2023-05-23 | And So I Watch You From Afar + A Burial At Sea | Rescue Rooms, Nottingham

Prior to seeing And So I Watch You From Afar, they were firmly in the middle of the pack of my Post Rock band collection - I could identify a few songs and describe their sound, but they were far from a firm favourite. After attending what turned out to be an excellent gig, ASIWYFA (as you’ll forgive me for abbreviating them…) are now a strong recommendation from me. I will also be following the support, A Burial At Sea, who truly deserve a bigger fanbase than their 2k monthly listeners - overall two cracking Irish bands.

I was joined the night before by Mathmo and we spent the hours prior to the gig in The Hungry Ghost Artspace, joined by a seemingly never-ending stream of hip students seeking vintage treasures. I finally dispatched a years-old voucher on a sirloin at Son of Steak where I enjoyed some Asian style broccoli. We settled in at the Rescue Rooms bar and were joined for a drink by Sibs sporting a tee from his visit to Hobbiton - undeniably cool.

A Burial At Sea kicked off abruptly, with a single huge bass drum hit nearly scaring the drink out of our neighbour’s hand with a frankly hilarious shriek. An opening track with abundant doom-drums didn’t grab me from the off, but I was certainly won over by some solid Post Rock jag guitar tones and the inclusion of melancholic trumpet melodies which reminded me greatly of the Californian band Whale Fall. Lightning Blanket earned the band plaudits, with a perfectly performed vocal ensemble that was rich with emotion - the group had their harmonies and dynamics down pat and the audience loved it. Their closing number landed well, with its Mono-esque thwacky mid-range guitar melodies building to a satisfying peak.

I attended an eye test in the hours before the gig, which inevitably revealed that my screen-hugging eyes now require glasses. Thankfully, the light show accompanying ASIWYFA’s set could have been appreciated by someone legally blind - tall pillars of light and strobing patterns gave way to slow beams, giving the sensation of being suspended in space, all perfectly coordinated with the music. It appears the band aren’t big fans of the spotlight, being mostly obscured from view throughout.

The atmosphere created by ASIWYFA was one of the most diverse in recent memory, ranging from clean guitar licks to heavy hardcore riffs, middling on the band’s trademark quirky absurdity. Prior favourites, Big Thinks Do Remarkable and A Slow Unfolding of Wings didn’t disappoint, the former feeling even more rave-like than the record at its climax.

The audience were treated to two still untitled tracks from an upcoming record, both of which were in-keeping with the band’s style, including some particularly extreme “quiet-then-all-of-a-sudden-all-the-loud” moments - the crowd seemed to enjoy being taken off guard by these. I couldn’t help but giggle when the frontman announced that the second completely instrumental song was “about skateboarding”.

The musicianship of ASIWYFA can’t go unmentioned - the band were incredibly tight given the whimsical nature of their compositions. I appreciated how close the guitar phrasing was to that of the record, with sweeps of the expression pedal matching up perfectly and faultless reproductions of the frankly bizarre arpeggios catching my attention even more in person. Others clearly enjoyed the drums, with one guy delivering some highly sincere air-drum renditions.

It’s fair to say that ASIWYFA vastly exceeded my expectations. I treated myself to a t-shirt decorated with their acronym and some jars of what I’m reliably informed is kimchi which, at the risk of doxing, may be seen at a gig near you soon!