So, hats off to Tapestry promotions as this is one of those bills you look at and go “corr! that’s a bit of alright”. Star and Garter is rather busy from the off, though the audience seem to be playing a truncated game of “What time is it Mr Wolf”, standing as far back from the stage as they can without it starting to look or feel uncomfortable. A revamped and expanded version of Gospelheim are first up and it is (putting all the John Badger stuff to one side) a very different band to the one that I witnessed at Factory in September.

They seem less intense and more jovial than last time around, with closing track ‘Satan Blues’ having a tongue in cheek playful feel about it. Post John, a really interesting sparring relationship has developed between Leonore and Ricardo, and there is chemistry brewing as they trade guitar licks and vocals. Their sound was initially claustrophobic, but it has been opened up to be much more anthemic and ethereal. Jordan’s addition on guitar means everything feels additionally expansive and sprawling. The key to Gospelheim appeal is that they understand the need for good old fashioned song structures. It may be heavy, and it may be extreme, but there are passages that seem ripped straight from Manc heroes the Smiths and the Roses. Just because something is meant to be dark and intrusive, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be able to whistle along. I wait with bated breath for what Gospelheim do next.

Fellow Mancunians Wode are also looking to expand what we perceive as Black Metal. They certainly have become a name in this scene and the room is now shoulder to shoulder rammed. Interestingly this is a reverential rather than a rowdy crowd. The fury of the pit has been exchanged for a much more respectful hush, like we have been stunned into communal silence. Wode are in the process of transcending black metal. It is like watching a caterpillar in mid transmogrification. The traits of their old self are still very visible, but there is also so much more on show. They manage to be simultaneously primordial and sophisticated. There are points where the only way to describe Wode is Motörhead if Lemmy and co played Black Metal. There is a primal minimalism to tracks like ‘Lunar Madness’ and ‘Vanish Beneath’. All the pomp and circumstance and window dressing of Black Metal is removed in order to take it back to its stark punk roots.

However, Wode aren’t just about deconstruction and simplicity. There is actually a real complexity and intricateness to the music that they create. Yes, it hits you straight in the face in a flurry of furious riffs, but it is constructed in a, musically, highly articulate way that uses references and inspirations from well out of Black Metal’s usual sphere of influence. Buried in the maelstrom, there are refrains and hooks that would not sound out of place in more mainstream and commercial endeavours. Overall Wode are a blizzard of noise, but a blizzard that is actually soothing and reassuring. Whilst it is intense it is neither harsh nor brittle. As the above named Motörhead would say “this is rock n’ roll” it is just presented in a different package.

I was expecting big things from Gaerea, what we get however far surpassed any of those expectations. The stage is stripped of all its unnecessary package and what remains is a drum kit and a mike stand adorned with mystic symbols. The set up is sparse and the house lights are left resolutely on as they march with solemn purpose to the stage. Three hooded figures resplendent in black take to their respective instruments and a fourth clutches the mic and bellows into it about the infinite void and the blur between reality and dream. What happens next is firmly burnt into my retinas as the four of them proceed to explode into a frantic cacophony of euphoric transcendental noise.

It is impossible to decipher where one track starts and another ends, instead for the next hour it feels like continual stream of musical consciousness. It is like Gaerea have evolved beyond needing songs and instead what they trade in is a ritualistic infinity of endless noise. They are equally exhilarating and intoxicating to behold, as they cavort around the stage, seemingly possessed by some malignant entity. I keep using the term noise, because it is just that, but it is the most uplifting and life-affirming noise that I have ever encountered. All the pessimism and malevolent evil of Black Metal has been removed and replaced by something spiritual and inspirational. I feel like I am entranced by what I am witnessing. It is deeply repetitive but that is the point, a spiralling tunnel of hallucinogenic white noise.

And then it stops and as suddenly as they entered our lives, they exit it. The crowd stand part bemused and part shell shocked, struggling to process what they have witnessed and unable to tear themselves away from the ceremonial existentialism. Tonight Gaerea pushed the boundaries of performance in a way that I haven’t witnessed in years. By the simple act of leaving the stage lights they completely redefined the dynamics of a live show. Rather than sulk in the shadows, they resplendently bathed themselves in light. And that is the point about Gaerea, their music is not about darkness or suffering. It is tidal wave of ecstatic joy and pure adulterated optimism. In the space of an hour, they completely reinterpreted my understanding of how you present and play Black Metal. This wasn’t good. This was stunning. This was life-changing!