Piss up in brewery you say? Sure ok. Here’s the highlights:

Playlist:
1- Sons Of Caliber
2- Runaway Go
3- Paul Shevlin
4- Lee Hedley Band
5- Junior Johnson
6- The Inishowen Gospel Choir
7- Farriers
8- Clown Parlour
9- Aaron Shanley

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Have a look at the playlist below watch all 10 videos, including performances from The Lowly Knights, Katie & The Carnival, Southern, Captain Cameron, Ben Glover & Anthony Toner and Rams’ Pocket Radio

[Download all 10 videos for ipod] – zip, m4v files, 672MB

Not to be put out, A Plastic Rose took to the stage to lift the room’s spirits (with a 4-piece orchestra in tow, no less) and the resulting effort captured really all that’s good about the Northern Irish music scene – friendship, devotion, passion and balls-put rock riffs.

Since then, things have only gotten bigger and better – with a mini album ‘The Promise Notes’ released last week on DiDiMau Records – and a supporting tour – A Plastic Rose have gone from strength to strength and are getting stronger.

Watch out for much, much more from them in 2011.

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Camera/edit: Will McConnell
Filmed in The Mandela Hall, Belfast in January 2011

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Camera/Edit: Will McConnell
Filmed at The Black Box, Belfast in January 2011

Headline act Lee Mitchell was sick with flu, but we still got to enjoy the sounds of MJ Vincent, Leah McFall and Dave McNair (aka Monoline), along with a special guest DJ slot from Two Door Cinema Club.

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Camera/Edit: Will McConnell
Filmed at The Black Box, Belfast in December 2010

As you know, Bandwidth has been following Communion Belfast over the past few months, as it brings the best new music to The Black Box in Belfast city centre.

Communion Records first started this night, hand and glove with the Brighton folk-scene – and its influence stretches far and wide. Check out footage of the first ever Communion Belfast gig here and the second ever one here.

First up, a Bandwidth veteran, Andrew Davie. Check out his absolutely sensational Bandwidth session from when he was last in Belfast in September. And this time we actually got to chat with him too.

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Now a local lad, Gareth Dunlop, who I’ve been waiting to film for absolutely ages, and quite frankly I was disappointed in myself that I hadn’t thus far. Anyway, here he is.

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Now to the main attraction, Oz’s very own Boy & Bear, and could you believe it, their very first musical performance on UK soil – except for the session I filmed with them earlier of course..

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And.. a wee bonus. The kind thing this night is all about.. and amazing cover of a Bon Iver track…

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Camera/Edit: Will McConnell
Filmed at The Black Box, Belfast in November 2010

Communion Records first started this night, hand and glove with the Brighton folk-scene – and its influence stretches far and wide. Last month, Communion came to Belfast for the first time – check out our footage of that gig here.

First up, Stephen E. Caswell of Lowly Knights fame.

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Rams’ Pocket Radio‘s Peter McCauley:

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Maguire & I

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Camera/Edit: Will McConnell
Filmed at The Black Box, Belfast in October 2010

Communion is to the London-Brigton folk axis what Apple was to The Beatles – a collective, a community, a label and an excuse to party. Founded in 2006 by members from Cherbourg (the band) and Mumford & Sons – it now has band nights all around the UK and Dublin too. This was its first night in Belfast, the first of many, and Bandwidth was there to film it all.

Heading up proceedings was local folk heroes The Lowly Knights – the only local band to headline a night at Open House this year incidentally – supported by a string of totally amazing musicians you’ll be glad you knew first.

First up, Pete Roe:

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Point of Order here. Marcus Foster played so loud he managed to blow out all our mics – which is a shame because his performance was so epic that we knew we still had to show it. So null points for sound recording – but here’s at least a taste of what Marcus Foster is capable of and might be enough to convince you to check out some of the other great videos that exist of him online.

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Fans of Mumford & Sons jump up and take note – Matthew & The Atlas are in town and in support – if you’re in Big Britain this month and you’re going to a Mumford & Sons show, be sure to turn up early and catch this eclectic, soulful, magic group. That’s all. Watch this:

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Oh yes, and the Lowly Knights. We knew them well Horatio – and filmed them playing in a Coffee Shop during the summer. This small event also turned out to be the occasion of their EP launch. So what better way to conclude than with this rather tearful and wonderful track Weight On My Mind, which concludes is the penultimate track of the new record.

