June 18 - Choosing where to be and when at NXNE is a very daunting task. To say that there is a lot to see and take in is an understatement, and the very nature of the festival being spread out across venues downtown only adds to the difficulty of being everywhere you'd like to be as you lose time due to travel alone.

Luckily, there was little need for travel on Saturday night, as the lineup at El Mocambo was one of the most exciting and anticipated of the festival. Featuring The Schomberg Fair, Gentlemen Husbands and The Coppertone, it promised to be a great night for blues-driven rock music.



No strangers to Interrobang, The Schomberg Fair kicked off the evening with their signature one-two punch of rockabilly and punk music, their speed gospel so forceful that one can't help but wonder how their legs stay under them.

Their set included "Angel's Wings", "Drunkard's Prayer" and their version of Blind Willie Johnson's "Trouble Will Soon Be Over" among other songs, and the band were their usual selves, moving and stomping and thrashing to the music as though it were a dance. They may actually be incapable of being boring to watch on stage.



Speaking of bands incapable of being boring, Toronto band Topanga began their set at Comfort Zone nearby shortly after The Schomberg Fair finished at El Mocambo. Exceptionally dark, Comfort Zone made it incredibly difficult to photograph the band performing, although made up for it in sound.

The band sounded great in that small space, playing songs from their four-song EP including fan-favourite "Lionheart", for which they just shot a music video. Their live concert completely belies the fact that they've been gigging together for six months or less, and is worth a watch at every opportunity.



Back at El Mocambo, Gentlemen Husbands took the stage at 11 p.m., bursting out of the gate with the drum—and—vocal opening of "Family Economics". The four—piece band from Cobourg are exceptional, each member bringing a unique dynamic to the collective personality of the outfit.

The band to chose to work a couple of new songs into their set, nicely complementing selections from their Mirror Doll Business EP. One tune that is especially great is called "I've Got To Trust You", in which the band combine vocals and experiment with emphasis while offsetting Ryan Hutcheson's chops on lead guitar - simply brilliant. Gentlemen Husbands came to play and lit a fire with the audience, ably supporting the music to come.



The Coppertone were the next to take the stage, and if Gentlemen Husbands pitched in a fastball, singer/guitarist Amanda Zelina hit it out of the park. Armed with her Airline guitar and killer tone, Zelina led the band into a sexy, bluesy set that inspired fans in the audience to shed their inhibitions and dance right in front of the stage.



Celebrating the recent release of Hymns For The Hollow, the band ignited the stage with their brand of soul—bent rock. The tight rhythm section complement Zelina's scorching vocals and the trio sound as though they're straight out of the Delta; if she hasn't traded her soul to the devil, she's definitely left it there for safekeeping.



Once again, El Mocambo featured a special guest, who turned out this night to be Royal Bangs from Knoxville, TN. Their featured set at the Horseshoe Tavern on June 16 was such a success that they were already considered highlights by the time Twitter leaked the news that they would be performing at El Mocambo, and their live set didn't disappoint.

The trio are simply magnetic. Touring in support of their recent March release Flux Outside, the band delivered a hard and fast set that leaves little to the imagination about what Patrick Carney of The Black Keys saw in them when he signed them years ago. Incidentally, Carney's appearance at the El Mocambo to support his friends very quickly became one of the most talked about topics about the festival.



Night after night, the El Mocambo offered up outstanding music during NXNE, and the lineup Saturday night was the most exciting of them all.