The Irish power trio, GOD IS AN ASTRONAUT, is one of those magnificent bands I found via the now-defunct postrock-oriented online magazine, The Silent Ballet, back in the day. Luckily, the webzine wasn’t too stuck-up about the “tr00” definition of postrock since, over the years, I’ve learned that GIAA truly does divide opinions within the genre’s most die-hard frat boys. Just bring up the band in an online discussion about postrock, and someone will reply with a 7-page essay on why GIAA does not meet the criteria for a genuine postrock outfit such as GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR. As much as I like GY!BE, I must admit that it is a band whose music requires a specific state of mind to be properly enjoyed, whereas GIAA‘s music will immediately put me in the right state of mind. Their albums were notoriously hard to come by in the local record stores some 15 years ago, and the venue they played in Helsinki in 2009 was far from packed as far as I can remember, but it seems the winds have changed since. Their previous 2023 gig at Tavastia, Helsinki, was sold out. On May 13th, 2025, the band returned to Helsinki as part of their Embers Tour with virtuoso cellist Jo Quail as the opener, and the venue, Ääniwalli, was quite nicely crowded already when her warm-up performance kicked off. I knew to expect nothing but a spectacular show from the main act, but Quail was a wild card for me. Yeah, I was aware that she featured on GIAA‘s new album “Embers,” but I had no idea whatsoever about what her solo material would sound like. I guess I was expecting something akin to Raphael Weinroth-Browne‘s solo slots during LEPROUS‘s 2017 Malina Tour. Boy, was I wrong! The only things in common were the use of an electric cello and heavy employment of digital effects, but that’s about it.
Like I said, a rather sizable crowd showed up early, so there was a bit of a queue outside when I arrived. Once inside, the first song was maybe halfway through. I’m not sure about its title, but it resonated with a nice Middle-Eastern feel. Later, upon checking out her music on Spotify, I reckon the song could have been “White Salt Stag.” At least the song’s belly-dancing rhythms and cinematic Dune vibes would match the impression I got – and to think that the cinematic, widescreen feel was created with only one cello, some effects, and a looper! Being blown away, out of the blue, by a haunting warm-up act is one of the best feelings in the world, let me tell you.
I mean, the song entitled “Rex” totally did blow me away. The closest thing I could think of would have been some of the best work by Icelandic film composer Johann Johansson, like his 2008 album “Fordlandia,” on which he commanded a full-blown orchestra reinforced with some electronic instruments. At Ääniwalli, Quail only commanded her custom-made cello through a Boss looper station and a bunch of digital effects and managed to create a rich tapestry of layered cello loops, a truly mesmerizing web of sound. The audience simply stood transfixed as the song’s dynamic range went from whispers in the dark to full-on sonic mayhem.
Next, Quail offered us something completely new, an as-yet-unrecorded song entitled “Embrace.” The song proved nothing short of a deep dive into atmospheric and mournful depths. She did mention that her microphone technique was “shit,” but if I heard correctly, with this song she wanted to try out some new effect that would turn her cello timbres even more ambient and synth-like. Judging by the reactions, the audience just loved it. I was no stranger to the expressive possibilities of cello as a highly evocative instrument, having been to cello meditations and whatnot, but I must say Quail‘s approach to the instrument was some next-level shit!
Last, rather befittingly, the closer was introduced with the words, “This one’s for all the witches in the house.” The song was “Adder Stone,” and it truly sounded like a summoning of some primal, ancient spirits. This sonic witchcraft practically left the stage on fire for the headliner. Good thing the main dish was GOD IS AN ASTRONAUT, not only because a band with a lesser stature would have been completely destroyed, but also because the evening ended with Quail appearing as a guest in the last few songs.
GOD IS AN ASTRONAUT‘s show was a nice cross-section of the band’s last 20-something years, what with “Odyssey” from the latest offering doing the honors of opening the show with its novel mix of kraut-rock and Middle Eastern vibes, and with the last encore song being the same banger which they opened their 2009 show in Helsinki with, “From Dust to the Beyond” off their 2002 debut; for those of us who were there, I bet it felt almost as though things coming full circle in some weird, backward way. Somewhere along the way, the band had ditched those poignant video projections of their early shows, which was kind of a bummer to notice 10 years ago but, on the other hand, you just got to hand it to the band for oozing the confidence to let the music do the talking, exclusively – because it sure does talk loud, quite literally on occasion! When the band gears up on their somewhat early-PINK–FLOYD-esque space rock on stage, it does not leave room for doubt that this trio can deliver! One of the highlights in this respect was the live rendition of the track “Oscillation” from the new album. Then, for us old-timers, the melancholy bangers from the band’s 2005 outing “All Is Violent, All Is Bright” – namely, its title track and the fan favorites, “Suicide by Star” and “Fragile” – must have felt like meeting with an old friend.
A disclaimer might be in order, now; having kept an eye on the band’s undertakings for the best part of the last 15-plus years, I thought I wouldn’t need to make notes about the order of songs in the setlist and things like that. Well, I should have because, y’know, I’m old as shit and forgetful. Judging by a glance at the Setlist.FM, however, it seems that the setlist at Ääniwalli was quite similar to that of the band’s show in Stockholm, Sweden, a couple of days earlier – except that, in Helsinki, GIAA played “Fallen Leaves” off the new album much later in the set (among other things, perhaps). For an old and sentimental geezer like me, “Frozen Twilight” from the band’s 2006 EP “A Moment of Stillness” was a pleasant surprise. Like I said, in the early 2000s it was nigh impossible to get your hands on the band’s music in physical format in this neck of the woods – and vinyl or CD was sine qua non for old gobshites like me! So, I ended up ordering the band’s whole back catalog from their then-website (or MySpace, I cannot remember) – and this particular EP hit a home run for me. Other highlights in the set were “Apparition,” with which the band beat RADIOHEAD in its own game (minus the whining vocals) by weaving an intriguing mosaic of wistful guitar textures, and the delicate, instrumental epitaph “Fallen Leaves,” written for vocalist-guitarist Torsten Kinsella‘s father.
Overall, this was a night to remember, not only due to the headliner being in outstanding shape but also because of the breathtaking warm-up show provided by Jo Quail! There is hardly anything more I could wish from the band, except maybe still hearing them have a go at “Radau” from their 2007 endeavor “Far From Refuge” on stage, one day.
Written by Jani Lehtinen
Setlist
- Epitaph
- All Is Violent, All Is Bright
- Seance Room
- Suicide by Star
- Frozen Twilight
- Fragile
- From Dust to the Beyond
