Written by:	Ivor
Published:	September 25, 2015
Event:	God Is An Astronaut: European Tour 2015
Location:	Tapper, Tallinn, Estonia
Galleries:	God Is An Astronaut - Tapper, Tallinn, Estonia, 14.09.2015 by Ivor (30)

So the cow went to the sauna, and this is what happened.

The Tapper club was rather full on this particular Monday evening. Not exactly packed, but definitely full for the first eve of the week. It had been a while since I'd seen a queue form at the entrance before the warm-up act hit the stage. It was definitely fuller than the two previous God Is An Astronaut gigs in this very same venue. It also looked as if there were quite a few of our southern neighbors come in for a visit, as if there were no gigs scheduled in either Riga or Vilnius.

All that makes me feel like there's something I'm not totally aware of; and I don't like that feeling. Either the band is getting a lot more exposure around these parts nowadays, or someone has been doing a very good job at promoting the event; which is, frankly, awesome because nothing is sadder than an empty venue floor with proverbial tumbleweeds blowing by during the performance of a class act.




At the first God Is An Astronaut gig three years ago, the scheduled warm-up band seriously tested my tolerance levels for electronic music. I get how its influences creep into the post-rock genre to lesser or greater extent and how something of that nature could be considered for a warm-up but, quite frankly, I just hated it. Not knowing what I Wear* Experiment is about, I became very weary this time around when it was hinted at the influence of electronica in their sound. Even chance it could go either way.

As luck would have it, it all fell into place right from the start. While objectively I'm far from being inclined to pick up something that looks like a mix of post-rock, electronica and pop, there's one association that immediately sprang to mind. Balancing their walk on the verge of crossing over into the realm of not-appealing, during their performance I Wear* Experiment managed to evoke emotions closely along the lines of Pure Reason Revolution, minus the fondness towards vocal harmonies.

What worked so wonderfully for me in the case of Pure Reason Revolution seems to be doing the trick with I Wear* Experiment as well. On one hand it's the borderline genre-walk, on the other hand, and more importantly, it's the ability to write captivating, changing and evolving songs. Johanna Eenma's voice is also a good ingredient. Regardless, the parallel with Pure Reason Revolution being right or wrong, it should be taken as a sign of quite ultimate praise on my part. Not many, if any, have managed to get close to this association.




On the two occasions that I've seen God Is An Astronaut play here before, they have proven that they are utterly and completely a live band. Don't take this as discrediting their albums in any way. The stuff the band have been putting out over the years is wonderful; it's been of very steady quality and varied within certain limits of the genre. It is interesting to note, though, that while recorded versions of the songs seem to be focused more on the beauty of soundscapes and nuances of the interplay of the instruments, the live seems to concentrate more on the energy behind it all.

It's the live setting that brings the songs of God Is An Astronaut truly to life. It's not about the visuals, although when the band brings out visuals, it's mesmerizing to both eyes and ears. Normally it's more about the passion these guys put into their performance. While at times appearing completely engrossed in their own worlds of man and musical instrument alliance, they live their songs outwards.

The songs seem to gain additional weight and impact while performed live, and the crowd responds readily to that inflow of additional energy. This brings me back to the opening statement that is probably one of the more absurd ones I've written but is no less true for that. In conjunction with the packed crowd, confined space, not enough air, and hot temperature, the feeling came close to resembling being in a sauna, the cow in this particular case being the Freak Kitchen one on the soaking wet T-shirt. And blessed be the generous soul of a girl with a fan that she used to wave at everyone around her. A breath of fresh air she was.

Set list:
1. When Everything Dies (All Is Violent, All Is Bright)
2. Echoes (God Is An Astronaut)
3. Vetus Memoria (Helios | Erebus)
4. Point Pleasant (The End Of The Beginning)
5. Worlds In Collision (Age Of The Fifth Sun)
6. The Last March (Origin)
7. Helios | Erebus (Helios | Erebus)
8. From Dust To The Beyond (The End Of The Beginning)
9. Pig Powder (Helios | Erebus)
10. Centralia (Helios | Erebus)
11. Forever Lost (All Is Violent, All Is Bright)
12. Agneya (Helios | Erebus)
Encore:
13. Suicide By Star (All Is Violent, All Is Bright)
14. Route 666 (The End Of The Beginning)

The first God Is An Astronaut concert I saw proved that the band is awesome live. The second one proved that this band can easily do without the visuals, though that is admittedly a nice bonus. This third one proved to me that the lives these guys produce are of ridiculously consistent quality. The show was enjoyable through and through.





See more photos in the gallery linked above.