NXNE has become a very hipster event in recent years. Real rock bands have become scarce and as such we’ve spent less time attending it. In past years, we would see about 50 bands over the week, crisscrossing the downtown core, racing from one venue to another in the shortest possible time to get to the next must see show. Sadly we didn’t feel the need to cover NXNE at all in 2014 and this year’s festival didn’t generate that much more interest. There was one band however that caught our interest and forced our attendance and that is Toronto’s SATE. SATE was up until recently known as Saidah Baba Talibah, daughter of blues singer Salome Bey. SATE first got on our radar when we heard her new song Warrior.
Hard driving, bluesy riffs and incredibly powerful vocals. Finally some #RealRock. SATE was a powerhouse live and her band was incredibly tight. Other than guitarist Kirt Godwin, the rest of the band isn’t known but they were all amazing.
Here are some shots from the show at Bovine.
Public Animal
Public Animal, the best rock band in the country, had two shows on the Saturday night schedule. The first was a ridiculous 8 pm show at the Opera House. The large theatre was nearly empty and not surprisingly, the show reflected that. If any of those there were seeing them for the first time they wouldn’t have received the full experience. Later that night at a 2am slot at Bovine, guitarist Blurton was too drunk to perform and the show had to be cancelled. All in all, it was a very tough night for the mighty Public Animal. Here are a couple shots from the Opera House.
