Roll Me Over, In The Clover….
…. Enough of the dirty rugby songs folks ‘cos here we have Rolo Tomassi to take you by the scruff of your neck and fling you out of the venue. Not really knowing what to expect, I ventured into uncharted territory and watched this shindig get a kick in the er…shins. Singer Eva Spence barks down the mic like a demented rottweiler, and with moves much better than Jagger, her cohorts join in the attack as they scoop up the audience and rattle their collective spine until it twists and bends in a most inhuman fashion. They are relentless, they hurtle along at top speed, destroying everything in their path. With beauties like ‘Rituals’, ‘Balancing The Dark’ and ‘Alma Mater’ it was a frenetic ride, interspersed with a few gentle, stripped down moments. There was no messing about with these mechanical animals, my friends, wind ‘em up and watch ‘em go! A mid-set dedication to our absent friends Black Peaks and we are dropped from a great height to finish a blistering set. I was quite staggered to read they are mainly regarded as a DIY band, they are driven, industrious and incredibly entertaining to watch.
What was left of the audience and venue was offered up to headliners Gojira, and they continued the onslaught. I watched from the balcony as fans bought new T-shirts to celebrate their night out and wore them immediately, truly a sight to behold, such diligence and loyalty. As soon as Gojira set foot onstage, the T-shirts came off and along with the beers were flung into the air in apparent blatant disregard, shirtless in Brum is how it’s done, my friends. It was a great sight to see as the crowd surged forward and the pit to end all pits appeared. The light and sound spectacular that followed was amazing to see and the music was just phenomenal. Covering old and new material the show did not skimp on delivery or artistic endeavour and style. Gojira are a class act, the genuine article, polite and decent human beings, anyone who disagrees can kindly leave now.
Fan favourites like’ Love’- my favourite, ‘Silvera’, ‘L’Enfant Sauvage’ and ‘Vacuity’ were on show tonight, we were to leave fulfilled and satisfied.
Even the smoke machine was fully charged, as clouds shot into the air and consumed the audience, and with the ultra-heavy ‘The Shooting Star’ we had confetti galore to add to the already electrifying atmosphere. A number of inflatable black whales were also passed around the crowd much to the delight of everyone within reach of one of these creatures.
Before I leave you, I offer my hearty salutations to the ladies and gents of the pit, who showed great courage, strength and friendship during an overwhelmingly crowded pit. Security deserve a mention too for handing out water and helping the enthusiastic crowd surfers to enjoy the show.
Voulez- vous, mes amis? Oui, s’il vous plaȋt.
Azra Pathan
Gojira/ Rolo Tomassi- O2 Academy Birmingham, 29th June.