LIVE REVIEW: God Is An Astronaut @ The Fleece, Bristol

Sunday night gigs can be a strange occurrence. On the one hand, its a fine way to end a weekend, a last hurrah before another run of days at the 9-5 grind. On the flip side, the impending arrival of Monday can take a degree of enjoyment out of the event, as punters conserve energy for their day jobs. With this in mind, a show of instrumental post-rock, where the emphasis is on appreciation and immersion rather than moshing, is just the ticket for such a time, which is where we find a couple of hundred souls taking their spots in The Fleece for the last night of a short UK run to celebrate the 20th anniversary of GOD IS AN ASTRONAUT.

Local act COLDBONES have the honour of taking on tonight’s support slot and the three piece make a significant impact. Decked out in custom coveralls with patches, the trio play a large amount of material from their 2020 release The Cataclysm, which tells the story of the end of the world and it makes for a compelling experience. First and foremost, the light show does plenty to enhance the band’s set: whilst the underfloor strobes are jarring and create large shapes that dart across the room, the softer floods that regularly change hue being out the more expansive, ambient elements that float through the venue. In addition, the peaks and troughs of the songs create the most wonderful juxtaposition, as beauty is found within songs of apocalyptic tragedy, a subject that, especially in today’s social climate, is all too appropriate. Perhaps the masterstroke, however, are the spoken word sections that string the songs together; all of a sudden, the set takes on a War Of The Worlds-like quality for the twenty-five minute duration. Quite frankly, COLDBONES could have played for another hour and nobody would have minded, but the fact they didn’t leaves some already wishing it was ArcTanGent to see them again, others eagerly awaiting their return.

Rating: 8/10

It’s eight minutes past nine, barely a tenth of the way through GOD IS AN ASTRONAUT‘s set – and indeed, only halfway through their second song Spectres – when it becomes crystal clear that they have managed to transcend all known and unknown dimensions, leaving the room transfixed on another plane of reality. Bathed in smoke from the outset, the Irish quartet are playing their first ever show in Bristol and, as Route 666 comes to a close and the throng is brought back to the present day, it’s evident they’ve left this city mesmerised. Crowd interaction is kept to a minimum and rightfully so; the band aren’t the stars here, the music is, with In Flux and Mortail Coil off Ghost Tapes #10 and Epitaph respectively. The band then jokingly say they’re going to play “some of their more popular songs”, but the cheer that greets the announcement of Suicide By Star shows they weren’t wrong. Indeed, this is the second of a four-song showcase from 2011’s All Is Violent, All Is Bright record and it goes down an absolute treat.

Much like COLDBONES, the lighting plays a massive part in the overall set and this is where perhaps the greatest moment of tonight is revealed; the dance woven between sound and vision. For instrumental bands, who aren’t known for live shows with pyro or the like, it’s so important for this balance to be achieved and consistently maintained; tonight, GOD IS AN ASTRONAUT have accomplished it. There is something so pure, so special, so emotive to the very core, about a band who are, quite literally, just people on stage playing songs with a lighting set up that accentuates their sound. Shows with all the bells and whistles attached are brilliant, of course, but occasionally it’s so wonderful to see a bunch of guys without the pomp and circumstance just being excellent at what they do. After the last two years, this moment is made even more precious.

Rating: 9/10

Check out our photo gallery from the night’s action in Bristol from Normandy Photography here: