So what do you do when you've put on pretty much the finest celebration of post rock the world has ever seen? Apparently you go out & book Mono, Russian Circles, This Will Destroy You, Ef, team up with Sargent House and pack the undercard with wonderful rising talent like Rumour Cubes, Codes In The Clouds, Karhide, Lost In The Riots & Wicket; bands that readers of these pages may well be familiar with but a wider audience will get the pleasure of for the first time. 

(((o))): On the scale of 7-10 - how excited are you to be performing at this year’s ATG (let’s be honest, anything below 7 won’t be acceptable)?

I’m currently about a 9! I can’t wait until the end of August so I can see so many ace bands and friends all in one place.

(((o))): How have you been preparing for this year’s performance and what can we expect from your show?

For Arctangent I have taken a step back and looked at the Karhide tracks for all the releases and I’m going to have bits from all the releases plus there maybe a cover thrown in but that will be a surprise.

(((o))): If you went last year (whether as a band or privately) - what were your highlights?

I didn’t get to go last year because I was away on a stag do but I was very jealous of everyone that went!

(((o))): What are you most looking forward to at this year’s festival - musically and in general (I can’t wait to try a cactus burrito for example)?

I’m really looking forward to finally getting to see God Is An Astronaut live. I keep missing them every time they tour and they should be great on the main stage.

(((o))): If you were to chose two bands to play next year, one headliner and one local, who would it be and why?

The band I would choose to headline are Shellac and the local band would be Signals who are great live.

(((o))): If you were given the chance to DJ one of the silent discos, give us a 5-song playlist of what you’d make us jump around to

1000 Homo DJs - Supernaut
Big Black - Jordan Minnesota
Refused - New Noise
Helmet - In the Meantime
Nine Inch Nails - The Hand That Feeds

(((o))): One of the best memories from last year was the always swarmed merch stand. What are you getting prepared for the ATG fans merch-wise? Any exclusives?

don’t think I’m going to have anything new back in time for Arctangent but I should have lots of the Field Records releases with me.

(((o))): The great thing about last year was the parade of awesome band t-shirts. Which band t-shirts will your band be sporting?

I’m not sure yet I have a silly amount of band tshirts so it might or might not be my Boards of Canada tshirt.

(((o))): Where will we be most likely to bump into you on site?

I would like to say the bar but I think it’s going to be the merch stand.

(((o))): Who’s on your ‘en route to ATG’ playlist? And who’s your designated driver?

I’m going to be my own driver and crew and at the moment I’m listening to the new EP by Lesser Key loads!

So what do you do when you've put on pretty much the finest celebration of post rock the world has ever seen? Apparently you go out & book Mono, Russian Circles, This Will Destroy You, Ef, team up with Sargent House and pack the undercard with wonderful rising talent like Rumour Cubes, Codes In The Clouds, Karhide, Lost In The Riots & Wicket; bands that readers of these pages may well be familiar with but a wider audience will get the pleasure of for the first time. 

(((o))): On the scale of 7-10 - how excited are you to be performing at this year’s ATG (let’s be honest, anything below 7 won’t be acceptable)?

I think its safe to say we are definitely a 10 on this scale! Three of us went to ATG last year and the instant we got back in the rehearsal space as a band it was clear that the general consensus was 'we HAVE to play that festival one day!' We were incredibly pleased to be approached to play this years festival; ATG is fast becoming the Mecca for bands of the post and math-rock persuasion and this years line up is bordering on the ridiculous!

(((o))): How have you been preparing for this year’s performance and what can we expect from your show?

This years work has been all about writing, recording, releasing and touring for our second album Move On, Make Trails. The album has been demanding of our time (and wallets!), so we have recently taken a month off from playing live to let the album settle and to gather our strength and wits in order to go nuts at ATG. We will hit the rehearsal space a few times soon to hash out a set we think will work for the ATG crowd and that sells us best.

As far as what to expect: a generous smattering of loud riffs, a bit of enthusiastic foot stomping, a healthy dose of head banging, a large amount of dancing, plenty of gurning from the 6 stringers, toplessness and excessive head movement from the 4 stringer and (potentially) a rock solid drummer in a brown cassock.

(((o))): If you went last year (whether as a band or privately) - what were your highlights?

Jim: Cleft playing early on to a packed tent, damned good pizza, Andy drinking pints of wine, knowing so many faces of band members and promoters, laying on my back half-cut listening to TTNG, ASIWYFA blowing my socks off.

Adam: Seeing ASIWYFA for the umpteenth time and still being in awe of how good they are live. Bumping into and hanging out with a ridiculous amount of friendly faces.

