The annual Summers End/Winters End festivals held at Chepstow in Wales are always a celebration of Prog.

Each one of them showcases some of the hottest names on the circuit, some high profile international names like Discipline, Wobbler and Moon Safari, and also lesser-known bands which organisers Stephen Lambe and Huw Lloyd-Jones have meticulously curated. Their Roladex of Prog must be absolutely bursting at the seams.

In October 2017, the Summers End Sunday afternoon openers caught everyone by surprise, delivering one of the most upbeat, quirky sets of the entire weekend, punctuated by elaborate time signatures and virtuoso playing.

Even more pleasing was the fact Half Past Four are Canadian, a country not renowned for producing well-known proggers beyond Rush, Saga, Mystery and Voivod, plus more recently Crown Lands.

The Toronto-based band are one of those hidden gems who have used their time together to hone their unique sound that tips its hat to the likes of King Crimson, Frank Zappa and Kate Bush. It infuses traditional prog-rock music with folk, heavy metal, jazz and classical genres, among others.

Their fourth studio album Finding Time is released on 30th May. Keyboards player Igor Kurtzman says the band thinks it’s their best so far, and it would be hard to disagree.

From the rhythmic tango like opening of Tomorrowless, there’s never a dull moment from then on, the song shifting tempo and mood as vocalist Kyree Vibrant, who, using the analogy of organisms in the soil, explores the notion of what would happen if you found you did not have a tomorrow to look forward to. Bold, sassy and downright bonkers in places with lots of swishy percussion from drummer Roberto Bitti, staccato choruses and a shimmering guitar break from Boris Kalantyr, it’s one of the most ear popping introduction songs to be heard on many an album.

A stunning keyboards groove launches the jazzy Far Away Here, which skates along at a rapid rate, Vibrant’s voice hitting some heady heights over some delicious instrumental textures.

Slower and more studied with Dmitry Lesov’s bass guitar coming to the fore, Shake Your Head has a mystical quality reflected in the lyrics which Vibrant delivers with innate power and sensitivity. At its core is a dynamic instrumental section where intricate guitar work meets throaty keyboards and later plaintive piano.

Returning to the quirky, Igguana is all about mythical creatures living up trees, recounted in storytelling mode with some fantastic backing vocal harmonies that scale some dizzy Queen-like highs in places. There’s a lovely understated synth solo in the mix and some elaborate Crimson-like instrumental breaks.

Branches has Vibrant singing a lilting Kate Bush-like melody that rise and falls before the rest of the band ratchets up the tempo, Lesov’s bass acquiring a voice of its own intermittently and Kurtzman delivering a dazzling piano solo, while Kalantyr’s guitar solo has a touch of Andy Glass from Solstice with its soulful, fluid delivery.

Closer Underbelly has a much gutsier, bluesy feel to it, musing about there being a darker side to life in any given situation. Kurtzman’s stabbing keyboards and Bitti’s forceful beats give it a decidedly menacing feel.

Here’s a band who obviously love working and growing their distinctive sound together.

It’s time to discover Half Past Four. Find out more about them here and see them talking about Finding Time here.