1. Blog-pop is here to stay
The legendary Horseshoe Tavern was packed for Canadian trio DIANA, the latest addition to the Washed Out-wannabes club and the epitome of flavour-of-the-month. Their set was lacklustre and plagued by technical problems that highlighted their inexperience. The band had a few good moments; however; both “Born Again” and “Perpetual Surrender” allowed lead singer Carmen Elle’s fragile vocals to gain some momentum, and Joseph Shabason’s sax elevated the set from profoundly boring to sufficiently entertaining.
2. The Comfort Zone is anything but
Newly electronic Braids were set to play the Silver Dollar’s basement next. The band’s pulsating basslines and ethereal vocals attracted sweaty crowds to undulate in a mass of joyful delirium, but this one was palpably distracted by how much sweat it was producing and didn’t like it all too much. Packed, overheated crowds are par for the course at NXNE but pray tell, who damned such a popular band to this armpit of venue hell? Why was I centimetres away from a large, shirtless man, nearly face-deep in his vast, shockingly hairy back?
Oh, but the band was great! “Amends” sounds wonderful in person.
3. Sometimes, it’s good to Wait to Pleasure
No Joy’s midnight set at Black Box was the highlight of the evening, proving for the night that good things come to those who wait. Vocalists Jasamine White-Gluz and Laura Lloyd murmured over deeply sensual and subtly distorted guitars, and humdrum shoe gaze was perpetually punctured with stabs of exquisite, raw energy, showcasing the band’s expansive range. The melodic slow-motion of “Hare Tarot Lies” (off their excellent Wait to Pleasure LP) was a personal favourite.
