Ghost London 2025

Ghost is one of the bands that headlined Bloodstock one year and that I was completely non-pleased about, but then I really got into. The light bulb moment for me was the album Prequelle and its follow up Impera. Tonight, in a 21 song set, which included 4 songs from an album which isn’t out yet, they played only 5 songs from the albums I like. They didn’t play Spillways, my current favorite, the Pet Shop Boys cover or the Genesis cover. There was no surprise appearance from Def Leppard’s Joe elliot.

… but they were still brilliant!

I wasn't sure what to expect. The sound at the O2 can be so hit and miss, but it was fine this time. We knew in advance that our phones would be placed in a sealed bag and handed back to us on the way in. This actually worked really well and they had A LOT of people available at the end to help return our phones to us. They wouldn’t let me keep the bag once I had my phone back though.

There was no support band, which was odd, but given the elaborate stage set, it would have been difficult to accommodate one. Often rock bands are much, much heavier live. The sound is rawer, more guitar based and less polished. Ghost are no exception, sounding more like a metal band most of the time, with lots of solos - it was amazing!

They did all the rock star stuff. Elaborate costumes, costume changes, theatricks, feigning the last song before the encore, interacting with the audience and encouraging them to sing along. My favorite moment was when the guitarist, supposedly, got carried away and the bass player had to stop him soloing. They played a solid, energised, hour and fifty minutes and I loved it!

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Paul Grenyer

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