Ghost

From their humble beginnings, Ghost have always been regarded as a band that never fails to produce a spectacle. With the costumes, the light show and satanic ritual, they have created an already die hard following, whilst also bragging a lead vocalist (Tobias Forge aka Papa Emeritus) with more charisma than the love child of Elvis and Marlon Brando.

Friday night at the UEA LCR was no exception! Frankincense was lit as the believers waited for service to commence. Fifteen minutes later than scheduled the lights went to black and Jocelyn Pook's Masked Ball echoed eerily around a dead silent crowd. Out of nowhere, an almighty 'boom!’ caught everyone off guard, and the Nameless Ghouls sprinted to the front of the stage, shredding the intro to Square Hammer.Papa Emeritus III emerged from the rear of the stage like the second coming of Christ in full satanic attire, with staff in hand. The pandemonium from the crowd on his emergence was unlike anything I've ever seen before.

Despite being named the'Popestar Tour (after their most recent EP Popestar), the setlist relied mostly on their previous two albums. Surprise inclusions included Per Aspera Ad Inferni and Con Clavi Con Dio.  However, this may be due the rumours that every single Nameless Ghoul who worked on Popestar had been replaced before the tour, which was in fact noticeable. It also coincides with band’s tradition of a ‘rebirth’ after each studio release.

Amongst the fan favourites were Year Zero, Pinnacle To The Pit, Absolution and the Grammy award-winning Cirice. One performance really outshone the rest, the melodic ballad He Is. The anthemic chorus and beautiful guitar work exemplified everything about the band's rise to stardom. Other highlights included a beautiful confetti cannon trajectory during Mummy Dust, and the usual set closer of Montrance Clock, which left various audience members singing along even as they left the venue.