We’ve been spoiled with essential new sounds from every corner of the island this week. Dig into new Silverbacks, Or:la, And So I Watch You From Afar, Sun Mahshene and more Photo by Róisín Murphy O’Sullivan Silverbacks – Selling Shovels And So I Watch You From Afar – Years Ago Sun Mahshene – Pale Azure Or:la – Chant Laurie Shaw – Power Cut Keeley – Inga Hauser Ahmed, With Love. – WHATCHIMACALLIT Sweets – Sweets Callum Orr – The Trials of Knowing Lost Cities D.C. – Monsters
North Coast post-rock machine And So I Watch You From Afar, with support from Robocobra Quartet at the Mandela Hall in Belfast. Photos by David McEneaney
After five albums, And So I Watch You From Afar take something of a left turn with their first ‘multimedia album’ Jettison. Produced with accompanying visuals, their usual crushing riffs and frenzied guitar workouts are replaced, at least initially, by gentle chords resembling The Cinematic Orchestra’s ‘To Build a Home’. Strings and spoken word passages from Emma Ruth Rundle and Clutch’s Neil Fallon float in and out, adding new dimensions to the beloved Belfast-based band’s sound The tension racks up though as the album continues, each movement seamlessly progressing into the next as one long continuous piece, at times recalling…
As anticipated, 2022 has gotten off to an incredibly strong start on the new Irish music front. Here’s the best of the lot, featuring, Silverbacks, CMAT, Whozyerman?, Pixie Cut Rhythm Orchestra, NewDad and more. Silverbacks – A Job Worth Something CMAT – Lonely Pixie Cut Rhythm Orchestra – Empty Envelope Whozyerman? – The Year (….) NewDad – Say It And So I Watch You From Afar – Ill Lung Robyn G Shiels – Constant Reminder constant reminder : demo by robyn g shiels No Monster Club – Save The Circus banríon – end times end times by banríon Fontaines D.C.…
And So I Watch You From Afar have revaled details about that their forthcoming multimedia LP, Jettison. Originally debuted via a series of live shows in Belfast and throughout the UK early last year, the project takes shape as a standalone audio-visual release. Featuring the Arco String Quartet, as well as a gripping visual accompaniment courtesy of artist Sam Wiehl, the nine-track album will be released via Velocity Records and Equal Vision Records on 18th February 2022. “Nothing in our repertoire comes close to the ambition of this latest project,” said the North Coast instrumental rock band in a statement.…
North Coast post-rock titans And So I Watch You From Afar with support from Bicurious at Galway’s Róisín Dubh. Photos by Ciarán Ó Maoláin
The first line-up announcement for the first-ever socially distant music festival in the history of Northern Ireland has been revealed. The first in a five-part series, Stendhal Unlocked part 1 will, pending the go-ahead in terms of COVID-19 restrictions, welcome the likes of And So I Watch You From Afar (pictured), Ciaran Lavery, Malojian, Amy Montgomery, ROE, Kíla, Ryan McMullan and many other artists to Ballymully Cottage in Limavady on August 21 and 22. Check out the current line-up for Part 1 below. With the second part of the line-up for event one, and the first half of the line-up for the second…
When he’s not globetrotting with North Coast instrumental titans And So I Watch You From Afar, Belfast-based musician Rory Friers is known to keep busy. From scoring film soundtracks to concocting first-rate electronic sound as Thrash Hat, the musician is as versatile as he is driven. Today, Friers marks a significant new chapter in his mottled sonic journey to date. A very personal project that was was never intended for release, Friers said that perspective gleaned from lockdown has encouraged him to let the album out into the world. A diversion from both face-searing instrumentalism and shapeshifting beats, Beach Comber…
North Coast instrumental rock trailblazers And So I Watch You From Afar have announced details of a new music and arts festival in support of mental awareness and suicide prevention. Created to “celebrate community and to encourage asking the question… are you ok?” OK? will unite some of the country’s best acts at Belfast’s Telegraph Building on Saturday, March 28th. Raising money for Aware NI, PIPS and Help Musicians, the show will feature sets from ASIWYFA, SOAK, General Fiasco, David Holmes, Phil Kieran, Joshua Burnside, New Pagans, Catalan!, Pillow Queens, Junk Drawer, Jordan Adetunji, Careerist, Cherym, Problem Patterns and Gnarkats.…
North Coast instrumental titans And So I Watch You From Afar have announced details of their next release. Posting on Facebook, the quartet shared the news about Jettison – a project they say is “unlike anything we’ve ever undertaken before”: “We’re beyond excited to be able to share the initial context to our next release, and it’s called Jettison. During winter last year we left for the wilds of Donegal, joined by a string quartet and made this unique piece of music. Equal parts political, cultural and musical, Jettison is an irreverential two finger salute against convention. The single piece…