s Palace June 19, 11 pm
After Mika Miko, who pretty much put on the best punk show I’ve seen in ages, The Dead Science took the Lee’s stage. This group is particularly fascinating for their interest in comic book characters, which are not only present in songs but also grace their album covers. It is an amusing band title given the new sciences of media and politics constantly popping up. Finally a science that ceases to be! Each song this group played sounded exactly the same, with gentle whispered vocals leading into quiet falsettos backed by heavy feedback and video game styled loops. While singing on tip toes, completely stiff (except for the occasional leg raising behind the back, like in the movies when a lady gets kissed) is amusing for a moment. The more pressing interest quickly shifted to “what show is next?” The Lee’s Palace bathrooms were surprisingly clean which is nice. And I noticed they have some Maker’s Mark whisky at the bar, which was close to extinct for a while there. The only scientific equation of the evening that I cared about was the following: Maker’s Mark = Urine Free Bathroom Floors! Of course it was still early.
- Daniel Demois
Red Mass
Silver Dollar Room June 19, 12 am
Before the Red Mass show at Silver Dollar Room, a skinny man was walking around in a tight dress. When he took the stage wearing a fez as well, I expected something special was about to happen. The guitarist was joined by seven others on the tiny stage and launched into their garage/punk/psychedelia immediately. The dual percussion assault added a ton of weight to the sound and unfortunately the trumpet was lost in the mix of the three guitarists. Still though, this didn’t diminish the heavy rock show these Montreal natives were unleashing on their second of three nights this weekend. The audience up front thrashed about and even stole a microphone to add backup vocals. Some songs played like heavy 70’s arena rock, some like Nine Inch Nails industrial and some of the songs grew into long psychedelic jams. The repetitive nature of these jams caused me to feel like my nose would start bleeding any moment, in a good way.
- Daniel Demois
Little Girls (Secret Show)
June 19, 1 am
For those who don’t know about Little Girls, it’s safe to say it may be the time to get on them. One of Paper Bag Records’ newest and brightest have already made quite a splash on the local scale and may be one of the most amazing live bands you’ll see at this year’s NXNE. The boys played their second show in the same day in a dark sweaty basement in Kensington Market. Their set was absolute chaos. Anyone who dared to get closer to these guys would have to mosh through a group of rowdy drunk crust punks. One girl almost fell and got lost in the pit but someone picked her up and saved her from the boots and Converse of about 100 people in one basement. Even Johnny Hockin from MTV Canada was there, having a blast. Frontman Josh McIntyre really got the crowd going early on and overall the band’s set was sharp, short and sweet.
- Max Mohenu
These Are Powers
Silver Dollar Room June 19, 2 am
If one wants to hear rave music around the Spadina and College area in the early hours of the morning, you’d probably head to Comfort Zone. But Brooklyn/Chicago’s These Are Powers took their experimental style upstairs to the Silver Dollar Room. The trio wasted no time letting the audience know what they were all about. The bass lines were heavy and prominent, the drums wicked fast and singer Anna Barie brought it all together with infectious style and intensity. Some who knew what the show was all about brought along glow sticks, though most of the audience just wasn’t sure what to make of the whole thing - that or there was a lack of drugs rushing through the collective bloodstream. Barie wore a glittering dress that made her look like a walking disco ball. It was supposed to be a dance party, a psychedelic onslaught marked by sensory overload. Unfortunately for These Are Powers, it just didn’t quite fit in the bluesy Silver Dollar Room.
- Joe Veroni
Heaven
Silver Dollar Room June 19, 3 am
Heaven’s set was probably the best part of the Silver Dollar showcase that night. Their performance started very dreamy and sweet and stayed pretty consistent throughout. The synchronized, droning vocals were amazing but at times it was hard to hear the exact lyrics to their songs. They’ve definitely stepped up their game from their earlier shows. A lot of the strong points in their set were how well they kept the crowd going after having to suffer through a night of mediocrity (i.e. These Are Powers) and aesthetically they created a mystique you can’t quite put your finger on but absolutely love. Overall, it’s safe to say this band has a lot more to conquer in Toronto and when they do you’ll definitely want to know about it.
- Max Mohenu
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