Godspeed You! Black Emperor at Manchester Academy

Johnny James, Managing Editor

Book now

Godspeed You! Black Emperor

Manchester Academy, Manchester
23 September 2022

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Yannick Grandmont
Book now

Symphonic punk outfit Godspeed You! Black Emperor have released one of the best albums of their 27-year career, and they’re bringing it to Manchester Academy this September.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor are a nine-piece from Montréal, and really, that’s pretty much all we know about them. Few rock bands have been as steadfast in trying to let their music speak for itself; they don’t have a website or social media, they don’t do photos or give interviews, they’ve never even released a music video. While this has, over the last quarter of a century, shrouded the band in a cult-like mystique, this wasn’t necessarily their intent. Fiercely political, Godspeed are unflinching in their critique of a grim consumer society in terminal decline, and they refuse to participate “in cultures of personality, exposure, access, commodification or co-optation.”

Their music is full of the heretical anarcho-punk spirit that the above implies. 1997-2002 saw the band release a string of albums that redefined what protest music could be, with longform instrumental chamber rock serving as soundtracks to late capitalist alienation and resistance. These records – especially F#A#∞ (1997) and Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven (2000) – are regarded as classics of the era and genre. Awash with politically potent samples – from explicitly anti-government monologues to the sound of police radio chatter during protests – this is, on the one hand, political art.

On the other it’s a simple testament to the raw power of music. Above all else, Godspeed make achingly beautiful records, which flit between elegy and aggression with a widescreen grandeur. And their latest album, G_d’s Pee AT STATE’S END, is up there with the band’s best in that regard. Inexorable chug blossoms into blown-out twang as some of Godspeed’s most soaring, searing melodies ricochet and converge amidst violin and bassline counterpoint. One standout is ‘Ashes to Sea or Nearer to Thee’, which is arguably the most radiant, galvanising, dare I say it… hopeful… piece of music in all of Godspeed’s catalogue, rising gradually from a brooding murmur towards a love-will-conquer-all climax.

Experiencing the visceral force of Godspeed You! Black Emperor live is quite something. They bathe their audiences in mesmerising, multi-layered symphonic waves, inducing ecstasy, terror and everything in between. While the band might serve up some tough messages, in the end, their hypnotic, sensuous music strikes the heart first and the head second – and of course it will always be at its most devastatingly powerful in a live setting. Bag yourself a ticket for their Manchester show via the button below.

Where to go near Godspeed You! Black Emperor at Manchester Academy

Whitworth Park, Manchester
Manchester
Park
Whitworth Park

This 18-acre park opposite the Manchester Royal Infirmary provides a welcome patch of green in an otherwise densely populated and heavily used part of the city.

Manchester
Music venue
Manchester Academy 3

Brilliant venue for catching a touring band on the rise. The boringly titled Academy 3 or more interesting Hop and Grape, as it was once known, is a self contained…

Cafe at the Museum
Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
The Cafe
at the Museum

Manchester Museum’s cafe is run by the people behind award-winning cafe Teacup Kitchen. The menu features home-baked cakes, the finest loose leaf teas and breakfast, as well as a wide selection of mains and meals for kids.

Manchester
Shop
Want Not Waste

Want Not Waste is a student-run, not-for-profit zero waste shop operating out of Academy 1 at the University of Manchester Students’ Union.

Universally Manchester Festival 6-9 June 2024
Manchester
The University of Manchester

Celebrating its 200th year in 2024, The University of Manchester is the largest single-site university in the UK, and boasts come incredible cultural institutions, found on campus, across Manchester and…

Manchester
Bar or Pub
Big Hands

Big Hands is the one-time haunt of legendary Manchester band Elbow; it’s shabby, loud and dark, with a jukebox and excellent roof terrace.

Manchester
Bar or Pub
Kro Bar

Kro Bar, Manchester is an independent pub and music venue housed (somewhat ironically) in the former Temperance Society building.

What's on: Music

A black woman sat down looking to the left.
Until
MusicLeeds
Sound Out Leeds 2024/25

Leeds International Concert Season is on a mission to push boundaries, expand horizons, and ask the question: ‘What haven’t we heard?’ as it presents its city-spanning Sound Out Leeds series.

From £10.00
Aisla dancing and Dj'ing
ActivityAncoats
Become A Superstar DJ

Get hands on with the decks in this funk and soul superstar DJ workshop from BBC Radio 6’s Ailsa.

Free entry

Culture Guides

Three men sit next to each other. One's head is bandaged, one holds a torch and one wears a sleepmask.
Cinema in the North

Live scores, midnight movies and the latest from Wes Anderson are just some of our upcoming film highlights.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Experimental performance, thought-provoking new writing and our picks of Manchester International Festival - here’s what’s taking centre stage this summer.

Isabel Galleymore in conversation
Literature Events in the North

There's a lot of experimentation going on in our Literature guide, from poets playing with form to short story writers looking long.

Music in the North

Gigs are coming in hot this spring – from long-awaited returns to one-off happenings you’ll blink and miss if you're not careful.

Experience a unique deep listening art installation inviting audiences to lay down and be bathed in sound and light.
Exhibitions in the North

From city-wide art festivals to open-air sculptural installations, we have exhibitions from all around the North, both indoors and out.