LIVE REVIEW: Gojira @ O2 Victoria Warehouse, Manchester

While originally booked two years ago and delayed due to obvious reasons, it was no surprise that the juggernauts GOJIRA, ALIEN WEAPONRY and EMPLOYED TO SERVE were on spectator’s lips. It was finally time for the night to shine through the bitter darkness in Manchester’s idyllic o2 Victoria Warehouse venue with every imaginable emotion there was.

Serving their eager audience with a plate of heaviness through their triple threatening Universal Chokehold, Owed Zero and Force Fed, the dynamism of UK wrecking crew EMPLOYED TO SERVE was met with a pleasing reaction. By the time Sun Up To Sun Down was thrown into the gauntlet, the venue woke up from its slumber with the grind and got heads moving in the right direction. More sparks of energy when Dull Ache Behind My Eyes picked up the pace, which in turn finally met its attention with a mighty roar. Military drums echoed through the space with what the troupe exclaimed as ‘new shot’ with the thunderous We Don’t Need You leading rhythmic claps and grinding down successfully with their last number Mark Of The Grave, which ear-splitting cracked the last bit of energy left from the responsive Mancunian audience

Rating: 8/10

Shivers were set in place to sounds of the Haka as drummer Henry de Jong led the collective thrill into the packed out venue. As stringsmen Lewis de Jong and Tūranga Morgan-Edmonds shook the walls with Raupatu (confiscated), Holding My Breath and  Tangaroa, it weas clear that Māori influences and metal goes hand in hand very well for heaviness and for the crowd creating a beautiful unity beyond their sight. ALIEN WEAPONRY pummelled through the floor with Hatupatu, which made all present more livelier. The New Zealand trio let out an immense cry to the ceiling with Ahi Ka that sent a synergy in the air. As the weighty Rū Ana Te Whenua (The Earth Trembles) marked a dedication to their ancestors with decimation, their final blow of the horns came from the instantly recognisable Kai Tangata displaying their 120% to the table with one last moshpit.

Rating: 8/10

If GOJIRA could be described by the eyes of a dedicated fan in one word, it would have to be “experience”. The French behemoths are a presence with their idiosyncratic sound that sets them away from other groups in the metal community. When the chants turned into collective nerves, the three year wait erupted as though an extinct volcano suddenly became active from its slumber. Setting off the cannons with Born For One Thing which then blasts into space with instant crowd pleasers The Heaviest Matter of the Universe, Backbone and Stranded. If one wanted to see what it was like? The audience was famished and they all wanted a piece of the chaos. A sea of crowdsurfers settled in with Flying Whales as more people and inflatable whales cascaded over the barrier and The Cell displayed a new level of raw emotion being thrown into the collective area.

What was thoroughly epic to witness was their ten minute segment The Art Of Dying. Through the soundwaves, it showed a whole new level of their infusion of raw emotion. From their drum powerhouse, Mario Duplantier, you can feel the rhythm from the body. This comes with the seamless guitar soundscapes from Joe Duplantier and Christian Andreu alongside the pounding of Jean-Michel Labadie‘s bass patterns, gives true testament to their musicianship.

It was agreeable that a drum solo was the perfect breather to cool down with a little bit of banter that set off Grind and Another World into another dimension. Bringing back the violence into the venue was the brilliantly executed L’Enfant Sauvage. Their newest offering Our Time Is Now (not so new as it was released in 2022) brought their congregation together with ease. The Alchemist gave the crowd the chance to expel their negative energy into the stratosphere with confetti and Amazonia was another massive offering to Manchester that granted another get-together in the moshpit. With a brief moment to compose, the explosive trio Silvera, New Found and closer The Gift Of Guilt gave the perfect ending to their breathtaking show. Fans will be asking for more once GOJIRA‘s return is set in stone

Rating: 10/10

Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Manchester from Sabrina Ramdoyal Photography here:

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