Saturday

Beach Day at the GAP

Who knew that a GAP store could be a great venue? On Saturday afternoon, the GAP on Queen Street West hosted Joywave, Beach Day, and Craft Spells as part of the North by Northeast (NXNE) festivities. I caught the Beach Day show, arriving with enough time beforehand to snag a free homemade popsicle and some vitamin water — the sponsors of NXNE were very intent on keeping us all hydrated this year.

Beach Day was stylish and impressive — I had never heard them before, and after the show I bought their album (and I don’t even have a disc drive on my computer, so yeah, they charmed me). The band from Florida is a mixture of throwback genres, like if the Beach Boys, Buddy Holly & The Crickets, and No Doubt had a baby, and then invited Etta James to teach that baby how to sing.

On trend, the attack of Toronto’s infamously timid audiences continued. Halfway through the set, the band had to invite all of us to come closer as everyone had politely stood back two feet from their setup. Since the show was on the GAP’s showroom floor, when we moved closer, we were almost toe-to-toe with the band, which was both exciting and unnerving. People walking by would peer through the store windows and seemed surprised and curious. NXNE does strange and sponsored venues well.

— India McAllister

 

Spoon at Yonge-Dundas Square (YDS)

Two things became very apparent early on in the Spoon set about their fans — that they are very tall, rendering me unable to see anything from my spot near the front of the stage; and that they are not particularly excitable. The set may have had the lowest energy crowd I saw during NXNE. Hit songs were met with blanks stares and minimal dancing. The band played their heart out to a resounding “meh.”

As quite a big fan of Spoon, it did hurt to see them performing to such an unenthusiastic crowd. It was also disconcerting to consider that I might be associated with the only other visible fan in the area, who was screaming rather unpleasantly and yelling out to individual bands members.

The best explanation I can think of for the lukewarm reception of Spoon is relevancy. The band’s biggest success was in the ’90s, and they haven’t been a major player in popular culture for several years. While names like St. Vincent draw big crowds both from fans and people who have heard the buzz and want to see what she’s about, a band like Spoon relies purely on fan base. As an older group, it seems they failed to appeal to the mostly 20-something Yonge-Dundas Square crowd.

—Sarah Niedoba

 

Rhye at Massey Hall

Rhye at Massey Hall may have been one of the most appropriate venue placements of the NXNE festival. The R&B duo of Michael Milosh and Robin Hannibal play tunes that are as smooth as silk. Milosh’s voice filled the hall and left the audience mesmerized.

Surprisingly, the performance concentrated on refining the instrumental and highlighting the talent that went into the recording. Milosh’s voice was not the centrepiece. Rather, his accompanying musicians took the spotlight, which was impressive and demonstrated their immense talent — I especially enjoyed the violinist.

The set was relaxing and sensual. If you didn’t bring along a significant other, or a blanket to cuddle with yourself, you missed out.

—Ayla Shiblaq

 

Sunday

DIY fair and record swap at Edward Day Gallery

When the last day of NXNE rolled around, I was sad but also kind of relieved, since exhaustion had definitely taken over. I woke up and immediately headed over to the Edward Day Gallery for the DIY fair and record swap. The market itself was pretty packed with records, CDs, concert photos, and zines. Everyone seemed to know one another, and it was nice to see the music and art scene of Toronto come out for the end of the festival. That said, I couldn’t help feeling like I just was not quite cool enough to be there. It sort of seemed like a family barbeque, if your entire family was 25, covered in tattoos, and jamming out to rock music.

Greys played to the Edward Day courtyard, and I decided to take a walk through the next-door Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, which has a special display on for Pride. It’s nice to see the two festivals overlapping so well; many other NXNE spectators were also looking through the exhibit.

—India McAllister

 

Sam Coffey and the Iron Lungs at the Crawford

I’ve been a fan of Sam Coffey and the Iron Lungs since high school — Sam and his band played quite often in Kitchener-Waterloo, my hometown. While the lineup has changed, Sam continues to rock the chilled out blues vibe that I have always loved.

The Crawford’s stage is in the basement and there is not much space for the audience. This meant that many people, including myself at one point, were left to view the show from above at the top of the balcony and stairs. It was nice to know the lyrics of the songs and feel familiar with the band after so many nights of hearing bands for the first time. I came into the festival having taken a break from the music scene in Southwestern Ontario, and was pleasantly surprised. Almost every act I saw from the area killed it. Sam Coffey was no exception.

—India McAllister

 

Run the Jewels at YDS

Run the Jewels’ Killer Mike and El-P are some of the classiest rappers in the game. They’re polite and all about getting down to business, and they don’t shy away from political statements and expressing love for their fans.

Killer Mike really knows how to get down. He’s talented and isn’t afraid to have a good time, even if he’s the object of some laughter. The energy at the show was ideal — there was room to dance and throw your hands up, without the perils of a crazy mosh pit.

Run the Jewels commanded the audience extremely well and proved that their place in the rap game is well-deserved. I have a difficult time saying this, but their set may have been better than Danny Brown’s at the square.

—Ayla Shiblaq

 

Juicy J at YDS
Many acts fall flat at the big, open air square that is Yonge and Dundas, but hip-hop has always played well, as exemplified by past successes Wu Tang Clan and Ludacris.

People were not timid when it came to trying to get to the front for Juicy J, the night’s headliner. I got elbowed in the face, stepped on, and pushed around — along with enduring a lot of high-pitched screaming.

As a rule, I don’t love being crammed up against a barrier with thousands of people pushing from behind, so I decided to leave my front row centre spot. I made my way to the VIP area, which wasn’t particularly different, but was slightly less rowdy due to the limited entry. Juicy J played a great show, throwing some shoes into the crowd that were promptly fought over. It’s not a good end to NXNE unless at least one person gets hurt over a pair of sneakers.

—India McAllister