Two hours of music, roughly five songs played. In most cases, you’d feel pretty short changed, but with a line up of Explosions In The Sky and Eluvium you wouldn’t expect any different. One man sonic magician Matthew Cooper starts the night’s proceedings with his looping, minimalist soundscapes; it’s not often you’d hear 16 minute stretches of ambience at the rock ‘n roll Astoria, but on a night like this, it seems to fit. Not everyone’s cup of tea, definitely, but for fans of Alexander Tucker and Boards of Canada he comes much recommended.In any case, he set the tone perfectly for the headliners. Not a band to rush things, Explosions In The Sky’s slow-burning, considered instrumentals may strike a newcomer to their music as Sigur Ros without the orchestra, but I think EITS’ charms are more subtle, if perhaps not quite as breathtaking. Yeah, they can slowly swell to a climax of ground-sundering aural intensity with the best of them but their more reserved moments can be just as impressive. Although banter is a no-no (would have broken the flow of the show), they put a surprising amount of passion into their performance, Munaf Rayani on his knees during the more intense moments and if there were some idiots who persisted on talking through the quiet bits, the vast majority seemed to be enraptured. Being someone’s who’s always preferred a bit more instrumental variety in his post-rock, Explosions In The Sky will never be my favourite exponents of the genre, but especially given the simplicity of their set-up, there’s no denying they’re an incredible experience live. Let’s just hope their proposed hiatus doesn’t turn to be a permanent one- it’d be a shame to see these guys fizzle out.
(Photo: Jacob Saunders)
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