Thousand Yard Stare recently returned with a new single, ‘It Sparks!’. A firecracker embodying all that they were and all that they might become. Last week, they opened their Indie Daze set at 100 Club with said single.
Whether it was the glowing reviews or Lammo spinning it on 6music, the band were clearly buoyed. Giles Duffy’s guitar licks were more aggressive than ever and, frontman Stephen Barnes prowled the stage like man possessed. Not everyone was aware of ‘It Sparks’, they were four minutes later!
Their energy was tangible and this power grew all night, prompting Barnes to profess “it never used to be like this”. Signalling that a new album was coming lit the touch paper for this crowd. It was as though they were more determined to prove their worth to the band than the other way around. It’s church in the middle ages or football before the businessmen sold it out in 1992. A communal sharing of love and faith to something bigger than themselves!
Throw in a VAR gag for the classic ‘0-0 AET’ and a devastating rendition of ‘Wonderment’ to close the set-out, and TYS was straying into the region of demi-Gods!
The gig’s defining moment, though, came from the live debut of ‘Schizm Algorithm’. Eight minutes of John Squire grooves via menacing Rage Against The Machine bass hooks proved that there is so much life left in this band.
Furthermore, their fans know it too!
*Image courtesy of John Marshall