We are once again at Bristol’s beautiful Marble factory for a night filled with jumping, chanting, odd time signatures, crowd surfing, incredible music and a mass hug and handshake; yes, I said that.
I’ll start by saying the well-known cliche of “Christmas came early”, and this time, it really did come early. We were not just treated to one headliner tonight but two, two of the best math-rock, alternative rock and honestly everything in between; what a pairing it was, especially if you were in the mood for a few hours of continuous jumping, dancing, and just having a hell of a good time.
Delta Sleep:
The first of our double headliners is the Brighton-based indie, math-rock 4-piece Delta Sleep. The band have five albums under their belt along with a handful of EPs, so we were spoilt for choice when it came to the setlist.
The band took the stage which was at this time lit up by what can only be described as large orb-looking balls that were scattered along the front of the stage and on top of the guitar amps, as the lights rose the band began to play ‘Dawn’ the spine-tingling opening track of their latest album Blue Garden, as singer/guitarist Devin Yuceil’ soft vocals echoed throughout the venue, it has hard not to hear the crowd singing right back at the band, this was before the band exploded into the second song Slow Burn which you will find on the same recent album. Starting with a slow-down beat brought to us by a very smiley drummer, Blake Mostyn. It was from here that the dancing started and did not stop until the set was over.
This was a set filled with an insane amount of energy from not just the incredibly lively Bristol crowd, but from the band. Bassist Dave Jackson and guitarist Glen Hodgson dished out the energy in heaps.
Delta Sleep played songs from all five albums, including Hotel 24 and The Softest Touch from Spring Island, Camp Adventure from the album Twin Galaxies, Figure in the Dark and Sunchaser from this year’s Blue Garden.
A highlight from this set was something I mentioned earlier on and was lucky enough to see unfold from the balcony. Near the end of the set, Singer/guitarist Devin asked the crowd to split into two sides; most concertgoers and metal heads would know this position to be called “the wall of death’, but in this instance, it could not be any further away from a wall of death. The split crowd were told that when the drum fill takes place, they should run towards each other and shake hands and hug, and I won’t lie. It was a funny but beautiful thing to witness from above the audience.
The band finished the set with the crowd-pleaser and sing-along song El Pastor from the 2018 album Ghost City. Which, of course, ended with applause and the crowd wanting and needing more.
And So I Watch You From Afar:
Onto our second headliner of the night and what a band to finish the night on. I have been lucky enough to see these guys a few times before, but they have always been in a festival environment, so it was very cool to see them at their show in the best-sounding venue a gig-goer could ask for.
Storming the stage at 21:20 to the epic symphonic sounds of the very well-known cinema music composer Mr John Williams. The stage caked in a dull green light and thick with fog, we see the first glimpses of the Belfast-based instrumental legends we all know as ASIWYFA (and so I watch you from afar).
As bassist Ewen Friers, guitarist Niall Kennedy and drummer Chris Wee take their stage positions; we see guitarist Rory Friers standing on a stage monitor, toasting the crowd with a beer in hand.
This is another band with no shortage of material when it comes to writing a setlist. They have one EP and seven full-length albums to pick and choose from, spanning over a very impressive fifteen years.
Again, this was another set filled with non-stop jumping dancing, singing along to guitar riffs and crowd surfing, lots and lots of crowd surfing. The band started by playing parts one and two of Mother Belfast from this year’s (2024) album Megafauna, which seamlessly drifted into the very heavy and upbeat Mullally from the album The Endless Shimmering.
Watching these guys perform is something to witness, listen to and experience in a live setting. The absolutely flawless playing and musicianship between the four members is so watchable and awe-inspiring to any musician or music fan. How they play these very intricate pieces of music that weave in and out so beautifully and chaotically at once must feel like a mental and physical workout every show. The energy and vibe were on max for the whole show. The band and audience were well and truly feeding from one another.
The band kept the energy up throughout the set by playing songs such as Slow Unfolding of Wings from the album The Endless Shimmering, 7 Billion People All Alive at Once from the album Gangs, and, of course, crowd favourites like A Little Bit of Solidarity Goes a Long Way from the band’s debut self-titled album.
Before the band exited the stage to return with one final song, guitarist Rory Friers thanked the crowd for all the love they had received and mentioned the time the band played The Junction in Bristol many years ago. I can only imagine how amazing it is to return to a city a reminisce on how things have dramatically changed and grown over the years.
The band finished off with one of the only songs of theirs that feature the use of a vocal mic, the highly energetic, very euphoric Big Things Do Remarkable from 2013s All Hail Bright Futures. Hearing so many people sing “the sun, the sun, the sun is in our eyes” all in unison and as loud as possible before going crazy during a ferociously fast past 20 or so seconds was just remarkable.
Both Delta Sleep and And So I Watch You From Afar put on a blindingly good show; it did have all a math-rock nerd could want
I am a self taught Photographer and an aspiring reviewer.
I have been in and out of bands for the past 15 years and some, so thought it only makes sense to stay in the scene that has been the most important aspect of my life since I can remember, live music.
Available for:
I am available for small gigs, larger concerts, recording sessions and festivals.
First attended gig:
The first proper gig that went to that I can actually remember was Muse supported by a then lesser known Elbow and I think the main reason I remember that is because it was the first big concert that I was allowed to go to with just my friends. Obviously Muse were fantastic by the way.
First gig shot:
Im pretty sure the first gig I shot was for a friends band at a local social club with some sort of £30 Argos camera. You can only imagine the fantastic quality of the shots.
Dream gig:
My dream gig to shoot would most definitely be either Tool, not just because they are amazing but their stage and lighting is magnificent. Or I would love to shoot another one of my favourite bands which is Explosions In The Sky and that’s just because they are incredible.
