Festival Season: The Kids are Alright - NXNE Wrap-Up

I can't even begin to count how many live shows i've seen in the past 10 days. Between the annual national campus events conference in Ottawa, COCA, and NXNE, my ear drums have taken a total shizz kickin', alongside my liver.

Now that I have a chance for both organs to rest periodically, I figured I would share with you the one key learning from my adventures: the future of the Canadian indie music scene is a bright one.

Evidence 1 - Obviously I could go on for weeks on how fantastic Aurora teens Ruby Coast are, but anyone who has crossed my path or read this blog in the past two months is already familiar. So instead, I will say only this - four RC shows in seven days, and I still cannot get these wonderfully crafted pop songs out of my head. Two in Ottawa (including a rad set in a living room), one in Montreal, and finally their NXNE showcase at the Drake, and every single one keeps getting better. Their next one is June 22nd at Sneaky Dee's as part of Wavelength, and you absolutely know who'll be front row.

Evidence 2 - Admittedly, I'm totally late on the praise for Toronto quirky indie pop quartet Spiral Beach, who hit the scene in 2005 with their debut EP which garnered a significant amount of attention. I'd never seen them until their NXNE showcase at the Horseshoe on Saturday night, I think it partly due to the fact that, at age 25, I thought I was somehow too old to really enjoy their youthful antics and bubblegum approach to surf rock. But after their incredible performance Saturday, I've trashed all preconceived notions of these young men and women, and decided to focus strictly on the fact that they create unorthodoxically catchy rhythms projected through endlessly infectious stage antics. And, with each member of the band listing influences such as Gogol Bordello, Syd Barrett, Frank Zappa, I'm confident that they're going to be interesting to watch for years to come.

Oh, and the Death Set fucking ruled. Again. But they're not really kids (though Johnny Sierra is pretty small and nimble), so they don't fit the theme.

Ruby Coast - Neighbourhood

Spiral Beach - Made of Stone

the Death Set - Had a Bird

- bbbykmbrly.

Live: The Death Set & Bonde Do Role - Social, Toronto

Kind words of advice from BTA to our readers: if you are in a band, do not let Baltimore's the Death Set open for you. Unless, of course, it's part of some kind of ironic statement in which you want your band to look as uninspired, uninteresting, and generally lame as humanly possible.

Not that Brazilian electro-funkers Bonde Do Role were any of the afformentioned things - quite the opposite, in fact. But next to one of the most explosive live performances I can recall basically ever, it would have been simply impossible for them to compete for my heart tonight.

When guitarist/vocalist/band mastermind Johnny Siera was surfing on the speakers and climbing up the rafters, there was nowhere in the world I wanted to be except right there with him. And now that I've spent my entire month's allowance on every recording they had available at the show, I may just join him in destroying the whole fucking place the next time his band comes to town.

Aural States has their entire set available for streaming here, taken from a show a month or two ago in their hometown with Matt & Kim.

the Death Set - Negative Thinking

the Death Set - Around the World

- bbbykmbrly.