By: Jody Dunstan
Photos: Charlotte Wellings |
And So I Watch You From Afar | website | facebook | twitter | bandcamp |
Support: Mylets | website
Gorilla, Manchester | April 29, 2015
On a busy Wednesday night in the ever-popular Gorilla And So I Watch You From Afar played the second of their mammoth 36 night tour. Support was from Mylets. Doors were open late, meaning that me and several others missed the start of Mylets’ set. Seemed a shame because what I heard was good. A solo effort. Busy, jarring math rock, some interesting guitar work and somehow he managed to control the array of pedals in front of him. A good warm up for what was to come.
ASIWYFA opened with ‘Run Home’, followed by ‘These Secret Kings I Know’ from their 2015 release, Heirs. Noisy, groovy, energetic tracks with chant like vocal parts. This track, and the third ‘Wasps’ show a more math rock aspect to their sounds, pushing boundaries and developing a into something a little different. The guitarists working to share and relay parts which although not always perfectly executed worked well to give an interesting dynamic.
‘BEAUTIFULUNIVERSEMASTERCHAMPION’ from their 2011 release Gangs, showed the band in a far more comfortable mode, the crowd reacting to a more familiar track. ‘Gangs (Starting Never Stopping)’ starts with a riff that makes most guitarists nod their heads in appreciation. A frenetic, heavy and hectic track but always with bassist Johnny Adgar holding things together. ‘7 Billion People Alive at Once’, again from Gangs saw them relax into it, the band seeming to disappear into their own worlds. This track ebbs and flows with the weirdness we have come to expect from these guys. Following this was ‘Search:Party Animal’, a heavier, driving tune. These tracks, combined with a great light show and a good atmosphere gave this gig a certain edge. ‘Like a Mouse’, another well executed track, a great drum track that unfortunately sat a bit quiet in the mix.
It was announced that it was Johnny the bassist’s birthday. So, of course, everyone sang him happy birthday. As seems to be a theme with bands like this, they are very friendly, don’t take themselves too seriously and seem to genuinely enjoy what they do. ‘S for Salamander’ again showed fantastic interplay between the guitarists. Lead guitarist Rory admitted that he ‘fucked this track up in Glasgow (the previous night). To be honest, not many would blame him. It is a complex piece! ‘A Beacon, A Compass, An Anchor’ from Heirs. Another tracks that builds layers and a soundscape. A awesome track, the best from Heirs in my opinion. ‘A Little Bit of Solidarity Goes a Long Way’, from their eponymous debut is evidently a favorite. A brilliant track that builds and builds. This is what me, and evidently most of the crowd came to see.
‘Tryer, You’ is a piece that makes you feel something was awesome was going to happen. It did! Familiar vocals, well I say vocals but was more shouting really. The ending was something special, the song ended in a cacophony of noise and bright light with the band disappearing off leaving increasing noise and feedback and bright light. At this point I could have gone home happy. Luckily, they returned to play ‘Eunioa/Big Things Do Remarkable’. The repeated lyric “the sun, the sun, is in our eyes” is something that stuck in my mind. The track finished by fading into a silence, something I’ve never seen before…was simply awesome though. It’s not often at gigs that you are suddenly able to hear a plectrum drop! The set ended with ‘Set Guitars To Kill’, best track of the night, a great ending to a really special evening.
This is a band at the top of their game, if there is a better live band at the moment please let me know. I would happily travel to see them.