Andy: Lots of bands being ridiculous, including Cleft, Polymath, ASIWYFA, Tall Ships, and Public Service Broadcasting. Drinking the odd bit of wine every-now-and-then. Strolling around dressed as a monk for a day - still feeling moderately accepted into the post-rock/math-rock community.

(((o))): What are you most looking forward to at this year’s festival - musically and in general (I can’t wait to try a cactus burrito for example)?

Jim: Three Trapped Tigers, Mutiny on the Bounty, Russian Circles, AMTP, ASIWYFA.

Adam: BATS, Enemies, Tall Ships, Alarmist, Samoans for the first time. Topping up my Three Trapped Tigers, TTNG, Lite, Russian Circles, ASIWYFA quotas. Seeing our friendlings in other bands playing excellent music and inevitably making us look bad.

Andy: Enemies and Alarmist are two bands that I've always wanted to see. I'm also very excited to have my first live Russian Circles experience. The new Alpha Male Tea Party material is pretty ridiculous - I'm very excited to see it/smell it in the flesh having had time to absorb it. Three Trapped Tigers - Adam Betts (drums) cannot be human. Maybeshewill as always.

(((o))): If you were to chose two bands to play next year, one headliner and one local, who would it be and why?

Jim: headliner - Cloudkicker, local - Miroist

Adam: This is way too difficult to answer.

Andy - headliner - Balmorhea, local - Patchwork Natives

(((o))): If you were given the chance to DJ one of the silent discos, give us a 5-song playlist of what you’d make us jump around to

A few select cuts from recent and upcoming Lonely Voyage Records DJ sets have featured the following mixed bag of audible goodness:
Vasquez – Low To Be Heavy
Propagandhi – Status Update
Cleft - Gulch
American Football - Never Meant
Totorro - Chevalier Bulltoe
Town Portal – Chronoceros

(((o))): One of the best memories from last year was the always swarmed merch stand. What are you getting prepared for the ATG fans merch-wise? Any exclusives?

Whilst touring in Europe in June we completely sold out of t-shirts and copies of our EP and we've not had the collective funds to get any t-shirts printed up in time for ATG. However, the merch stand will be stocked with copies of our first album Stranger in the Alps and our new album Move On, Make Trails. We're also crossing every appendage to have copies of the new album on double gate fold, coloured vinyl with us too...

(((o))): The great thing about last year was the parade of awesome band t-shirts. Which band t-shirts will your band be sporting?

Jim: This year I will be mostly wearing a Mastodon or Miroist t-shirt

Adam: An array of band and non-band-related t-shirts and if you're lucky, nothing at all (nothing at all... nothing at all...).

Andy: No T-shirts required - the monk outfit has come back from the dry cleaners ready for a repeat of last year's appearance (although it might come with extra customisations this year).

(((o))): Where will we be most likely to bump into you on site?

You'll probably be able to bump into us just after we get off stage as we hurdle over the barriers to be front and centre for Bats. Failing that you'll find us moseying between stages to catch as many bands as we can or at the bar getting an intoxicating beverage of some kind.

(((o))): Who’s on your ‘en route to ATG’ playlist? And who’s your designated driver?

No designated driver as we are all coming separately for one reason or another! En route playlists will probably consist of a selection of bands playing this years ATG to thoroughly drench our collective whistles.

Bassist and cellist Tony Levin (King Crimson, Peter Gabriel, Liquid Tension Experiment) and his brother, pianist and organist Pete Levin (Miles Davis, Gil Evans, Jaco Pastorius) make up The Levin Brothers. I was able to chat with both of them about their upcoming debut album, The Levin Brothers – featuring David Spinozza on guitar, Erik Lawrence on saxophone, and Steve Gadd and Jeff Siegel on drums.

Their self-titled debut album comes out September 9th. To pre-order the CD (first 1,000 copies signed) or coloured vinyl (Special Edition - first 1,000 signed & numbered), go to lazybones.com or thelevinbrothers.com

(((o))): The Levin Brothers sounds like something that has been brewing for a long time – when did the idea first come about to write some music together?

Pete Levin: It was really a natural progression rather than a plan.  We're both immersed every day in making music one way or another.  It started innocently with some casual playing.  At some point there was the realization that ... hey, we could do this as a band ... or record it.

