Primordial certainly have established themselves as one of the most unique sounding bands in the folk-meets-black metal field. Having never seen them before, expectations were at their highest, and as they came on stage to provide a jaw-dropping rendition of ‘Empire Falls’, it’s fair to say that they are every bit as good, if not better than on record. The setlist was only about ten songs long, but the length of the songs ensured that they were on stage for a good long while. Naihmass Nemtheanga was fully painted and running around the stage like a rabid dog, whilst reciting his trademark part-growled, part-sung vocals. ‘Gallows Hymn’ and ‘The Golden Spiral’ whizzed by side by side, despite clocking in at just less than ten minutes each – epic indeed. Filling in for the absent bassist was Mael Mórdha’s axeman Gerry Clince, who appeared to be full of life despite it being his second set of the night. ‘As Rome Burns’ came thundering in, and the crowd were encouraged to bellow along to the ‘Sing Sing Sing to the Slaves, Sing to the Slaves that Rome Burns’, which worked surprisingly well. ‘The Song Of The Tomb’ and ‘The Coffin Ships’ from 2005’s The Gathering Wilderness album were played next, showing some tremendous endurance from drummer Simon O’Laoghaire, whose tight playing was astonishing throughout the entire show. After briefly leaving the stage, the band returned with an encore which included ‘Gods To The Godless’, which climaxed triumphantly to end one of the most enjoyable sets seen for a good long while.
This was an impressive show which showed that you don’t always need to travel too far to find a great folk band, and this will certainly be a contender for headliner of the year, even though it’s only February. The bands tonight certainly made their ancestors, and their fans, very proud indeed.