Tuesday, August 27, 2013

NXNE 2013 Day 2

Similarly to Thursday, Friday was spent mostly in one place.

I started at The Mod Club (lovely venue!) for Wildlife and then local (Winnipeg) favourites Imaginary Cities. I was very pleased to see people around me in the front singing along. I truly enjoy seeing how bands fare in other cities, and it's clear that Toronto loves Imaginary Cities.

Next stop was Cameron House for the Manitoba Music showcase. Sweet Alibi were already on stage when I arrived, but I did not miss my favourite song, "I'll Wait".

Next up was Federal Lights, who have been a favourite of mine since the first time I saw them live a couple of years ago at the Park Theatre. Their sound has grown since Carbon, and I can't wait to hear the new CD.

The Revival played next, and brought the same energy as the night before. Hopefully their new record will get them the attention they deserve with a wider audience.

Ingrid Gatin closed out the night. It was nice to end off with an acoustic set after all the bands.


NXNE 2013 Day #1

I arrived in Toronto on Thursday, June 13 to attend NXNE for the 3rd time--2nd time with MFM. My room at the Hyatt had a balcony (!). It's exciting because it was the first time I'd ever gotten a room with a balcony!

I spent the evening at the Rivoli to see Winnipeggers The Revival. I hadn't seen them play before, but had heard a couple of their songs online. The energy they have when they play live is contagious.

Next up was Cai.ro, a band I'd heard a lot about, but never listened to before. One of the great things about NXNE is that you get to see bands you'd been thinking about checking out and hadn't yet. These guys and girl were great! They were in a weird place, as far as the line-up, but they owned the stage for their 45 minute set. If you've been putting off listening to these guys, as I did, procrastinate no longer!

Miesha and the Spanks played next. I'd seen Miesha before in Winnipeg, and I was happy to have a chance to see her again. There was a guest drummer joining her on stage for this set, and even though there were times that seemed improvised, it never felt sloppy. More women in punk, please! (I'm on a serious quest to listen to more female-fronted/all-girl bands and solo artists, so please leave recommendations in the comments.)

The night ended (for me) with The Bokononists, a Winnipeg rock band that I'd seen a couple of times before. Their set was a high energy good time!