Band of Clouds – The Grand Social

Alternative-ambient collective Band of Clouds took to the stage at the Grand Social in Dublin on Friday night to launch their brilliant new album Appear to Float.

With a strong mood set from the evolving projected visuals casting light and colour upon Band of Clouds, the atmospheric tone of the group’s all-encompassing sound emanated from the stage and out into the scenic, ambient lit aesthetic of the Grand Social.

Weaving their intricately crafted music around one another, the palpable interplay between the nine-piece blended into one cohesive whole as Band of Clouds’ live performance provided yet another layer to the already captivating sonic depth found in their studio work.

Renditions of ‘Melatonin’ and ‘Dig Your Own Disco’ shook and rumbled with dynamic weight and shuddering rhythms that blended and echoed within the walls of the venue capturing the audience entranced by the harmonic textures created.

Constantly maintaining the tonal feel of the night, Band of Clouds performance feels more like a whole piece experienced overtime rather than isolated songs performed in sequence. The group flowed in and out of the different pieces, such as ‘Consequences’, making the entire show feel cohesive and well-crafted.

The sheer scope of Band of Clouds harmonic wall of instrumentation, melody and percussion reached its height during the almost physically affective performance of ‘Cat Calls’. With each crashing note, each rhythmical pulse, each vocal chant Band of Clouds clear love and appreciation of their medium resonated out and captured the imagination.

A truly unique experience, Band of Clouds live show is an almost hypnotic experience of simply beautifully performed and composed music. Translating the large-scale atmospheric depth of Appear to Float the group found the tone of their studio work and expanded upon it with brilliant interplay and presentation.

Appear to Float by Band of Clouds is out now. Read theLastMixedTape’s review of the album here.