My second NXNE has come to an end, including all of our coverage. I caught awesome acts that I knew I wanted to see, and a few that have proven themselves to me in the past. Of course, I also made some incredible discoveries. That's what a festival like NXNE is all about.
Check out a few choice pics that Roy Cohen and I captured. Please click through to the individual posts for more pics, thoughts on the performances and music from the artists.
Moving Units headlined a NXNE show at The Silver Dollar Room on June 14. I discovered this band around the time of their 2007 release Hexes for Exes and when I had this opportunity to check out the LA dance-punk band live, I jumped at it.
I love this kind of polished, danceable post-punk music. It's got so much energy and life, while the band delivers music that goes well beyond its originators and influences to create something unique and ultimately favourite-worthy.
They've got such a tight sound with angular/disco guitar riffs, the driving and funky interweaving basslines, the dance-worthy drums and hook-filled vocals. I found the drummer especially awesome and I love those beats he creates. They rock and they're irresistible. You just can't stand still!
You can just tell a difference when a band like this hits the stage. They command attention and draw you in. Blake Miller's guitar playing is fantastic and reminds me of so many great punk, post-punk and pop players of the late 70s and 80s.
North By Northeast (NXNE) and Budweiser have just announced the first acts confirmed for the NXNE Port Lands, taking place June 17-18, 2016 in Toronto. Ghostface Killah, Shamir, Daniel Caesar, and Mick Jenkins will perform on Friday, June 17, and Father John Misty, Mother Mother, Dan Mangan, The Zolas and The Devin Cuddy Band with special guest Jim Cuddy will appear on Saturday, June 18.
NXNE had previously announced that for this year, they were adding a major outdoor festival experience at the Port Lands, a new Interactive, Music and Gaming Conference at the Ted Rogers School of Management with location sponsor Ryerson University, and a new format for the NXNE Yonge-Dundas Square take-over to the 2016 Festival.
The Port Lands, located at Cherry and Commissioners Street, will be the home of a major festival hub that will reflect the spirit of NXNE. The ticketed “festival within a festival” will feature live music from discovery bands, artists on the cusp of glory, and stellar headliners creating the soundtrack to this immersive experience that will include art installations, a convoy of food trucks and you-had-to-be-there moments in a convenient location.
In addition to the new two-day outdoor experience, NXNE will continue to program events in key Toronto clubs and venues, in partnership with Collective Concerts, such as Lee's Palace, The Mod Club, and Danforth Music Hall from June 15-19.
NXNE Club Land has confirmed performances by The Motorleague, Adam Baldwin, Birds of Bellwoods, and Jesse Mac Cormack. NXNE Club Land will also host an Indigenous music showcase, co-presented by iNATIVEfest and Gunner Records, featuring Stevie Salas and Bernard Fowler in The IMF's, Shawnee, Mariam, and DJ Shub at The Great Hall.
All NXNE Club Land tickets, and NXNE Port Lands single day, weekend and VIP passes will be on sale on Friday, April 29 at 10am EST through TicketFly at nxne.com/tickets/.
Previously announced acts as part of NXNE Club Land from June 13-19, 2016 include: A-WA; Bad Sports; The Beatdown; Bertrand Berlin; Big Eyes; Big Ups; Bionic; Brains; Bry Webb & Providers; Cold Specks; DIANA; Danny Rebel & the KGB; Dig It Up!; Duotang; Eagulls; Escondido; Eternal Sleep; Full of Hell; God's Hate; The Hunna; The Joy Formidable; Kamasi Washington; Kevin Morby; King Khan and The Shrines; K-Man & the 45s; Mikey Erg; Moving Units; Nails; NQ Arbuckle; Pere Ubu; Prozzak; Radioactivity; SATE; Screaming Females; Shred Kelly; The So So Glos; Stonefield; Sun K; USA Out of Vietnam; The Worriers; and The Yardlets.
Click through on the hyperlinked artist names above for my concert photos of these acts.
Here are some of the acts that I'm most looking forward to covering, along with the inevitable new discoveries that festivals like this bring.
