One of the small UK bands that blew me away in my few years there was the utterly insane instrumental band And So I Watch You From Afar. First show was at the Good Ship in Kilburn, which would go down as first of only two good shows I ever saw there (the other gig I don’t remember, to be honest, although there was an Israeli garage band there once that slayed – again, can’t tell you their name…) I heard a track off what would become their debut self-titled record and dragged SM co-founder Paul to it – suffice to say we came away sweating blood and grinning maniacally. I went on to see them a number of times, supporting This Will Destroy You in Camden and a headlining show (I wanna say at the Lexington, but I'm not sure – man, I'm fuzzy today…), and their two records (Gangs came out in 2011) are strong, visceral slabs of aggressive, frenetic rock that nevertheless has its tongue grafted into the middle of its cheek.
Come 2013 and the Belfast trio are looking to make the biggest impact yet. Signing to Sargent House (which makes sense, seeing as likeminded noiseniks Fang Island and Adebisi Shank are on the roster) and are pushing their third LP, appropriately titled All Hail Bright Futures. Below are the first two tastes off the album. I will admit that these tunes don’t grab me by the scruff of the neck and throttle me with glee like they have in the past, but there is a buoyancy inherent in these tracks, because or even despite of the disparity in noise, that will have punters lathered up for the album’s release in exactly a month’s time today (it must be noted that these are new tracks without fiery guitarist Tony Wright, who left over twelve months ago to push a solo career…he was a true focal point of their live performances, so his darker yet mirthful performances may be the reason for the shift in tone). There’s nothing wrong with a sunnier disposition – as long as that vitality isn’t lost in the mix.
They haven’t relented on the gigs either, closing on 500 in total (which is an average of 2 shows a week since they started five years ago – heady stuff), and with stand-in guitarist Niall Kennedy in tow, the band are preparing an European assault come April – check below for where to catch them.
Pre-order All Hail Bright Futures here.
Apr 02, 2013 - Winterthur, Switzerland @ Gaswerk
Apr 03, 2013 - Modena, Italy @ La Tenda
Apr 04, 2013 - Rome, Italy @ Traffic Club
Apr 05, 2013 - Conegliano, Italy @ Appartamento Hoffman
Apr 06, 2013 - Vienna, Austria @ Flex
Apr 07, 2013 - Munich, Germany @ Strom
Apr 08, 2013 - Amsterdam, Netherlands @ MelkWeg
Apr 09, 2013 - Berlin, Germany @ Lido
Apr 10, 2013 - Hamburg, Germany@ HafenKlang
Apr 11, 2013 - Luxembourg, Luxembourg @ Kulturfabrik
Apr 12, 2013 - Koln, Germany @ Gebauede 9
Apr 13, 2013 - Hasselt, Belgium @ Muziekodroom
Apr 15, 2013 - Paris, France @ La Maroquinerie
Apr 16, 2013 - London, UK @ Garage
Apr 17, 2013 - Bristol, UK @ The Thekla
Apr 18, 2013 - Birmingham, UK @ HMV Institute (Temple and Library)
Apr 19, 2013 - Glasgow, SL, UK @ O2 ABC
Apr 20, 2013 - Manchester, UK @ Manchester Academy 3
It was one of those moments when you walk into a pub, pummelled by an unknown band, and no matter how often you see them afterwards that first impression lingers. Great stuff.
ReplyDelete