There's something to be said about a newly formed band's first show. Typically, the venue's small, the crowd filled with familiar faces and the door staffed by a band member's girlfriend. You share a table with an acquaintance, drink a bottled beer (the beer tap's broken) and take it all in. Such was the scene last night at Rancho Relaxo, where I saw the Group of Sixxx put an interesting theory into practice for their first public performance.

Formed by six individuals split between Toronto and Montreal, their music is composed collaboratively by shuttling the nascent pieces via snail mail to each member until the songs are finished. Think Postal Service meets Do Make Say Think or a group of electronic-minded musicians with lots of stamps playing traditional instruments with a post-rock bent.

Having said all this, my attempt to arrive inconspicuously and fashionably late back-fired as I entered to the left of the stage and into the crowd's line-of-sight during the band's last number. Rancho Relaxo is a little awkward that way and my timing is bad.

I did manage to see supporting acts Polmo Polpo and Yara round out the night though.
Sandro Perri (Polmo Polpo) played a challenging, improvised set of sounds generated by working an Echoplex, harmonica, lap steel and effects pedals simultaneously.
Yara, another local talent, concluded the bill with her smooth mixture of crooning and drum-and-bass inflected rhythms.

If you are to take anything of value from this post, remember: don't be afraid to check out a new band, just be sure to arrive early.