There was a buzz rippling through the crowd at Glasgow’s Barrowland Ballroom on Monday as they eagerly awaited Canada’s post-rock Goliaths, Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

The noise of the crowd’s anticipation threatened to overwhelm the evening’s sole support act, Tashi Dorji, who has accompanied them for the entirety of their tour. At first, Dorji seemed a somewhat diminutive presence, standing alone on stage in front of the rapidly filling Barrowlands. His set was comprised of stark, piercing acoustic guitar improvisation that gradually morphed into a vast atonal drone. For the most part, it was a compelling listen, as Dorji harnessed both discord and melody to build his performance to a vibrant crescendo, which, unfortunately, lingered a little too long to fully hold the audience’s attention. Nevertheless, Dorji left the stage to enthusiastic applause. Ten minutes later, the Barrowlands was plunged into darkness, and a low melodic thrum began to pulse through the venue. The audience hushed. It was time for Godspeed.

The throbbing hum from the PA was joined by the first of the band’s eight members on stage: violinist Sophie Trudeau and Thierry Amar on double bass. ‘Hope Drone’, the band’s first song, has never been officially released. It’s an ever-shifting, always-different improvisational drone, each version existing fleetingly to open a Godspeed show. The only constant between performances is the visuals projected behind the band during the song—a simple, flickering word, “hope,” scratched and twitching across the screen. The atmosphere generated by the two instruments was palpable. As more members of the band came on stage, each added a different texture to the vibrating sounds filling the space. The melodies began delicately and sweetly melancholic, but they soon built into something darker and more complex. The vision of hope faded to black and was replaced by a split screen depicting elemental images of the natural world. A slow but triumphant guitar broke through the waves of harmonies, and just like that, the second song of the night, ‘SUN IS A HOLE SUN IS VAPORS’ (from the band’s latest album NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024 28,340 DEAD), descended with a gentle weight upon the audience.

The next two hours continued in kind, with GY!BE delivering a night of engaging and dynamic instrumental performances that lifted and propelled the audience on a journey that was at times surreal, comforting, fascinating, and very occasionally just a little tedious. Each time one song morphed into another, the band was accompanied by projected visuals that enhanced the already substantial tone of each performance. Gigantic jellyfish drifted through a solid black void, pulsating in extreme close-up until they resembled drifting mushroom clouds. Monotone abstract shapes shifted and churned like glacial ice, morphing into smoke. One highlight was a back-to-back performance of ‘Fire at Static Valley’ and ‘PALE SPECTATOR’ (again from the new album). The visuals showed images of the natural world consumed by inferno, transforming into a hellscape. This was undoubtedly the heaviest moment of the set, with the band matching the onscreen destruction with furious, doom-drenched guitars and drums. In this sonic maelstrom, it became clear just how good the sound in the venue was, with each instrument ringing with clarity despite being soaked in reverb and distortion.

The set drew to a close with fan-favourite ‘Sad Mafioso’ from the 1997 album F#A#∞ (accompanied by a backdrop of a plane spiralling out of control and into a nosedive). It was a cacophonous end to two hours of dramatic and extremely impressive musicianship. If anything was missing from the set, it was a connection between the audience and the performers onstage. There was minimal interaction from the band, and they instead let the music and visuals do the talking. On the one hand, this gave the night a somewhat impersonal feel, but it also allowed the audience more room to soak in the unbroken atmosphere created between the music and visuals.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor once again proved why they remain titans of the genre, delivering an immersive experience that was both overwhelming and transformative. The sheer intensity and scope of their performance were nothing short of breathtaking, a masterclass in earth-shattering post-rock that left no corner of the venue untouched. Though the band remained somewhat distant in their presence, the raw power of their music and the evocative visuals spoke volumes, leaving the crowd with moments that will no doubt linger long after the final notes had faded.