NXNE Day Two: Part Four
June 17, 2010 — I caught the opening night of NXNE at the Rancho Relaxo, where I had time to catch the Cunninghams in their full 45 minute set. They had done a promo interview with the Take Media earlier in the week, so I decided to see the act. Opening with a straight-up, tightly written song called “You Don’t Know What To Do To Me” (I had to ask to find out afterwards), the audience appeared a little unsure, probably just coming to terms with the raucous vibe of the band. The second song unfortunately also saw the momentum continue to sputter, due to drum equipment issues. The pressure at festival gigs tends to carry its own unpredictable dangers. So far, not so very good.
But then they ripped into a ferocious rocker, and never let up. A string of about five or six tunes followed, and it was all over. It was an awesome unhinged performance. They punched out a mean, lean rock ‘n’ roll volley, with ironclad riffs and vocals. Gentlemanly at first sight, decked out in matching brown sport blazers and white shirts (ties optional), they perspired buckets off the opening salvo, bumping into walls, teetering at the edge of the stage, and all but somersaulting over their amps. I dug the plain-speaking, high energy of the show. I also realized it wasn’t so much band nerves at the beginning of the show as much as it was them trying to size up the vibe of the audience themselves.
The closing song “Gunblaster” had the epic garage feel of a fuzzed-out Kings of Leon or Kasabian, or Montreal’s own Sam Roberts, something Toronto doesn’t tend to do very well. I met with the band after and got the lowdown on the set list and the Cunningham vibe. Bassist Clapsbury put it succinctly when I asked how it felt to be playing NXNE this year: “Face-melting!” Indeed. Burning rock and roll, without any hipster doofus shadings, these boys are building bridges and eating foes for breakfast. Definitely not above a little myth-making as well, the brothers’ from Toronto (wasn’t it grandpapa Sir Henry M. Cunningham who built the family home at Casa Loma?) practically sweat the open-hearted and welcoming vibes that Toronto is rarely capable of. Good on the boys for finding a niche that works and putting a ton of fuzzed-out soul into it. Rock on.