NXNE Live: The Hot Springs COMFORT ZONE - JUNE 9 Bra-less and sweating through a clingy t-shirt, in short, yellow terrycloth shorts and cowboy boots, brunette mane whipping around, Giselle Webber led her band like a defiant and proud lioness. Full of character and with a quick wit, Webber took the panting crowd on a musical rollercoaster ride, backed by a gentle-giant bassist, a nondescript guitarist and a very boy-looking girl drummer. Vacillating between Joanna Newsom-like warbling and full-on Patti Smith-style vocals, Webber stomped her feet and clawed at her electric guitar. Energetic and full of conviction, she is more charismatic than most male singers I've seen. The band played tight, almost abridged songs, full of melodious spunk, which usually culminated in Webber writhing on stage, or shredding while sitting on her heels, with the guitar raised phallically in the air. "It looks a lot cooler going down!" she jokes, awkwardly getting up from the headbanger pose. And while she pulls out these seemingly cliché moves, Webber manages to not look like she's posturing, but like she's having a whole lotta fucking fun. "She's so intense!" I see my friends mouthing. "She's so insane!" The crowd ate it up, clapping and cheering for these hot newcomers, especially the boys, of course. The Montreal showcase was certainly raising the bar, right before main draws Handsome Furs were set to take the stage. As we made our way outside for an in-between-set smoke break, my friends and I saw Webber sitting on the pavement outside of the venue, voraciously digging into a Styrofoam box full of fries and gravy. Street food? Rock 'n' roll!