SLEEPMAKESWAVES

Instrumental quartet and tonight’s openers And So I Watch You From Afar have journeyed from Northern Ireland to the land Down Under for the very first time. Attempting to classify their sound is a pointless exercise, but if we were to try, it is Celtic-influenced punk rock and folk, placed in a progressive post-rock instrumental setting and delivered with a boyish charm and quirky swagger. Sounds odd and like it shouldn’t work, perhaps, but somehow it just does, and their live set is all manner of fun.

While this band exist very much in the instrumental arena, there are some vocals, in the form of rousing three-way chants. They appear completely out of the blue and when they do, they lift the roof off the venue. ASIWYFA are given a hero’s welcome from the packed Melbourne crowd, and Prog bets that it won’t be their last time playing here.

Sydney instrumental maestros sleepmakeswaves are celebrating a decade since the release of their debut EP, and they create glorious post-rock symphonies with guitars, bass, drums, occasional keysboards and some subtle sampling.

Before this, however, is a 10-minute documentary about the band’s career on the rear screen. Rounding up their releases, line-up changes and tours with the likes of Cog, Devin Townsend, The Contortionist and many more, it provides a short window into what this band have achieved. Following this is a magical 110-minute set that covers virtually everything they’ve released so far, delivered with the passion, dynamics and intensity that they have become famous for. In progressive music circles, anyway.

One minor disappointment is a lack of the epic The Edge Of Everything from their last album Made Of Breath Only, though fitting a 10-minute plus song into a set, even a lengthly one such as this, can be difficult.

Sleepmakeswaves are one of those bands who get better every time you see them, and some of us have been seeing them on a regular basis for 10 years.

That a band like this can survive, prosper and keep growing in profile for a decade is not just testament to the strength of their music, but also to the loyalty of their many fans.