It is a truly autumnal evening in the centre of the Welsh Capital as the queue for Coheed And Cambria and And So I Watched You From Afar unwinds down Salisbury Road, way before advertised doors. Bemused students, for we are right in the middle of student land, look on as they move around their neighbourhood.
Coheed And Cambria – And So I Watched You From Afar
Great Hall, Cardiff – 18 October 2025
Words And Photography: Paul Hutchings
It has been a big week in Cardiff. Visits from heavyweights Killswitch Engage and Architects the weekend before have both sold out, and tonight it is the turn of the Progressive Metal of Coheed and Cambria.
Such is their popularity in Wales that this show is also sold out and was several weeks ago. There is a buzz of anticipation, not dampened by the unfortunate withdrawal of Haken, who I admit I was as excited to see as the headliners.
Not that this should devalue the support provided by Northern Ireland’s And So I Watched You From Afar, who step in at the last minute and do a stellar job.
Coheed And Cambria – First Visit In Seven Years
It is the first visit in seven years for the New Yorkers, but they have been here a few times before, stretching back to 2005 when they played the same venue. Before that, the band appeared three times at the legendary TJs in Newport, so there is plenty of history.
Tonight, they are on the run in, with two of five UK dates to conclude their European tour. Guitarist Travis Stever tells the fans that Cardiff is always on their list. Tonight’s reception shows you exactly why that should be, with it being the only sold-out show on the UK run, and fans are in jubilant spirits.
If you are new to the band, then there is much to unpack. You do not casually rock up to a gig featuring these four incredible musicians in the same way that you might go to a Saxon show.
No, this is a venue full of devotees who know every word, who are in tune with everything on the stage, and who are immersed in the entire experience and stories that thread through the carefully curated set.
With all albums apart from one based on vocalist/guitarist Claudio Sanchez’s science fiction storyline The Armory Wars, there are sequences that run through the songs which the non-committed would miss.
But the beauty of the band is that their songs sit together as a collective.
Opener Goodbye Sunshine is a singalong to get the evening moving. It is uplifting, and the entire venue are fully up for it. It is one of six from the new album Vaxis Act III – The Father Of Make Believe, which is treated like an old friend rather than a new guest.
The stage set is impressive, with banks of lighting carefully constructed to fit with the songs that envelope the crowd. Centre stage is Sanchez, but although he is the focus, you really cannot take your eyes off the drumming of Josh Eppard. The man is a machine, all limbs flying around the kit as he does much more than anchor the band. Throughout the show, I found myself absorbed in his delivery. An incredible musician. 
It is a set of great variation that dips back to the debut album The Second Stage Turbine Blade as Everything Evil pleases the old school fans, whilst The Suffering from Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV prompts even more singing from the audience.
It is captivating stuff, and although I will put my hand up and say that I am certainly not a diehard like most around me, it is impossible not to become one with everyone else during the finale of main set closer In Keeping Secrets Of Silent Earth 3, such is the elongated instrumental section which includes Sanchez soloing with his teeth and that is followed by some of the most challenging vocals he has to deliver. It is no wonder that he lets the crowd do the heavy lifting.
The musicianship is incredible from the delicate introduction through to the heavier, crushing passages that pepper the set. Sanchez and Stever are fluid, trading solos whilst the band are locked in tight together. It is a truly dazzling show.
Encore time sees Sanchez alone with guitar for Corner My Confidence, which once more is supported by the fans, before the home stretch and The Continuum III Tethered Together, and the un-droppable Welcome Home see the band canter home with heads held high.
A stunning performance from a stunning band, and for 90 minutes we are transported to another world.
One of the gigs of the year in the Welsh Capital.
And So I Watched You From Afar
Having not long completed their own headline tour, which included a night at Clwb Ifor Bach, a mere stone’s throw from tonight’s venue, it is perhaps unsurprising that And So I Watched You From Afar are on top form.
Cloaked in minimal atmospheric lighting, the band have a 30-minute set which includes songs from the excellent 2024 release Megafauna.
There is an overlap between fans of the two bands, both having appeared at Arctangent in recent times, and the Northern Irish instrumental post-rock is warmly received. Although at times it is almost impossible to see the four members on stage, they do not want for energy as they race through Mother Belfast Parts I and II.
It is intense, perfectly executed and a demonstration of why, when done well, this genre is as edifying as any other. Set Guitars To Kill sees the band return to their 2009 debut, and as they finish their set, it leaves me a little sad that I was committed elsewhere when they played that other show, for it would have been one great set.
As it is, And So I Watch You From Afar prove to be an able replacement for Haken on the night.
