Words by DJ Monk. Photos by The Dark Queen.
Ghost are, quite possibly without doubt, one of the, if not THE, Marmite bands of the current metal scene. You either like them or you don’t, and if the latter is the case you are quite vociferous in your reasons for doing so (or not, as the case may be). Many dismiss them as not being a “metal” band. Others as cartoon characters pretending to play metal. Others as a vanity project. But, one thing is undeniable: whatever your thoughts, they put on a fucking great live show, one which finally has elevated them to the status of arena headliners, as tonight’s show very clearly, and emphatically demonstrated…
Of course, every great act needs a strong supporting cast, and Ghost have definitely upped the ante in that department, by bringing along two highly accomplished and contrasting opening acts, the first of which are Swedish deathlords Tribulation. After what must surely rank as one of the longest intro tapes in history, they writhe onto the stage like escaping demons freshly unleashed from the pits of purgatorial prison, their foul utterances filling the cold night with enough of an additional chill factor to ice over the nearby River Liffey. Their vampiric hymns are also possessed of a mysterious clapalong groove, and there is a suitably jig-like quality to their dervish death dances which exudes dark passion and makes them the perfect appetizer for the demonic mass to be delivered slightly later in the evening.
- Tribulation’s new album, ‘Alive & Dead at Sodra Teatren’, is out now via Century Media. You can get your copy HERE.
When looking at the published stage times it was obvious that, despite the generosity of allowing each of the opening acts a full 40 minutes each, there would be lengthy changeover times, which proved the case with the stage being totally stripped and rebuilt for All Them Witches, who obviously have brought a lot of fans with them, as a massive cheer goes up merely for the unfurling of their backdrop. The opening wail of feedback opens out into a drench of fuzzy, down-tuned sludgy doom wailings, which in turn produced dense, rich soundscapes that one second drone their way into the darkest recesses of your soul and the next are soaring to the rafters like a newly released dove. Although somewhat drowned by the arena setting, it’s an eerily hypnotic performance, if somewhat ruined by their over-reliance on strobes to needlessly accentuate and emphasize their sonic points.
As soon as ATW’s gear is cleared from the stage, a black curtain drops across its front. Then, as the sound of Gregorian chant fills the hall – the rear walls of which have been decorated with brickwork drapes, to add to the sense of transforming the venue into a massive Gothic cathedral – torches illuminate the figures moving behind it, setting up the various podia, pyro and cannons which will bring this absolutely monstrous show to life. Then, the curtain falls and the drama begins…
It doesn’t all go quite according to plan, however, as halfway through the enormous opening pop that is ‘Rats’, a stagehand is seen to scurry on to deliver a second mike stand. Oops. But, the only the eagle-eyed of us really notice, as everyone else is busy crying for ‘Absolution’: and nearly everyone in the now packed room can truly be absolved as, right from the off, Cardinal Copia has this rabid crowd (well, apart from the Hugo Boss-wearing, popcorn-munching hipsters on the balcony) eating out of his hand, hanging on every word of his pop-rock gospel and singing them back to him like rote-learned Mass responses.
It’s also evident early on that, perhaps unexpectedly, there is going to be a lot of humour, as evinced in Tobias’… sorry, the Cardinal’s first spoken eulogy, in which he refers to tonight being their first visit to Dublin… well, sort of… “We had a little quickie over the summer,” he recalls, referring to their support slot with Metallica up the road at Slane Castle this past June. “It was a short quickie, but I enjoyed it, so here we are, on our first date – and tonight we’re going to go to second base!” It’s certainly not the end of the jokes, or the sexual innuendos, which become a running theme throughout the evening.
A Ghost show is about the theatricality, and Forge knows how to deliver that in abundance, from the massive stage set (all stairs and strategically-placed smoke towers) through the multiple costume changes (four of them – nearly as many as Cher ffs) to the brief appearance of Papa Nihil to the black-versus-white guitar duel (which white wins on technical grounds but black steals with his cheeky Thin Lizzy tribute). Great theatre is built on its ability to appeal directly to the most emotional parts of the human psyche, and a Ghost show does just that. It has pathos. It has humour. It has massive production values. It’s carefully choreographed (it has to be) and camper than Dale Winton paying tribute to Frankie Howerd. It has audience interaction (maybe a wee bit too much in some parts). Hell, it has confetti cannons (and the confetti is gold!). OK, it’s cliched and kitsch in places – but you could say that about an Iron Maiden show. And, OK, it’s maybe not “metal”: maybe more ‘Phantom Of The Opera’ meets ‘The Rocky Horror Show’. But, above all, what it does do is allow you to suspend your cares about what is happening outside the arena doors for two hours and allow your ass to be wobbled and your tits to be tickled by a master ringmaster and showman and his entourage of nameless ghouls (and ghoulettes)… and that’s all that really matters when it comes to a rock ‘n’ roll show. Hell, even good ol’ Queen Victoria would have been amused!
- ‘The Ultimate Tour Named Death’ continues at the Wembley SSE Arena tomorrow (Friday 22 November) and finishes at the Leeds Arena on Saturday (23 November).
- PHOTO CREDIT: All photos © The Dark Queen/ Über Rock. You can view our full gallery of photographs HERE.
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