The Soft Pack Played Hard at NXNE

San Diego's the Soft Pack, who played a 4PM Saturday set in Yonge-Dundas Square as part of the NXNE Music Festival, was originally named The Muslims, but changed it after being subjected to ignorant racist taunts. Luckily, the group hasn't changed its music, which remains pretty diverse and eclectic.

Some songs featured lots of guitar feedback, while others were more jangle rock that harkened back to the early days of R.E.M. There were also some punkier moments, a tropical pop vibe wound its way through 'Mexico,' and one could hear elements of Joy Division and Velvet Underground's faster numbers in other cuts.

The best song of the set, however, was 'Bright Side,' the B-side of a 2009 seven-inch. It was more aggressive than the recorded version, but maintained its many hooks, and the guitar-playing bordered on brilliant.

"Thank you guys very much," singer/guitarist/keyboardist Matt Lamkin said part-way through the band's 12-song set. "We're Iggy Pop and the Stooges."

He was joking, of course, but the Soft Pack was an excellent table-setter for what was to come later in the evening, capped off by those very same rock legends that Lamkin was referencing.