WEDNESDAY

Jason Collett (Courthouse, 8 p.m.)

A surprisingly tight opening set from the veteran songwriter, who has toned down the fake-Dylanism and assembled a raucous band behind him. —CHRIS BERUBE

THURSDAY

Pace the Stairs (Silver Dollar Room, 9 p.m.)

Syncopated noise, which kind of made me miss the Blood Brothers. I knew it would be a good show when the bouncers outside were complaining about how loud it was.—DAVID PIKE

Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head (El Mocambo, 11 p.m.)

Everything about them seems so wrong—a sound of pure ’80s cheese, enthusiasm that outstrips musical chops, side ponytails—but seeing them live just felt so right! A boisterous dance party all the way through, and the surprise of the festival.—CB

Health (Horseshoe Tavern, 1 a.m.)

I can count on one hand the number of breaks in between Health’s overwhelming wall-of-noise set. I couldn’t hear anything when I left the venue. Also, never wear flip flops to the Horseshoe.—DP

Tin Star Orphans (Horseshoe Tavern, 3 a.m.)

“Welcome to first night 3 a.m.! We are your hosts, Tin Star Orphans.” Ah, TSO, if only you could rock the Horseshoe ’til four in the morning every night. My liver would probably explode, but I wouldn’t mind. —JOE HOWELL

FRIDAY

Matt & Kim (Whippersnapper, 8 p.m.)

Instead of Prozac, they should prescribe Matt & Kim shows to depressives. The duo is just so darn happy! Sadly, the pair didn’t get nekkid like in the instant-classic “Lessons Learned” video, but apparently Kim’s grandfather was disappointed by the Times Square streaking. So, maybe that’s out for good.—JH

Wintersleep (Yonge-Dundas Square, 9:45 p.m.)

While tight enough musically, their live show was a bit of a snore. It takes a lot of stage presence to do Yonge and Dundas justice, and Wintersleep just doesn’t have it.—JH

Deep Dark Woods (Dakota Tavern, 10 p.m.)

There’s something fitting about listening to these crooners lament that “all the money [they] had is gone,” while most of the audience sits around indulging in that recessionary staple of macaroni and cheese. A sultry, gorgeous set.

—SHOSHANA WASSER

Fond of Tigers (Music Gallery, 10 p.m.)

For me, the test of a good band is whether they can do something that I can’t. Fond of Tigers, whose seven-part tracks are impenetrably dense (and sounded great in this hallowed space), knock me on my ass every time I see them.

—ALEX MOLOTKOW

Hooded Fang (Dakota Tavern, 11 p.m.)

What would Jacob Two-Two think of Hooded Fang? With their whimsical assortment of instruments and enigmatic lead singers, the band had almost enough charm to play two sets.—SW

No Age (Lee’s Palace, 12 a.m.)

Why is this two-piece band thing so gimmicky? Why are there hipsters push-moshing?—DP

“I didn’t know there was a wash- room back here!”—Guy in line at Lee’s Palace, shortly before peeing in the alley. —JH

Parallels (Reverb, 1 a.m.)

Dark glam synth rock is making a comeback, baby! This sparsely at- tended show was the best of the eight acts I saw that night. Check out their MySpace and see them next chance you get (which should be soon, considering that they’re native Torontonians.)—JH

SATURDAY

The Zoobombs (Yonge-Dundas Square, 2:30 p.m.)

Impossible to ignore live, these Japanese punks bend genres in one of the most consistently flawless sets you are likely to see anywhere in the world. Strong stuff.—CB

Caledonia (Bread & Circus, 10 p.m.)

When Caledonia’s set was ended by the sound guy turning on “Just Like Heaven,” fans protested until the folksy group promised a few more songs. Better than The Cure? Well, definitely pretty good.—SW

Simply Saucer (The Reverb, 2 a.m.)

The more you like Simply Saucer’s records, the more prudent it is to cherish the hard copy and never, ever see the band perform live. Of course, their material is still way better than 90 per cent of the acts performing this weekend, and they can still rock. But the hard truth is that at age 45 it’s impossible to do what you did when you were 20.—AM

Sunday

Arrington de Dionyso (The Music Gallery, 3 p.m.)

This was cancelled at the last minute, which means I walked the 15 minutes to the Music Gallery for nothing. So fuck Arrington de Dionyso. I bet his real name is John.—AM

GZA w/ King Khan (Yonge-Dundas Square, 8 p.m.)

A crowd-pleasing set that included everything you would want: selections largely taken from Liquid Swords, shout outs to ODB and one firm reminder that Wu Tang is for the children. Like a big, hip-hop group hug.—CB