Tony Levin: Well, if 'brewing' is the right description, then it's certainly well cooked by now! It's occurred to me that we could conceivably have thought of making this album 50 years ago!  Anyway, the idea came about 4 years ago - I'd started getting comfortable playing the electric cello (mainly I'm a bass player) and the thought came, gee, with Pete on organ and me on cello, we'd have two distinctive 'voices' to do some jazz songs, just like the music we listened to a lot when we were kids, which had Julius Watkins on French Horn (Pete's instrument at the time) and Oscar Pettiford on cello and bass.

So, in my spare time I kept practicing the cello, and started writing songs for us, specifically in that style (which features short, melodic songs, and short solos). Pete soon joined in writing songs and we got together a lot to run them down, find the right tempos, and refine the direction we were going to go on the album.

(((o))): How have you found the experience of composing with a sibling? Do you find it adds a different flavour to what you play?

Tony: Everything is easy between us - writing, playing, spending a lot of time together, and making musical decisions together. There's also musical respect, as you hope to have with all the guys you create music with, so we're both okay about the other making changes from what may have been our original chords or map of how the piece should go.

Pete: It's significant also that with our common background and musical training, when we focus on a musical idea, getting in sync with each other is almost automatic.  And music aside, of course we know each other pretty well.  So the experience of creating together is a smooth one.  It just occurred to me: I've known Tony all his life.  Who else can say that?

(((o))): How did you end up deciding on the stellar line up for the album?

Pete: Initially, it was a matter of convenience.  We were considering doing some local live gigs just for fun, and there are many great players in our Woodstock community.  Keeping it local and simple made jazz drummer Jeff Siegel a perfect choice to round out the trio.  When it was clearly becoming a real project and we wanted to add players, we turned to old friends David Spinozza and Erik Lawrence, two fine musicians that we work with all the time and that we knew would understand what we were going for.  Finally, having Steve Gadd as a guest had special meaning for Tony; they studied at the Eastman School together and have been close friends and musical collaborators ever since.

(((o))): With Tony’s ventures into improvisation with Stick Men, King Crimson and others, I was originally expecting an album of lengthy improvised pieces and solos. What is it about the cool jazz period specifically that speaks to both of you?

Tony: Well, how about that I still remember ALL the melodies and most of the solos from those records I heard some 54 years ago. That's because they're really good compositions and really special solos. It's certainly a valid thing to put out records that feature great playing, but to me, in the long run it's the songs - the compositions - that determines whether it'll remain there in my head. One way to describe this album is that we've tried to make music like that, that's 'classic' in the sense that it'll stay with you.

Pete:  Yes; definitely, the melodies.  Improvisation is at the heart of jazz expression, but making a recording was very different 60 years ago.  So many albums get made now that we take it for granted, but it was a very special thing then - the medium, the process, the content, the marketing ... all different.  Even the biggest format - the 12-inch LP - had limited space, so solos were kept short out of necessity.  But that created an unexpected legacy for us; recordings with concise presentations of carefully crafted melodies and arrangements.  That's Music Composition 101, fundamentals that modern musicians still need to study and master.

(((o))): Tony, do you have a favourite moment of Pete’s playing on the album? And Pete, do you have a favourite moment of Tony’s playing?

Tony: Yeah, I love all his solo-ing, but on Matte Kudasai (the one non-original on the album - it's a King Crimson song) - on that piece I felt he really caught the essence of the song and also took it somewhere else, in a fun way.

Pete: Oh, I have several!  The arrangement concept for the Bach piece was Tony's - great idea.  He takes very soulful solos on "Fishy Takes a Walk" and "I Remember."  But if I had to pick one, it would definitely be his unison bass/vocal solo on "Havana."  Very cool!

(((o))): People coming to The Levin Brothers from a traditionally rock background may be less aware of Pete’s incredibly storied career. Are there any albums you’d recommend to a newcomer of Pete’s music?

Pete: Since 2000, I've been recording solo albums mainly in organ trio format.  The most recent, the self-released "Jump!", with Lenny White and Dave Stryker, is my favorite to date.  But as a multi-keyboardist, I've made contributions to hundreds of albums over the years - sometimes prominently, sometimes not.  I'm most proud of 3 albums I did with Jimmy Giuffre's quartet during the '80s, and the many live and studio albums I did with Gil Evans over a 15 year period - almost 30 that I know of.  (We were bootlegged a lot!)

(((o))): Following that, what are some of your favourite jazz albums?

