From the first driving beat of the kick drum, the Code Name Laurentians made my jaw drop and my feet move.

The Code Name Laurentians are one of Toronto's best up-and-coming indie rock bands. Not since Controller.Controller have I heard such a powerful and driving dance rock band, but with a harder more rock driven edge. Lead singer Royal Nasagar describes it as it Guitars vs. Synth.

Catch them before someone breaks the code!

Saturday January 14 @ Sneaky Dee's (11pm)
part of Night Moves with DJ Pamm, Jes & Jonathan

Front man, Royal, is relentless on stage, and truly embodies the rock star image that every great band needs. He's got the look, the drive, the passion and the attitude -- commonly greeting crowds with "fuck y'all for coming". Where the Code Name's differ from other in the genre, is the range and complexity of their songs. This is largely due to lead singer, Royal Nasager's breadth of influences which include John Cale, Eno, Nick Lowe and even the Beach Boys.

Royal is backed up by an amazingly tight and dynamic cast which do more than their fair share to raise the energy of Code Name's compelling performance. On the skins is Shayne Cox, and as you may have heard, nobody rocks like Cox rocks. When I saw them at The Bagel, Shayne started bleeding he was drumming so hard. Towering above his fellow band mates is the beloved madman Michael, who adds a certain edge to the band. This was exhibited in what some affectionately call, 'the great tambourine massacre of 2005', where during a show at C'est What, Michael completely demolished a tambourine littering the ground with cymbals. Combine this with the lovely Lindsay on the keyboard and Mandy on Bass, and you've got one of the best new indie rock bands in Toronto.

More photos available here: Fotograf.416