It was one of those Sundays in London when most of the people were either setting off out of town / country, or sitting at home with a cup of tea and a mince pie, writing their year-end lists and getting ready for the last sprint at work before the Christmas break. A small handful of us however descended upon Electric Brixton to see the year off with some riffs – in particular, catching Delta Sleep and And So I Watch You From Afar half way through their joint headline December UK tour.
Paranoid Void
Opening the evening were the tour’s special guests – Paranoid Void hailing all the way from Osaka, Japan. Those who love odd time signatures and complex guitar melodies will already be well aware that Japanese bands do math music extremely well. The instrumental trio have set the stage perfectly for the headliners, and despite the early start (they were on at 18:20) the room was entirely taken by their musicianship, each track gaining them new fans who on some forums already requested to the universe that they are added to 2025 festival line ups.
Delta Sleep
The anticipation for Delta Sleep is palpable – Electric Brixton is near-full before they take to the stage, which is decorated with spherical lamps and a keffieh proudly displayed on an amp. British math/indie-rockers opened with Dawn and Slow Burn, both opening tracks from their recent album Blue Garden and the crowd immediately got into it, and despite math riffs, Delta Sleep’s music is packed full of positive energy and is extremely danceable – leading to the crowd staring to boogie. The set then veers through their whole discography, tapping into 2015’s Twin Galaxies with Lake Sprinkle Sprankle and Camp Adventure and returning to Blue Garden in the second half of the set with Figure In The Dark, Illuminator and Sunchaser before the big finish of El Pastor.
There was an immense sense of gratitude coming from the band – this tour got them to fill probably the biggest venues of their career to date (bar festivals) and it was also immediately clear that they have a very strong bond and excellent rapport with their audience. At one point towards the end Blake Mostyn, the drummer, called out to the audience that he ‘wanted to try something new’ and asked the crowd to part in the middle and then run towards one another high-fiving people on the other side – and the crowd obliged, trusting the band and one another. Each song was greeted with a huge cheer and each lyric was sang back to the stage. I felt like we we’ve being doused in contagious positive energy and there was an overwhelming feeling of togetherness in the room.
Their tour continues across Europe in 2025 so catch them if you can!
And So I Watch You From Afar
Soon it was time for the Irish riff-mongers And So I Watch You From Afar to close the night off in their unmistakable style. They are a band I have been a huge fan (and a photographer) for over a decade and whose Set Guitars To Kill became a staple of any post/math gig I attended in my early London years – whether performed by the band, or a firm fixture on the between band soundtrack. Their recent album Megafauna was a beautiful step up in their musicianship – and an ode to their motherland. They opened their set with both parts of Mother Belfast and instantly commanded the stage and the audience. The familiarity they have with one another turned their performance into an effortless dance – and I couldn’t help but dance along while moving through the photo pit.
There wasn’t a note misplaced and a beat missed throughout the set, masterfully taking us through their whole discography and weaving songs from Megafauna seamlessly in between some of the fan favourites like A Slow Unfurling Of Wings and Wasps from their earlier albums. A Little Bit Of Solidarity Goes A Long Way continued the theme of solidarity and togetherness started by Delta Sleep and tying a bow on why this has been such a good co-headline tour match. We then returned to Northern Ireland with North Coast Megafauna, the opening track from the recent LP, and Any Joy just to finish the night on the thunderous ASIWYFA classics BEAUTIFULUNIVERSEMASTERCHAMPION the aforementioned Set Guitars To Kill and Big Thinks Do Remarkable for the big finale.
The band also remarked that this is the biggest venue they played in London and reminisced how their first gig in the Big Smoke was at The Windmill down the road (I wouldn’t be surprised if I was there) and I could feel their immense gratitude – it also filled me with joy to see a band I have been championing since their early days not only fill the likes of Electric Brixton, but to build up such a devoted audience along the way. They are also touring Europe next Spring with a few festivals along the way, so do not miss them if they’re near you.
Artists: And So I Watch You From Afar, Delta Sleep, Paranoid Void
