• Start A Van

    January 27, 2015 - By 

    The follow-up to his introductory piece – Start a Band – And So I Watch You From Afar drummer Chris Wee continues his regular column with some of the more interesting, occasionally perilous tales of a touring band on the open road. Hello again and apologies for the delay on this follow-up installment of my column. My friends, family and colleagues will collectively attest to my gross misuse of such phrases as ‘sorry for the late reply’, ‘sorry i’m only getting back to you now’ and ‘sorry I just saw this’. In truth, I am awful at correspondence. I feel like my pre-disposition towards…

  • ASIWYFA Announce Fourth Album Details, European Tour

    January 26, 2015 - By 

    Globetrotting North Coast quartet And So I Watch You From Afar have announced details of their forthcoming fourth studio album. Set for release via Sargent House on May 4, Heirs is the follow-up to the band’s third album All Hail Bright Futures, released back in 2013. The album will be the first featuring material written by guitarist Niall Kennedy, who replaced founding member Tony Wright back in 2011. The band have also announced an extensive European Tour to coincide with the album release. Check out the artwork for Heirs above and read our exclusive fature-length interview with the band in the first…

  • Monday Mixtape: Niall Kennedy (ASIWYFA, A Bad Cavalier)

    January 12, 2015 - By 

    In the first of a new regular feature (weekly, in fact, would you believe?) And So I Watch You From Afar axeman and A Bad Cavalier main man Niall Kennedy delivers his wonderfully eclectic Monday Mixtape. Serious tunes ahoy – Niall, take the reigns… “This is the sort of playlist I’d make for a big drive. It includes a lot of my favourite tunes and is nice and varied. It’s good to keep things interesting so you don’t fall asleep when you’re driving – never good! It’s got some of my new favourite bands like PUP and Grouplove, some epic rock…

  • No Parachute @ Established

    December 16, 2014 - By 

    Launching in printed form in 2015, No Parachute – a new photographic project by And So I Watch You From Afar guitarist Rory Friers and their manager Graham Smith – will take place at Belfast’s Established on Thursday, December 18. Comprising of photographs taken on and off the road over the past few years, the selected images were all taken on iPhone. Speaking of the project, the pair said it “documents the duelling lives of band people and the contrasting moments that we are presented with along the way. From sureness and bliss to the harsh and unpleasant, from the…

  • Start a Band

    November 10, 2014 - By 

    Good day, readers! I’m Chris and The Thin Air have kindly provided me with this platform to talk about the wonderful world of touring and other aspects of life in a band. I began touring about seven years ago, the early days consisted mostly of performing to tiny amounts of people, being broke and sleeping on floors or in vans. Since then there has been no catapult to superstardom, more a gradual yet steady progression in my touring lifestyle and in many ways I feel very fortunate for this, as it has helped me develop a resilience to a lot…

  • A Brief History of Post-Rock

    August 14, 2014 - By 

    Of the countless genre names that describe modern music, post-rock is probably the vaguest of those widely used. Open to generalisation, uncertainty and blind exaggeration, it has no commonly accepted definition and many acts including Tortoise and Mogwai have distanced themselves from the term. That said, much like postmodernism or the avant-garde, there remains a general consensus about the development and essential traits central to this most ambiguous of labels, currently used to describe the likes of This Will Destroy You, Mono and our very own Adebisi Shank, And So I Watch You From Afar, etc. Brian Coney attempts to trace…

  • The Record: And So I Watch You From Afar @ Start Together Studios

    July 30, 2014 - By 

    In he latest installment of The Record, Jill Moffett exclusively shoots North Coast post-rock quartet And So I Watch You From Afar record their forthcoming fourth studio album at Belfast’s Start Together Studios. Produced by Rocky O’Reilly, the record – expected to be released next year – will be the follow-up to the band’s 2013 Sargent House debut, All Hail Bright Futures. And So I watch You From Afar will play a Sargent House label show at Dublin’s Button Factory Wednesday, August 27. Check out the photos from Start Together below.

  • ASIWYFA, General Fiasco and more for Rock Against Racism show

    June 13, 2014 - By 

    Belfast venue The Limelight have announced a hugely impressive Rock Against Racism line-up for Friday, June 20. Set to play on the night is the veritable cream of the crop of Northern Irish music: North Coast post rock quartet And So I Watch You From Afar, rockers The Answer (Acoustic), General Fiasco (also acoustic; a rare appearance from a band on hiatus), Lisburn alt-rock masters Mojo Fury, Belfast-based prog-rock band Kasper Rosa, alt-punk four-piece Empty Lungs and more acts yet to be announced. According to the organisers, the special fundraiser – presented for The Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minoriries…