Neil Quin (from Zeus)/The Elwins @ Analogue Gallery
Neil Quin at Analogue Gallery
Neil Quin had a nice, mellow set at the Analogue Galery Slapback BBQ that was topped off by a cover of R. Kelly’s “Ignition”. The venue itself was a quaint little gallery with autographed albums and prints of famous musicians on the walls.
The Elwins at Analogue Gallery
The Elwins had a traditional indie pop sound that got the crowd moving. I thought that the set started stronger than it ended but overall, it was a solid show! Listen to “Propinquity” below:
Gauntlet Hair/The Dodos/Deerhoof @ Phoenix Concert Theatre
Gauntlet Hair at Phoenix Concert Theatre
I was excited to hear Gauntlet Hair as I was familiar with their song “I Was Thinking…”:
Their dreamy reverb-filled sound actually translated well to their live show. Though it finished off stronger than it started, they have great potential and are worth checking out. I’ve never seen a drummer ever go so hard on an electronic drumkit.
The Dodos at Phoenix Concert Theatre
The Dodos followed with one of my favourite sets of NXNE. A very polished sound, a streamlined set, they sounded great and got the crowd into it. The drummer even had a tambourine taped to his foot for added measure. Listen to their song “Black Night” below:
Deerhoof at Phoenix Concert Theatre
The venue was packed for Deerhoof to close out the night. I had little idea what to expect as the music I had checked out from their back catalogue was as sporadic as it was random. Though they seemed like great musicians and despite flashes of brilliance during their set, I simply could not get into their sound. It was like indie rock combined with a nervous tick and the random disruptions to any sort of melody left something to be desired. The drummer, complete with his hilarious lack of skilll in talking to the crowd, was a highlight though.
Anagram/Fucked Up @ Wrongbar
Anagram at Wrongbar
It was impossible to get a great picture of Anagram as a band because the lead singer decided to walk around the crowd the entire set but their hard-hitting sound was a a good lead-in for Fucked Up.
What can you expect from a band with such a loud and brazen sound? A raucous crowd, with people stagediving every 20 seconds, paired with Damian’s passion and not-giving-a-fuck-about-people-in-the-crowd-being-dicks made for an electric set that was one of the highlights of NXNE. Just be sure that you don’t mind being kicked in the face if you intend to get a close look at the band.
