Third time lucky, at least for the packed crowd in O2 Academy Glasgow. Re-scheduled twice, finally Gojira’s tour of UK and Ireland got underway. It’s a well oil machine by the time it hit Glasgow and the intensity of the performances were matched by the eager audience.
Employed to Serve set the tone for the night with their brutal attack on the eardrums. The formidable five piece were relentless. Dressed in black, Justine Jones almost blended into the dark setting, but her voice cut through the pendulum of punishing guitars. The band opened with the first track from their last album “Universal Chokehold”, the mellow opening bars soon descended into a full on brutal onslaught. Each instrument took it’s turn in battling for supremacy. Mind blowing solos were under pinned by some killer bass runs. The aptly named 2021 album “Conquering” featured heavily through out the set. “Sun Up to Sun Down” dropped the pace but maintained the intensity as Sammy Urwin shared vocal duties with Justine. Crowd engagement was demanded for “We Don’t Need You” as the band called for the circle pit and the fury continued with the set ending “Mark of the Grave”. Possibly the most accessible song for anyone who hadn’t heard the band before and a great ending. Hard hitting, no nonsense and in your face, what better way to start a night of bedlam!
One band equipped to follow on from such an insane opener are Alien Weaponry. There’s something about a three piece that can hold its own, and they certainly proved it. Hailing from New Zealand, brothers Henry and Lewis de Jong have been crushing crowds with their mauri metal from a very young age. Henry Te Reiwhati de Jong appeared first behind his kit and in true fashion, performed a muted haka before being joined by bassist Tūranga Porowini Morgan-Edmonds on stage. Sporting the traditional face tattoo, he looked strikingly menacing as he stuck his tongue out almost to goad the audience. Opener “Raupatu” reminded everyone what a tour de force these guys are. The kick drum was like a sledgehammer and Lewis Raharuhi de Jong’s guitar was like a machine gun at times. “Holding My Breath” showed the band means business on this tour. Menacing and melodic, the dynamic changed through out the set but the engagement with the audience was maintained throughout as the band educated them on the song narratives. Music transcends and it was evident the crowd were in sync as they moshed from start to finish. Both opening bands were limited to 7 songs each but maximised their exposure playing crushing crowd pleasers. The 2021 album “Tangaroa” featured three songs and they were all distinctly different. “Hatupatu” and “Ahi Ka” followed on from the title track album and demonstrated how the band have evolved. We were brutally reminded where the band came from with “Ru Ana Te Whenua” the penultimate punishing song. Lewis was a striking figure when he was in full flow as his dreads spun round his head, medusa like as his dreads looked like snakes. Saving the best ‘til last “Kai Tangata” almost brought the house down. Sung in their traditional tongue, its soaring chorus was sublime. Both opening bands delivered pure rage and intensity I had never seen in the O2 Academy before. Hard acts to follow.
All three bands put out a new album in 2021 and Gojira opened with the first track from “Fortitude”, “Born for One Thing”. Hard to believe it could be possible, but they just moved the entire night up a gear. The double tracked guitars really do make a difference when it comes to metal. Sounding almost industrial at times, Gojira definitely diversified the evening. The latest album did feature heavily but the band have an impressive back catalogue to fall back on and none heavier than “The Heaviest Matter of the Universe” from the album “From Mars to Sirius”. Their full spectrum was delivered right there. The insane drumming of Mario Duplantier was relentless at times and the circle pit was driven wild at times.
As the rampant moshers came flying over the barriers, the Security did their best to keep up with the constant barrage of bodies. “Backbone” followed and continued the onslaught. The very recognisable “Stranded” drew an audible cheer from the crowd as the opening riff started but the crowd were soon drowned out by the powerful PA as one of the bands signature songs drowned them out. In stark contrast, “Flying Whales”, almost gave some respite from the aural assault as the song opened but it descends, dark and driven . It was an early set highlight for me, and was a momentary opportunity to be immersed into the richly layered material before “The Cell” kicked the pit back into life. Gojira have evolved since inception and all the better for it. Less likely to be pigeon-holed but they’ve retained enough from their early days to still be recognisable. Those earlier songs provided many nostalgic moments for the hard core in the audience. “The Art of Dying” showed how extreme the band were with it’s crushing complexities. I heard overtones of Killing Joke in a number of the newer songs and “Grind” is one of them. I could hear vocal comparisons to Jaz Coleman but Gojira surpass even Killing Joke with their intensity. “Another World” is reminiscent and could even pass for the seminal 80’s band but non the less, the cross pollination of musical influences has benefitted Gojira. Joe Duplantier introduced “Our Time is Now” as a new song yet I suspect most of the audience was well aware of it. The band have never been shy in trying to highlight the inhumanities and insanities of humanity and “The Chant” is one of those songs. Joe got the crowd singing at the start of the song and they continued the chants at the chorus. As far as crowd engagement goes, he couldn’t match his brother on drums as Mario held a placard aloft with the famous Glasgow chat written on it. “Here We Fucking Go” rarely needs prompting when an audience is demanding more from their bands and they obliged at full voice. The band drifted on and off stage during the last few songs making the encore almost indistinguishable from the final song. “Amazonia” gave the crowd the final opportunity to lose themselves and I could almost hear the voice of Glasgow’s famous son, Alex Harvey singing “let me put my hands on you” during the drop down sections of the song.
I can’t help but feel that the next Gojira tour will be a stadium one. It’s the way of the world but not always for the better. Here’s hoping the rise of Gojira doesn’t leave their audience behind.
Words and Pictures: Raymond Thomson / punk4RT