WOW. That word is perhaps a good starting point when it comes to describing the sort of show that Orden Ogan put on in Rebellion, Manchester on the final date of their Gunmen 2017 tour. It was one of those shows that won’t be forgotten in a hurry and they really put on a tremendous performance from start to finish.
Opening the show was Rhapsody Of Fire and although the band put on a good performance that was received well from the crowd, it just wasn’t my thing. Musically it wasn’t all that varied and it just felt like the band was performing the same song over and over but their enthusiasm couldn’t be faulted and there was still a great atmosphere in the room from start to finish, as the crowd was really into them – so it was definitely just down to a matter of taste.
Orden Ogan, however, stole the show no matter which way you looked at it. Having been a fan of theirs since their Vale album and never getting a chance to see them live until now, I went into the show with high expectations and somehow the band even exceeded them! With a cool stage setup based around the theme of their latest album Gunmen, there was two figures with flashing eyes that held up guns (as well as two guns on either side of the drums) and at one point in the night, they all fired out paper streamers!
Musically the performance was absolutely top notch, with the band so tight and together that the music actually sounded of CD quality, which was really breathtaking to bear witness to – and not only that, you could really see the band having a good time together onstage and really giving it their all from start to finish, so it was a really rewarding performance as a whole.
Opening the show with To New Shores Of Sadness, it set the bar high for the rest of the set but there was plenty of tremendous moments such as the following rendition of F.E.V.E.R (the roof practically lifted from people singing along to the distinctive opening!) and later song One Last Chance really got the crowd going as they had ‘one last chance’ to get the band back onstage for an encore!
Winding up with the always-fun We Are Pirates and the big epic The Things We Believe In, it was an awesome end to an absolutely incredible night. It was a fantastic helping of some of the finest German cheese the country had to offer – and we loved it!
10/10