And that was Communion Belfast, the first wonderful night of many more to come.

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Camera/Edit: Will McConnell
Camera: Sean Duncan
Filmed at The Black Box, Belfast in September 2010

Each night a different support act were invited – and there were some great acts like Fighting With Wire and Jetplane Landing. Bandwidth was there the third night, where the admittedly unexpected announcement was made that Farriers would fill the final support slot.

Bandwidth is totally gay for La Faro and our friends will be no strangers to Farriers, so it goes without saying how excited we were to be there. Let the videos commence.

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No we couldn’t resist this opportunity. A little kept secret of this century is that La Faro frontman Johnny Black is partial to a little bluegrass and folk – and that he and Farriers’ male singer Stephen McCartney share a fancy for a little Old Crow Medecine Show.

So this film was in the half an hour between soundcheck and doors open. Prizes to the person who names every folk and blues reference in this acoustic jam. Not really.

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Filmed by Will McConnell & Sean Duncan in Belfast, April 2010

Here’s two tracks from their 16th March set in Auntie Annies.

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Ablespacer’s new single ‘Draw A Line’ is available free from bandcamp, so find it here.

Ablespacer play Skinny Love at Auntie Annies on 7th April, and support Blood Red Shoes, again at Auntie Annies, 24th April.

Download for iPod (58 MB)

Filmed by Will McConnell, Sean Duncan
in Belfast, March 2010

It was always set to be the homecoming gig to top all homecoming gigs. The prom kings were well and truly crowned. Ladies and gentlemen, Bandwidth presents to you the very mighty And So I Watch You From Afar.

Azzy Wiva (as everyone in Belfast seems to now call them) has had a long association with the Bandwidth site. You may remember Tony Wright’s public singing debut at the Beatles 40th Anniversary gig back in January – there’s also a weirdly apt cover version of McLusky’s ‘To Hell With Good Intentions’ knocking about somewhere -filmed during the video shoot for The Panama Kings’ video ‘Golden Recruit’. Maybe that’ll appear on youtube somewhere someday.

But this is the first time we’ve ever managed to feature the full band, playing it properly, on the site. Somehow they never belonged to be all squeezed into a van, served fish & chips or serenaded with wine and candles. They are a live act, after all..

ASIWYFA – Set Guitars To Kill

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This is ASIWYFA as they belong – sweaty, full volume, in front of a huge crowd. To think this was only a week before Glasgowbury. Even 2 years ago when I first saw them play in Katy Daly’s in Belfast to 35 people, you knew they had a sound that could never be contained in any space they could ever play. Wembley, Camp Nou, the Sahara desert, you name it, ASIWYFA is bigger.

Anyway, I’m getting carried away. This next song isn’t on the record, so watch out for it in the future:

ASIWYFA – S Is For Salamander

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Bandwidth regulars will remember ASIWYFA’s break through event late in 2008, when they spearheaded a Belfast-based festival called ‘A Little Solidarity’. You may remember Bandwidth was there and captured some great performances from, amongst others, General Fiasco and Here Comes The Landed Gentry. The anthem from the event is the truly Galactic sounding “A Little Solidarity Goes A Long” way. It marked them out as a band who, despite being entirely instrumental, had a whole lot of things to say.

Tony but it just right, “This song is for all the families who were put out of their homes by a bunch of cunts.” Couldn’t have put it better myself.

And So I Watch You From Afar are playing the Forfey Festival in Co. Fermanagh on 8 August, before completing their UK tour and returning to the Ulster Hall on 18th December.

ASIWYFA – A Little Solidarity Goes A Long Way

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Director: Will McConnell
Camera: Will McConnell, Matt Bohill
©2009 Bandwidth Films

Rhys Chatham‘s composition “Guitar Trio” is a performance piece in the art-noise rock mould. I’ll let Kiran Acharya from Culture Northern Ireland explain a bit better than I can: “The piece is established as a sort of academic/sonic precursor to what later became noise rock – lots of volume and overtones clanging together to create a large sound that exposes the ear to sounds it wouldn’t normally hear. While the song may at first appear to be a simple repetition, if you listen to it through a couple of times and relax into it, it’s an incredibly rewarding piece. You hear all types of mad sonic warfare; textures, dancing trebly tones. Maybe I’m mad but I’ve had an almost transcendent experience listening to it”.

