Nearly a month ago, I went to see Water For Your Eyes perform live at Strange Brew in the heart of Bristol.
As it's taken me several weeks to catch up on this and a clutch of other gig reviews, this week will be mostly dedicated to a round up of my experiences on the live circuit (plus one guest review).
2025 was a reasonably good year, with a total of thirteen live gigs - and one lecture - although I also had to sell up tickets at the last minute for five shows that I couldn't get to, and one was postponed for the second time in twelve months.
However, what I saw this year was varied but connected insofar as I had a great time at each and every one. I've realised that being at a gig is one of my happy places, and the Water From Your Eyes show on 18th November met that expectation, and then some.
It was also a momentous occasion because I met with SWC from the superlative No Badger Required for the first time, together with his friend Mr. L, who had both driven to Bristol from Devon.
That said, my other aim to always catch the support act(s) was somewhat tested on this occasion by Water From Your Eyes' touring buddy, Morgan Garrett from Philadelphia.
I knew absolutely nothing about Morgan's music prior to his appearing on stage and it's fair to say that I wasn't particularly enlightened when he departed with his two fellows half an hour later.
In between, the audience was subjected to thirty minutes of experimental music as therapy, catharsis, possibly exorcism too. Morgan was accompanied by Zach Darrup to his left on electric guitar, shaven headed, punky, laser focused on chords and stance, and Jackie McDermott to his right on drums and frankly looking at times like he was wondering what the hell he was doing there.
Morgan, tall, dressed in black, with a mass of long, tightly curled hair and using a seemingly detuned acoustic guitar more as a prop as an instrument (a chair got the same treatment later on), clearly wanted to provoke and challenge the audience, but it didn't quite land for me.
SWC and Mr. L were delayed on their way and pretty much missed the support slot. Paraphrasing the fading memory of my comment at the time, I think I described it as Morgan rescuing his collection of Swans, Extreme Noise Terror and Hula records from a house fire, finding that the slagged, merged lump of vinyl was somehow still playable and then trying to recreate the results on stage.
To these jaded ears, it sounded all a bit heard-it-all-before and it didn't help that Morgan's frequent gurning was less reminiscent of Jack Nicholson in The Shining and more Wilfred Brambell in Steptoe And Son.
Thank goodness then that Rachel Brown and Nate Amos aka Water From Your Eyes were every bit as cool on stage as off.
Wearing shades is de rigeur I guess, and although Rachel occasionally lifted them to view the crowd, there was nothing pretentious about the band on stage. In fact, the benefit of the 330-capacity venue was that, although it was packed, it managed to simultaneously feel like an intimate show and the best indie club night ever.
Nate, no shades, baseball cap peak face forward, delivered wave after wave of guitar which, together with Rachel's ethereal voice, called to mind everything from Curve to Cocteau Twins to My Bloody Valentine, but with a added grooves. I don't think I stopped dancing all night.
Clearly I was in a minority, judging by the rapturous reception of certain songs throughout the night. I enjoyed every single one, though, and it was hard to believe that barely an hour later, it was all over. They ended with the fantastic Playing Classics, an apt title given what they'd just been doing.
SWC described Water From Your Eyes as his gig of the year. It's not quite mine though it was pretty close, and I would strongly recommend seeing them if you get the chance. But don't kick yourself if you miss the support act.
1) Born 2
2) Structure
3) Barley
4) Out There
5) Life Signs
6) Nights In Armor
7) Buy My Product
8) You Don’t Believe In God? (taped interlude)
9) True Life
10) "Quotations"
11) It’s a Beautiful Place
12) Blood On The Dollar
13) Playing Classics
Note: I was so caught up in the moment that I didn't take a single photo on the night, so I've 'lifted' a couple of shots taken by Josh Taylor and used to accompany George Ward's review of the gig, published by Clunk Magazine.
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