It was going to be emotional, Sunday night in Bristol marked the end of an era but before that there was much to digest, with the headliners on their last tour, the stage was set for two supports of offer different sides of the music industry.
On the one hand you have one of the next big metal bands from the UK, two albums under their belt and all the momentum in the world then on the other hand you have a band of veterans who always deliver on the live stage and define what you think heavy metal should look like.
That first band was Urne (8) now expanded to a four piece, their complex but groove driven, modern heavy sound may be a little left field for the rest of the nights show but they showcase the future of the UK metal scene and how that is shining bright and can still bring success stories where relatively unknown bands can rise rapidly to the level Urne are at now.
Having recently released a track with Troy Sanders of Mastodon (which they closed with), this gives you a sense of their influences as they showcase prog, sludge, post metal through technical proficiency and multi-layered vocals. It was the vocals that initially let them down, as they did seem a little odd, but hell in this current flu season I'm not criticising. By the middle of the set, it was all flowing well and Urne made a mark on the crowd of po-faced, bearded bikers that stood before them.
A new album is on the horizon and the sky is the limit for Urne.
Next though it was away from the modern to something a bit more traditional, mighty Swedes Grand Magus (9) are best enjoyed with a slight beer buzz on and the spirits of your ancestors coursing through your veins. I've never seen them play a bad show and tonight was no different, they knew the assignment was to make sure everyone was ready for the headliners so what better way than a set of your most popular songs played with their muscular Viking metal power.
From I, The Jury and Steel Vs Steel, to Like The Oar That Strikes The Water and the evergreen Hammer Of The North, this was Grand Magus 101 and the crowd lapped it up, fists in the air, voices raised and beers flowing. I don't need to say much more as if you've ever seen Grand Magus you know what you're going to get, classic heavy metal machismo with a glut of anthemic songs.
Everyone was ready, the metal had been flowing the crowd were ready to rock.
This was what we had been waiting for a Star Wars crawl explaining the last 30 years of the band perhaps a little too fast for those of us that wear glasses or those of us have advancing age that were in the audience.
However this led into a video package showcasing some of the behind the scenes and the onstage footage and the general revelry that happens at these gigs and as the lights hit, the band came on stage and it was time for the final Frequencies From Planet Ten, as for one last time Orange Fucking Goblin Baby (10) came to Bristol and proceeded to rock as hard as possible.
A set compiled of songs from as many of their albums as they can with fan chosen deep cuts that haven't been played in years, this was Orange Goblin by the fans for the fans with no long speeches or how sad it is to go, in typical Goblin style it was get on the stage, play the set, get off the stage and have as much fun as possible in between.
Even with frontman Ben wards suffering with, what I believe was a heavy cold, the gruffer sound of his voice actually fitted the situation quite well as you could still hear the the filth and the fury that this band have always brought to the their live shows.
A band who were always linked to their influences the bastard sons of Sabbath and Motorhead, we got to cover of Into The Void which meant that Ben could live out his Ozzy Osborne fantasies, someone who has always emulated when performing, and in this last run guitarist Joe Hoare has even taken on the look of one Mr Iommi as he cranks out riff after riff and solo after solo, the lone axe slinger of the band since 2004.
A track like Devil's Whip thick bass lines of Lemmy are obvious for everyone to hear Harry Armstrong the long time fan of the band who took over from Martyn Millard when he retired in 2021 and has been bringing the low end thud, since slamming the bass while in perpetual motion, his hair moving with a mind of it's own. He locks in tight with with the percussive punch of Chris Turner's drumming, the man behind the kit since the beginning, he guides the pacing with hammering precision.
As I said they are a band who have always worn their influences on their sleeve but they're more than that Orange Goblin represent a movement, back in 1995, when grunge was everywhere, they were an exciting, heavy hitting throwback to the beginnings of British metal and they've been fervently flying that flag for thirty years.
They've never been band who liked a fuss, unpretentious heavy metal done the old school way with a strong dislike for encores and even less for self pity. Ben thanked everyone, said a few words about their history but in his word they wanted to party one last time and then go home and go to bed! (Cue a rousing rendition of Show Me The Way To Go Home, instigated by Harry)
With ten studio albums there's bound to be one or two tracks that will be left off however we got Cozmo Bozo, Blue Snow, Solarisphere, Time Travelling Blues, put with more recent stuff like Red Tide Rising, The Fog, Heavy Lies The Crown, (Not) Rocket Science and the lone 'middle period' track of Some You Win, Some You Lose, there was plenty of riffs to be head banged to and the crowd went wild for every one.
There are few fanbases as loyal as Orange Goblin's and when showstoppers such as The Filthy And The Few and classics like Scorpionica or the wild Quincy The Pig Boy (the only song I've ever pitted too) were put through the amps one last time, there was a collective euphoria tinged with the sadness that we'll never see this again.
I would say they don't make bands like Orange Goblin anymore, but they do, their playing your local dive bar, throwing themselves around on stage for little money, in front of 10 people but they share that same passion for rock n roll. However many of them wouldn't be able to do that without Orange Goblin showing that this dirty, D.I.Y, style of British heavy metal has always had a home within a ever changing music scene so while The Goblin may be returning to its cave but the legacy they created carries on.
