OTS: And So I Watch You From Afar (Mao 13.03.2014)

And like that the JUE Festival comes to an end – admist all the congressional meetings, missing airplanes, and spring fever running rampant, JUE had a relatively low-key presence this year, at least on the music end of things. Nevertheless, I did make it out to one of the shows, the bombastic Northern Ireland post rock group And So I Watch You From Afar (ASIWYFA) over at Mao Livehouse and gotta say, they did not disappoint. Post rock groups are a dime a dozen here in China, it’s sound so engrained in the youth that it’s hard to muster up the enthusiasm everytime another post rock group bounces along. But when it’s done with as much robust muscle and aptitude, it’s straight up invigorating. Case in point –

Epic, right? That’s how you bring down the hammer – mark this one as another JUE success. Check out more videos below.

I’ve been catching the post rock bug more and more likely – still though, it’s a genre that can feel exhausted, over winded, and plain flat when done incorrectly. For me, it works when a band commit to these extremes, to those softer moments, and more importantly to those BIG MOMENTS.

No middle ground in post rock for me. Go all out or go home. And ASIWYFA gets this – there’s no pussy footing around, no warming up the crowd, no meandering – there go for the kill from the get go.

It’s a kid’s id spewing forth at full force – heck, just look at the aerobatics up there on stage. There’s a manic energy to these cats that post rock doesn’t have enough of. Props JUE for giving audiences a much needed shot of adrenaline – now if only half of the post rock groups in Beijing could take note.