Gig: Godspeed You! Black Emperor @ Troxy, London
Godspeed You! Black Emperor by Jez Pennington
On 29 September, Godspeed You! Black Emperor performed at London’s Troxy for a night that promised to be an unforgettable journey into sound and emotion. From the very beginning, the band captivated the audience, setting the tone for an evening filled with intense musical exploration. With a blend of new material and classic favorites, the night unfolded as a mesmerizing experience that left the crowd in a trance.
As the lights dimmed at London’s Troxy, violinist Sophie Trudeau and double bassist Thierry Amar took to the stage, commencing Godspeed You! Black Emperor's signature opener, "Hope Drone." The audience fell silent, captivated as each note vibrated through the room, creating an almost palpable tension. Gradually, the rest of the band floated onstage, their presence commanding as flickering lights danced across the stage, revealing the word "HOPE" projected for all to see.
Transitioning over to a glorious 20 minute sequence of material from the new album, "SUN IS A HOLE SUN IS VAPORS" and "BABYS IN A THUNDERCLOUD" are undeniably and instantly essential GY!BE, putting the audience in a trance as they witness currently unreleased material live. It has to be noted and appreciated, that the new album NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024 28,340 DEAD was available from the merch table in advance of its actual release, a move rare of a band large enough to be headlining and selling out venues like The Troxy.
After a thunderous applause from the glorious 30-minute sequence, patrons quickly shift to the bar to grab a drink before the next sequence begins, because once you're in the trance of Godspeed, it's uncertain when your next opportunity will be.
The most tense moments of the night begin, as the projections begin to display scenes of burning buildings as the harrowing opening notes of "Fire At Static Valley" ring out through the room. The agitation swells until transitioning to "PALE SPECTATOR". Quite possibly the most powerful sequence of the night. The crescendos of the music punishes the room and the visuals follow suit. Karl Lemieux begins to manually burn and slide between the frames being projected, looping between untouched frames and the melted remnants of a scene, creating a one-of-a-kind experience that can be imitated, but never precisely re-created.
The tone strips back down to make way for "GREY RUBBLE", the stunning single from the upcoming record. Paired next the "First Of The Last Glaciers", offering a lighter tone of grandiosity in the nights set.
The real surprise and highlight comes in the form of "Piss Crowns Are Trebled" from the 2015 album "Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress". The instantaneous doom-driven intro with flutterings of violin pull everyone's attention and demands gentle head-nodding in unison before the infectious and crushing 2nd half commands the crowd to sway like a wave and move with purpose. One would wonder why a song so perfect has been omitted from their live sets since 2018, but time is limited and their discography has a vast number of cuts that are seemingly essential.
By this point, the unavoding feeling of "the end must be near" is prevalent... And then enters the opening notes of the only old song of the set - "The Sad Mafioso". Everyone in the room roars, barks and cheers unapologetically before falling instantly silent. Visions of a plane tumbling out of the sky take everyone's gaze whilst the apocalyptic guitar patterns ring out. The perfect symbiosis between sound and vision, and certainly a polarising end to how the night started with that one word: HOPE.
