Written by:	Ivor
Published:	December 09, 2012
Event:	God Is An Astronaut: 10th Anniversary European Tour (Website)
Location:	Tapper Club, Tallinn, Estonia
Organizer:	Pigfarm Music
Galleries:	God Is An Astronaut - Tapper, Tallinn, Estonia, 27.11.2012 by Ivor (30)

I'm always cautious approaching bands in the post rock or post metal genres. While it generally means it's something I might enjoy, the genre itself is like a bottomless well. The overwhelming abundance of bands is a little scary and more than enough to put me off whenever I think seriously of trying to make heads or tails of the spectrum. However, occasional excursions in the area have left me with a couple of names of grand quality. One of those names is God Is An Astronaut.





I knew their 10th anniversary gig was not one to be missed from the moment it was announced. Some of the music God Is An Astronaut have produced I've enjoyed immensely, although admittedly I've neglected the stuff in recent times. However, relistening to some newer stuff I started doubting whether it was going to be as awesome as I was expecting it to be. Listening habits change, preferences change - I was starting to think the music wouldn't translate well live, that it'd be too airy, mellow, and beautiful yet dragging along. You know, something you might blissfully fall asleep to.





It was so great to have my doubts crushed right from the beginning. Well, from when God Is An Astronaut started playing anyway because the warm up Sinine turned out to be a sort of electronica performance that almost but not quite made me think of crawling away in the most distant corner from the stage. Anyway, by the time God Is An Astronaut finished with their third song, "From Dust to the Beyond," it was apparent they had what it takes to make this a memorable event.

Leaving the aural aspect of the show aside for the moment, I have to say that visually this might have been one of the most beautiful performances I've ever been to. True, it was a rather small and cramped stage for a 5-piece band, it had that damned dry ice smoke that always annoys me when taking photos, and only a small projector for the backdrop videos but damn did they make it all work. The beautiful interplay of colours, the fascinating changing patterns from arbitrary moving lines and liquid drops to killer unravelling fractals was very befitting the spacey atmosphere. And it was so captivating there were moments I could hardly draw my eyes away from it to focus on the band for a change.





Fully instrumental gigs are oftentimes a gamble. If it happens that the band locks up in their own performance then no matter how well they play or how good the music is, the show will almost definitely feel detached. It was one of the things I dreaded about this gig. The way I write about it, you might get the impression that it's exactly what happened. Wrong! I was glad it turned out to be quite the opposite. The band, each and every one of them, were all very much there with the feeling, the passionate drive and delivery that you could feel coming off the stage. They cared. You can tell the band cares when they tell that, you know, it's your call but the sound along the walls sucks and you might enjoy it more down the middle of the venue.





The multitude of flowing colourful patterns is, in a way, what describes God Is An Astronaut the best. There are no edges sticking out, there's no roughness to their music, it blends together smoothly, and it appears like a flowing liquid, yet it feels very precise. If you think of the band's name, you can find all of it is there: space, multitude of colours, scientific precision and perfection. And their live shows are fascinating to say the least, just like the starry sky and space itself in its unfathomable vastness.





Set list
1. When Everything Dies (All Is Violent, All Is Bright)
2. Fragile (All Is Violent, All Is Bright)
3. From Dust To The Beyond (The End Of The Beginning)
4. Age Of The Fifth Sun (Age Of The Fifth Sun)
5. Echoes (God Is An Astronaut)
6. Remembrance Day (All Is Violent, All Is Bright)
7. Shadows (God Is An Astronaut)
8. Worlds In Collision (Age Of The Fifth Sun)
9. Zodiac (God Is An Astronaut)
10. Snowfall (God Is An Astronaut)
11. Suicide By Star (All Is Violent, All Is Bright)
12. Forever Lost (All Is Violent, All Is Bright)
13. Route 666 (The End Of The Beginning)
Encore
14. All Is Violent, All Is Bright (All Is Violent, All Is Bright)
15. Fireflies And Empty Skies (All Is Violent, All Is Bright)