Modest Mouse / Broken Social Scene / Metric / Do Make Say Think

Following the success of last year's all-day summer event, curators Broken Social Scene came storming back with a more impressive line-up for this sweat-stained Sunday. Though they may seem out of their element on paper, instrumental idealists Do Make Say Think pushed their boundless space rock into the ears of mostly credulous spectators for a set that was a triumphant cacophony of sweet, horn-filled, guitar-led noise. Unfortunately, the transition from heart-palpitating epic rock to synth-powered dance rock was a difficult one. Emily Haines led Metric with a fiery attack, but with bad sound and a songbook of tunes everyone's been force-fed for the two years now, it was hardly worth missing out on beer and socialising for. Toronto's "indie rock saviours" Broken Social Scene were anticipated for their new material alone, which they delivered, but it came at the hefty price of hearing front-man Kevin Drew's inflated ego kill the band's flow. The band's supporting cast was impressive, as Haines, Leslie Feist and Stars' Amy Millan all took part in vocal gymnastics, but the best moments came in hearing BSS's newest tunes, which hinted at a surprisingly straightforward rock direction. Thankfully, Modest Mouse saved the day from mediocrity with what should go down as one of the year's best performances. Now a beefy seven-piece, the former trio took a rhythm-heavy tune like "Tiny City Made of Ashes" and pumped it full of disco-mad adrenaline to double its length. Mixing together both old and new material, Isaac Brock and company left no stone unturned, dropping favourites like "Doin' the Cockroach," "Here It Comes" and the highly coveted "Interstate 8." Closing out the set with a riveting rendition of "The Good Times Are Killing Me," with guests from all of the day's bands, it felt like it couldn't get any better, yet Brock pulled out all the stops for the encore, lining up the opening three songs from the band's debut album. Just the smell of Modest Mouse was all the crowd needed to fall in love with this fine summer day.