Woodhands.

I did a lot of dancing this past weekend. After the Cuff the Duke show I went to the Boat for the end of a newish dance party there called Thundercats. Although Keith Hamilton is the main DJ, by the time I got there, he had handed over DJ duties to the guys from boats!! (The exclamation points are part of the band's name.) The band had kicked off the night, but of course I missed them. (Saw them at the Drake a while back, though.) Saturday night more dancing was in the cards for me, and I went to Queen and Bathurst dressed in my version of young hipster best. (Leggings and a long shirt.) Last I saw Woodhands was at Harbourfront Centre back in early July, so it was definitely time for a fix. The night was running late, but then I don't see how the organizers could really have expected the headliner to start at 11pm. It must have been 12:45am or so when they started. Anyways, I'm getting ahead of myself.

First up, Lioness. I heard from a friend that this band had "killed" (actually, he wrote "KILLED") when they played Wavelength. So, well, a good enough reason to hope to catch them. Good thing the show was running late, because after milling about and chatting with friends, the band came on. This three-piece is a showcase for its female vocalist, Vanessa Fischer. They definitely had me dancing, though I must say the songs sounded all the same to me. In a I'm-having-a-great-time kind of way. Could be wrong, and even if I'm not, I don't care at all. What they do, they do well.When Lioness started playing it became immediately apparent that the earplugs I always wear really were necessary, more than usual. It was LOUD in the 3rd floor loft/gallery space in which the show was held. Incredibly loud. And very bassy. The less than stellar sound system was apparent during Woodhands' set. The vocals---not an unimportant part of the songs---were barely audible. Bah. But whatever. Woodhands' shows are about crazy dance parties, and that's what we got.It was very hot and sweaty up by the stage, and I can only imagine most people were dancing in some fashion. (Though a woman and man near me were only swaying. Strange.) My friends and I were letting loose---as much as we could in cramped quarters, and I even didn't mind too much when someone behind me spilled beer on me.