Photo Credit: Jack Delve
Releasing their anticipated fourth full length album in June of 2023 after a three-and-a-half-year break, Gengahr took their Red Sun Titans tour to Bristol on 3rd October to show off how they’ve grown in the time they’ve been away.
With just herself, her guitar and a keyboardist, serene yet almost eerie vocals persisted through Mui Zyu’s support set. The tracks that she played had an authentic and personal touch to them which was by no doubt assisted by the simple stage setup. The whole set definitely captured the crowd in the moment, it just wasn’t too memorable for us and we feel that a different support that may have been more energetic would have been a better fit for the night. Although it could be a symptom of an understated stage persona or perhaps being rushed for time, she really didn’t seem like she wanted to be on stage for longer than she had to be. After she played her final song, the lights faded swiftly to black and undoubtedly left the audience unfortunately asking “was that it?” 5/10
Gengahr wasted no time getting into their tracks, starting straight away with the lead single from their most recent album, released in the summer, A Ladder. Heroine and She’s a Witch followed which ensured the crowd remained hooked to the set. Embers’ extended drum intro perfectly demonstrates the drummer’s ability yet also mimicked the numerous interludes from Red Sun Titans.
The songs translated excellently from studio to a live setting. They are faithful yet even more impactful due to the more distinct drums and heavier lead guitar. The synergy between Felix Bushe’s iconic silky smooth singing voice and the band’s flawless playing instantly led many in the front of the auditorium to dance straight away like no one was watching.
There wasn’t a dull moment for the fans no matter how much of their discography they knew as the setlist was perfectly crafted. The albums were mixed in together as opposed to a long stretch of one and then again of another for example the Icarus, Alkali, Carrion and In the Moment stretch towards the end of the set. Every band member showed a high level of confident and synergistic stage presence as they regularly jammed together in the instrumental parts of tracks as if it were just them in the room.
We heard someone in the crowd ask their friend “Why aren’t they bigger?”, and we completely agreed. This concert proved to us that Gengahr is a band that has perfected their craft and should be playing to much bigger crowds. If this concert was how they normally play a live show, we have no doubt that they will soon be playing to more people. The frontman apologised for being away for such a long time, in part for the same reason as the majority of the music industry, but promised that it won’t happen again, and we really hope it won’t. They proved that their music was made for a live setting and we can’t wait for any future releases so we can see them in person too. 9/10
Photo and Review By: Jack Delve