Tony: Since it's the inspiration for our album, I'll choose some of the cool jazz albums we grew up with:

(Some of the titles have changed since the original release - these are the current titles)

Oscar Pettiford: New Oscar Pettiford Sextet

Oscar Pettiford: Oscar Rides Again

Oscar Pettiford: Sextet

Julius Watkins: Sextet

Julius Watkins: The Jazz Modes

Pete: I'll second Tony's choices of course.  Some classics that are still very influential:
Miles Davis: Kind Of Blue
Stan Getz/Eddie Sauter: Focus
Gil Evans/Miles Davis: Porgy & Bess
Bil Evans: Sunday At The Village Vanguard
Oscar Peterson/Lester Young: The President Plays
Ella Fitzgerald/Louis Armstrong: Ella & Louis
Dave Brubeck: Time Out
Charles Mingus: Mingus Ah Um

(((o))): Are there any plans to play this music live, or do further albums down the track?

Pete: No plans yet, but definitely the desire to do both.  It'll depend on how our schedules fit together.

Tony: Of course, we'll play gigs and do more records, this is not the kind of a band that could break up!  Right now, our touring, gigging schedules are full for the coming seasons. Next year, we'll slot in some touring time, but will continue to play in our area (Woodstock and upstate New York) as we've been doing for years.

Next album… we're writing for that, and will see what's the best time to focus on it.

Mat Davies recently reviewed Tim Bowness' solo album Abandoned Dancehall Dreams, describing it as "an album of pleasing ambition, creative richness and mature insight". Mat asked Tim a couple of questions to find out more about the album and if there will ever be another No-Man release. 

(((o))): The new album Abandoned Dancehall Dreams seems to have garnered universally favourable reviews- well, we loved it anyway- how pleased are you with how it has turned out?

Tim: Really pleased as it was something I put a lot of myself into.

More than anything I’ve been involved in before, the album’s a reflection of my ideas about music and production. It also features more of my music writing than on any previous album.

Beyond the writing and recording, I spent an age listening to mixes and sequencing the songs, so it was a genuine relief when Abandoned Dancehall Dreams was finally released and well-received.

(((o))): Can you give us some insight into your creative process- has it been hard or do ideas come to you fairly easily?

Tim: Generally, I find it easy to come up with ideas. Turning those ideas into something useful and interesting is where it gets more difficult.

I use any method that works in terms of writing material. I compose at home on guitar, keyboard and with samples, and I co-write with other musicians either using the studio, or improvising/jamming in rehearsal rooms.

On this album all the above methods were used.

(((o))): What were the key inspirations for this record- do you have a familiar creative muse or does inspiration come from various and often unexpected places?

Tim: In some ways, the key to this album was my memories of abandoned dance halls. I used the abandoned dancehall as a linking theme, and an image that provided an atmosphere for the set of songs I was coming up with. That said, the songs themselves were inspired by many very different things

I like each album I make to have a quality that’s distinct from every other album I’ve made and having a specific starting point often helps. Jarrod Gosling’s evocative artwork really enhanced the mood I was working towards as well.

(((o))): There is a literary undercurrent prevalent in the new record- how much did fiction and literature influence the creative process?

Tim: It didn’t influence it directly. I’ve read a lot since being a child, so I think literary influences have always seeped into what I do.

I’m drawn to writers like Raymond Carver, Harold Pinter, Ian Hamilton, Samuel Beckett, Kurt Vonnegut, Jean Rhys and the 1960s Mersey Poets. All manage to express complex emotions and ideas with relatively simple language.

In some ways, several of the songs are like short stories set to music. The inspiration behind those stories is part experience, part the experiences/lives of people I know or have known, and part fiction and speculation.

(((o))): What’s your favourite personal memory from the dancehalls of your youth?

Tim: I don’t have any!

I hated the dancehalls of my youth, which consisted of loud, laser lit nightclubs, or fun pubs belting out the less inspiring end of Electro Pop or the burgeoning Stock, Aitken And Waterman PWL label releases.

I liked a lot of the derelict grand buildings near me when I was growing up. Partly because of their fascinating history and partly because they brought a sense of (albeit faded) glamour into a pretty grey and depressing place.

In the 1970s and 1980s, there were a number of dilapidated cinemas, theatres and dance halls in the neighbourhood. Ornate facades, even filthy ones, brought a contrast to less than elegant locations. One particularly impressive building used to be called The Palace Hippodrome Theatre. It’s been a nightclub for years and when you look at it even now, there’s a strange collision between the grand and the trashy. Another of my favourites was in Latchford. It was a 1920s built cinema plonked in the middle of a side street of terraces. In Thatcher-era Warrington, even though it had become a carpet warehouse, it still had a sense of the exotic about it!

(((o))): You already seem to have a dedicated fan base who assiduously follow your every move. However, how would you describe your music to someone coming to it for the first time?

