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Candy Coated Killahz Candy Coated Killahz are an interesting mash-up. Laying early 80’s style rap over up-tempo dance/electro-pop beats, what comes out is an infectious sound that is both retro and brand new at the same time. Three MCs and one DJ make up the band who danced about with fervour, walking amongst the audience and playing off each other’s energy for an exciting set. The two female MCs shadowed each other’s vocals, but band leader Tosha Dash who bore a striking resemblance to Rihanna was just too sexy and animated to share any of the limelight. Icon the Anomail, the sole male MC had excellent chemistry with Dash as the two went back and forth on the mic like Run DMC. The entire group seemed to be having the time of their lives as they bounced around in their early nineties outfits, looking like a couple of fly girls and Jamie Foxx on an In Living Colour set. The show was exciting, sexy as hell and with such an original sound Candy Coated Killahz should find it easy to amass a sizeable fanbase. - Sam Stilson
Liar and a Thief This three-piece grunge/rock band based in Toronto struck up an impromptu jam session out of the back of a truck Saturday night on Queen West, across from the Bovine. Within seconds, a crowd had gathered and were clapping and yelling their approval. THIS is indie music in its truest form, folks. This is powerful, slap-you-in-the-face rock that quite literally stopped traffic. Koogaphone It's fabulous to see a female-fronted band that isn't afraid to pull out the big guns and wail away with guitars blazing and raucous, debaucherous lyrics sure to traumatize your mother if she heard them. This three-piece UK band took the stage at the Bovine on Saturday night, pouring out delicious trashiness to a hungry crowd. They're all brilliant musicians, the girls are super hot, and to top it all off, the lovely male drummer was shirtless. A gorgeous set all in all. - Lana Winter
Paper Lions Leave it to a bunch of boys from Prince Edward Island to show Torontonians how to throw a show. Indie rock quartet Paper Lions did just that at El Mocambo as they brought the house down. Formerly known as the Chucky Danger Band, Paper Lions gave their old songs a hard facelift as they opened with the previously mellow “One Thousand Voices” and turned it into an epic theatrical melody. Guitarist Colin Buchanan thrilled the crowd with screeching sound effects but the real highlight of the song was drummer David Cyrus MacDonald. The rest of the band departed the stage midway through the tune as MacDonald busted out a drum solo, which included bongo drums and four drum sticks – two in each hand. The other members of the band rejoined MacDonald and, perhaps feeling left out on the fun, also grabbed some drum sticks and started beating the hell out of his kit. The audience was quite packed and loudly clapped along to the bass drum beat and gave a roaring applause after each song finished, as if the concert was already over when it really was just beginning. Buchanan also delighted the crowd with his mandolin skills on “The Sheriff” but not to be outdone, vocalist/guitarist John MacPhee dropped his acoustic guitar in favour of a tambourine at times, perhaps the only tambourine solo during the festival. Their catchy, simple choruses, consisting of “ohs” and “whoas” made it quite easy for the audience to sing along to, even if they had never heard the band before. During Paper Lions’ final song, “Strawberry Man,” the band took it up yet another notch and really let loose. Buchanan and MacPhee jumped into the audience and headed as far as they could, leaving bassist Rob MacPhee (John’s brother) and MacDonald alone on stage to carry out the rhythm. There must be something in the potatoes in P.E.I. because Paper Lions left the audience in amazement, delivering one of the best shows of the North By Northeast festival. –Jon Brazeau
Bedouin Soundclash Playing to an absolutely packed room upstairs at the El Mocambo, where the audience could barely move let alone see the band, Bedouin Soundclash proved their mettle as one of Canada’s most popular, and most polished young bands. Choosing not to rely solely on their collection of collosal radio hits, Bedouin played a solid mix of album tracks from their two records. The swaying mass of people in attendance ate it up as feet shuffled, hands pumped and butts shaked. The band’s performance was near immaculate and as professional as one can ask from an early morning gig in a rough and tumble rock bar. The Bedoun boys even brought out George from Alexisonfire to play along on a few tracks, unless this reviewer was just so drunk he thought that’s what he heard and saw. Fans in attendance left drenched in sweat, grinning ear to ear, with the refrain from “Gyasi Went Home” playing in their heads and pouring from their mouths. - Sam Stilson
