Words and photos by Bruce Cowie
OK, this could be awkward.
Y’see, God Is An Astronaut and I have a… let’s say ‘chequered’ history. I’ve seen them twice before. The first time I thought they were amazing. The other time…. not so much. Don’t know what went wrong, but they were really dull. Maybe it was an off night. Maybe it was because they had to come on after a support band who were simply sublime.
A situation they are at risk of repeating tonight, as they have brought the astonishing Nordic Giants with them.
The enigmatic duo are more an art installation than a band, anonymous behind their extravagant feather-and-bone masks. It’s all drums and piano and lots of samples, except when piano-giant leaps up with his trumpet, or when drum-giant wraps himself and his violin bow around his feathery telecaster. If you’re not familiar with their sound, imagine a 2-man Sigur Ros swirled with 65DOS glitchiness. It’s not really like that, but it’s in that area. Kind of. Guest vocalists pop up occasionally in a video box, front and centre. There is smoke and there are strobing lights. It’s music that the word ‘cinematic’ was invented for.
Each song is accompanied by a short film, alternately baffling, mesmerising or terrifying. I’m never sure whether I should be watching the band or the film, and sometimes I find that a bit distracting. I’m probably supposed to be absorbing the whole, rather than the parts, which would be easier if my attention wasn’t constantly being drawn to the cavorting giant crow-monsters. A minor quibble, though, as the performance is powerful and rousing. But short.
They’re only on for 30 minutes, the lights drop and they’re gone. The audience is taken by surprise and doesn’t know what to do for a moment. Is that it? Should we clap? Eventually, we do, but it’s a slightly deflated round of applause. We hoped for more.
Right. Now. Which GIAA are we going to get tonight?
Here they are…wait a minute! Who’s he? And where’s Neils, the bass pla…oh, here he comes. There’s four of them. Which surprises me. There’s always been three before. Now they have an extra body, on guitar and keyboards. I have no idea who he is. Anyway…
They seem a little rusty at first. Maybe it’s just a first-day-of-tour thing, or maybe it’s the unfamiliar songs, but it’s not until ‘All is Violent, All is Bright’ – introduced as ‘probably our most popular song’ – that they really kick off, rattling through song after song culled from throughout their lengthy career. They don’t do the standard ‘post-rock’ long slow build trick, nothing goes much beyond five minutes, which is quite refreshing.
(You want a set list? Sorry, can’t do that, but here’s a few, in no particular order… They did ‘Echoes’, they did ‘Fragile’. From Dusk to Beyond’ and ‘Suicide by Star’. ‘Forever Lost’. ‘Route 666’. That sort of stuff.)
Many of the songs feature wordless, heavily processed vocals giving them a Mogwai-esque feel at times. Y’know, voice as an instrument. Like that. Also, played live, they seem to have more heft that they do on record. If this is post-rock, they are definitely sitting on the ‘rock’ end of the post. Shapes are thrown and guitarist Torsten Kinsella is seen to actually jump up and down more than once. They are having a ball. As far as I can see, anyway, through the fog periodically farted out by the smoke machine and the ABC’s notoriously terrible lighting. (And there we have one of the major disappointments of the night. GIAA are, or were, renowned for their lighting and visuals, but tonight they are barely visible under a few weak red lights. Something watery and blue occasionally sweeps the stage. Woo-hoo.)
Near the end, Kinsella introduces a new, currently nameless song, describing it as a ‘reaction to the hostile reception’ of the last album, ‘Origins’, saying that he had hoped for better. A tad peevish, perhaps? Anyhow, it rocked along nicely, followed by a fine ‘Fireflies…’ and then they were off. And then they were back, seconds later. Shortest break, ever. Three more, and done. Cheering and whooping. Happy crowd.
Someone will, later, describe the set as a ‘masterclass in progressive rock music’, and he’s bang on. GIAA are supremely tight and solid. Their musicianship is impeccable. But…
Personally – and bear in mind that this is only MY opinion – I’m finding my attention wandering. Maybe it’s because I can see bugger all, maybe it’s because I can hear little variation from song to song. To be sure, there were stand-out moments. ‘All is Violent..’ was a joy. ‘Fireflies…’ was brilliant, and the new song was fine, but all too much of the 100 minute set passed me by in a blur.
But, y’know, my opinion is the least important by far in the room tonight. The people whose opinions count - the audience, the fans - they love it. And that, dear reader, is what really matters.
