LIVE: Water From Your Eyes / Ebbb - ICA, London, 03/09/2024

Nestled beside the Duke of York steps on the Mall, just off Trafalgar Square, the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) occupies a relatively unassuming building that you might easily pass by on your way to Buckingham Palace. Originally founded to provide a space where artists, writers, and (whisper it) scientists could gather to debate free from the influence of the Royal Academy, the ICA continues this mission today as a limited company and charity. Its diverse programme includes cultural events and live music, and this year alone, it has hosted acts like Goat Girl, Keeley Forsyth, and experimentalist Claire Rousay. Tonight, I’m here for Water From Your Eyes, with local trio ebbb as the opening act.

Stepping inside ICA’s main room, the minimal lighting, predominantly a deep red, casts an ominous glow over the stage and the expectant audience. It’s an ideal space for the two bands performing tonight, though not the best for photographing them. There’s a diverse mix of ages and backgrounds here, along with a palpable sense of dedication. A girl defiantly reads a book in the dim light, while in the front row someone with a full leg cast and crutches stands alongside friends reuniting with stories of travel chaos.

Without any introduction, ebbb takes the stage, charismatic vocalist Will Rowland fully commanding the space. He knows where and how to place himself for the best press shots and seizes every opportunity to get close up to the crowd. Musically, their sound hints at influences like Animal Collective or Mew, especially in Rowland’s wide vocal range and the sample-based songs, but it’s all presented in a refreshingly unique way. Their reverb-heavy sound fills the naturally echoey venue, anchored by drummer Scott Macdonald’s powerful tom riffs that cut through the darkness. Tonight, it seems is all about the drummers.

Water From Your Eyes – the duo of Nate Amos and Rachel Brown – has for this tour added Al Nardo on guitar and Bailey Wollowitz on drums—both of whom also play in Fantasy of a Broken Heart and This is Lorelei alongside Nate. I’ve been eager to see how this enhanced lineup would affect their live performance, and the difference is staggering. The funky opener ‘Buy My Product’ immediately demonstrates this, with Al’s guitar giving more space in the song to flex and improvise.

What I love most about Water From Your Eyes (and maybe it’s the one true constant across their entire catalogue) is their edgy unpredictability. This translates well to the live set, with the loud, chaotic noise amplified to the power of ten, sitting comfortably alongside more orthodox songwriting encompassing a cross-section of genres. They draw on the last two albums, Everyone’s Crushed (2023) and Structure (2021), while also including ‘Adeleine’ one of my favourites from their 2019 album Somebody Else’s Song. The light, airy feel and gently insistent rhythm of the track sharply contrast with the abstract, Rothko-like angles of ‘Structure’ that follows, before braking abruptly into single ‘Barley’ (the song everyone and their Instagram stories are here for). Rachel’s low-key drawl as they sing “One, Two, Three, Four, I count mountains” has the crowd beaming back at them. Bailey’s drumming shines here, playing in sync with a parallel drum backing track, impressively managing this feat without a click. It’s a joy to watch and appreciate.

There’s little time to rest between tracks, and taking sips of water/tissue break Rachel shares that they have a bad cold (but not Covid). Apart from the occasional cough off-mic there’s nothing but a show of resilience and ‘show must go on’ throughout the set which continues without hitch. An energetic ‘Out There’ follows, nailing the song’s off-kilter beats and time changes, followed by ‘My Love’s’ and its deep bass square wave shaking anything not tied down and sending mini-tsunami ripples across the meniscus of every pint in the place. It’s as intense as their next one – ‘When You’re Around’ – is wholesome. The ’60s torch song with its classic, sweet melodies provides the unexpected mid-set shift, literally brightening the room as the stage lights come up, sparking a flurry of photo-taking from the audience.

The familiar sudden belch of bass and kick drum that signals the start of ‘Track Five’, next, usually confuses anyone who hasn’t seen this song live before. False starts and the unusual intro induce a sweet cognitive dissonance, which makes the intricate rhythm and vocal interplay that follows all the more impactful. When it finally locks in, it hits your basal ganglia with the force and precision of Tyson Fury working a speed bag. ‘True Life’ follows, as its angular, screeching guitars bounce off each other, the front rows are a rippling sea of thrashing red heads and arms. As the show nears its end, Rachel introduces the band members and, in their characteristic disarming way, shares a message of love. They remind the audience that everyone should be free to live fulfilling lives without fear and that justice is a right for all – free Palestine. The hypnotic vocal sample at the start of ‘”Quotations”‘ flutters round our ears, and once again Bailey’s drum skills demonstrate the difference this makes to WFYE’s presence on stage.

The band returns to its duo form for the final song, ’14’, a discordant, spiralling soup of melodic synth samples that clash and merge with Nate’s hazy guitar fills. This disorienting backdrop is a shaky platform for Rachel’s poignant lyrics, giving us this unexpected moment of emotional weight in the show’s closing moments. Some bands rock out on a high, but not WFYE. There’s an honesty and surreality to this approach that hits the spot – and as they say themselves – “Life is horribly dark right now. And yet, it is not unfunny”.