Hot Panda @ The Horseshoe
By: Richard Trapunski
Posted: June 22, 2009 – Toronto, Canada
Hot Panda are a hard band not to like. Seriously, go ahead and try. You can't do it.
It was 1:00 am on the penultimate day of North by Northeast. I was sleep-deprived, burnt out, and I ached all over. Then Edmonton's Hot Panda took the stage and proceeded to give me just the burst of energy I needed. Everything from the catchy trumpet riffs to the bouncy synth to the occasional cowbell or kazoo flourish was just so infectious that you'd have to be in a coma not to enjoy yourself.
As radio personality Grant Lawrence reminded us before the show (the whole concert was streamed live on CBC Radio 3), it was officially one hour into summer, and it seemed the perfect time for a Hot Panda concert.
Lead singer Chris Connelly is certainly a showman. When not pitching in with vocals (a combination of Modest Mouse and The Violent Femmes), he was dancing around the stage, hammering at his guitar, or entertaining with some of the funniest between song banter I've heard all weekend (and I've heard a lot of banter). That's not to take away from the rest of the band, who also kept the energy up with impassioned yet so-much-fun performances and group vocals.
By the end of the show, the band was drenched in sweat, audience members were grinning and exchanging phone numbers, and everyone was fully satiated. It was a great start to the summer season and a great end to NXNE.
Video: "It's Worth 8 Dollars" by Hot Panda
