NXNE went down this weekend in Toronto. Though I’d been to the city many times in the past, this was my first chance to check out the local music scene, and I was overwhelmed by its vibrance — every show was packed.

On the first night, I decided to hit up the Drake Hotel, which made for a very nice venue. Playing at the Drake Hotel were: J.J Ipsen, The D’Urbervilles, Lioness and Woodhands.

Before the show started there were a series of short films run by CitySonics. The series of five shorts were about how a venue changed the musicians lives creatively and emotionally. The artists featured were: Danko Jones on Maple Leaf Gardens, Brian Borcherdt of Holy Fuck on Sneaky Dee’s, Tyler Stewart of Barenaked Ladies on Ultrasound Showbar (which happens to be a spa now), Justin Rutledge on the Cameron House and Cancer Bats on the Adrift Clubhouse (some of the shorts can be found here).

My favorite was the Brian Borcherdt short because I was intrigued with the history of Sneaky Dee’s. Who would have thought Broken Social Scene and Feist played their first shows there, and even Pearl Jam played there before they got really big.

J.J. Ipsen @ The Drake Hotel / Photo by Ming Wu

The show started off with J.J. Ipsen. They were kind of indie folk rock and came off really mellow during most of their set.

The D'Urbervilles @ The Drake Hotel / Photo by Ming Wu

Then The D’Urbervilles went up and that was when the crowd arrived. The show was surprisingly packed, especially compared with the crowds I’ve seen them play for in Ottawa. The band sang mostly from their album We Are Hunters. The audience enjoyed their indie-fied take on pop rock. Personal highlights were “Dragnet”, “The Receiver” and “Hot Tips.” Overall, they played a great live show.

Lioness @ The Drake Hotel / Photo by Ming Wu

Lioness went up next and it was my first time seeing them live. They play electro-dance-rock — definitely not the band for people who don’t handle loud music well. But if like your music loud and you like to dance, this is your band. I was surprised that Becky of You Say Party! We Say Die! made a appearance and sang a song with them on stage.

Woodhands @ The Drake Hotel Photo by Ming Wu

Woodhands was the last act to play. They got people dancing away with their mix of electro-dance music, featuring tracks like “I Can’t See Straight” and “I Wasn’t Made For Fighting.” They did a cover of Eddy Grant’s “Electric Avenue” which was beyond crazy to hear live.

Lastly they did their signature song, “Dancer”, and everyone went wild. The song went on for about seven minutes, but the crowd still wanted more.

Woodhands @ The Drake Hotel Photo by Ming Wu

It was a great opening night for NXNE. I was told from someone who came from the first night of the Arts & Crafts showcase that the special guest was Broken Social Scene with Feist. I couldn’t believe I missed out on that one. But this is the start of my coverage of the four nights of the music madness that is NXNE. Part two will follow soon.