When iheartthemusic heard that Chicago math rock band Maps and Atlases was hitting up Toronto, we knew it was a show that could not be missed. Having already followed this band for quite some time, we were excited to see that Toronto-based group (and friends of iheartthemusic) Arietta was set to open the show. Arietta never disappoints their fans, but sadly (for us) we ended up missing their set as we were busy entertaining members of Maps and Atlases at Sneaky Dee’s for a quick bite before the show. To hold you Arietta fans over in the meantime, here are some shots from their album release party at Horseshoe a few weeks back!

We arrived back at the El Mocambo just in time to see the last few songs from St. Louis, Missouri’s So Many Dynamos. This young band is currently on tour with Maps and Atlases and, if the response from the crowd was any indication of what’s to come for this band, we are happy to have caught some of their set! Signed to Vagrant Records and about to drop their latest album entitled The Loud Wars (their third, might we add), So Many Dynamos blew us away. The crowd ate up their pop/punk sound, but for us it was Aaron Stovall’s voice and keyboarding skills that really stood out as he actually played (fairly well) with his chin at points throughout their set. It was also interesting to see the punk influence of his voice mixed in with such an indie pop vibe, which worked to their advantage quite well. These guys just seemed to be having a great time onstage, which only pushed the crowd even further to participate in the fun.

It was finally Maps and Atlases’ turn to take the stage. We spoke with them earlier about what makes their live performance so appealing to fans, and lead vocalist Dave Davison assured us that it is the crowd that gives them the energy to put on a good show. This is probably one of the most technical bands we have seen in a while with their signature finger tapping on the guitar and almost trance-like state while they are onstage. We have to add that there was a group of (underage) fans at the front who were clearly enjoying the sound and talent as they each sang along and appeared to be trying to get up onstage with the band. The rest of the crowd overall didn’t seem as enthusiastic as they did for So Many Dynamos’ set, which was surprising to see since they were the headliners for the night. It might have to do with the fact that this was their first time playing in Toronto, or perhaps that the crowd interaction was lacking, either way, they played all the favourites seamlessly. “Israeli Caves” started off the show with it’s incessant finger tapping by guitarist Erin Elders and Davison’s mellow voice that never fails to disappoint. Near the end of their performance they pulled a Broken Social Scene-esque manoever and had So Many Dynamos up on stage playing with them for a few songs. When they were finally finished their set, the chants for an encore began almost immediately and miraculousy Dave appeared on stage sans band to play a personal favourite, “Pigeon”. If you haven’t already picked this album up, then we suggest anyone hoping to get into the music industry get it, study it and let it blow you away.