The National @ Yonge-Dundas Square

One of the biggest draws of this year’s NXNE was a free show with Ohio’s The National at Yonge-Dundas Square. During their hour-plus long set, the band delivered with just as much flavour as they have to their paying audiences for over a decade. With a playlist featuring tracks spread across their entire discography, the massive audience was treated to cuts off the freshly released Trouble Will Find Me, back through lesser known works on Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers, and a host of songs off their breakthrough Boxer.

Despite a stunning performance from lead singer, Matt Berninger, there were a number of issues at the square. The band’s typically shining guitar lines were often buried under the rhythm section, and the massive PA was prone to some nasty crackle and hiss. Organizers also neglected to shut down parts of Yonge near the square, resulting in some interesting policing of traffic in a near-endless sea of attendees. Despite a few hiccups, the concert was ultimately a resounding success.

— Nick Gergesha

Still Corners @ The Horseshoe Tavern

With their sweeping melodies and cloud-soft reverb, Still Corners are the definition of dream pop. They played to a somewhat-sparse crowd at the Horseshoe, the lead singer (a blonde beauty in a silver sequined jacket with a sweetly shy laugh) joked that everyone was at The National’s performance at Yonge/Dundas Square. The band played from their album Strange Pleasures, a well-intentioned and perfectly safe offering to the gauze pop genre that sounded just as palatable in person as it does on recording. That is to say, it was a little underwhelming but perfectly suited for holding hands on warm summer nights.

— Elizabeth Haq

Big Black Delta @ the Garrison

Jonathan Bates (aka Big Black Delta) took the stage at the Garrison around 11pm. And what a stage it was: thick with smoke and pulsating with neon lights, at once disorienting and captivating. Bates’ endless jumping around was the visual equivalent of trying to piece together your surroundings while driving through a thick fog. Big Black Delta’s formidable catalogue swelled over the crowd, every bit as enthralling as his incredible LP, with Bates attempting to seduce every cross-armed typically-Toronto bystander to bust some kind of move. He teased the strangely stiff crowd, “You can dance, it’s okay!” Yeah, right. Not in this town, Bates.

— EH

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NXNE’s programming often includes something more than just a week of music. Elizabeth Haq decided to end her third night of NXNE-ing by trading in music for some stand-up comedy at ‘I Heart Jokes’ hosted at Creatures Creating.

Chris Robinson @ Creatures Creating

Creatures Creating played host to a string of up-and-coming Toronto-based comedians around midnight. First up was Chris Robinson, a young comic in a snapback who joked about his Jamaican grandmother and his controlling ex. With a dry, irreverent Donald Glover-y delivery, this man is a master of the white people joke. Though his inexperience sometimes translated into overcompensation by way of excessive bouts of “BITCH PLEASE!” and “ARE YOU SERIOUS?!”, he was super entertaining and definitely fun to watch.

— EH

Jordan Sowunmi @ Creatures Creating

Jordan Sowunmi was the comic I came to see. As a contributor for VICE, Noisey, and Toronto Standard, Jordan’s comedy comes from a very self-aware place, but he balances meticulously crafted routines with a roll-with-the-punches personality. He talked about his “thug” older brother — “He’s what the white people call a “real black guy.” — what he expects from his rappers — “I want to be afraid of you. I want it to be in the public interest for you to be locked away somewhere.” — and his experience socializing in small town Ontario versus Toronto — “In London, you hit every black man up with the ‘what up playa’ nod, as if to say ‘stay black out here brah.” He’s got insight, originality, and stage presence. See for yourself as soon as possible.

— EH