God Is An Astronaut, At Whelan’s, Dublin, March 22nd 2014

Clad entirely in black, the lads from Glen of the Downs in County Wicklow took to the stage to a roar of approval from the fans who had packed into the confines of Whelan’s on Saturday night. God Is An Astronaut never really made it in Ireland, instead being much popular further afield in Europe. However, upon seeing them live, it’s hard to understand why they aren’t one of the biggest bands on the planet.

The 22nd of March marked God Is An Astronaut’s return to the intimate surroundings of Whelan’s after ten years away from the iconic Dublin venue. Of course, a lot has changed since then – the band now have six albums, and are a five piece for the first time in their history. It was to be a night where they shown how much they’ve grown and developed, how big their sound has become, and how they can still move the audience to tears by the sheer beauty of the music that they create.

When the second track, Transmissions, kicked in with it’s jerky riff, the room seemed to come to life as the band exploded into form on stage. If it wasn’t clear before now that this was going to be a night to remember, it definitely was now. The room was physically shaking, and more than one glass fell from it’s resting place due to the meteoric sounds that were filling the vicinity.

The set was filled with tracks from all six of their releases, including numerous tracks from their most recent album, Origins. The new material gels perfectly with the old, showing a clear growth of their sound but never deviating far from their roots. Even the new track, that was exclusively showcased in Whelan’s, managed to do something new while still retaining the sound that makes God is an Astronaut such an exciting band.

The show was dedicated to the late Derek Nally, an iconic figure who helped Irish bands endlessly, and who had given God is an Astronaut a chance to play in Whelan’s almost ten years ago. Piano led track, Forever Lost, was emotive, creating a delicate stillness in the room and bringing a tear to the eyes of more than one onlooker. It was one of the many high points of the set, and immediately followed by the  thundering Calistoga, which caused the room to erupt into a sea of cheers as the energy levels peaked again. The effects heavy vocals feature more on this track than any other, adding a certain quirkiness to the song.

Fan favourite, Fireflies & Empty Skies closed the main body of the set on a soaring high, right from the beginning of the familiar riff to the roaring ending. After this, the band left the stage, but didn’t even pretend they weren’t coming back out for more and re-emerged a mere 30 seconds after stepping off.

The three track encore was short and sweet, but gave the night a sending off that it thoroughly deserved. The highlight of the encore came from Suicide By Star, which starts softly and gently, before exploding into a cacophony of intricate instrumentation and gliding vocals.

From beginning to end, God Is An Astronaut were captivating. The room pulsated with excitement  and the band fed off the energy and delivered a show that will be one to remember for years to come. There really isn’t anything to fault about a performance of this calibre by a band that were so happy to be back where it all really started.

God Is An Astronaut Photo Gallery
Photos: Aisling Finn