We all know that feeling – when you’re standing at a show and the thudding beat of the music hits you like an earthquake; you can’t help it but move, whether you’re just tapping your foot or full out busting a move. Good music does that; it grabs you by the hands and pulls you in for a twirl and a spin. To those on Saturday night at the Horseshoe who managed to not move at all – I will never understand you.

No Shame’s last show of January (Lauren Schreiber was one busy bee this month!) featured pop, glitter and an endless night of fun; a cohesively fantastic line-up of bands.

Halifax’s Rich Aucoin opened the night and all I can say is wow. I hadn’t listened to this electro-dance pop artist prior to the show so needless to say, I had no expectations. What I left with after Aucoin’s set though was the biggest smile ever and a lasting impression that I don’t think I’ve felt since I saw the Arcade Fire – only Rich Aucoin was only a three-piece. The stage, blanketed with a screen which projected lyrics to Aucoin’s songs for everyone to sing along to as well as snippets of Who The Grinch Stole Christmas didn’t prove to be as much of a distraction, rather than a charming complimentary to the music. Other theatrics included interactive sing-alongs, dancing, confetti-throwing and the electrifying finale completed with balloons and pure joy. This may come off as a lot of zaniness and absurdity but in Aucoin’s case, this all added to the spectacle of the show. Musically, Aucoin’s beat-heavy layered rhythms are glazed with a layer of sugary sweetness and often sounds bigger than its three-piece setting. Think The Arcade Fire meets Daft Punk – The Arcade Punk? A Rich Aucoin show is more than a simple set; it’s a musical experience that everyone must witness at least once. Definitely one of the most talented musicians I’ve seen in a while and have quite possibly single-handedly secured a place on my best shows of 2010 list.

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/richaucoin

Lioness followed, bringing their brand of dark disco-rock to the stage. To quickly get this out of the way – yes, they sound like Controller.Controller (two members of C.C are now in Lioness) – but Lioness has grown into its own musical entity in the past year. Bass thumping, electrifyingly distorted rock and goosebump-inducing vocals from lead singer Vanessa Fischer, Lioness continues to be a consistently a growing force in the Toronto music scene. For an added touch of jazz, Everything All the Time’s Joseph Shabason jumped on-stage to assist on the saxophone on a slowed-down version of “You’re My Heart” – strange hearing the tempo of the song taken down a notch but compelling and great nonetheless.

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/lionesslionesslioness

Headliners Everything All the Time ended the night, continuing where the previous bands left off. If you haven’t listened to EATT, I think many people put it this way – imagine Stars fronted by Diana Ross. Seriously. The band, led by dynamically mind-blowing vocalist Alanna Stuart (also one half of Bonjay), breathes new life to synth-pop with catchier-than-ever lyrics, uplifting and cheerful melodies and a beat you can dance to all night long, which I almost did. You can tell when you look at the group of musicians onstage that they’re perfectionists and if their live shows and latest EP are any indication, I’ll bet money that 2010 will be a great year for Everything All The Time. Big money.

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/everythingallthetimeband