On Sunday 12th March 2017, the French quartet Gojira
tore through the 02 Forum in London like the gigantic monster they are named
after.
The sold out venue was already buzzing from the first two acts of the night. First up were Long Islanders, Car Bomb, who began the night with a ferocious set of heavy riffs and harsh vocals. Tracks from their latest album, Meta, produced by Gojira front man, Joe Duplantier, got the crowd stirring before the second onslaught of the night.
The sold out venue was already buzzing from the first two acts of the night. First up were Long Islanders, Car Bomb, who began the night with a ferocious set of heavy riffs and harsh vocals. Tracks from their latest album, Meta, produced by Gojira front man, Joe Duplantier, got the crowd stirring before the second onslaught of the night.
Hailing from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Code Orange
smashed the crowd with an aggressive punch of primal force, fuelled by sincere
anger and an intense desire to inject something fresh into the music scene.
They were well received by the audience who couldn’t help but get swept up in
the band’s fury.
The venue was humming with anticipation as the wait
for Gojira to come out on stage began. The excited crowd erupted into chants of
‘GO-JI-RA! GO-JI-RA!’, chants that would continue at various intervals throughout
the night.
Mario Duplantier was the first to come on stage when
he made way for his drum kit to the cheers of the London crowd. He was soon
joined by his band mates, his older brother Joe, guitarist Christian Andreu,
and bassist Jean-Michel Labadie.
Mario kicked proceedings off with the unmistakable
drum introduction of Only Pain, and
moments later his comrades joined him in creating a wall of Magma sound. The venue erupted. Joe’s
vocals rolled across Jean-Michel’s bassline like thunder and the crowed were revelling
at being caught in the storm.
Mario Duplantier at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, 12/03/2017
The next song to set the crowd ablaze was the
mammoth track from the album From Mars to
Sirius, The Heaviest Matter of the
Universe. The band exploded into a frenzy of erratic riffs with Mario
raining hell down onto his drums before the guitars transitioned into
Metallica-esque riff chugging. The audience were a sea of thrashing bodies and crowd
surfers, who would not relent until the very last sound from Gojira’s
instruments rang out.
When the weighty but melodic riff of Silvera roared out across The Forum, the Frenchmen seemed to relish in sharing this moment with the chaotic crowd. Frontman Joe, finger tapped his white Charvel signature guitar whilst singing the meaningful penned lyrics, ‘when you change yourself, you change the world’ amongst a stage full of flashing lights.
Another Magma crowd
pleaser followed Silvera as Mario
struck his cymbals and Joe followed by giving his top guitar string a quick
burst, ushering in Stranded. The
volume then boomed when Christian and Jean-Michel joined in and the audience sprung
into new life.
Only four songs had been played but the night
already felt very special. The atmosphere was hypnotic as the dazzling lights
and carefully selected visual graphics were displayed behind Mario and his
glowing double-bass drums. At one point a giant whale appeared to be flying
lazily in the darkness above the stage. The crowd mimicked Joe’s Flying Whales guitar intro like a chant
in a football stadium and the tranquillity was mesmerising.
The Cell, Backbone, and L’Enfant Sauvage stood out in particular as hard-hitting numbers. London was then reminded just how expertly Gojira can transform, quite naturally, from a brutal force into a calmer hypnotic act when taking the pace down a few notches with a song like The Shooting Star. Pillars of light adorned the stage making for an enchanting scene as the band played the song’s mesmerising melody.
Gojira are reputed for being an incredibly precise
live band and the quartet continue to impress by showing their fans just how
good they are at their craft.
The Cell, Backbone, and L’Enfant Sauvage stood out in particular as hard-hitting numbers. London was then reminded just how expertly Gojira can transform, quite naturally, from a brutal force into a calmer hypnotic act when taking the pace down a few notches with a song like The Shooting Star. Pillars of light adorned the stage making for an enchanting scene as the band played the song’s mesmerising melody.
At times during the show Christian looked like he had been swept up by the ambience and was playing his guitar, seemingly so effortless, on a higher-plain. Jean –Michel, full of energy, thrashed his bass guitar around the stage, but took a moment here and there to beam a smile at the audience. He was clearly enjoying himself. Mario had arguably been working the hardest all night. His fitness level is like that of a professional athlete.
Before each show Mario warms up his muscles by speed drumming backstage for approximately fifty minutes, and once onstage he performs like a human drum-machine.
Mario's style has been recognised as a technical cocktail of heavy precision drumming, with jazzy breaks and explosive double-bass attacks. Some Gojira songs have even originated from his creative drum patterns.
Mario's drum solo at The Forum was spectacular and the crowd were utterly captured by his skills. During one part of his performance the crowd began clapping along but their timing was soon off as Mario’s speed left them in the past.
Photo credit: www.kevinscullion.com
Photo credit: www.kevinscullion.com
When the moment arrived for Joe’s guitar solo, he demonstrated how technically gifted he is as a musician. His modesty was telling when he thanked the crowd for showing up and recalled their first show in London when Gojira played to about 400 people at The Underworld in Camden. Joe seemed genuinely surprised by the warm reception the 2,300 fans had given them at The Forum in Kentish Town that night.
Joe Duplantier commanding The Forum.
Photo credit: www.kevinscullion.com
After a fan favourite encore song, Oroborus, Gojira played their final number of the night, Vacuity. The crowd went wild as the band battered the
venue with heavy riffs and blinding lights. The moment even prompted Slipknot bassist
V-man, who was watching from the balcony, to get his phone out and record the ending of the song. Vacuity's conclusion demonstrates
the band’s musical timing finesse perfectly.
It had been a memorable show and the band took turns thanking the audience. “This is maybe the best show of my life” Mario exclaimed at the microphone to which the crowd cheered and applauded.
Left to right: Christian, Joe, Mario, and Jean-Michel at The Forum.
The Magma
tour has been a huge success for Gojira. Reviews have been positively glowing
and the fans have gushed about it on social media, and rightly so. Gojira are a
formidable force to be reckoned with and there ought to be a degree of sympathy
given to any band that has to follow their act.
Without a doubt Gojira are a positive force for good in this world and a powerhouse in the metal scene. Long may their reign continue!
Photo credit: www.kevinscullion.com
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