NXNE Live: The Nymphets COMFORT ZONE - JUNE 8 The packed room at the Comfort Zone swayed in anticipation as The Nymphets took over the stage and threw together their gear. After a few technical difficulties the band tore into one of the best performances of NXNE 2007. Jared (guitarist/vocals) and Benjamin (bass) set the tone by tearing into a frantic frenzy of strumming and thudding on their low hanging instruments. This paved the way for an explosion of energy that erupted when drummer Johanna kicked into the set with her very unique style of playing. Propped up on Peavey Amp, Johanna pounded the skins at break-neck speeds sporting an expression that would scare the shit out of Lord Satan himself. I would bet that Johanna could have taken anyone in the joint, including the bouncers. The Nymphets exploded into an incredible set of fast rock 'n' roll influenced by the likes of The Ramones and The Dead Kennedys. Each of the band members transformed from mild, easy-going people to tweaked rock 'n' rollers possessed by their sound. Jared's enthusiastic vocals engaged the crowd and forced a typical Toronto crowd to move, scream and shout. The place was hoppin' and their sound was like a train barreling out of control down the line. Some of the highlights were songs such as the "The Love I Know," where Benjamin and Jarred switched sides of the stage and taunted the crowd with power chords played at lightning speeds reinforced by Johanna pounding on the skins while screaming out some X-Ray Specs-inspired vocals. During an outro, she caterwauled over an eight-bar progression while playing the drums at high speed; it was very impressive. During the last song the band staged a fake fight between Jarred and an audience member, which unfortunately cheese-a-fied an incredible set and brought things to a grinding halt. It's too bad, really, because the music was powerful enough on its own. They're an incredible band who definitely won over the room.