Eyes & No Eyes kicked off my Great Escape this year and, after seeing them support Peggy Sue @ The Green Door store last month and being really impressed with their sound – I made it a priority to catch them @ this year’s Great Escape Festival.
 
Eyes & No Eyes had a smaller line-up this time around with only a lead guitar/vocals, cello and drums, I wasn’t sure how this reduced line-up would work out but I was nicely surprised how well Eyes & No Eyes’ sound came across with a smaller set up.
 
Mixing traditional folk melodies, indie rhythms with a more electronic style – Eyes & No Eyes create an enchanting soundscape. What’s more, Eyes & No Eyes are a delight to watch – lead singer Tristram Bawtree performs in an almost David Byrne ‘Stop Making Sense’ manner, twisting and turning his body and dancing hypnotically to the music. Drummer Thomas Heather is also a delight as his very apparent passion for music shines through, his caress of the drums was both innovative and exciting. The cellist Becca Mears is also a top performer, when you watch her you can imagine that she is the envy of other bands due to her clear dedication, emotive and precision playing.
 
The use of pedals in the set really added a beautiful, yet ghostly vibe and at various points during the set, Eyes & No Eyes looped both cello and guitar along with various distortion pedals to create a soundscape which underpins a lot of their tracks.
 
I’d never listened to Eyes & No Eyes on record before and was excited to bring home my very own vinyl of their latest release. After being really impressed with their show, I wasn’t sure if the record could match up to the experience of seeing them live, but I can promise you the album is a worthy buy as it’s just as intricate and well thought out as their stage show.
 
BrightonsFinest highly recommends you buy their latest release and also get down to their next gig near you! These guys are definitely ones to watch for 2014!
 
Eva Rose