And So I Watch You From Afar are a tour de force. Few bands are able to put such intense feeling into such virtuoso performances. It’s what makes their live shows such events and inspires such a devoted fanbase. Key to their energy is the passion of ever-smiling guitarist Rory Friers. So perhaps it comes with no surprise that one of his biggest influences similarly occupied the sweet spot of the Venn diagram where heart and soul meets invention and complexity.
‘The sort of bands my dad used to play when I was a kid are the ones that made me want to be in a band – all the old prog bands, Zeppelin, King Crimson, Cream. But the band that are the primary influence for me came along when I was 17 or 18 years old. After years of liking all sorts of punk I came to hear At The Drive-In’s ‘Relationship of Command’.’
‘Being in punk bands it was never cool to be good at your instrument, but secretly I’d grown up loving all these prog bands and these really magnificent instrumentalists. And when I heard that record it suddenly brought those two worlds together and allowed me to feel like I could do something that was expressive and expansive musically but still feel like I was in a punk rock band.’
And So I Watch You From Afar are heading back into the studio to record by the end of the year. Keep an eye on Facebook for news, and if you haven’t done so already, pick up a copy of last year’s incredible Heirs album on Bandcamp.