And So I Watch You From Afar

And So I Watch You From Afar向我們證明了后搖音樂“靜水流深”的強大力量 —— BBC
這個來自北愛爾蘭的樂隊名字可能有點拗口，翻譯成中文是：我在遠遠地看著你。這個有著低調、憂郁色彩的名字恰好與樂隊極具爆發(fā)性的現場風格截然相反。從出道至今，And So I Watch You From Afar（以下簡稱ASIWYFA）一直是北愛爾蘭獨立音樂界的驕傲。
樂隊因杰出的現場表現而被當地樂界所熟知，還被英國著名媒體雜志NME評為當月最佳現場。ASIWYFA是一群音樂才子們的**，首張迷你EP從創(chuàng)作到演繹，從制作到設計，到最終的發(fā)行權權由樂隊自己操辦。短短一個月之間，對他們的積極評價就遍布在了當地各大媒體，在把脈UK最流行音樂的BBC Radio 1上也獲得超高播放率。雖說是后搖樂隊，但樂隊深受硬核朋克鼻祖Fugazi影響，音樂中充滿了瘋狂和力量。2011年，樂隊發(fā)行專輯《Gangs》他們在俄羅斯進行了首次巡演，這次全國巡演的長度及廣度打破了所有歐西樂隊的記錄，同時，從主流大型的英國雷丁音樂節(jié)，到獨立樂迷鐘愛的美國SXSW，在大大小小的音樂節(jié)都可見到他們的身影。
 
And So I Watch You From Afar have made startling progress in the six months since they moved to Belfast.
They've been selected for showcases, played prestigious support slots for the likes of High On Fire and 65daysofstatic, and have been championed by print publications and online media.
The Antrim boys have made a splash not only on the NI scene, but further afield, earning regular plays on Huw Stephens BBC Radio show and honourable mention in rock bible Kerrang!.
Instrumental rock is a genre that's particularly hard to market, a genre with few famed practitioners, offering only limited exposure to its artistes. Many promoters and record labels just don't understand how an instrumental rock act can speak to an audience.
As such, And So I Watch You From Afar's achievements are all the more impressive.
Guitarist Rory Friers believes their success is partly attributable to the band’s refusal to be limited by the inevitable ‘post-rock’ tag.
‘We never considered ourselves in those terms, our sound just evolved from early jamming sessions. Strange though it may sound, to us this feels very much like punk rock.
'We play the music we want to play, try to do something a bit different and to me that feels punk rock.’
The band have released debut EP This Is Our Machine And Nothing Can Stop It, five tracks that combine knuckle-duster rhythms and smartly shifting time signatures.
It is the quality of material as much as business savvy that explains the band's accomplishments. In addition, Friers cites the intervention of lady luck.
‘We’d been playing in Katy Daly’s and were approached by Moving On Music. They decided to give us a gig at one of the Blueprint showcases and that was the catalyst for everything since.’
However, Friers and company were all too aware that they couldn’t rely on luck to come calling time and again, so set about capitalising on fortune’s intervention through sheer hard work.
‘We’ve had to learn how to manage a band. We want to achieve things, to do more than simply playing in bars, so it requires a certain commitment and just putting in the hours.
'The band has turned me into a complete computer nerd. I don’t have much of a social life, I’m constantly on the computer, emailing, making contact with my fellow MySpace nerds. Since the EP was pressed we’ve been trying to get it out there, get it to people who might be interested.
'The internet is indispensable in trying to arrange gigs, you can check promoters or companies who book similar bands and contact them. It’s all a bit of a slog, though every now and again you get a positive response, the odd glimmer of hope.’
Friers points out that it's by making connections the old school way, working the phones and glad-handing at gigs, that has proven most effective in promoting And So I Watch You From Afar.
‘Getting people on the phone and having a conversation can get more positive and immediate results than sending out a thousand CDs. In some cases you’ll be lucky and people will approach you, as happened with our Radio 1 session. But, it’s not always like that.
‘We supported 65daysofstatic and that came about because we really wanted it and chased it. We phoned around, got this promoter’s number and completely brass-necked it.
'Folk seem to be pretty good and it really is true, if you don’t ask you don’t get. In our case we were helped by NIMIC and Moving On Music. When the Oh Yeah project launches, it’s gonna be great for the future of NI music.’
And the future of And So I Watch You From Afar?
‘It’s good to keep pushing on, to have that drive and determination to take things on to the next stage. You can build things up so far, but then, if you have serious ambitions, you have to try and take things further afield.
'We’ve lined up shows over in the mainland and we‘re working on a couple of other projects. Unfortunately we can‘t divulge any details until it‘s all confirmed. It‘s pretty exciting.’
Before taking his leave Friers is keen to impart some final words of wisdom to fellow fledgling outfits.
‘Don’t think that anything’s above your station. Don’t think that you’re not good enough to do this or that. Just go for it and, for live shows, our attitude is to go our there and play as if we were trying to make the building collapse.
'When we moved to Belfast we had a plan in mind of what we wanted to achieve, be it playing BelFEST or whatever. Set yourself targets, be realistic, but above all have confidence in what you can achieve.'