Compulsion

Wednesday, 18th May 2011

The most amazing gig at Electric Avenue during it's  4 year existence was when And So I Watch You From Afar exploded onto the stage for 60 minutes of pure, intense, melodic, instrumental post-rock mayhem in early 2010. Now ASIWYFA have just released their highly anticipated second album "Gangs" to universally positive reviews and have set out on a series of launch gigs around Ireland in May, including an appearance at the Forum's Traffik Club this Sat 21 May. Admission is just €5 before midnight and €10 after (compared to €17.50 for their Dublin gig !) and we guarantee that this is one gig you will not want to miss in 2011 !

From appearances at SXSW, Eurosonic, Electric Picnic, Popkomm, Pukkelpop and Sonisphere, to tour dates in Europe, North America and Russia, plus a support slot for rock supergroup Them Crooked Vultures, ASIWYFA have been on the road playing music non-stop since the release of their stirring debut self-titled album. In between, the band were nominated for a Choice Music Prize for Irish Album Of The Year and XFM's New Music Album Of The Year, released The Letters EP in February 2010 and a stop-gap tour single 'Straight Through The Sun' in November 2010. It's a small wonder then that the band actually managed to record their highly-charged second album "Gangs" at all, with such a punishing schedule. However, Gangs has turned out to be the band's most cohesive record to date, a 44 minute, eight song, unyielding document of the band's last two years playing together, told through ironclad guitar riffs and colossal yet increasingly subtle rhythms.

As regards the album's title, the band state "everything we've done, places we've played, people we've met, all circulate around these pockets of people, scenes and culture. These gangs of people emanate from everywhere and it's that DIY / The Clash / Black Flag sort of thing that makes our band like a gang sometimes."