NXNE 2012 Live Reviews for June 14: Bad Religion, Bran Van 3000, Black Belles, More

Posted on Jun 15th 2012 4:15PM by Spinner

Lonny Knapp for AOL

We're deep into NXNE 2012 now.

The marquee event, of course, remains Spinner's own free super-show at Yonge-Dundas Square featuring mega-weirdoes Flaming Lips, Of Montreal, Hollerado and a pile of others.

That's not all that's going on, though. On Wednesday there were a few good shows. The day BBQs and parties are in full swing, too. And if the amount of bands to see feels overwhelming, just consult our best bets list for guidance.

Spinner has mobilized a small army to provide blanket NXNE coverage throughout the week, so check back at our NXNE headquarters every day and follow us on Twitter for constant updatery.

Here's what our writers saw on Thursday, June 14:

Bad Bad Not Good
Bad Bad Not Good are probably the most precocious group to emerge from the Toronto jazz scene in a very long time. Their second set of the night at the Hoxton was announced with an "It was good before, but this time we're going to go twice as hard, we gonna do this sht!" Their talent has attracted attention from numerous media sources as well as foul-mouthed trendsetter Tyler the Creator of Odd Future. Their show proved that the young'uns can still rock out to experimental saxophones, drums, keys and guitar, and even drop more than a couple stage dives and mosh pits thanks to Gucci, their wildcat mascot. -- Jesse Ship

Bad Religion
Seminal So Cal punk band Bad Religion was in top form as it burned through tunes plucked from it's over 30-year career at during a giant free event at Yonge-Dundas Square. In the crowd punk rockers young and old sang along with classics such as "American Jesus" and "Sorrow," while a few shopping-bag-clutching tourists wondered why the downtown square had suddenly transformed into a writhing mosh pit. Singer Greg Gaffin took a swing at Canada's vacuous musical exports. He promised he would no longer poke fun at Celine Dion, but derisively dedicated a song to Justin Bieber and his mom, asking "Why do you keep sending us your pollution?" before launching into "I Want to Conquer the World." -- Lonny Knapp

Bishop Morocco
Bishop Morocco played a dark, haunting and reverb-heavy set at the Rivoli as part of the Arts & Crafts showcase. Soaring, anguish-inducing guitar riffs pleased the crowd. Even when they were uplifting their tone was still plaintive thanks to the deep Ian Curtis-esque baritone channeled eerily well by both bassist and guitarist James Sayce and Jake Fairly. As Sayce said to Spinner after the show as he made a thirsty beeline to the bar, "We've been making music together for over 20 years. What's come out of it is this -- an amalgamation of everything we've ever listened to." -- Jesse Ship

The Black Belles
The crowd cramming in around midnight at The Garrison suggested Jack White himself was in the house. Turns out he kind of was. The Black Belles, who dress like witches and play incomplete rock songs that mostly lack choruses, don't, as some suggest, sound like the White Stripes or the Dead Weather. They do, however, sound like they're contractually obligated to play a certain kind of Wild Blues Rock™ riffs in lieu of a proper chorus. While their songs improved towards set's end, by that point they'd already lost me and many others who won't admit it. Don't believe the hype. -- Dave Jaffer

Bran Van 3000
It's a testament to musical mad scientist James Di Salvio's ahead-of-his-time vision that even Bran Van 3000's oldest songs sound almost as fresh and relevant today as they did 15 years ago. Sandwiching recent material (including a brand new song written about the protests in Montreal) alongside the hits that made them a MuchMusic mainstay back in the late '90s, the Montreal dance/rock/hip-hop/kitchen sink collective put on a slick and utterly enjoyable set filled with infectious beats, costumes and confetti that was so much more than a nostalgic trip down "Drinking in L.A." lane. -- Sarah Kurchak

Watch Bran Van 3000's "Drinking in L.A." Video

Hooded Fang
"Toronto has this reputation for standing around and shit," Hooded Fang singer Daniel Lee chided a timid hometown crowd at the Horseshoe Tavern before suggesting that people pretend they were watching a good band "like the Japandroids" instead. By the midway point of the set, though, there was no need for pretending. The adorable indie pop moppets recovered from an awkward opening and too-long soundcheck to deliver a playful, albeit shy, set of surfy party rock-for-wallflowers songs. In turn, the crowd graduated from typical Torontonian head-bobbing to pogo dancing, timid moshing and even a couple of stage dives. -- Sarah Kurchak

Purity Ring
Purity Ring were the the shine on Thursday night's apple. While a touch immobile onstage, Corrin Roddick and Megan James were still exhilarating and enthralling. They created large, pushy soundscapes then pierced them with perfectly pitched vocals; they half-crafted rhythms to drift to, then shook us out of them; they erected haunted walls of terror to behold and fear. James sounds like Bjork without the eccentricity, and, when she and Roddick are in the throes, it looks and feels like action painting with sound. In the end I keep coming back to how a lot of last night sounded like the end of the world writ small and described by a very friendly alien conqueror. -- Dave Jaffer

The Sadies
The sterile departure concourse of Toronto's Pearson Airport is the last place you'd expect to see cosmic country rockers The Sadies. But there they were. Led by string-bending siblings, Dallas and Travis Good, and looking dapper in country threads, the Toronto alt-country band delivered an almost entirely instrumental set, bewildering boarding pass-clutching air travelers with their signature spaghetti-western surf-rock soundtrack. Despite the odd venue, The Sadies put on a helluva show for the few that stuck around before jetting to ports unknown. As sometimes back-up band for the likes of Neko Case, Neil Young, and Andre Williams, and a seasoned road act, The Sadies have played a lot of gigs, but this was one for the books. When asked if it was the weirdest venue the band had ever played, Travis Good was certain. "Yeah, definitely," he said. -- Lonny Knapp

Schomberg Fair
Tearing into their instruments and thrashing around like they were possessed by the very demons that their musical predecessors sought to exorcise, Toronto's Schomberg Fair threw themselves into an almost-epic set at Sneaky Dee's. At their best, the band were impassioned, guttural and haunted, inspiring hand-waving and stomp-alongs worthy of their old time rock meets old time revival sound. In the slower, less focused moments, however, the group didn't quite have enough fire and brimstone behind them to make the show truly great. It might have inspired decent audience participation, but no one was close to talking in tongues. -- Sarah Kurchak

Watch Bad Religion's "Infected" Video