Lining the canals and streets crowds gathered to spend their Easter Sunday with the new clergyman in town with Papa V Perpetua at the helm on the sabbath his 4th live gig since joining the band back in February.
This is no ordinary night at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena as Ghost arrive, crowds of fans wait patiently for their Swedish idols, dressed in ghostly makeup and masks, nun outfits and It wouldn’t be Easter without a few Jesus straight off the cross outfits thrown in for good measure , taking it upon themselves to bless the crowd as if something unholy was about to go down.
Church tunes beam from the pulpit, guarded by a giant draped curtain you can make out the stage isn’t a normal shape and this was going to be magical. As the crowd lay in wait, the room fell into darkness and lights shone from the rips in the pulpit, as the ‘new’ Papa appeared- with slick backed curly hair , and diamanté mask and outfit, the crowdthe arena shook as the band started up with “Peace field ”, emerging on the screen, eyes twinkling like stars before the curtain drops and reveals a classic stage set up, with the Nameless Ghouls standing tall on their respective platforms ready to get the night flowing. The circular stage glows like a phantasm as Ghost bring their SkeleTour to Birmingham ahead of the album ‘SKELETA‘ release on Friday 25th April.
“Hey Brummies how are ya’ll doing” beams Papa “You will have to get used to me, I’m new to all this” in his first interaction of the night sending the crowd into a frenzy.
Papa struts around the stage with the crowd swooning, In a skeletal mask and deep face paint they are treated to Faith and Lacyrma before the stage falls into darkness and a pope like figure rises from behind the drum riser in to the air, dressed in full robes the crowd sing along joyfully to Majesty.
You get more than a show when attending Ghost, its music mystery and art rolled into one with a curtain dropping behind the stage it transformed to the bellowing stain glass windows of a church ready for you to attend your Sunday service.
With deep cut after deep cut oozing from the stage Future is a Foreign Land, Rats and Year Zero have the crowd jumping , the beat is pounding from the drum platform and the guitars are shredding tonight in the sell out night.
Confetti cannons fly into the sky splattering the crowd with money and confetti for mummy dust, a technical failure meant more hit the band than the crowd but Papa called out Jesus to blow it off stage into the crowd as they got ready to tear the , the spookily melody ringing around the arena spinetingling.
With Ghost’s biggest Birmingham show yet it couldn’t just stop there as the band faithfully departed .
“Would you like some more Brummies? This is an old b side my dad used to perform “ Papa told the audience as the band cranked it up for Mary on the Cross.
Signs in the audience said “best papa yet” and “goghouls “ as they finished the act of passion with Dance Macabre and fan favourite square hammer, fans holding up previous papa dolls and losing themselves in the state of resurrection. Thanking the audience and bowing hopefully we will meet the band again soon before we reach the afterlife…
