Epic45 is a post-rock group derivative of Mogwai, Labradford, and Godspeed You Black Emperor!, based in Birmingham, England. After a handful of EPs and split singles released in the late ’90s, the promising full-length debut Reckless Engineers came out in May 2002 on the Canadian label Where Are My Records (home of Glider and Below the Sea).
The members of Epic45 are all school friends. Guitarist/keyboardist Ben Holton, guitarist/bassist Rob Glover, and drummer Mark Oldfield were only 13 years old when they started the band in 1995. Two years later they heard the music of groups like Spiritualized and Mogwai and — in the words of Glover — “suddenly started realizing that people could actually make noisy, ten minute long instrumental music and get it released.” The weekend hobby began to turn into something more serious. After trying out a couple of guitarists, the group recruited Scott Massey, who later shifted to keyboards. The group made its first live show in October 1998. Shortly after, they booked a studio session to record three songs, including “Shorebound.” The tape found its way into the hands of Bearos label owner Alan Farmer, who released the EP. Steve Lamacq and John Peel of BBC Radio One gave “Shorebound” airplay and soon Epic45 was supporting bands like Muse, Rothko, and Do Make Say Think. Their A-Level exams (the British equivalent to final high school exams in the U.S.) delayed the recording of their first full-length album. The group expanded to a quintet with the addition of guitarist Matt Kelly before the recording of Reckless Engineers. By the time of its release in May 2002, side projects were already popping their heads up, namely Glover and Holton’s Portraits of Diego.