That first band was Urne (8) now expanded to a four piece, their complex but groove driven, modern heavy sound may be a little left field for the rest of the nights show but they showcase the future of the UK metal scene and how that is shining bright and can still bring success stories where relatively unknown bands can rise rapidly to the level Urne are at now.
Having recently released a track with Troy Sanders of Mastodon (which they closed with), this gives you a sense of their influences as they showcase prog, sludge, post metal through technical proficiency and multi-layered vocals. It was the vocals that initially let them down, as they did seem a little odd, but hell in this current flu season I'm not criticising. By the middle of the set, it was all flowing well and Urne made a mark on the crowd of po-faced, bearded bikers that stood before them.
A new album is on the horizon and the sky is the limit for Urne.
Next though it was away from the modern to something a bit more traditional, mighty Swedes Grand Magus (9) are best enjoyed with a slight beer buzz on and the spirits of your ancestors coursing through your veins. I've never seen them play a bad show and tonight was no different, they knew the assignment was to make sure everyone was ready for the headliners so what better way than a set of your most popular songs played with their muscular Viking metal power.
From I, The Jury and Steel Vs Steel, to Like The Oar That Strikes The Water and the evergreen Hammer Of The North, this was Grand Magus 101 and the crowd lapped it up, fists in the air, voices raised and beers flowing. I don't need to say much more as if you've ever seen Grand Magus you know what you're going to get, classic heavy metal machismo with a glut of anthemic songs.
Everyone was ready, the metal had been flowing the crowd were ready to rock.
This was what we had been waiting for a Star Wars crawl explaining the last 30 years of the band perhaps a little too fast for those of us that wear glasses or those of us have advancing age that were in the audience.
However this led into a video package showcasing some of the behind the scenes and the onstage footage and the general revelry that happens at these gigs and as the lights hit, the band came on stage and it was time for the final Frequencies From Planet Ten, as for one last time Orange Fucking Goblin Baby (10) came to Bristol and proceeded to rock as hard as possible.
A set compiled of songs from as many of their albums as they can with fan chosen deep cuts that haven't been played in years, this was Orange Goblin by the fans for the fans with no long speeches or how sad it is to go, in typical Goblin style it was get on the stage, play the set, get off the stage and have as much fun as possible in between.
Even with frontman Ben wards suffering with, what I believe was a heavy cold, the gruffer sound of his voice actually fitted the situation quite well as you could still hear the the filth and the fury that this band have always brought to the their live shows.
A band who were always linked to their influences the bastard sons of Sabbath and Motorhead, we got to cover of Into The Void which meant that Ben could live out his Ozzy Osborne fantasies, someone who has always emulated when performing, and in this last run guitarist Joe Hoare has even taken on the look of one Mr Iommi as he cranks out riff after riff and solo after solo, the lone axe slinger of the band since 2004.
A track like Devil's Whip thick bass lines of Lemmy are obvious for everyone to hear Harry Armstrong the long time fan of the band who took over from Martyn Millard when he retired in 2021 and has been bringing the low end thud, since slamming the bass while in perpetual motion, his hair moving with a mind of it's own. He locks in tight with with the percussive punch of Chris Turner's drumming, the man behind the kit since the beginning, he guides the pacing with hammering precision.
As I said they are a band who have always worn their influences on their sleeve but they're more than that Orange Goblin represent a movement, back in 1995, when grunge was everywhere, they were an exciting, heavy hitting throwback to the beginnings of British metal and they've been fervently flying that flag for thirty years.
They've never been band who liked a fuss, unpretentious heavy metal done the old school way with a strong dislike for encores and even less for self pity. Ben thanked everyone, said a few words about their history but in his word they wanted to party one last time and then go home and go to bed! (Cue a rousing rendition of Show Me The Way To Go Home, instigated by Harry)
With ten studio albums there's bound to be one or two tracks that will be left off however we got Cozmo Bozo, Blue Snow, Solarisphere, Time Travelling Blues, put with more recent stuff like Red Tide Rising, The Fog, Heavy Lies The Crown, (Not) Rocket Science and the lone 'middle period' track of Some You Win, Some You Lose, there was plenty of riffs to be head banged to and the crowd went wild for every one.
There are few fanbases as loyal as Orange Goblin's and when showstoppers such as The Filthy And The Few and classics like Scorpionica or the wild Quincy The Pig Boy (the only song I've ever pitted too) were put through the amps one last time, there was a collective euphoria tinged with the sadness that we'll never see this again.
I would say they don't make bands like Orange Goblin anymore, but they do, their playing your local dive bar, throwing themselves around on stage for little money, in front of 10 people but they share that same passion for rock n roll. However many of them wouldn't be able to do that without Orange Goblin showing that this dirty, D.I.Y, style of British heavy metal has always had a home within a ever changing music scene so while The Goblin may be returning to its cave but the legacy they created carries on.
UK heavy metal forever! OFGB Forever!
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