Knowing that Friday evening was going to be a rain-soaked affair, I decided to stay put at The Bovine Sex Club. And it was another full night of rock and roll, this time courtesy of The Nymphets, Trigger Effect, The Sainte Catherines, and The Real McKenzies.

The Nymphets were the first of a three Montreal-based acts to hit the stage. Mostly punk with a little pop, I felt that they really didn't do too much with their allotted time, and there was no crowd interaction at all. It also took longer than needed to switch up instruments, leaving a quiet gap in the middle of their set.

Trigger Effect was the second band of the night, and what the first lacked in showmanship these guys made up for in spades. It was no-holds-barred punk rock explosion. A five-piece band with two guitars, bass, drums, and a charismatic lead singer, they made me thankfully, I had remembered my earplugs this night.

The Sainte Catherines were the final chapter of the Montreal bands for the night, and they had an obvious amount more experience under their belts. My favorite band of the night, they rocked out in a true old school, Montreal hardcore way. They brought fast and furious guitars, with banging drums all brought together with a good lead singer.

The Real McKenzies rounded out my second day of NXNE 2008. I was expecting a liquor-fueled barrage of a Scottish/punk variety, but was a little disheartened when I found out that it was to be an acoustic show. I had been hoping for a great show by a great band, and, well I did get one but not what I was expecting. These guys are great, but their acoustic show didn't have enough bagpipes for my liking, nor did it really fit in with the rest of the night's billing.

My Friday night of NXNE shows turned out to be even better than my Thursday, partly because I didn't have to work in this morning.

Photos By: Hargraftphotography