Sneaky Dees, regular host to bands of the punk and indie persuasion, offered its Saturday evening to a set organized by DJ Chris Thinn, featuring Hamilton's Sailboats are White, Toronto's Fox the Boombox, and headliners from Halifax Sharp Like Knives.

While the less said the better about the first two bands (in my opinion), Sharp Like Knives are without a doubt the band to watch for.

In their home town, Sharp Like Knives is coyly referred to as "Tight Like Pants." One might assume this refers to singer Paul Hammond's teeny-tiny black jeans. It does. Fortunately, it also refers to the band's ability to pound out carefully honed tunes with precision.

In the face of a few minor disasters (including a broken down tour van in Scarborough), SLK demonstrated a serious commitment to creating a killer "dance party." Their dedication was rewarded appropriately by an energetic crowd who, as requested, danced, clapped, and cheered along to the tambourine-infused craziness.

The five-piece could roughly be placed into the genre of such bands as The Rapture and Hot Hot Heat, but with greater punk, hardcore, and math-rock tendancies - tendancies that leak agreeably into their stage presence, ensuring passion, playfulness, and a complete lack of pretension (not to mention some classic hardcore stances).

Their sometimes melodic, sometimes anti-rhythmic songs have recently been released on their debut CD entitled "No Pressure," which, despite some tragic production, is still worth listening to.

Sharp Like Knives proved the importance of sticking out a show even if your friends have played first. Thankfully, the venue remained packed for the out-of-towners - a fact which is many ways due to Thinn's expertise as DJ, as he helped to maintain interest and enthusiasm despite the weakness of the first two bands. His own genuine excitement over Sharp Like Knives encouraged participation and joviality amoung fellow audience members during the final - and undoubtably finest - performance of the night.

Photo by Tania-Tiziana Burdi