Well said, I think.

The Guitar Dectet – Rhys Chatham Guitar Trio Part 1

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Belfast collective The Guitar Dectet is, first off, a misnomer. For this performance at least, it consists of twelve guitarists, a bassist and a drummer – made up from members of The Continuous Battle Of Order, Panda Kopanda, Three Tales, Tracer AMC and Heliopause. To name a few!

The Guitar Dectet – Rhys Chatham Guitar Trio Part 2

Download for iPod (170.9MB)

Filmed by Will McConnell
2009 Bandwidth Films

If ever there was a band who epitomized their music in terms of image, The Good Fight would surely be worth backing. Led by Ben Robinson’s ethereal vocals (which match up perfectly with the band’s clean cut appearance it has to be declared) the band have managed to grow their audience gradually over the last six months, winning fans not through force but by much softer means. Normally you could imagine that such statements would be used to deride rather than embrace said subject matter – but the almost quiet, affecting depth with which The Good Fight take to stage is easily warmed to.

The Good Fight – Kick Start

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Depending on your tastes, their music could be taken as too innocent or trite – a hefty departure from the heavier, denser music that the majority of local bands play; their energy directed in a more delicate manner than most. It is however a departure that I find welcoming, a change of pace once in a while is hardly a bad thing after all. There is I suppose genuine heart in their music that many other acts would perhaps find themselves unable to pull off, particularly when playing as a full band – preferring instead to hold off more intimate material for acoustic sessions. It is a strength which transcends the audience’s first impressions of such a fresh faced group.

The Good Fight – Hats On Sticks

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Mixed with their youthful appearance, many could well be put off with what is certainly lighter music on the ears, but the accessible sound they deliver hide the band’s maturity. As they grow, future tracks may very well strike a better balance between showing off their musical strengths and giving audiences a sensitive slice of rock – for now, once your ear has been tuned to their output it would be hard to ignore what audible delights they offer up.

The Good Fight – Landslide

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Director/Camera: Will McConnell
Camera: David Neill
Bandwidth 2009

Here – to celebrate its latest screening at the Oh Yeah Music Centre 15th-19th June – we bring you highlights from the classic concert. Starting with Ken Haddock..

Ken Haddock – The Air That I Breathe (The Hollies)

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The genius of Urban Hymns was to bring together an eclectic style of musicians from around Ireland and beyond to celebrate the common roots of so much contemporary music – gospel and soul. The idea was this – each artist was invited to sing one of their own songs, then a cover version that they thought ‘appropriate’ to the setting. Gabriel Makamanzi, from the band The Afresh, had just become a proud father to his second son that morning. He played a traditional Zimbabwean prayer, to call for protection from his ancestors. He admitted that he doesn’t usually do covers – but Oh Yeah head honcho Stuart Bailie kindly suggested this gem..

Gabriel Makamanzi – Redemption Song (Bob Marley)

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Paul Archer and Ian Archer make up Burning Codes. If their music sounds familiar, it might make sense to reveal they’ve written and performed with Snow Patrol. Paul spoke passionately about The Velvet Underground, performing a stripped down rendition of ‘I’m Set Free’, before setting the place alight with this wonderful track:

Burning Codes – Go

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Réa Curran was brought to the attention of the event organisers by Duke Special (who appeared as a non very secret guest at the end of the night – see below). Réa is an actor, a musician and a backing singer with the Special-one and his musical persona is the brilliantly named Delightful Mess. If you thought Nick Cave could do with a bit of sprucing up but were afraid to say so, check out this stunning rendition of ‘Into My Arms’ which starts out as a whisper and ascends to the gospel..

Réa Curran – Into My Arms (Nick Cave)

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Followers of Bandwidth will have seen this heart stopping performance before – and there’s no harm in showing again here in its entirety. Ciaran Gribben (aka Joe Echo)’s performance was highlighted here for our Christmas special podcast – it seemed so fitting to the season – fortunately it has lost none of its impact into the summer months. In fact it just gets better over time – the test of a truly classic event.

