1000 Tiny Birds

Explosions In The Sky (+Tapir!)

Troxy, 2023-11-08

They opened with First Breath After Coma! They played Your Hand In Mine! They closed with The Only Moment We Were Alone! I’m sorry, you still expect me to write more words? OK, fine. This is the second time I’ve seen Explosions In The Sky, the first being way back in 2016, which was a lot of fun and involved much slow nodding of heads and them playing my more obscure second favourite track of theirs, but did not include their Creep equivalent, so even for that alone, this was worth it. It’s a straightforward show - as they say, it’s gonna last about an hour 20, hold on to someone you love (alas). It is them on stage, playing continuously for that time, bathed in smoke and light, sometimes intensely focused, sometimes histrionically thrashing their bodies about, always earned. It even made the obnoxious American prick stood right behind me shut up for most of it, a gesture he didn’t extend to Tapir!, who weren’t bad but were maybe a touch self-serious for a support act - I’m aware I have their debut on my upcoming list, and I’m not turned off by the idea of it, which is a start.