Back in Montreal after a European tour, the legendary band Godspeed You! Black Emperor treated fans to a high-octane experience at two sold-out shows on November 25 and 26, 2024 at MTELUS.
20h59. As the lights go down, a respectful silence settles in. The hum of a low, powerful drone spreads across the room. On stage, the instruments are silent. The drone continues.
Finally, the musicians arrive, discreetly. Bassist Thierry Amar and violinist Sophie Trudeau play the first notes of an improvised introduction over a drone background, soon joined by the other band members, guitarists Efrim Menuck, Mike Moya and David Bryant, bassist Mauro Pezzente and two (yes, two!) drummers: Aidan Girt and Timothy Herzog.
GY!BE’s sonic aesthetic is reflected visually on stage: it’s dark. The band is barely visible, lit only by the orange glow of 16mm film projections. Composed of textures, abstract images and political sequences evoking a dark, angst-ridden universe, these art films are created by the band’s long-time collaborators and filmmakers, Karl Lemieux and Philippe Léonard.
For almost two hours, Godspeed takes us into a world filled with fire, blood and divine wrath. Epic crescendos, euphoric and thunderous, deafening waves of distortion crash against percussive mountains. The individual pieces seem to merge into one, with moments of furious storm, melancholy lulls and cinematic transitions.
Throughout the concert, there were few of the telephones that often rise above the crowd. Instead, the multi-generational audience surrendered to Godspeed’s sonic catharsis. Some were almost in a trance, others swayed a little, but for the most part, they just stood there, grave and motionless, fascinated by the anarchic symphony unfolding on stage.
This concert was an opportunity to discover live several tracks from GY!BE’s latest album “No Title as of 13 February 2024, 28,340 Dead”. The title, which refers to the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli strikes between October 7, 2023 and February 13, 2024, is accompanied by a statement addressing the role of art in these dark times: “No Title = What gestures make sense as tiny bodies fall? What context? What broken melody?…”
Political commitment has always been at the forefront of Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Their albums are manifestos, their concerts are calls to resistance.
