Neko Case passed through town a couple of days ago to play an intimate show at the Rivoli, previewing songs from her upcoming album alongside some old favourites. I can’t say there are too many times when I appreciate being packed in like sardines, but this show was one of them. I’ve seen her three times, but I’ve never seen her so relaxed and comfortable on stage as last week, despite her anxiousness to get the new songs right. Part of it must be the crowd; tickets sold out in a flash, and everyone was excited to hear the new material. Plus the Toronto crowds must treat Case well, because she’s the only artist I know who seems to genuinely love this city as much as we love her. But a lot of the credit has to go to her backing band, a sort of all-star lineup from Case’s previous and upcoming albums. Among the luminaries was Rachel Flotard, who sang backup vocals and traded witty repartee with Case. Between her great performance, her sarcastic barbs and her stunning good looks, Flotard won over a lot of people that night.

Flotard’s a busy woman; when she’s not busy playing backup singer and winning sidekick, she writes an advice column fer the luvers and fronts Visqueen, a delightfully crunchy rock band from Seattle. Flotard plays slightly different roles when she’s in Visqueen mode; she sings, plays guitar and writes fairly straightforward, four-on-the-floor pop-punk material. On the surface, it’s all very catchy and energetic, if a little generic. But there’s a lot of musical talent backing the whole thing; “Blue” is quite the vocal showcase for Flotard, and the rest of the band is obviously very accomplished as well. And if the video for “Crush on Radio” is any indication, Flotard’s just as charming on stage when she’s running the show herself. You can hear the confidence in the music, too. Energy, chops and personality: not a bad combination.