The wolf pack expressed with genuine gratitude that one of their first UK shows was in 2006 at Satan’s Hollow, Manchester. From hearing Gojira’s humble beginnings to now fast-forwarding nearly fifteen years to headline a virulent Mancunian crowd is a task to beat on this mini UK tour.
Starting off the evening were one of the freshest discoveries to step on stage. The Irish force Dead Label had come such a long way to provide heavy dosages for their crowd to feast on. The quartet wasted little time pummelling with their assault of Deadweight, Flux and Forget The Names had Manchester into the palm of their hands. Making their mark known with Slaves To The Modern Age and with Pure Chaos commanded their own “wall of chaos” had many presents very satisfied, setting the perfect tone to the night.
With razor-sharp precision and elegance were UK’s distinctive tirade Rolo Tomassi. What makes them unique was they have grown increasingly good infusing two extremes together creating a different power. Delighting old and new fans with a plethora of songs, consisting of the explosive Rituals through to smashers Funereal and Balancing the Dark. With their epic closers Contretemps and A Flood Of Light, their dichotomy between the feral and beauty is such a core part of how romantically violent their presence was.
There was a palpable energy that was filled with rabid fans for one of the most significant metal forces to ever set foot on the planet. How to describe Gojira‘s entrance to greet their task to Manchester o2 Apollo? Simply put – it was breathtaking. With the thunderous Oroborus starting off the initiation, this was met with rapturous applause which allows the band’s transcending sounds do the talking. From there, the French plateau continued to fire on all cylinders, deploying song after song with absolute ease and the crowd responded with passionate participation with Backbone, Stranded, Flying Wales, Love? and The Cell.
What made the night special was hearing many brutally delicate sounds that gave the quartet the opportunity to reveal their intoxicating tones. With mesmerizing intricacy on Terra Inc, then seamlessly exploding all into a frenzy with the iconic Silvera was the perfect match. No fire was left spared with L’enfant Sauvage, before letting the confetti fly when The Shooting Star and their extended take of Blow Me Away You(Niverse) left Manchester even more hypnotized.
Proving their worth to the ocean with brutal technicality were the out-of-this-world closing tracks in the fever pitch Clone, the infectious Vacuity before Gojira brought Manchester back to Earth with The Gift Of Guilt.
Voices were left raw. Bodies were broken. But, there was no mistaking that Gojira are not to be taken lightly. It will not be long before their territories are made even bigger. Gojira are flawless.