Rowan Bruce
Jumping on the bill on short notice to replace British prog act Haken, And So I Watch You From Afar already had big shoes to fill before they took the stage at The Great Hall. Already taking the top spot in the UK’s niche post-rock scene headlining Arctangent, Portals, Strangeforms and Core Festivals and selling out venues around the UK alongside Delta Sleep and Maybeshewill, ASIWYFA show that instrumental rock can still win over an audience.
While many post-rock acts have earned the genre a reputation as stuffy and slow, ASIWYFA bring a healthy dose of energy to their live show with dramatic dual guitar riffs and urgent rock percussion. Keeping things fresh without losing any steam, the Belfast quartet shred through hits from their latest album Megafauna as well as fan favourites such as ‘Set Guitars To Kill’ and set closer ‘Big Thinks Do Remarkable’, delivering a rowdy show while barely saying a word.
Celebrating the latest chapter in their Amory Wars concept album saga, The Father Of Make Believe, progressive post-hardcore giants Coheed And Cambria return to Cardiff for their most extravagant headline show in the city so far. Greeting the sold-out crowd with the album’s pop-punk inspired hit ‘Goodbye Sunshine’, Coheed presented a sing-along victory lap for their latest release as well as a look back at their extensive back catalogue.
With close to a quarter century of hits to draw from, not all the hits could get their moment in the spotlight, Coheed clearly still make an effort to give fans the opportunity to scream all their favourite songs, balancing deep cuts and their best known bangers. While obviously tracks like ‘Blood Red Summer’ and ‘The Suffering’ get a huge reaction from the packed audience, more obscure songs like ‘Number City’ and ‘Shoulders’ receive an equally rowdy response. Filling out venues since the early noughties, it’s great to see the sci-fi rock pioneers continue to give their lesser known cuts some attention, appealing to their notoriously geeky fanbase while still giving more casual listeners something to sing along to.
While Coheed’s frontman Claudio Sanchez has been lauded as an exceptional performer since the band’s heyday, their show at The Great Hall proves that he only continues to improve with age. From the Hendrix referencing prog jam at the end of ‘In Keeping Secrets Of Silent Earth: 3’ to his tender acoustic performance of ‘Corner My Confidence’, Sanchez remains one of the scene’s most eclectic and dazzling showmen. Ending on the now expected ‘Welcome Home’ with his trademark twin neck SG, Claudio Sanchez and co reiterate Coheed’s place as one of post-hardcore’s nerdiest and most beloved acts.