Epigram

Despite some epic visuals of erupting volcanoes, sparks failed to fly for Toronto five-piece Epigram, who were forced to deliver some epic tracks to a near empty bar. Their instrumental post-rock wasn't the ingredient that was going to liven up the sparse crowd, an issue not helped by their utter lack of stage presence. But the band played well, building each of their songs up to massive heights before bringing them crashing down under walls of distortion. This kind of music is always in danger of turning into shtick -- no matter how epic your track is, a lot of post-rock follows the same basic pattern. But Epigram were able to keep each song fresh, adding new elements like bells, a second snare drum and even a harmonium, delivering a solid performance, even if almost no one saw it.