Joe Echo – Amazing Grace

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That, in case you didn’t notice, was sung to the tune of ‘House Of The Rising Sun’ by The Animals. Each artist, as you remember, was asked to sing one of their own songs and a cover version. Ciaran contributed this one – a beautiful ballad to nostalgia and cheeky wee scamps (that’s children in nirish) everywhere.

Joe Echo – Tilly’s Cowboy

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The worst kept secret of the night was a guest performance from this man, Duke Special, for no other reason than “when there’s a good party, you want to be at it”. Especially when it’s the party of the year. Actually, another good reason is that Mr. Special first introduced The Inishowen Gospel Choir to Oh Yeah in May Street. He had met them in Donegal, played a few gigs with them, then brought the whole bunch to Belfast to play his album launch party. So it turned to the Duke to set up the pins..

Duke Special – Digging An Early Grave

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..and them knock them down with this simply stunning song, ‘Why Does Anybody Love?’. Watch the camera close-ups on the choirs eyes, and the tears welling up in some of them. As Bronagh Gallagher later pointed out – “They don’t call that boy Duke Special for nothing”.

Duke Special – Why Does Anybody Love?

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Everyone who was at this concert night remembers one performance over all the others. Not that it wasn’t an unforgettable night from everyone – but sometimes you need to have the roof raised, stack up the chairs, roll up the carpet – and just dance. This one literally got people up on their feet, hollering, clapping, you name it. You may remember Bronagh Gallagher as one of the Commitment-ettes. You may remember her classic soul album with Liaisons Dangereuses,Precious Soul – but you will definitely remember this.

Bronagh Gallagher – Higher & Higher (Jackie Wilson)

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To conclude the night came Foy Vance. The man needs no introduction. The shear range of his voice – from the falsetto of the introduction tot he this track, to the booming baritone of its conclusion that seemed, almost impossibly to fill every atom of that building. Asked later he admitted “This song spoke to me before I even knew what the words were.” Melding the sanctity of Jeff Buckley’s cover version, with the profanity of the original – this is in Bandwidth’s humble opinion the definitive cover version of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”.

Foy Vance – Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen)

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And to conclude the night..
After so many wonderful moments of soul, rhythm and blues, gospel and rock, why not hand things over to the real stars of the night, The Inishowen Gospel Choir, and mix it all up in one big pot. Some of the lead acts from the night came down from the stalls, Ken Haddock, Réa Curran, Bronagh Gallagher and, fresh off the pulpit, Foy Vance – for this vibrant, improvised (and a little tongue in cheek) gospel jam.

The Inishowen Gospel Choir – This Little Light Of Mine (Concert Finale)

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You can see URBAN HYMNS: THE MOVIE in full at the OH YEAH MUSIC CENTRE on 15 Gordon Street, Belfast from 15th-26th June 2009 at 1.30pm. ADMISSION IS FREE

Director: Will McConnell
Camera: Will McConnell, Martin Bolton
Additional Sound: Steven Rainey, Amy McGarrigle

Recorded live at May Street Church, Belfast, 25th October 2008
2008 Bandwidth Films

Some great Strummerville bands were there for the launch, like crazy London warbler Dan Smith and good old fashioned rawk n roll band Wild Wolves. Top of the bill, Belfast’s very own, very brilliant Panama Kings, and they brought this song in tribute to the event…

Panama Kings – London Calling (The Clash)

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Then back to one of their own classics. Bandwidth has always been a huge fan of the band, but we never fully appreciated the awesome power of their live act until we sat up on stage with them, camera in hand. They truly are an awesome live act – and if you live in mainland Britain, head to see the Kings wherever you can next week on their mini tour, which kind of culminates in London gig with Ash at the Bloomsbury Ballroom (not before heading home to the Limelight on 27 May to officially launch Golden Recruit).
Enjoy!

Panama Kings – Children

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After the event at Oh Yeah, the worst kept secret of the night – a secret gig in the basement of the AU Magazine offices. Bandwidth followed dutifully, and evidence of the resulting carnage can be found here..

Director/Camera: Will McConnell
Bandwidth 2009

To read Steven Rainey’s review of the night, have a look here.

A Plastic Rose – Silence You

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Silence You was the first track that made us fall so deeply in love with A Plastic Rose – away back in October of 2008 at the Oh Yeah Centre was the time and place – Gerry Norman and Ian McHugh with a bottle of whiskey and an amp, jamming backstage with members of Here Comes The Landed Gentry. You may remember this video from back then.

