Ghost - Birmingham Review

Over the past few years, Ghost have become a real favourite. I remember the band's debut album dropping in 2010, but it did nothing for me at the time - and it was not until the shift to a more 1980s-inspired sound on 2018's Prequelle (which I reviewed here) that I came on board. I have since gone back and I am now a big fan of most of the band's work - and the shows that I saw in 2019 and 2022 rank up there as two of the best arena rock shows I have witnessed. I missed out on seeing the band in small venues, but, in truth, Ghost are a band made for arenas. I have often commented that some bigger bands have seemingly struggled to adapt to arena-level shows in terms of the 'performance' side of things. Bigger bands do not necessarily need 'theatre' to pull off arena-level shows, but some bands make those arena stages look so small. Ghost has never been such a band, though. Older rock fans often bemoan the lack of future festival headliners - but the truth is that there are plenty of arena-level modern bands waiting to be given the opportunity, and Ghost feel like such a band. If they are not headlining Download within the next couple of years then something has gone seriously wrong - although, in truth, I am not sure Download is interested in bands like Ghost anymore with their seeming want to just capitalise on 1990s nostalgia. Something like Wacken or Graspop might be better, then, but I am sure that their day in the sun will come - even if some metal fans like to grumble about the band's perceived lack of 'metal'. Hearing metal fans discuss what is and is not indeed 'metal' is almost as brain cell-killing as hearing football fans discussing which clubs are 'big clubs' - but Ghost largely have transcended such debates, and if a few metal flat-earthers want to turn their backs on the band then I am sure that bandleader Tobias Forge would not be all that upset. The band's upcoming sixth album Skeletá is likely to be another triumph based on the singles released so far - and this past week they kicked off their latest European tour with a string of UK dates. Ghost are now one of those bands that I will see whenever I can - so I opted for a ticket to the Birmingham show on Easter Sunday. It was also Birmingham where I saw the band in 2022 - but this time the band opted for the Utilita Arena in the city centre rather than the NEC, which was a welcome change. The day leading up to the show was pretty dull, though, as basically every shop in Birmingham was closed due to it being Easter. I spent much of the afternoon in my hotel, then, and headed over to the venue fairly early. Numerous emails in the week leading up the show had advised such, and I am glad that I did as getting into the venue was horrendous. I have been to a few sold out shows at the same venue before and have never had an issue getting in - but for whatever reason the queuing system was so badly organised that it took me probably around 45 minutes to actually get in the building. The band had to delay starting their show due to the time it was taking to get people in. This seems to be becoming a bit of a theme at some venues - as both The Roundhouse in London and the O2 Academy in Bristol are noticeably worse than they used to be in this regard, and there is no obvious reason as to why. Luckily the delayed start did not lead to a shortened show - and things got underway around 40 minutes after I had got in and had my phone locked away in a little pouch.

There was no support act, but the two or so hours of Ghost's set soon wiped away any lingering annoyance relating to getting in. Each Ghost show that I have seen has been bigger than the one before - so this was a real spectacle. Being sat quite far back in the arena, too, I was able to really take everything in - and generally the sound was pretty good, too, with Forge's voice clear throughout and the balance of the instruments well-struck. It is a shame that Skeletá is not out until this coming Friday - but the band still played four of the new songs live. Opening with Peacefield, which no-one would have been familiar with unless they had been to other shows on the tour, was a bold move, then, but the smooth, melodic piece opened the show well - and it started with Forge singing on the screens at the side of the stage before the curtain dropped to reveal the whole band. It was not a blistering rocker, with a smooth overall sound, but the melodies soon filled the arena - and it did not seem to matter that people were unfamiliar with the song. New single Lachryma followed, though, and the atmosphere immediately rose. Despite being new, the video was released a week or so ago, so the fans have had plenty of chance to hear it by now - and the AOR-esque chorus was sung pretty loudly by the sold out Birmingham crowd. These two new cuts set the tone for what ended up being a pretty varied setlist. There were a few notable omissions, particularly some of the hits from the last album, but in their place were new songs and a handful of deeper cuts which had not been played for a while. As such, quite a few of the songs played were new to me in a live context - and it was great hearing quite a few different pieces. The doomy and gothic Majesty was one such example. The track has never been a particular favourite, but live it came across really well - with Forge, in character as Papa V Perpetua, floating at the back of the stage whilst the Nameless Ghouls all got to work. Spirit, which had come before, was another early highlight - with the chorus being another which was sung loudly and the harmony guitar leads throughout really rang around the room. Despite only having six albums, the setlist was very varied in terms of style. The Future Is a Foreign Land, which was tagged onto the end of last year's live album, showcased something of a whimsical, psychedelic sound - which provided something of a lighter touch following a glut of more harder rocking pieces early on. The dense ballad Darkness at the Heart of My Love later provided a similar break in the overall pace - but only after the epic Cirice had proved to be another huge sing-a-long. With no phones to distract them, the crowd were engaged throughout - and some of the sing-a-longs were louder than those I remember from previous shows.

