Suuns Bring Dizzying Distortion to Legendary Horseshoe Tavern -- NXNE

Montreal's Suuns harnessed the power of a charging locomotive as they delivered a jagged and driving psychedelic rock set at Toronto's Legendary Horseshoe Tavern on the second day of NXNE. After such a performance there's no doubt how they landed the No. 1 spot on NME's '50 Best New Bands of 2011' list.

The show started as earsplitting sine waves pelted the crowd, indoctrinating the new, and prepping the already experienced, for a proper Suuns gig. Following a brief introductory piece, lead singer Ben Shemie warmed up to the crowd as he cooed, eyes shut, cradling the mic amorously every time he leaned in for a verse. Kneeling down midway through, he shook his head vigorously to rid himself of collecting sweat only to pop back up without missing a beat.

While Suuns' set was largely characterized by a steadily chugging rhythm section, at times they switched to drum machines for a 4/4 house beat with an occasional techno twitch on songs like 'Mudslinger.' Even at their most melodic, tracks like 'Organ Blues' erupted in dizzying distortion. As the night drew to a close, Shemie and his counterparts, guitarist/bassist Joe Yarmush, drummer Liam O'Neill and bassist/keyboardist Max Henry, careened and twisted dramatically onstage.

Those who were on hand to see Suuns live up to their hype should congratulate themselves as it was a show full of awe and wonderment.

Watch Suuns Video for 'Up Past the Nursery'
See Spinner's Complete Coverage of NXNE 2011
Follow @Spinner on Twitter | Like Spinner on Facebook