It’s lost none of its impact – the spirit and soul of the band comes from the fact that so many of their songs are written acoustically, and have the kind of sing-a-long quality that a backstage space and whiskey allows – but this is where ‘Silence You’ truly belongs, in front of eight hundred (and equally eight hundred thousand) screaming fans.
 
A Plastic Rose – Superspeed

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A new track – ‘Superspeed’ is by the band’s own confession the most commercial pop they’ve ever written. We disagree at Bandwidth. Somehow it seems impossible to imagine Lily Allen screaming “it’s staring you in the faaaaaaaace” at her adoring fans with such vitriol, such clarity and such confidence. Behind the heart of this band poets lie scientist’s brains. They’re concerned, they’re clued in – but thank fuck, they’re passionate too. And this song makes every hair in the room stand to attention.

A Plastic Rose – The Colour Blue

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And what a finale. Someone should tell Gerry, Troy, Ian and Dave that stage dives are supposed to be performed.. well.. off the … actually, forget it, it’s punk rock. “Let’s get pissed…”

To read Steven Rainey’s suberb review of the night, pop over here right now and don’t stop.

Director: Will McConnell
Camera: Will McConnell, Stuart Sloan
Sound: David Donnelly

2009 Bandwidth Films

We spent a nice afternoon down at the U105 studios in Belfast with George Jones and Shauna Tohill (aka Silhouette). Shauna performed ‘Put The Silence On Hold’ which has been nominated for a People’s Choice Award. Go here and get your voting fingers out!

Director: Will McConnell
Bandwidth 2009

Seu Jorge – America Do Norte

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To those unfamiliar with his brilliant latest album America Brasil, most didn’t quite know what to expect. Isn’t he that guy who sings all those David Bowie covers in the Life Aquatic?

Seu Jorge in The Life Aquatic

With a 16 strong band, including violins, a harmonica, 3 guitars, and insane amount of drums and a lot of hip-shaking, Seu Jorge won over the crowd nearly immediately. Even the cold fingered residents if Belfast went a little tropical for a few hours that cold Wednesday night.
And he also did the David Bowie covers too…

Seu Jorge – Trabalhador Brasiliero

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Tracklisting
1. América do Norte
2. Trabalhador

Director: Will McConnell
Camera: Martin Bolton, Will McConnell
Sound: David Donnelly

Bandwidth 2008

Panda Kopanda – About My Temper

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Their most recent E.P. ‘The Letting Go’ spawned the cracking tunes ‘About My Temper’ and ‘This Hope Will Kill Us’ – both of which are on display here – and also garnered them some much deserved attention in Japan, though none of us will ever understand why (or was it the Mayao Miyazaki inspired band name?). 

Panda Kopanda – This Hope Will Kill Us

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The featured gig was orginally filmed as part of a short film project we were working on with the band (see the link below). But we loved their performance so much we’ve wanted to put out the gig in its entirety for some time now.

Panda Kopanda – The Letting Go

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Happily, The Pandas have some cracking new material that they’ve been working on, with an album coming out earlier next year, so we took our chance to look back at some of the old stuff. Amazing things are abound for the band. We are very excited.

Either/Or (from the people behind Bandwidth, with Panda Kopanda)

 
Fighting With Wire – Everybody Needs A Nemesis

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They’ve been around since 2003 but are finally starting to make waves with the release of their first album Man Vs. Monster, which is kicking a lot of skulls in around the UK and getting extensive radio airplay with it. They’ve been compared to the likes of Jimmy Eat World, Foo Fighters, Hüsker Dü and Biffy Clyro.

Fighting With Wire – Long Distance

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Try to imagine those bands in a bar brawl and you’re halfway there. Yes that is beer and sweat on the camera lens.

“Man Vs Monster is a dynamic beast of a record – raging out of your speakers one moment yet gentle and intricate the next, and all without losing focus of what’s important: the song.”
-DidiMau

“Do what you believe in, believe in what you do and don’t give a damn about anything or anybody else. That seems to be the philosophy of Fighting With Wire.”
-Rock Sound

Director: Will McConnell
Camera: Martin Bolton, Michael Gibson

Bandwidth 2008