Having shuffled through the narrow passage that leads to the door of Sneaky Petes. I must admit, I was somewhat ignorant of what the night might have in store for me.
Upon first seeing the gig advertised I had eagerly delved into the Spotify catalogue of Eyes of Others and to my pleasant surprise had been taken aback by sounds to which I proudly exclaimed to my friends reminded me of Jagwar Ma. I couldn’t help but be drawn in by a band that were exactly what they said they were “post-pub couldn’t get in the club”.
And so it was confirmed, I would be seeing Eyes of Others. But what were they? Was it a band? Would it be a solo artist?
On stage before me appeared an incredibly professional looking set up. A single Korg synth, accompanied by a microphone lay centre stage appearing endearing under the dimly lit lights. It seemed as though everything was being fed through a monitor and preamp which sat to the right of the stage with a sole chair lying behind the desk suggesting Eyes of Others were a two piece.
Jargon Jones and Jones introduced the set, providing as a refreshingly bright reminder that the Scottish Music Scene has more to offer as an alternative to the classic guitar band.
It was an incredibly constructed song; atmospheric synth sounds provided a fine backing to a vocal sound that appeared to be mixed delicately live – fantastically might I add.
As the set progressed, it was evident that the act had fully hit stride. Gentle nods in opposing directions provided as acknowledgement to each other that the set was going well. Given there was only two people on stage you may have thought that space would be a hard thing to fill. Not at all. Understated movements by the duo’s frontman provided as a distraction from the space which surrounded him. You couldn’t help but be drawn to his direction, ignoring all around him.
Misdirection highlighted an all-round brilliant performance leaving Eyes of Others as band that I could not encourage you more to go and see!
Special mention should of course be given to the support act Canaan Balsam. A solo artist, perched at the control of a set of decks painted the room through the controlled use of ambient tones, interluded at points through the entrance of another artist who set poetry to the reverbing backdrop.
Check both out below!