This is quite the event. Legendary band Orange Goblin are calling it a day after 30 years, sadly, and this is their farewell tour. It’s sold out, which I’m happy for them about, as they’re a band who deserves all the success they have had and more. Tonight they’re joined by two other bands that I’m a fan of too, the mighty Grand Magus and the riff-tastic Urne. It promises to be a good one.
Urne
Urne convincingly kick out the jams as soon as they take the stage. With thick, chunky riffs, Urne explode into their progressive thrashy sludgy metallic set. They have a good sound for an opening band, despite some of the nuances of the music getting lost in the mix. They play four songs, one of which is off A Feast on Sorrow, and the rest from their upcoming album Setting Fire to the Sky which sees the light of day in January.
Urne are well-received by those in attendance, ably warming up the crowd for what’s to come, while putting on a good show in their own right.
Grand Magus
By the time Grand Magus bring the heavy metal thunder the crowd has thickened considerably. Armed with a beefy collection of old-school metal anthems, Grand Magus are always great fun live.
It’s rousing and epic, and thoroughly entertaining. The songs hit the crowd in just the right way and they go down a treat. Grand Magus are very popular in Manchester it seems, based on tonight’s evidence, and you can see why; they have songs, presence, and character. Grand Magus hit the spot and entertain effortlessly. They end with Hammer of the North and a massive singalong that almost sounds like everyone in the venue is singing with them. It even resumes once they’ve finished and they’re saying goodbye to the crowd. Top stuff all round.
Orange Goblin
So here we are then, the end of an era.
Orange Goblin look like they’re having a fantastic time in stage, and the jam-packed sold out crowd look the same. The camaraderie between the band members is clear, and fun also, and they play like it’s their last time ever. Which is suppose it very nearly is. After all, once the tour is over, no more Orange Goblin! Boo!
Blessed with a consummate frontman who has an iconic voice that tonight sounds extremely strong, Orange Goblin put on a show worthy of being their last, (or at least one of them). “I’m gonna miss this, I can tell ya”, he says at one point. You can believe it.
The hits are constant, from across the band’s stored career. Highlights for me include The Devil’s Whip, The Fog, Time Travelling Blues, and the closing song Red Tide Rising, but the entire set was great. It’s a reminder, not that one is needed, of just how good Orange Goblin’s material truly is.
There’s something strangely wholesome about Orange Goblin’s charismatic blend of hard rock and heavy metal. It’s deeply satisfying and extremely enjoyable. This is a band that will be missed. They have more than earned their rest though, and tonight is a fitting end to my long musical relationship with this superlative band. Hell, it’s not an end really, not fully – we’ll always have the music, and what a discography they leave us with.
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