Caught pint-sized, cute-as-a-button country songstress Tift Merritt, who played to a Horseshoe packed with industry types pumped up on hype. People have been talking about Merritt since her stellar set at South By Southwest, but she seems to have taken the buzz in stride. She was perky and relaxed throughout a solid set of sun-drenched Lucinda Williamsesque roots country-soul. Sure, she's pretty and press-friendly, and a wee blond beauty, but she has the pipes to back it up. Backed only by pedal steel/dobro player Greg Readling, Merritt's Emmylou-meets-Patsy Cline voice wowed the crowd, which included very relaxed Blue Rodeo guitarist Bob Egan and Canadian alt-country/indie rock golden boy Luke Doucet, who wandered around the 'Shoe with a guitar strapped to his back after his 9 pm slot.

Glam-punk rockers Merkury Burn got the smallish crowd dancing at the Kathedral with a high-energy show. Frontman Kelly Clipperton was flamboyantly fabulous, as usual. He offered up a mini-striptease during the first song and performed the rest of the show clad merely in red vinyl briefs. Two lucky (and sorta stupid) fans won albums after chugging the contents of tiny bottles of Tabasco sauce (Merkury Burn's hot NXNE party favours). Spotted rocking out: local spinner DJ Wasabi, who left midway through the set.

Peterborough's Silver Hearts packed the stage at the Silver Dollar at midnight and played a meandering set to a seriously tipsy crowd. One dude in the audience was so drunk he nearly knocked over the theremin.

Local shoegazers mellonova had a dazed-looking room at the Rivoli nodding in time to their blissed-out guitar rock at 1 am. Hulking frontman Michael Brennan busted out riffs barefoot (as usual), and the set was pretty intense, but it's tough to impress folks in the wee small hours. One jaded indie kid near me left in a huff early on, griping, "Do Godspeed's lawyers know these dudes have stolen their entire sound?"

Looking hot for tonight (Friday, June 7), the MapleMusic All-Stars show at the Horseshoe (370 Queen West) at 9 pm promises to be a talent-packed bill, but if you like your indie rock with more bite, check out Windsor post-punkers Full White Drag at Rancho Relaxo (300 College) at 9 pm. Ottawa roots-rock chick Kathleen Edwards plays the Horseshoe at 10 pm, while local hip-hop/rock/soul phenom Graph Nobel kicks out at the same time a couple of doors down, at the Rivoli (332 Queen West). At 11 pm, Ottawa's Starling return for a solid indie rock show at Lee's Palace (529 Bloor). Vancouver pretty popsters young and sexy lull audiences into dreamland at Rancho at midnight as part of the Mint Records mini-showcase. At 1 am, T-dot goofball (and NOW cover boy) MC D-Sisive breaks it down at Tequila Lounge (794 Bathurst). For complete critics' picks for Friday (June 7), see NOW's North By Northeast site at www.nowtoronto.com