Rebekah Higgs After joining Laura Barrett on stage the previous night at the Reverb, Halifax’s Rebekah Higgs pulled off a double duty performance. Higgs was joined on stage at the Horseshoe Tavern by Barrett along with other musicians including the Bicycles’ Randy Lee on the violin. Higgs’ unique mix of folk, country and indie rock kept the audience swaying, at least those who had the room to move in the packed dive. Barrett was her usual multi-talented self, singing along as well as busting out her trademark kalimba and even strumming a banjo at times. Although the bass, drums and guitars dominated throughout the set’s louder parts, the full band experience flourished during Higgs’ softer moments. Higgs added some electronic sound effects, more reminiscent of the other band she’s a member of, trip hop group Ruby Jean and the Thoughtful Bees, making it difficult to classify Higgs’ sound as she continues to mix various elements of other genres. Overall, Higgs’ performance was a surprise treat of the North By Northeast festival as her experimental mix of electronic and East Coast folk was a hit with the crowd. – Jon Brazeau
Elder Roche A man, a guitar, and a sound that seems to meld Tom Waits with Iron & Wine; Elder Roche from Dublin, Ireland set up camp at the Hideout on Saturday night, and crooned to a fairly decent audience there. The Hideout, bastion of Queen West hipsters, might not have been the ideal venue for this performer, but he held his own with poetic lyrics and smooth melodies reminiscent of those by Leonard Cohen. It would be interesting to see him play a more blues-y venue like Hugh's Room or the Gladstone next time he's in town, but overall a fair showing. - Lana Winter Clothes Make the Man With super-high energy that can get an entire crowd rocking out, these boys from Ottawa have been working the indie music scene both there and in Toronto since 2003. They played the Bovine on Saturday night, belting out raw, edgy rock reminiscent of the height of grunge in the mid 90's, with great vocals shared between two singers. All are fantastic musicians, and it's really quite evident why these guys are such indie darlings. Their songs "Privy" and "Chile" are downright addictive. Their set was fantastic and a highlight of this year’s NXNE.
Spiral Beach With nary an inch of floor space left in the building, except for the spots underneath hopping patrons, Spiral Beach weren’t the only ones jumping for joy. The youthful Toronto quartet had the Horseshoe Tavern packed and in a frenzy with their catchy, danceable tunes. Not letting the fame of appearing and having their songs featured in the film Charlie Bartlett get to them, the band was frequently engaged with the audience as they danced up a storm. The stage was also decorated with glowing lights, pylons, fake flowers and a giant cartoon word bubble displaying the band’s name. Vocalist/keyboardist Maddy Wilde, wearing a Sonic the Hedgehog T-shirt, frequently left her keys and bounced around to the other side of the stage like the blue Sega mascot adorned on her shirt. Dueling with Airick Woodhead on the microphone, the boy-and-girl singing pair took turns screaming and belting out tunes such as “Made of Stone.” Due to a lack of space to move around, the audience was bouncing off of each other during “Waste of Time,” reciprocating the band’s enthusiastic energy. All the band members’ feet were probably beat red after the show as they were all barefoot on stage. All in all, Spiral Beach did not let the packed house down one bit as they rocked and danced up a storm. – Jon Brazeau
Clothes Make the Man Murphy’s Law of anything that can go wrong will go wrong was in effect for Clothes Make the Man’s show. The tiny Bovine Sex Club, with the stage situated right near the front door, provided a compact atmosphere akin to trying to squeeze 18 people into a phone booth. There was barely any room to even applaud, although those who could did so after every song. As if the sardine can feeling wasn’t enough, bassist Ross Machon busted up his instrument at one point and drummer Phil Wilson pounded so hard on his bass drum that it broke, requiring a call for the universal adhesive: duct tape. The setback, a “7th inning stretch” perhaps, allowed patrons to squeeze their way over to the bar or watch Spaceballs or Team America: World Police on the televisions. Despite all the problems and setbacks, Clothes Make the Man did their best to rock the joint with their guitar-driven anthems. The band played a mixture of old material and some new songs, although they explained they were in a bit of a transitional phase but you wouldn’t know it from their sound as they continued to play more riff-heavy tunes. Vocalist/guitarist Scott Henry liked the crowded atmosphere and encouraged the audience to be rowdier, if they could. While it was a tight squeeze and the band suffered some problems, Clothes Make the Man made the most of their situation and hopefully things will go better during their next show. – Jon Brazeau
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