I got to the Ottobar around 9:40pm, just in time to catch the penultimate band, Isthmus. They weren't too bad, I thought. Not great, but a decent opening band who put in a good effort. Mostly instrumental with some vocals for texture, not unlike God Is An Astronaut.
I wasn't too impressed with the Ottobar at first. It's basically a dive bar with a stage, but I warmed up to the place as the evening progressed. The stage is nice and high and the room is airy, with a quasi-balcony on one side. There's a pillar in the middle of the room and another one right in front of the stage, off to the side, thankfully. Once I found a spot where the pillars didn't obscure my view, it was fine. The sound for Isthmus wasn't all that great, but the mix for God Is An Astronaut was just about perfect, I thought. Oh, and a draft Newcastle was a whole dollar cheaper than the 9:30 Club. Nice. Anyway, I'd definitely go back again if there was a band I really wanted to see and they weren't playing a more convenient venue.
God Is An Astronaut put on a fantastic show! I suspect this show will ultimately be one of my favorite concerts of the year. Really solid performance by the whole band. The set list was perfect. They played all the songs you'd want to hear, from their first album right through to their last album. A video projector played video of nuclear blasts, astronauts, rockets, eclipses, tornados, soldiers, and the like on a screen behind the band. I was impressed at how well the video sync'ed with the music as they played, and it really added to the experience. The audience was small. but very enthusiastic, and the band suitably appreciative, playing a second (presumably unplanned) encore and then, after the show, shaking hands with nearly every fan who stayed around, chatting amiably, and signing autographs.
Speaking of which, one of the members of the band told me that they have a new album coming out by the end of the year. It will be a little more electronic than their recent albums. It'll probably be available only on their web site initially. They're negotiating with a label and, if successful, hope to get it distributed wider. He also told me they wanted their first tour of the U.S. to be a smaller and more intimate headlining effort so that they could get to know their fans first before trying to broaden their audience. He said their next U.S. tour will probably be opening for another, more established band. Supposedly, there are a couple of possibilities in that area coming up soon.
The concert ended a little after midnight, like 12:15am, I estimate. Not as bad as the 1:00am that I feared. Ghost Is An Astronaut started playing right at 10:45pm, by the way. The posted schedule only had two opening bands listed. I guess either one of the opening bands cancelled or was dropped.
Topping it off, I got to finally meet the esteemed Jaguar. It was a pleasure, Jaguar! A great evening.
