Mac DeMarco

At the entrance to the Drake Hotel's Underground concert venue, there's a quote on the wall from the David Bowie song of the same name. "But down in the underground / You'll find someone true." On the first night of NXNE, Exclaim! sponsored a showcase featuring Mac DeMarco that captured the essence of this line. Although DeMarco conceded he and his band were overtired for the performance, they still served up an amazing set. His onstage persona varied from what's on his Rock and Roll Night Club release. For one thing, there was less cross-dressing. But he still took the piss out of rock'n'roll clichés with a great sense of humour, paying homage to his influences. At one point, the band exercised the great classic rock tradition of trading solos, and did so with palpable sarcasm. While the audience was receptive when the band tried out some new songs, the biggest hits of the night were favourites such as "Moving Like Mike" and "Baby's Wearing Blue Jeans," which showed off DeMarco's glam sensibilities. The set was a hit, and DeMarco basked in the success when he stage dove and glided over the crowd.