Tim: At this stage, I’ve no idea. I write very instinctively and don’t think about what I’m doing in the moment or where it fits with what’s going around it. In earlier years, I might have offered something absurd or just wittered on in a way that tried to make sense of what I did. Increasingly, I find it difficult to describe music (mine or other people’s). I hope that I offer something distinctive, honest and emotional.

(((o))): Given you have several fingers in different pies, what’s the most frustrating aspect of working in today’s music industry given the paradigm seem to be ever changing?

Tim: Not being able to spend as much time making music as I’d like to is a frustration. The upside is that when I am involved in making, recording or playing music, it’s an even more immersive and cherished experience than used to be.

(((o))): The main question everyone wanted me to ask you was “When are we going to get some new No-Man material?” so: “when are we going to get some new No-Man material?”

Tim: It’s a question I ask myself as well!

I’m very attached to No-Man and felt that our last studio album (in 2008) and last tour (in 2012) suggested that there was still life in the band and that there were new areas we could investigate. Abandoned Dancehall Dreams has taken on board and developed some of those potential areas, I think.

The truth is that although I’m busy, Steven’s even busier. If he’s available to make a No-Man album, I’ll find the time to make it with him.

(((o))): What have been the records and artists that have inspired and excited you over the last year?

Tim: In terms of newer artists, I’ve liked albums by The War On Drugs, Matt Stevens and Warpaint. In terms of older artists who have made albums I’ve liked over the last year, I’ve enjoyed new releases by Eno/Hyde, Sun Kil Moon, Elbow, Elvis Costello & The Roots, Damon Albarn, The Flaming Lips, Jack Bruce and others.

I still actively listen to (and buy) a lot of wide-ranging music old and new.

(((o))): What are your plans for the rest of 2014?

Tim: Another live performance, plus lots of recording. Some towards a follow up to Abandoned Dancehall Dreams and some with Peter Chilvers and Andrew Keeling.

(((o))): It’s our round; what’re you having?

Tim: A pot of Lapsang Souchang, a glass of Ikea rhubarb juice and a packet of Marmite crisps, thank you very much.

So what do you do when you've put on pretty much the finest celebration of post rock the world has ever seen? Apparently you go out & book Mono, Russian Circles, This Will Destroy You, Ef, team up with Sargent House and pack the undercard with wonderful rising talent like Rumour Cubes, Codes In The Clouds, Karhide, Lost In The Riots & Wicket; bands that readers of these pages may well be familiar with but a wider audience will get the pleasure of for the first time. 

(((o))): On the scale of 7-10 - how excited are you to be performing at this year’s ATG (let’s be honest, anything below 7 won’t be acceptable)?

Off the scale excited.  It is, without doubt, our highlight of the year… we’re very excited and feel extremely privileged to play alongside so many amazing acts, most of whom we have happily paid good money to go see in the past.  Being on that poster just makes us giddy.

(((o))): How have you been preparing for this year’s performance and what can we expect from your show?

We’ve just finished recording our first album, so we’ve been writing a lot of new material and polishing our performance for the set. You can expect lots of delay, dynamics and some DIY visuals too.

(((o))): If you went last year (whether as a band or privately) - what were your highlights?

Either spilling all the red wine whilst dancing erratically to This Town Needs Guns, or falling asleep next to that giant bonfire near the main stage.  Also, seeing quite a few of the bands walk around the site and having the opportunity to have a chat/pester them was fantastic.

(((o))): What are you most looking forward to at this year’s festival - musically and in general (I can’t wait to try a cactus burrito for example)?

Number one is definitely playing at such an awesome festival – the line-up is just stacked and we are really pleased to be involved.  Number two, seeing This Will Destroy You again and hearing their new material.

(((o))): If you were to chose two bands to play next year, one headliner and one local, who would it be and why?

We’re big fans of Explosions in the Sky – they killed it on their last tour over here.  That’d be cool.  We play a lot with Nanook of the North in Cardiff – they rock and deserve to be up there next year too.

(((o))): If you were given the chance to DJ one of the silent discos, give us a 5-song playlist of what you’d make us jump around to

Craig David – 7 Days

Tangled Hair – Forty Winks

Them The Sky – Fall

Enemies – Indian Summer

Waking Aida – Glow Coin

(((o))): One of the best memories from last year was the always swarmed merch stand. What are you getting prepared for the ATG fans merch-wise? Any exclusives?

We may have some sort of taster of our debut album together, maybe a Wicket tank-top too.

(((o))): The great thing about last year was the parade of awesome band t-shirts. Which band t-shirts will your band be sporting?

