And So I Watch You From Afar hit the road next month in support of their new album, which is titled Gangs.
Catch them in Mandela Hall, Belfast (April 29); The Button Factory, Dublin (30); and Oran Mor, Glasgow (May 9).
There’s also a post-Paddy’s Day blowout on March 19 in Crane Lane, Cork with Enemies, Thread Pulls, Patrick Kelleher, Jogging and The Black Mariah DJs supporting. It’s part of the Terminal Convention, which is mainly taking place in a now disused part of Cork Airport.
Gangs was assembled in Belfast’s Start Together Studios with Rocky O’Reilly at the production helm. A month before going in the band scrapped 22 songs they had earmarked for the opus.
“We spent the last year-and-a-half writing but we essentially did this album in eight weeks,” Guitarist Rory Friers says of the decision. “We suddenly took this notion that we didn’t like any of the songs. This was four weeks before we went into the studio. We had demoed the whole thing and had it all mapped out. We took bits and pieces that we liked but we wrote a whole new set of songs. It’s worked out.”
The eight-tracker’s standout is ‘Homes: ‘Ghost Parlor KA-6 To Samara To Belfast’, a piledriving 10-minute musical travelogue.
“It’s a cheesy thought but we wanted to capture our journey through touring: seeing so many different things, unexpected happenings, sudden changes and then a homecoming,” Rory explains. “The end of that tune sums up the relief and elation of coming back into Belfast and getting to see our friends and family again.”
As for the title-cut, Mr. Friers adds: “In the same vein, the places we’ve played, the people we’ve met, all circulate around these pockets of people, pockets of scenes and pockets of culture. These gangs of people who emanate from everywhere. It’s that DIY/The Clash/Black Flag sort of thing that our band is like a gang sometimes.”
As reported in the last issue of Hot Press, the lads have just signed to Richter Collective and have their new single, ‘Search: Party: Animal’, available as a free [link]www.richtercollective.com[/link]download. You’ll also be able to get your mitts on a 7” vinyl version on April 4.