Abramorama, Involved Management and Above and Beyond have announced the exclusive release of their behind the scenes documentary ‘Above and Beyond Acoustic: Giving Up The Day Job’ on iTunes on April 17th. There will also be a UK Odeon Cinema screening today April 12th with the band attending a Q and A at the Covent Garden Odeon screening. Find tickets here.
Jono Grant, Tony McGuinness and Paavo Siljamaki are collectively known the world over as Above and Beyond.
The grammy nominated act has dominated the electronic music scene, playing sell out concerts across the globe, in venues such as the Albert Hall, the O2 Arena, the Hollywood Bowl, and the Sydney Opera House.
When the band announced in 2016 that they would be giving up dance music and going acoustic the music industry held its breathe. Was this a risk worth taking? Had the boys lost their way?
Not since Dylan gave up acoustic in 1966 and went electric has such a change in direction been attempted. Unlike Dylan, Above and Beyond went the opposite way, giving up electric for acoustic, and on the evidence of audience reaction, you’d have to say the lads have pulled it off.
What they’ve achieved is nothing short of incredible. To dominate a musical genre, build up a huge following across the globe and then walk away, change direction, and risk alienating your core audience, well that needs loyalty from the fans.
Loyalty that has been demonstrated in droves. Rather than desert the band, the fans have relished the new sound and reinvention of their catalogue of music. It has given new life to the melodies, lyrics and beats. It has given new meaning to the listeners and it has created uplifting, anthemic, almost choral sounds. Sounds that, to quote the band themselves, are “Life affirming”.
‘Above and Beyond Acoustic: Giving Up The Day Job’ was directed by the award-winning team of Paul Dugdale and Myles Desenberg. Paul Dugdale, with Scheme Engine (Ed Sheeran’s ‘Jumpers For Goal Posts’) directed the live footage of the Hollywood Bowl concert. Myles Desenberg of BAFTA-nominated production company Archer’s Mark, directed the behind the scenes tour footage.
This documentary will win an army of new fans. Trust me, I know…because I count myself as one of them.
‘Above and Beyond Acoustic: Giving Up The Day Job’ is out on April 17 and is available here for pre-order.
