Music
AUX does NXNE: Our must-see picks for Friday
by AUX staff
June 14, 2013
It’s hard to believe it’s only day three of NXNE, but it’s only been two days of club hopping, secret shows, and ram-packed showcases. (I mean, who ever thought we’d see Dan Deacon and Nu Sensae on the same bill?) But the show must go on, and it certainly does—tonight’s the night Keith Morris gets reunited with some of his old SoCal hardcore pals in FLAG, The National head up a decidedly sombre outing at Yonge-Dundas Square, and so, so much more. Like what? Slow down: Here are our must-see picks for tonight.
By Tyler Munro (TM), Chayne Japal (CJ), Mark Teo (MT), and Nicole Villeneuve (NV).
Sumo Cyco at Cherry Cola’s Rock ‘n’ Rolla Cabaret
Sumo Cyco is worth seeing for anyone curiously stumbling by Cherry Cola’s on Friday night, if only because theyíre fronted by former teen-pop sensation Skye Sweetnam, who’s since rebranded herself as the sexy, sadistic front lady of this industrial infused rock outfit. We can’t speak much to the quality of the music, but it should at the very least prove hilarious. (But for a serious pick, check out Biblical at midnight at the Bovine for a heavy as hell, bluesy good time; it’s just around the corner from Cherry Cola’s). 11 p.m. at Cherry Cola’s Rock ‘n’ Rolla Cabaret. 200 Bathurst St. (TM)
Pick a Piper at Comfort Zone
If you missed Pick A Piper on Thursday, you should take the chance to catch them at the Comfort Zone tonight, even if their name doesn’t inspire much confidence. Earlier this year, the Toronto-based group (overseen by live Caribou percussionist Brad Weber and featuring Clint Scrivener, Angus Fraser, Dan Roberts, and others), released their first full-length, and it veers more closely to Weber’s live bandmate’s sound than they have previously, using more synth sounds while still maintaining a warm overall acoustic tone. Weber’s experience—and what that’s already proven on record—points to a pro set here. 11 p.m., The Comfort Zone. 480 Spadina Ave. (NV)
Fill Spectre at Silver Dollar
To Torontonians, Jay Share-It is a known commodity: He mans the guitars for local surf-garage gems The Pow Wows. Less known, however, is Fill Spectre, Share-It’s solo bedroom project, but it isn’t what it sounds like—he’s not a Macbook-wielding bleeding-heart troubadour or a pedal-obsessed Cocteau Twins worshipper. Rather, his Scare Your Friends cassette filters Share-It’s guitars—into rockabilly, garage, and occasionally, vintage pop-punk—through thick, overblown distortion, and pairs it a drum machine. (Which, at times, feels natural and, at others, feels completely jarring.) It’s no wall of sound; it comes across as waves of nauseating, exhilarating noise—and live, when paired with a backing band, Fill Spectre’s songs take on a whole new life. Fill Spectre also closes out NXNE with a 3 a.m. set at the Crawford’s Mustache Rides showcase on Sunday. 3 a.m., The Silver Dollar. 486 Spadina Ave. (MT)
DJ Illo and DJ Jr. Flo at the Drake Hotel
Everyone is a DJ these days. Once upon a time, a DJ would gradually hoard records and decipher their BPM and breaks by listening to them. That took some dedication, but those times are gone. A dope-ass library could be downloaded in a matter of minutes and a program, even iTunes will crossfade that shit, no prob. Still, true DJs like Eh! Team affiliates Illo and Jr. Flo (of Keys-N-Krates) or not obsolete. These guys aren’t just bumbling through hits, they bang continuously, dropping anthems at just the right time. Take a break from the guitars and go break a sweat to their stylings in the comfy confines of Drake Hotel. 11 a.m., The Drake Hotel. 1150 Queen St. W. (CJ)
Tags: Music, News, NXNE, pick a piper, skye sweetnam
