Swedish experimental fusion group GOAT made a triumphant UK return to the legendary O2 Brixton Academy in London last week. It was everything you would expect from a mysterious, masked band with unknown identities and a knack for writing incredibly diverse soundscapes.
Currently based in Gothenburg, GOAT originally hails from Korpilombolo in Sweden which, according to the band, has a history of voodoo worship after a witch doctor arrived and lived there. Supposedly, when Christian crusaders came and destroyed the village, the surviving people fled and placed a curse on the town.
In a recent and rare interview with the Guardian, GOAT’s reclusive leader claimed that the “shamanic group go back two centuries.” He continued discussing the challenges of keeping anonymity in a social media connected world, and the groups dislike of photographers—which all makes sense to me now after doing my best to capture the live show under the most challenging lighting I think I’ve ever had to shoot. (I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.) The full interview is fascinating and can be found here. I imagine that KISS had similar challenges in the ’80s, before the rise of the camera phone.
The show was unlike anything I’d ever seen—a vibrant mix of psychedelic rock, world music, and tribal, ritualistic dance. While the audience could have easily been mistaken for a community of jam band followers, it was much more than that. It was a celebration of sorts that’s incredibly catchy and sticks in your head. Take a listen to one of their finest moments in the form of the track “Let it Bleed” and prepare to hum this one the rest of your day.
THE MOONLANDINGZ
