And So I Watch You From Afar thrilled in Vienna
One thing you can still rely on: This band may make hard music, but with so much playfulness and joy of life, it probably happens only rarely. Despite the rain, the sun came out.
And So I Watch You From Afar: Love Letter to Home
The reason for the current European tour is the album "Megafauna" released last year, with which Rory Friers, Niall Kennedy, Ewen Friers, and Chris Wee - the regular drummer was absent in Vienna due to the birth of his daughter and was congenially replaced by Micheál Quinn - have written a kind of love letter to their homeland and youth. Accordingly, the mostly purely instrumental tracks oscillate between nostalgic feelings and an irrepressible energy that quickly spreads. "That's something you hope for, but you can't guarantee it," Kennedy said before the gig in an APA interview.
For the guitarist, it's primarily about "being honest and authentic. You bring something into the world that means something to you - and hopefully, it does for someone else too." With the opening double "Mother Belfast Pt. 1 & 2," one immediately witnessed the versatility of And So I Watch You From Afar: intricate guitar melodies intertwined here, while the space was gradually expanded, and the four musicians ultimately turned into the massive final part - danceability included.
Rejection of the Hustle and Bustle of Everyday Life
Anyway, the mix of the formation is one that is hard to grasp: the hardness and atmosphere of post-rock were repeatedly broken to make playful excursions, as the jittery "Mullally" proved. "Wasps," on the other hand, pressed the audience against the wall with speed and grandeur, while "Any Joy" from the current album served an immensely melancholic side - after all, everyday life already offers enough hustle and bustle.
In general, the current material was created during a "time of reflection," as Kennedy emphasized. Mostly completed during the coronavirus pandemic, And So I Watch You From Afar used this in many ways difficult phase to pause. "Of course, we asked ourselves back then: What are we without music? It was strange," he recalled the first lockdown. "Until then, the band was our whole world. And now? It felt like an existential crisis."
But one that the quartet has grown from. After all, there are other things in life that are fulfilling. "I myself went to university and am now close to graduating in social work. I would never have dreamed of that before." The band is now "in a better place," Kennedy nodded. "It no longer has to fulfill all our needs. It's certainly a healthier approach to music, rehearsals, and tour life. Of course, it still takes up most of the time - but not exclusively anymore."
Dance, Jump, Sing
A good recipe for inner balance is certainly attending a concert by And So I Watch You From Afar: Anyone who didn't have a broad grin on their face after these intense 75 minutes simply wasn't there. Not during the communal bapbap singing in "7 Billion People all Alive at Once," not during the intense jumping to the classic "Set Guitars to Kill," not during the collective sun worship of "Big Thinks Do Remarkable" - always, of course, with a sparkle in the eyes. Describing the music of his own band is often difficult for him, Kennedy grinned: "It's really hard, but also really happy." Everyone could agree on that. It's great that And So I Watch You From Afar have found their way back to Austria. Let's hope it doesn't take another ten years until the next visit.
(By Christoph Griessner/APA)
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.