NXNE Friday June 13th
So yesterday I left my house at about 2 PM and got home at a little after 4 AM. So needless to say I didn’t get to blog my Friday reviews. So here they are!
Ok City Ok @ the Silver Dollar (9 PM): So the Silver Dollar takes the cake I think for the best venue for the festivals. Everyone and their dog runs off to the Horseshoe to lineup and see bigger, poppier bands that get more airplay and end up lining up for an hour and missing the chance to see another band somewhere else. But usually you can get in the Dollar and end up getting a better atmosphere, cheaper alcohol and always more interesting bands.
Ok City Ok were ok. The cynic in me sort of found it a bit curious when the Caucasian frontman for the otherwise fully Japanese band continuously announced to the crowd that they were from Tokyo without ever explaining how he fit into the equation. Maybe he has lived his whole life in Tokyo but I just would have liked to know. The lead singer was actually sort of boring which was a shame because the other three players were really entertaining and talented. With a different frontman this band could be wicked.
Action Makes @ Silver Dollar (10): Action Makes are supposed to be a really cool band and I’ve been meaning to check them out for a while. Problem is they never seem to play anymore. Problem with that is I thought they were super sloppy on Friday night at the Dollar. I can tell that if this band were playing regularly and practicing regularly that these songs would have been tighter and the set a lot more memorable. I would see them again but not if they are just lingering around playing big festival shows.
The Primaries @ Rancho Relaxo (11): The Primaries were playing what I believe was their second show since becoming a three piece out of the ashes of a band from London who were called the Knaves. So colour me surprised when this band played a higher energy, tighter and the whole far more entertaining set than Action Makes did at the Dollar.
Their sound isn’t that full and that might be a problem because with three members and songs that are a tad predictable in nature they’ll have a tough time getting repeat audiences. Still, this is a band to watch and one of the pleasant surprises of the festival for me.
Golden Hands Before God… @ Savannah Room (12): And here ladies and gentlemen is the set of the festival for me. Surrounded by some of my closest friends, including Jenny who has been spending the last few weeks completely obsessing over Golden Hands’ amazing soon to be released EP I was at a fever pitch waiting for this set to start.
The Savannah Room stage is tiny, but all six members fit on it even if it meant tambourine specialist Jamie Greer had to get up to his crazy antics while hardly being able to move his feet. GHBG owned that room… everywhere I looked people were dancing, banging their head, shouting to their friends about how awesome what was going on was. And the band knew it… they channeled all that energy and fired it back at us in the crowd ten-fold. When their trademark set closer “All Together Now” came on Jamie came out and handed a shaker to me and a few others in the crowd and called Aaron from the Speaking Tongues up to sing along. I think it was perhaps my favourite rock moment in my life to date.
Hot Springs @ Sneaky Dee’s (1): I can’t even review this. I apologize but I was riding high on the previous set and just wanted to tell everyone about it. Not to mention some crazy shit was going down that I won’t get into here… Hot Springs I owe you a mulligan.
We Are Wolves @ Sneaky Dee’s (2): This wasn’t that well kept of a secret band at Sneak’s but that is good because for the second time that night I was in a bar surrounded with some of my closest show friends in the city. I also had my lovely fiancee dancing with me and sharing what was such a good set it almost could have rivaled what I saw at the Savannah Room earlier.
Big props go out to Chantal who worked the sound for We Are Wolves Friday and had Dee’s sounding better than I’ve ever heard it before. I guess you would call We Are Wolves electro rock all I know is that I haven’t danced at a show in months yet this was the second time in three hours you could find me dancing and losing myself in the intense energy and forever memorable choruses. The lead singer got a bit too reggae in his banter which was weird but forgivable. If you saw them at the El Mo Saturday night instead I feel your pain. I heard that set didn’t even come close to comparing.