Live Review: God is an Astronaut at the Button Factory

Something is missing from the audience’s hands. Ah, yes, that distracting glowing screen appears to be absent tonight – for most of the set anyway. The occasional phone pops up for a quick snap, but the seventy-percent male crowd focuses on absorbing the soundscape instead.

The mellow crowd patiently waits for the Wicklow quartet to begin. All is silent on stage when the four members emerge in black t-shirts. “How’s it going?” Jamie Dean asks, before swinging the guitar behind his back and taking a stance at the keyboards. He gently opens the set with melodic keys and builds up the atmosphere with airy synths as bass and drums fill the empty spaces in the All is Violent, All is Bright track ‘When Everything Dies.’ Although banter is non-existent between songs, Dean throws out the occasional peace sign to let everyone know he and the band appreciate the support.

Hopefully no one in the Factory has epilepsy because the constant waves of light supply all the visual elements needed for the songs. Like a mini Australian Pink Floyd light show, GIAA matches the movement of lasers to the tempo of each piece to create an enriching experience. At times, the band look like human shadows emerging from a colorful, nebulous NASA image. From a pale orange sunrise, fanning its rays behind the band, to a silver star-studded space backdrop, the scene enhances the mood of every evocative note.

A highlight of the night comes when Kinsella announces the 2015 album title track ‘Helios Erebus.’ Someone shouts from the middle of the floor, “Chewn!” The tranquil introduction flares into aggressive energy, soothed by sparse abstract vocals “No more consuming/ No more directions.” The range of heavy metal experimental guitar riffs and twinkling keyboards is conquered beautifully, as the set's darkness is balanced by tunes like the ambient ‘Forever Lost.'