There was certainly a great atmosphere throughout the night, then, and it only improved as the show moved forward. It was brave leaving out some of the bigger hits from the last album but it did not really seem to matter. Even the more casual fans seemed to be having a good time - with another new single Satanized also receiving a strong reception when it was deployed around half way through the main set. The final new number, Umbra, followed fairly shortly afterwards, with only oldie Ritual to separate them, and it may well have been my favourite of the new cuts played. The melodies sounded strong, as was the case with all of them, but it was a bit more explosive musically, too, with two lengthy guitar solos and a proper progressive rock keyboard solo. It was a real workout for the band, then, with both guitarists getting to show off alongside the main keyboard player. It was a great, flashy centrepiece of the main set, then, before the clock was turned back and Forge emerged in his full pope getup for the apocalyptic and doomy Year Zero. With all the new and deeper cuts out of the way at this point, the rest of the set felt like a victory lap. There were not many surprises in the last third or so of the evening, with the smooth ballad He Is providing one last moment of respite before the wall-to-wall fan-favourites. The place erupted when the distinctive drum intro of Rats rang through the venue, with the chorus again being sung loudly, and the energy levels were kept up with the bombastic Kiss the Go-Goat which filled the hall with good cheer and an upbeat vibe. Those who wanted to headbang then got their chance with the bassy and groovy Mummy Dust, which brought the best out of the band's two guitarists and bassist, before the main set ended with the choral and epic Monstrance Clock - which had returned to the band's setlist following a few years away. It used to be such an ever-present for the band, but it was the first time I had heard it live - and the crow dutifully sang The Beatles-esque mid-section with a subtle power, and melodies of which continued long after the band had left the stage. There was time for more, though, and Forge soon led his Ghouls back out for a three-song encore which contained arguably the band's three biggest songs. The venue was full of a party atmosphere at this point, and each song was received better than the last. The keyboard-heavy Mary on a Cross kicked off the encore, which was of course sung loudly, before the double-punch of Dance Macabre and Square Hammer brought the curtain down on another excellent evening of live music. From my seat I could see the sheer amount of movement and clapping from the crowd on the floor - and it was clear that Ghost achieved what they set out to do by providing two hours of excellent anthems and an arena-sized show to go with them. The setlist was:

Peacefield

Lachryma

Spirit

Faith

Majesty

The Future Is a Foreign Land

Devil Church

Cirice

Darkness at the Heart of My Love

Satanized

Ritual

Umbra

Year Zero
He Is

Rats

Kiss the Go-Goat

Mummy Dust

Monstrance Clock

-

Mary on a Cross

Dance Macabre

Square Hammer

Ghost continue to go from strength to strength - and they really are one of the biggest rock bands in the world at the moment. There has been surprisingly little hype around the upcoming album and this tour - but perhaps that is because there is no need for any now. These UK shows all sold out with ease and the album will no doubt be another smash hit in terms of sales and streams - meaning that Ghost will take another step towards legendary status. The only way to go is up, and I will be there next time Ghost visit the UK.