Danny will no doubt have his Zep t-shirt somewhere.  Raurie – an Oceansize one.  Spud will, no doubt, be wearing nothing.

(((o))): Where will we be most likely to bump into you on site?

Wherever the wind takes us.  We’ll probably be attempting to cram in as many bands as possible, frantically running from stage to stage.

(((o))): Who’s on your ‘en route to ATG’ playlist? And who’s your designated driver?

We’re going to be in separate cars this year, but that means Danny and Raurie can get away with listening to Led Zepplin or ACDC. Spud will be listening to the Lion King OST guaranteed.

Please welcome No Sin Evades His Gaze to the world stage. One of the most promising bands to emerge from the tech metal scene from pretty much since the genre's inception, they have both youth and experience on their side, and a very well-crafted début album entitled Age Of Sedation. While it was unreleased at the time of this interview, it has since dropped on Bandcamp and comes highly recommended. I got the chance to speak with vocalist James Denton and guitarist Dan Thornton about the band's background and lyrical topics, their impetus and opinions on the metal community.

Being such a new band, the starting point of the conversation is their origins, and how they got into this style of music. James is the groove-loving metalcore guy, having previously sung in a “Killswitchy, Triviumy” band called Ravenface, utilizing his rasping growl and clean-cut singing to great acclaim there. Conversely, Dan Thornton played in Black Mire, a “tech-deathy thing that wasn’t all that tech-deathy”, and now gets to show off his licks and riffs on tracks like ‘Roll Up The Royalty’, or the muscular breakdowns in ‘Filth’. They also reveal bassist Moat Lowe is a massive proghead, as I would discover later in conversation with him about his love of King Crimson and other old prog bands.

However, despite this “mish-mash of previous bands” as James terms it, it was inevitable they would move onto a different style no matter how much they love their chosen genres. “Tech-metal seemed like the natural thing if you’re into Pantera and Lamb Of God's groove, you get to a point where ‘this is where this [the genre] has gone’. It’s the evolution.” Lamb Of God crops up a fair bit in our conversation, as Denton names their Ashes Of The Wake album right off the bat as “the definitive metal album for me”. Dan, still in tech-death mode, plumps for the equally excellent Planetary Duality by The Faceless, resulting in perhaps the quickest pair of answers to the 'influences' question I've experienced. James then adds a different answer in the context of No Sin Evades His Gaze, tapping Whitechapel, “either their self-titled or An Era Of Corruption. They are the two albums that really made me want to play in a band like this.”

Moving to the band's conception, the question arises of whether the band or the name came first. “We wanted to start the band first” comes the confident reply from James, with Dan explaining further: “Before we launched this, we were so adamant not to launch the name and then have nothing. We had to have something together so the album hit with the biggest impact.” And it has hit with quite the impact, attracting interest from several high profile metal blogs, Metal Hammer magazine and even The Guardian! Concerning the name, like many others I mistook it for a Christian reference. “We get that a lot, but it [the vagueness] is meant to be there. Who “he” actually is isn’t specified,” likening it to the band name Thy Art Is Murder, even if the actual reference is from a level in the first-person shooter game Bioshock Infinite.

When one takes into account that the band have been together for less than a year, it seems natural that there was a driving impetus which caused the musical direction to come together so smoothly and swiftly. James points towards the band's common attitude: “We all came from different bands that dissolved into whatever. And I think we said 'Here are the mistakes we made, let’s stop them. Now we know what we can do and won’t do. Let’s be really ambitious with this: why can’t we play Bloodstock next year?'”. This prompts Dan to start laughing, and with good reason: the band had already announced their addition to THIS year's Bloodstock bill, an incredible feat for such a new band. This proves James' mentality perfectly: “If you set the bar really high and decide to just go do it, you’d be amazed with what you can do with enough time.” This fierce determination will surely carry the band far.

Speaking of fierce, James is very outspoken in his lyrical content, which has progressed from more introspective topics of before. Now it is “a way to make commentary, draw parallels and observations, as opposed to just “this is my life and this is what’s wrong with it”. He is of the firm opinion that lyrics should be used to convey a message, and feels that some bands squander this opportunity by singing about “killing, raping and stealing, because 'that's metal'”. Instead, he views his lyrics in more general, albeit slightly misanthropic terms: “it’s not about a single person and hating on them. It’s ‘here’s what’s wrong with everything, I think we all feel it but no-one’s really saying it’”. One such example is “We are the children of a dying generation/Medicated, tranquilized/This is the age of sedation” from the title track, a fairly blunt jab at the fact that many people are less likely nowadays to educate themselves about the world around them and what is going on.

