Thoughts from Cardiff 28.06.26
After waiting decades, finally witnessing them LIVE in Cardiff exceeded all my expectations. They more than justify why they always emerge on discussions about the best LIVE acts currently active. And since you’re on this sub, you already know how technically skilled they all are, especially the Duplantier brothers, but seeing it in person is truly breathtaking.
However…
The majority of the audience was solely there for the headliners, Metallica, which is perfectly fine…it is Metallica after all. Love them or not, they are one of the biggest bands in the world, across all genres beyond ‘metal’, and for a bloody good reason. As a result, the crowd response to Gojira was lukewarm at best, with sporadic fans peppered around. Sure, they showed their appreciation, but nowhere near what the Frenchmen deserve. It also doesn’t help that Gojira’s merch was quite underwhelming.
I get it though…despite headlining their own tours to sold out arenas, it’s probably a sound business decision to support a mammoth band with the audience and production to showcase their skills and catalogue. It just made me a bit sad that Gojira didn’t get all the love they truly deserve. But perhaps (hopefully) they won over some casual fans last night, and I guess that’s how they’ll continue to grow bigger.