ASIWYFA Take Venue By Storm

After seeing the band from Belfast And So I Watch You From Afar at the Lowlands festival in 2010 I was sold. Their energy and testosterone loaded progressive rock songs blew me away and I couldn't wait to see them perform live again. Unfortunately every time they were playing in the neighbourhood, I couldn't make it to their gigs. Nijmegen isn't exactly around the corner either but since I have family living near that place I decided to combine it with a family visit.

And So I Watch You From Afar at Doornroosje Nijmegen, October 7 2011 (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
We make it early to the venue and only a handful of people have showed up by then. We get to watch another band with a long name Do Not Run We Are Your Friends to warm us up. It doesn't sound bad but it proves too much for me. The singer of the band doesn't have a bad voice but her way of singing is definitely not working for me and becomes annoying by the end. Also they try to use many rare percussion instruments but it sounds too forced. For me it's a long half hour.



But then the main act take the stage and it's clear from the start why I was so impressed the first time. They fly into it with great energy. Their instrumental songs are so powerful and the band members are bouncing around the stage. It is that combination of power and energy that really appeals to me. Their last album Gangs is full of those songs and they work perfectly well on stage too. Tracks of that new album, their self titled debut album and EP Letters are balanced around the set. The band is tight and they play their complicated compositions seemingly effortlessly.



The crowd looks a bit hesitant in the beginning but with a band that is putting so much into it it's impossible not to give in. So by the end every song is rewarded with a well deserved big round of applause and loud cheers. They look like a nice bunch of guys and guitar player Rory Friers is the one that is mostly chatting to the crowd. He's thankful when people are applauding and is praising the energy of the crowd. After the gig when I'm getting my CDs signed they take the time chatting to everyone and are thanking people for showing up. In the end everyone is leaving with a huge smile on their faces.

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Setlist
1.BEAUTIFULUNIVERSEMASTERCHAMPION
2.Gang (Starting Never Stopping)
3.Search:Party:Animal
4.A Little Bit Of Solidarity Goes A Long Way
5.7 Billion People All Alive At Once
6.D Is For Django The Bastard
7.S Is For Salamander
8.Don't Waste Time Doing Things You Hate
Encore
9.Set Guitars To Kill
10.The Voiceless