This weekend, hundreds of bands from around the world will decend on Toronto for the 16th annual North By Northeast music and film festival. While plenty of big name acts are on the bill — Iggy Pop and the Stooges and Eagles of Death Metal to name two — it’s the lesser-known Canadian acts who stand to benefit the most from the music hungry crowds. With that in mind, you’ll want to check out these five acts from across the country.

Kate Rogers Band (Thursday, Rivoli, 1 a.m.)

Choosing one Ontario group to see is almost impossible, but my pick goes to the Kate Rogers Band, an incredibly infectious Toronto-based rock act. There’s a good chance you haven’t heard of Rogers — she moved to the Big Smoke after spending eight years in the U.K. — but that should soon change. Her music blends folk, country, Brit-pop and rock, and while the tunes are memorable, it’s her rich voice that really stands out.

Hollerado (Saturday, Mod Club, 8 p.m.)
Montreal’s Hollerado has had a career a lot of young bands dream of — critical acclaim, a gig opening for Jack White and a battle of the bands win that netted $250,000. Listen to debut, Record in a Bag, and you’ll quickly see why they’re doing so well. The foursome plays straight-up rock ‘n’ roll — their music is loud, brash and filled with hooks. Think Supergrass-meets-Thrush Hermit-meets-Weezer.

Japandroids (Friday, Lee’s Palace 12 a.m.)
Vancouver’s Japandroids don’t need my vote — they’ve already played to packed crowds at Bonnaroo, Hillside and South by Southwest — but I’ll give it to them anyway. This garage rock duo oozes unbridled energy. Their ear-splitting, fuzzed-out guitars and heavy drums are straight out of the early ’90s. But this isn’t a nostalgic look back — the twosome’s frenetic pace and off kilter harmonies sound fresh.

Old Man Luedecke (Friday, Dakota Tavern, 9 p.m.)
Everyone loves a banjo, right? Well, at least I do, which is why I’m recommending one of Canada’s best finger picking songwriters, Chester, N.S.’s Chris Luedecke. The Juno winner has been around for a while — his first album was released in 2003 — but his bluegrass, alt-country combo is only getting better.

Women (Thursday, The Great Hall 7 p.m. and Friday, Silver Dollar, 2 a.m.)
Women are not an easy band to define, so you’ll have to go see this Calgary foursome yourself. But the group — who’ve backed Chad VanGaalen — play a twisted brand of indie rock, spewing out weird noises, Beach Boys-like harmonies, bizarre breakdowns and strange atmospheric noises while putting something together that’s astoundingly pleasant to listen to.

Bryan Borzykowski is a business and entertainment writer. Follow Metro Music on Twitter @TheMetroMusic