This segues neatly into a favorite question of mine, which is what would go on the reading list if No Sin Evades His Gaze were a university subject. Interestingly, the two eschew the usual format of books and instead point to the TV network Russia Today for an alternative perspective. James argues that the channel avoids shielding Western viewers from “horrendous crimes” that are going on such as drone bombings and the like. So by watching this channel, he reasons, they would at least become more educated in the goings-on outside their own doorstep. He rounds off with a very accurate comment: “I think human beings are capable of being incredible, which is even more frustrating when they are disappointing.”

This also extends to the metal community, which is our final major point of discussion. Making it as a band is very much a Darwinian process, but the tech-metal scene has become a very welcoming family over the years. What do the band make of the dichotomy? James answers: “What I’ve seen from when I was younger, is when you first get into metal, there’s a family feel, like “I belong to something that’s different and unique to me”, and then it splits into sub-genres and they all HATE each other, and you think “wait a minute, this isn’t a family, we’re all arguing”. So when we put out our first video [‘Age Of Sedation’], so many tech bands shared it, and I thought “this is really good, to belong to somewhere where there’s a mutual respect”. Many sub-genres could do well to learn from this, because the family feel is integral to what is so satisfying about being part of this metal community, and to know that other bands support what you do is already encouragement in itself.

My last question regarding No Sin Evades His Gaze's plan for the future is met in a rather skewed fashion. Rather than trotting out the usual answer regarding tours and new material, the two give a further insight into the band's general plan: “set your hopes at the top, realistically though, don’t be arrogant about it. But say 'this is what we want to achieve, why can’t we do that?'” Rather than resting on their laurels now that the début album has been launched, the impression they give is that they are going to push even harder, “to continually demand the best of each other. Everyone needs to be onboard on the same level, and if we stick to that, it will be something special.” You're damn right it will be, and they're a band to keep a close eye on.

Thanks to No Sin Evades His Gaze and Fox James for the interview opportunity. You can see No Sin Evades His Gaze at the O2 Islington (find details here).

So what do you do when you've put on pretty much the finest celebration of post rock the world has ever seen? Apparently you go out & book Mono, Russian Circles, This Will Destroy You, Ef, team up with Sargent House and pack the undercard with wonderful rising talent like Rumour Cubes, Codes In The Clouds, Karhide, Lost In The Riots & Wicket; bands that readers of these pages may well be familiar with but a wider audience will get the pleasure of for the first time. 

(((o))): On the scale of 7-10 - how excited are you to be performing at this year’s ATG (let’s be honest, anything below 7 won’t be acceptable)?

10. ArcTanGent is the most fun you can have as a post-rock fan. Closely followed by Nice Weather For Airstrikes Festival.

(((o))): How have you been preparing for this year’s performance and what can we expect from your show?

Well, last night at practice we messed about playing a bunch of really, really old stuff. Even songs we used to do with a singer. Complete waste of time as we won’t be playing any of it. What we will be playing are songs spanning the last 10 years - each from a different release, plus one new one.

(((o))): If you went last year (whether as a band or privately) - what were your highlights?

65daysofstatic and dancing about like a child on a sugar high at the silent disco.

(((o))): What are you most looking forward to at this year’s festival - musically and in general (I can’t wait to try a cactus burrito for example)?

Some nice guilt-free morning drinking, as our set is at 11:25am and its only fair to have a couple before playing. In terms of bands probably Mono, I Like Trains, Year of No Light and Fen. We’ll have a lot of friends and bands we know at the festival so I’m looking forward to lots of sitting about in the sun and catching up with old mates.

(((o))): If you were to chose two bands to play next year, one headliner and one local, who would it be and why?

If the organisers could work their magic and get A Genuine Freakshow, They Don’t Sleep and Double Handsome Dragons to reform I’d be very, very happy. While they are sprinkling fairy dust around, Oceansize reforming to perform Effloresce would be a treat.

If they can’t resurrect the dead, then Godspeed for headliner and Kasper Rosa, ...And The Earth Swarmed With Them, Obe and Eschar for locals.

(((o))): If you were given the chance to DJ one of the silent discos, give us a 5-song playlist of what you’d make us jump around to.

Soulfly - Jump Da Fuck Up

Van Halen - Jump

Brand Nubian - Punks Jump Up to Get Beat Down

Kriss Kross - Jump

Bob & Earl - Harlem Shuffle (to trick people into thinking I was playing Jump Around)

(((o))): One of the best memories from last year was the always swarmed merch stand. What are you getting prepared for the ATG fans merch-wise? Any exclusives?

