Buck 65, Rich Aucoin, Burning Love Play Unofficial BBQ, House Party at NXNE

For the last few years, Toronto music scenester Tim McCready has thrown one of the highest-profile, non-official NXNE BBQs at his house on 159 Manning. This year was both his biggest and his most controversial as he increased the amount of space, raised the number of stages to three, integrated art displays and poetry readings, cooked two whole pigs on a spit and raised the cover to $30 CA.

McCready took some flak for the supposed non-inclusiveness of the price, but you'd never know it from Rich Aucoin's basement set. The ceilings were too low for jumping, but otherwise the setting was the ultimate location for the Halifax party-starter's brand of crowd-participatory electro-pop. Aucoin's DIY combination of viral video projections, call-and-response, confetti and childhood-style parachute games have always seemed ideal for unusual settings.

Outside, in the backyard stage, it was easy to spot those who'd witnessed Aucoin's show by their inordinate amount of sweat. Local singer-songwriter Julie Fader was much more low-key, but it fit the comfortable daytime environment. Normally a collaborator with everyone from Blue Rodeo to Great Lake Swimmers, Fader has been laying low for the last couple of months since the birth of her child, but seemed happy to be back on stage.

Later, special headliner Buck 65 (pictured) -- easily the biggest name that's ever played the event -- made the most of his appearance with a set that stretched over an hour. Blending material from his latest album, '20 Odd Years,' with songs from all of his actual 20 odd years, the quirky rapper (and erstwhile CBC Radio 2 host) proved an inspired choice for the BBQ.

The vibe seemed much more light than usual, but Burning Love took the tone down a few shades in their night-ending showcase. In one of the strangest contrasts of the day, the local hardcore band followed a giant gospel choir called Choir!Choir!Choir! with a set of gritty, hard-edged punk 'n' roll.

Fellow Torontonians F---ed Up have proven that you can blend group hug vibes with hardcore, but Burning Love lead singer Chris Colohan's wandering, somersaulting performance kept up a layer of confrontation. Singing in people's faces and grabbing iPhones from anyone caught tweeting, the frontman showed there's still room for edge in punk music, even if it crosses over into the indie realm. The eight police cars stationed outside the house sure seemed to suggest so, anyways.

Watch a Video From Last Year's BBQ at 159 Manning
See Spinner's Complete Coverage of NXNE 2011
Follow @Spinner on Twitter | Like Spinner on Facebook