NXNE - Surfer Blood

One of North by Northeast's most hotly tipped acts was Surfer Blood, whose jangly, energetic debut Astro Coast should have been easily replicated onstage by the Florida quintet, especially when full-capacity crowd was noticeably dying to expend some energy. It's amazing, though, what a slight downturn in tempo and an inexplicable rigidness on the band's part can do to a batch of mosh-pit-ready songs. Hits like "Take It Easy" and the 2009 breakout single "Swim" seemed just a little too polished live, as if the band had over-practised and lost the spontaneity of the recorded versions. Yes, the band were tight, and the performance entertaining, but a little more playfulness and a hint more speed, and Surfer Blood might have had the crowd at their mercy.