It is good. Last year I picked up limited editions of UpcDownC’s first two albums. We’ve got some nice hand-printed t-shirts which hopefully people will like.

(((o))): The great thing about last year was the parade of awesome band t-shirts. Which band t-shirts will your band be sporting?

Pelican, What The Blood Revealed, UpCDownC, Obe, Sleepmakeswaves - whichever ones are clean when I pack.

(((o))): Where will we be most likely to bump into you on site?

If you mean literally, then either in the pit for ASIWYFA or running between stages to catch bands.

(((o))): Who’s on your ‘en route to ATG’ playlist? And who’s your designated driver?

Luckily it’s not me, so I’ll be in the back drinking and obnoxiously shouting the wrong directions. I’ve been wise not to get a drivers licence so I can’t ever be the sober responsible one. As for tunes, Spinal Tap will have to come on when we go past Stonehenge. Plus, of course the new Cheery Wave album - available from all wi-fi connected computers now - https://acheerywavefromstrandedyoungsters.bandcamp.com 

So what do you do when you've put on pretty much the finest celebration of post rock the world has ever seen? Apparently you go out & book Mono, Russian Circles, This Will Destroy You, Ef, team up with Sargent House and pack the undercard with wonderful rising talent like Rumour Cubes, Codes In The Clouds, Karhide, Lost In The Riots & Wicket; bands that readers of these pages may well be familiar with but a wider audience will get the pleasure of for the first time. 

(((o))): On the scale of 7-10 - how excited are you to be performing at this year’s ATG (let’s be honest, anything below 7 won’t be acceptable)?

100000000000000000000000 / 10 obviously… who isn’t?

(((o))): How have you been preparing for this year’s performance and what can we expect from your show?

This is our first full band show in a year - we’ve got new members, more members, and new songs to début! Preparations have been full of panic, stress and then adulation.

(((o))): If you went last year (whether as a band or privately) - what were your highlights?

I missed out last year unfortunately. Big regret. Polymath would have obviously been the huge highlight though!

(((o))): What are you most looking forward to at this year’s festival - musically and in general (I can’t wait to try a cactus burrito for example)?

Musically it’s This Will Destroy You for me...it’ll be the first time seeing them live. Obviously every act I’m looking forward to, but especially these guys by a whisper…

Non musically..this all night bar sounds pretty interesting, I’m not sure I’m going to bother bringing a tent. Every lucky person who went last year has told me that this is their actual favourite festival - regardless of it’s postrockness - so the whole experience I’m really looking forward to. Just the vibe and how carefully everything has been put together, laid out and planned really. Also I’m looking forwrad to more inter-postrock-band 5aside football. MBMR hold the record incase you were wondering. 6-1 thrashing over Flies Are Spies From Hell. FYI.

(((o))): If you were to chose two bands to play next year, one headliner and one local, who would it be and why?

Ahhh. Well it’s Godspeed / Silver Mt Zion for me. Let’s make this happen.

Locally..there are so many! Off the top of my head (and apologies to those I’ve missed!) I’d definitely say Lucy Claire, Phoria, Patchwork Natives, He Was Eaten By Owls, 52 Commercial Road….there are so many.

(((o))): If you were given the chance to DJ one of the silent discos, give us a 5-song playlist of what you’d make us jump around to.

I think I’d get the graveyard shift. Put me after last orders and I’ll sober everyone up ok?

(((o))): One of the best memories from last year was the always swarmed merch stand. What are you getting prepared for the ATG fans merch-wise? Any exclusives?

There may well be some limited edition ATG vinyls on their way...you’ll have to wait and see!

(((o))): The great thing about last year was the parade of awesome band t-shirts. Which band t-shirts will your band be sporting?

I’m hoping it’s going to be so hot that the majority of us are semi-naked throughout the weekend. But if not, then I think it’s shirts for us I’m afraid! Someone has to bring some sophistication to the postrock world. As long as no one wears those silly wooly hats that someone invariably wears at festivals despite it being 35+ degrees then all is fine.

(((o))): Where will we be most likely to bump into you on site?

Walking briskly between stages I expect! There’s so many of us that you’re bound to bump into one of us everytime you look up.

(((o))): Who’s on your ‘en route to ATG’ playlist? And who’s your designated driver?

We’re going to bring back the mix tape. A bit of everyone playing, maybe a few from last year...I’m in an iLiKETRAiNS mood...so let’s start with Terra Nova and see how we get on...