God Is An Astronaut

w/ Solkyri & Treebeard

Max Watts, Melbourne

Saturday 8 February 2025

Following the early days of post-rock, Godspeed You! Black Emperor laid the groundwork for long cinematic compositions that experimented with sounds and guitar, drums and bass moved on from being a lead plus rhythm section. It set a tone for hundreds of bands that would explore the possibilities in this universe.

One of those who joined that school in the early days was Irish trio God is an Astronaut, who played in Australia for the first time ever this last week. A good crowd turned up to see the band who, for many, was their first introduction to post-rock and songs without words.

First support was Melbourne heavy post-metal quartet Treebeard. Sprouting from the covid years they have strengthened their performances in leaps and bounds. Strong, hard riffs were the order of the day and there is melody carrying those riffs along, creating impressive dynamics and interplay.

One track in particular (I think it was called Snowman), served up it’s crescendo in an impressively unique way. Rather than getting faster or building to the lift in volume, the song walked along peacefully, then in an instant, with no increase in speed, our eardrums were hammered with thunderous, deliberate drums, bass and riffs. I knew something was coming, but I had no idea it would be this. They closed the set with some splendid harsh vocals – another welcome surprise. What a glorious set. Get another guitar and hold those riffs over a little longer and Treebeard will be unlike anything you’ve heard.

Solkyri were up next. A Sydney band formed about 14 years ago, I remember how impressed I was by the range of emotions they could convey live. They have over those 13 years developed a tightness and skill level in performing that matches their inventiveness and range of sound. Kicking off with the beautiful No Thoughts/No Dreams I found myself uplifted and smiling. Turns out you can start a post-rock set at other than full blast and still get the crowd’s attention. Half way through their five songs we were treated to the wonderful joy of This Can’t Wait, one of the first tunes they penned. I’ll never get tired of this.

Just when you thought the happiness would continue, they unleashed I am the Motherfucker, which slowly builds to an assault on your brain. The emotions you’ve been feeling are torn away for the melancholic, cautious, despairing intro, soon followed by the pleasure of being smashed against a wall of rocks. Take that!

But they end on another lighter note with Pendock & Progress, having covered their catalogue and provided a perfect sampler

And now the headliner. I met some folks who had travelled from Perth to catch the show, including one who has followed them all over the world, seeing them now 18 times. That’s an indication of the love the Astronaut fans have for the trio. They were very well rewarded, with a band on top of its game. Well written tunes, a flawless sound, and that special something that happens when you perform this often for so long.

The band has written many shorter tracks of around three minutes, and more than a few are introspective glimpses of life. Tonight though, the longer tracks had time to breathe, and there was a slow build of the tempo and volume over the first three songs- Odyssey, Echoes and Falling Leaves. I did get a feeling the crowd were not fully invested and the applause was subdued, but that all changed as the boys broke into All is Violent/All is Bright. From then the crowd came alive, the crescendos grew and the cheering was much more spirited.

When Apparition hit that second half we really got a taste of the harsh, angular riffs and chords these guys can knock out. The tension and harshness cut through the air and smacked you on the face before settling down to rest.

The rest of the night followed in a similar vein with gently paced melodies and riffs walking through different rooms, playing with four and eight bar building blocks, sometimes landing gently, others not so much.

The sound mix was good, the snare cracked good and loud, and guitar and bass each chased melodies and riffs, sometimes grabbing each other around the neck before releasing their grip to stop the screams.

When all was done and the crowd filtered out it was great to see all three bands chatting to punters and relaxing. I’d noticed less of that over recent years so it was lovely to see.

Oh and Nick, I forgot the two words you wanted me to use in this. Sorry mate 😊

Gilbert Potts

Tickets for the rest of the tour: https://www.birdsrobe.com/shows/god-is-an-astronaut-australia-and-new-zealand-tour-with-special-guests-solkyri-amp-treebeard