With a long lineup of impatient revellers stuck outside awaiting entry into the Dakota Tavern last night for the Paquin Entertainment showcase, Toronto indie-rock quartet the Coast managed to hold their own against several higher-profile acts (Coeur de Pirate, the Deep Dark Woods, $100) that had taken the stage beforehand.

In fact, why this band isn't much better-known continues to puzzle -- with their fierce playing and hooky, epic songs, they've been lauded by the Guardian, which dubbed them "Arcade Fire pretending to be New Order doing Flaming Lips covers."

While that descriptor might be a tad overwrought, the Coast certainly possesses those acts' ability to incorporate different sounds into the mix in a cohesive way. While the mainstreaming of indie rock has given rise to a rather homogeneous sound, to the point where it becomes difficult to distinguish one hipster band from the other, what sets the Coast apart is that they're not afraid to play around with the formula. Sure, they've got the huge, melodic guitar breakdowns, killer rhythm section and requisite synthy keyboard parts, but each of their songs still manages to sound unique, which seems to be a rarity these days.

While the band has been on hiatus following a lengthy tour in support of their debut album 'Expatriate,' they certainly showed no signs of rust during last night's high-octane performance, unveiling a number of blistering new tracks and also throwing in a few favorites from the record (album producer Chris Stringer jumped onstage to join in on guitar on a few numbers). Singer/guitarist Ben Spurr seems to have a new command of his distinctive vocals, while Ian Fosbery's dexterous guitar work remains the foundation for the Coast's melodic framework.

Having watched the band develop over the past several years, it's interesting to see how they continue to stretch artistically -- the new songs play with a different sonic palette than their past work, adding shades of roots-rock and even post-punk rhythms, moving slightly away from the band's previous Britpop fixation.

And the old favorites, like 'Nueva York,' with its marching drum backbeat and catchy piano line, sounded better than ever, bashed out with intensity and precision. In fact, the Coast's tunes sounded almost too big for the Dakota's tiny basement room, and some of the more subtle nuances of their sound got lost in the overly-loud mix.

Then again, hopefully it's unlikely we'll be seeing this band in venues that size for much longer, so those who were there last night may very well be able to tell one of those "I saw them when ..." stories about the Coast's NXNE gig.