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
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Explosive New Album By ASIWYFA

ASIWYFA? Yes, And So I Watch You From Afar are a band from Northern Ireland that play a mix of math rock and prog rock. No vocals, just lots of guitar, pounding drums and enthusiasm. Especially that last ingredient makes their live performances a real treat as I experienced a year ago. Now they have released their second full length album Gangs.

And So I Watch You From Afar - Gangs (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
And that album is full of explosive new songs. You can hear the excitement back in it. Like their live performances it will simply blow you off your socks. Even though it's related to math rock you don't have to worry that it's too much of guitar fiddling. Instead their music is full of great grooves and hooks.

If you're into heavy guitars buying this album is a no brainer. Even better go check them out live too! I had to pleasure of seeing them once and am dying to see them again. So far without luck since I had to miss their gig last December in Amsterdam and unfortunately can't make it to festival De Beschaving that they're playing this weekend. And guys please re-release your first album and EP since they're impossible to get. Best enjoyed with the volume knob turned up completely.

Listen to 'Gangs' on Spotify

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Lowlands 2010 Day 2: Time To Party!

After a great first day and a decent night of sleep we woke up to a beautiful sunny day. Just not in time to see Dutch performer and rising star Tim Knol open the second day. Sorry Tim, hopefully I can catch you next time.

And So I Watch You From Afar (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
Time to get the sleep blown from our eyes by this Irish hard rocking bunch. Loud powerful guitar riffs combined with complex tempo changes, fast licks and a solid drummer were fired at us. No vocals since these guys don't need that with their lively stage performance. The guitarists and bass player are jumping and bouncing around stage while playing their amazing parts. Guitar player Rory Friers even continues playing while crowd surfing. Their eyes are twinkling when they receive the well earned cheers from the crowd.



New Cool Collective & Typhoon (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
Clearly awake now we move to the next party with Dutch jazz band New Cool Collective and Dutch rapper Typhoon. The Alpha stage is not the best place for this combination but it's convenient for the many musicians on the stage. Nevertheless they manage to put down a swinging set. What can you expect when you have one of the coolest and most swinging band on stage with awarded performers like sax player Benjamin Herman, guitar player Anton Goudsmit and drummer Joost Kroon. Rapper Typhoon cannot wish for a better band to back his raps and he manages to turn the place into a swinging party with the help of some other guests. Too bad the band only got to play one song by themselves.



The Soft Pack (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)
Sitting in the grass enjoying a bit of sunshine we listen to The Soft Pack on the main stage. Their garage rock is catchy and their songs are good. They just didn't add enough fire to make it explode.

Mumford and Sons (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
I said it before that I don't like this kind of music. But I admit their show was pretty good. Well played songs and the packed Alpha tent was going crazy with every song. I still don't get why but so many people can't be wrong. I just wouldn't call it that brilliant as many others seem to do. So after 4-5 songs I decided to check out something different.

Admiral Freebee (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)
The Belgian Admiral delivered a strong album earlier this year and already proved he can play great performances. Today however there wasn't enough chemistry between them and the crowd somehow. When he started playing some beautiful ballads on piano even more people left leaving only a few until the end of his set. By that time they seemed pretty frustrated and started throwing stuff to each other for fun. Hopefully he will come back to prove everyone of his skills.

The Gaslight Anthem (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)
Things can go fast with a band. Within a short time this band has grown into a live act that can fill up a place like the Grolsch stage which is the second biggest stage of the festival. A big skull is laughing at us from the big back of the stage. Tattooed boys are on stage playing their middle of the road rock tunes. But this tough appearance cannot hide the boy inside. Singer Brian Fallon looks like he could have been in any 90s boy band. They are trying very hard but the sparkle wasn't there today. Their songs all sounded a bit even and they weren't able to live up to the high expectations that many people seemed to have.



LCD Soundsystem (Ronald Says 9 out of 10)
When front man James Murphy sticks to his intentions this was my last LCD Soundsystem gig since according to him there won't be a next record. This certainly was one of their better performances. Especially the old songs were solid and got many people dancing. The songs of their last album didn't sound as convincing but maybe that's because it's new material that everyone needs to get used to. All in all their set kept everyone going until the end. Probably because it had more cow bell.



La Pegatina (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
And then we arrived at the small Lima stage that was having a big party like so many times. The band from Barcelona must have been wondering what all the dancing plants were doing something that started last year and is beginning to turn into a tradition. Urban rumba or flamenco punk? I have no idea what it is but it's damn good! Check out a short video here.

To top it off we go watch the movie The Expandables which turns out to be so bad that it's not even funny anymore (7.5 on IMDB? C'm on!). But the people's cheers and reactions still make it good fun. And of course the beers and pop-corn help as well. Another great day ends in style and it only is getting better. We're wondering what tomorrow will bring.

See more pictures over here:
Lowlands 2010 Day 2 Pictures

Lowlands 2010 Day 1 Review >
Lowlands 2010 Day 3 Review >
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