Five Blank Pages Play Last Show

Five Blank Pages have yet to fill us in on exactly why this Over The Top Festival show was their final performance, but one possible reason was quite evident: singer/keyboardist Pinar Ozyetis, wife of lead singer/guitarist Noyan Hilmi, is noticeably pregnant. Also, with dynamo openers Oh No Forest Fires taking off, Five Blank Pages bassist (and Forest Fires lead guitarist/singer) Rajiv Thavanathan has more important things to worry about.

Whatever their motivation, the rotating cast of past and present band members all seemed grateful and in good spirits for their curtain call. Hilmi took time to gush about how wonderful the all-ages audience was between every song, and offered up the band's remaining merchandise on a pay-what-you-can basis — even if that meant free.

Five Blank Pages cycled through a number of tracks from their lone full-length, Last Blush. That album's opener, "In The Ground," and closer "I Don't Believe In Coincidence Anymore" were definite highlights. They also hit up a couple of tracks from their released-that-night, final EP, Young Glow. Those, and one unreleased song titled "Hands" hinted the band would have gone in a slightly grittier, darker direction if they'd stayed together.

Five Blank Pages dipped into their Spaces To Occupy And Abandon debut EP and hauled out the dusty pop gem "A Point Of Reference" to close the performance. All the night's peripheral players joined in and created a cast that included trumpet, trombone, cello and violin.

Thavanathan bounced around like it was a metal show and cellist Reg McLean swung his instrument through the air like he was intent on smashing it. Five Blank Pages faded out in a blissful cacophony.