After three decades and ten full length studio albums, British Heavy Metal legends Orange Goblin are finally calling it a day. But not before one last run out across the UK, alongside fellow Brits Urne and Swedish stalwarts Grand Magus, the Bristol faithful were in for a true heavy metal smorgasbord at Electric this evening.
URNE
Unfortunately, the Electric was not as full as it could have been when the London based quartet, Urne, took the stage, but those who did make it in for the opening set of the evening were treated to an all-encompassing assault of sludge-laden, progressive, atmospheric metal.
It was a set that brought intensity and atmosphere in equal measure, aided by an overzealous fog machine and some turbocharged strobe lighting. Closing out with their latest single ‘Harken The Waves’ (from the upcoming album Setting Fire To The Sky, 2026, featuring Mastodon’s Troy Sanders), a nine-minute behemoth of chuggy riffs punctuated by frontman bassist Joe Nally’s mix of harsh and soaring clean vocals, took the crowd on a real journey and brought forth a sea of fist bumps from an ever-growing audience.
Finishing the set off with swagger, exiting the stage and leaving the guitars to feed back through the amps, as Orange Goblin frontman Ben Ward would exclaim later on in the night, “the future of British Heavy Metal is in safe hands.”
GRAND MAGUS
As a project only one year the junior to headliners Orange Goblin, Swedish trio Grand Magus provided a shift in pace to the opening act. Less flashy but chock full of power, their brand of doom-infused classic heavy metal was not just extremely polished but highly emotive. Inspired by Norse mythology, they gave an almost foreboding air to the night, filled with heavy riffs and thunderous chants from the Bristol audience.
The gloriously mutton-chopped Janne Christoffersson, at one point, tongue in cheek, checked the day sheet rather than his setlist, joking, “we’re not senile yet, we’re working on it.”
Finishing their set off with ‘Hammer of the North’ (Hammer of the North, 2010), which included a raucous a cappella of “whoa, whoa, whoa, whoooooa’s” from the audience, there was not a head in the crowd that had not been well and truly banged.
ORANGE GOBLIN
What is refreshing about Orange Goblin’s set (alongside Grand Magus before them) is just how old school it feels. Stacks of Marshall amps, instruments hardwired in, analogue effects pedals and no in-ear monitors in sight. This is a night for the purists. After all, this is not rocket science, it’s HEAVY METAL!
No one epitomises the ethos of British Heavy Metal more than Orange Goblin. Things subtly built in the gap between their set and Grand Magus’, with the DJ filling the room with the laid-back sounds of Jazz Sabbath. The jazzy interlude was an odd addition to a night of heavy metal, but a welcome one. The lights dimmed and we were greeted by a Star Wars-style opening crawl, highlighting the history of the band and getting the crowd pumped, before a montage of the band over the years set to AC/DC’s ‘It’s a Long Way To The Top (If You Want To Rock and Roll)’.
It was a huge three-song opening salvo: ‘Solarispher’ (Time Travelling Blues, 1998) led into ‘Saruman’s Wish’ (Frequencies From Planet 10, 1997) and then ‘(Not) Rocket Science’ (Science, Not Fiction, 2024). Right from the off the crowd were in pandemonium, the faithful at the barrier clinging on, fists raised, heads banged, all whilst dodging the errant limbs of sporadic crowd surfers. Behind, the pit opened up and the maelstrom spun from the first song to the last note of the evening.
Frontman Ben Ward acknowledged how difficult it was to condense three decades of music and ten albums into about an hour and a half. He mentioned that the band had let the fans help choose the setlist via social media, which meant deep cuts and surprises were on show. Such is the depth of the Orange Goblin catalogue that for this “END TRANSMISSION” final tour, the setlist would change slightly each night, giving die-hard fans who caught multiple shows an even richer send-off.
The sound was thick, fuzzy, and in your face, with the crowd lapping up every second. Between songs, the band reminisced about past shows in Bristol, former members and crew, and their long journey together.
As the set reached the back straight, guitarist Joe Hoare began fretting out the opening riff of Black Sabbath’s ‘Into The Void’, and the entire room erupted.
Ben then let the audience know they were skipping “all of that pretentious rock star shit.” Instead of leaving for an encore, they’d stay and “squeeze in one more song… after all, I’m old and I need to go to bed.” Cue bassist Harry Armstrong breaking into the Irving King classic ‘Show Me The Way To Go Home’, with the entire Bristol crowd, smiles on faces, singing every word back at the band.
The night drew to a close with a trio of heavy hitters: ‘The Filthy & The Few’ (A Eulogy for the Damned, 2012), ‘Quincy The Pig Boy’ (The Big Black, 2000), and one final booming ride with ‘Red Tide Rising’ (A Eulogy for the Damned, 2012), sending everyone off into the night in pure euphoria.
The main takeaway from the night was how much fun the whole band were having, how genuinely grateful they were for their fans and their 30-year career. Whenever he wasn’t singing, Ward stood at the edge of the stage, arms aloft, fists clenched, roaring at the crowd, who fed off that energy tenfold, making the night truly memorable for all.
Maybe their joy was heightened by knowing there were only a few shows left. It was clear they were leaving nothing in the tank. The final show, a homecoming at London’s O2 Forum Kentish Town, promises to be something really special.
Tonight was a celebration, a celebration of a 30-year career, a celebration of balls-out heavy metal, a celebration of maximum rock ’n’ roll, a celebration of community, and ultimately a celebration of Orange Fuckin’ Goblin, baby!
If this really is the end, what a ride we’ve all had. Happy retirement, chaps, you’ve more than earned it.
Orange Goblin: 1995–2025.
Orange Goblin
Set 1
- Solarisphere
- Saruman's Wish
- (Not) Rocket Science
- Scorpionica
- Some You Win, Some You Lose
- Cozmo Bozo
- Heavy Lies the Crown
- The Devil's Whip
- The Fog
- Acid Trial
- Blue Snow
- Into the Void
- Time Travelling Blues
- The Filthy & the Few
- Quincy the Pigboy
- Red Tide Rising