The United Steel Workers of Montreal (Montreal, PQ)

I didn't expect to be so blown away by a band I had been so unfamiliar with, nevermind an "alt country" one, but once this rugged posse took to the stage I was pretty much transfixed. Their stage presence was practically intoxicating, from a Canadian southern rose who sang with her heart, to a tiny stand up bassist who loved to jump and mount his instrument, to a big burly brother of a man who looked like the cop from Spawn and gave me my own personal exorcism at the side of the stage. Their sound was like a country assault, it had a pacing that did not let up and reminded you about all the shoe stomping, change tapping fun to beer swallowing blues that bring you right back to Hank Williams and Nashville bound sounds.

-King Frankenstein

PS I Love You (Kingston, ON)

I had noticed the very large man in a flannel shirt rumbling around the Rivoli pretty much since I arrived, drinking beers and dancing awkwardly by himself. Dude was pretty tough to miss. Later on when I saw him again, he was wearing a series of cotton balls on his forehead with lightning bolts made of tinfoil dangling from them, draped over his cheeks. The mask obscured most of his face, though I'm not sure if I had put it together by this point that this guy was a performer. Well, as it turns out the dude's name is Paul Saulnier and he is one half of the Kingston-based art-rock duo PS I Love You. I was informed later that he never performs without his very strange mask - the image of which also appears on their album cover in cartoon form - and when they played, I was treated to a very haunting and provocative form of indie-rock that reminded me heavily of Modest Mouse. Saulnier has one of the most tragically pained sounding voices I've heard in a while and because the band consisted only of him on guitar and vocals and another guy, Benjamin Nelson on drums, the sparse instrumentation only added to the cohesiveness of their bizarre yet affecting set.

-Curran Folkers

Whale Tooth (Toronto, ON)

After a quick trip to the Arts and Crafts showcase on Thursday night, I headed to the Boat to see Whale Tooth for the first time since their EP release, looking forward to another one of the high-energy sets I have come to expect from such a dependable Toronto group; a band that never disappoints, I personally cannot wait for an LP release from a band that consistently captures a sensational pop sound.

I harbour the idea that Elise LeGrow sings only for me as she pulls out all of her signature shimmies, belting out my favourite tune “Clever” while the band fills the room with catchy hooks, igniting the crowd. Whale Tooth went for the gusto on “Marlboro Beach Bonanza,” but none as hard as guitarist Norm Maschke, who rushed into the crowd, scattering audience members that had to clear a circle to avoid his thrashes. But hey, any true fan should relish the chance to receive an elbow in the face during such respectable rocking and I’m sure his elbow hurt, so you’re even.

-Ted Killin

AIDS Wolf (Montreal, PQ)

Now I can't say if I liked the music, but it was hard not to like... Whatever it is... That just happened. It was noise alright, a noise bomb. Players choking the sound out of instruments and lead singer Special Deluxe fell like a corner less building into the crowd, writhing with the microphone in her jaw gargling what I guess was just according to plan. They set up their equipment just like every other band I saw, but what they played was madness. If this weirds the hell out of you than there's not much I can suggest to persuade you, you won't enjoy it. If this sounds like an aesthetical equivalent to wedging charcoal and crayolas in between your fingers and punching the wall, and if that sounds perfect for you, then go nuts. No really, go nuts.

-KF

Built by Snow (Austin, TX)

Following Whale Tooth at the Boat on Thursday, if you happened to be there, you would have probably caught Built by Snow, a very cool indie-synth-pop quartet from Texas. Fitting in perfectly with the rest of the bill at the venue that night, consisting entirely of likeminded indie-pop types such as the aforementioned Whale Tooth and Montreal's Les Handclaps, Built by Snow were an energetic and dynamic group of performers whose bouncy antics induced much dancing everywhere. Blending the effortlessly sweet meolodies and power-pop tone evocative of the two years when Weezer was any good with the jagged synthesizers and video game sounds of the Dismemberment Plan, these Texas nerd-rockers played a fantastic set that was certainly amongst the highlights of the first two nights of NXNE.

-CF

Jason Collett (Toronto, ON)

Beating the line by only a few minutes, I was able to squeeze into the sweltering Horseshoe on Saturday night before they hit capacity. Catching the tail end of Ruby Coast, I had to wait dripping in the heat for Collett to rock out with recent Arts and Crafts addition Zeus, as per usual. After a lengthy introduction by a CBC spokesperson, Collett himself stressed the importance of CBC as our national broadcaster while the crowd gushed, recognizing the value of a man that never overlooks his Canadian roots.

The most telling aspect of the local prominence of Collett is his presence on stage, confidently playing many new songs during this headlining set, but he still gave the audience a few of his standby hits in “Brownie Hawkeye” and “Out of Time,” among a few others. Collett appears less boisterous in his new songs, composing a sequel to “Almost Summer” in the new “High Summer,” as well a ballad “Love is a Chain,” although he did bolster the screams of delight from the crowd by sprawling on his back, wailing on his guitar as the crisp musicianship and titillating vocals of Zeus supplied the backdrop. Unfortunately for the late night bands the Horseshoe cleared out after his set, but in the afterglow of such a scorching set the drenched public had had their fill.

-TK