SAOR and OFNUS – Fulford Arms, York – 15th Feb 2025 – Gig Review

Given the stacked live music scene in Manchester, it’s very rare I leave the city for shows. It was here in July 2024 that I first got to witness an incredible Saor live performance for the very first time, at nearby Rebellion! Though the Scottish atmospheric black metal act would not be passing through this time on a tour 8 months later, celebrating the release of their latest album “Amidst The Ruins”. Instead, The Fulford Arms in York would be the nearest practical leg of this tour for me to visit, hence the 2-hour drive to a new venue and city for me. Drenched in an unrivalled multi-cultural legacy with Roman and Viking influences, York has been host to multiple black metal shows in recent times hence offering a suitable setting for tonight’s festivities. However, upon arrival, the venue seemed small. Very small. 150 cap I was informed. It would be cozy for a band the size of Saor on a (practically) sold-out show, and maybe too small (though later, I would see how what I thought would be a perceived disadvantage would play right into the hands of the band). After doors had opened and a quick visit to the bar, I became the envy of everybody over the age of 30 in attendance as I had secured a prime spot against a leaning post. It would be time for touring partners and fellow black metal act Ofnus…

OFNUS

Hailing from South Wales, the band would find themselves in a unique position being both the opening act and main support, as well as being afforded a rather lucrative 1 hour first band set! This was also unique in that this was the first venue that they had ever played at as a band.

Regretfully, this set didn’t get off to the best of starts. Maybe due to a rushed sound check, the levels felt off with the drummer seemingly overpowering the rest of the band. Like a Sunday roast, some things may have all the ingredients but just need time for the taste to develop. As a band, Ofnus has all the ingredients and thankfully once the levels were sorted, we started to see these emerge and take their rightful place in the mix. This was tasty! See, Ofnus isn’t a typical corpse paint and constant blast-beat black metal kind of band. No, they take on a slower post-metal spin on the genre where solid grooves and hypnotic basslines are central to their sound, providing the necessary rhythmic foundation for the wonderfully melodic and soaring lead guitar passages, with vocalist William being consistently fierce and commanding in his presence behind the mic. It was really during ‘Grains Of Sand’ that all of this started to mature and come together, and Ofnus began to show what they’re truly capable of. Their finest song in my opinion and perfectly encapsulates what they’re all about, with their atmospheric qualities beginning to resonate throughout the Fulford Arms. A very impressive opening set, demonstrating why their Bloodstock New Blood Stage appearance was no fluke and that they’ll return stronger this summer when they land on the Sophie Lancaster stage. Black metal fans, make sure you’re there, and make sure you listen to their upcoming new album, “Valediction”.

https://www.facebook.com/Ofnus/

https://www.instagram.com/ofnusabm/

Sometimes life gives you dilemmas. I had one on this night; either abandon my comfy leaning post in order to advance forward to gain a better viewing spot at the very front, though at the risk of compromising the sound. I chose the latter, being approximately 1 meter away from the PA speaker and a similar distance to one of the band’s guitarists. This afforded me the opportunity to attempt some very amateur gig ‘photography’, if you call it that. This also gave me an opportunity to examine Saor from a spot way closer and more intimate than I would have first expected.

SAOR

At my very up close and personal vantage point, I had my concerns about the quality of sound. Though this is Saor we’re talking about, a band who leaves no stone unturned with their live performances! I had been informed that they had no less than 3 crew members devoted to making the band sound pristine this evening. They achieved just that! Being so close allowed me to become fully immersed in the atmospheric splendor that is Saor’s live spectacle too. Whereas some bands would simply just use a backing track, the ethereal and transfixing resonance of the Uilleann pipes and tin whistles being played in the flesh by Ella is simply something that cannot and should not be replicated digitally!

I spied the venue and saw others fully locked in and engaged in the music, especially with the amount of head banging and hair being flung about. For one lass, the occasion was extra special as she was visibly emotional and some tears shed down her face. Bless her! This was more interesting given that the set was largely a full-length play-through of the new album which had only been released a week prior (though some singles had been released earlier). This didn’t stop people from singing along to ‘Echoes Of The Ancient Land’, featuring an infectious chorus sung by Nicolas and Ella in tandem. Both are relatively new to the band but this latest record truly brings out the best in them, with their creative input clear and adding to the evolution of Saor as a band. Though Andy Marshall’s consistently fierce growling performance always has and always will be central to the band’s sound, as it was tonight. He said nothing all evening, not that he needed to, maintaining an aura of mystery in the process and allowing the music to speak for him. The 80-minute set finished with a classic, ‘Aura’, and though some had predicted this, it was still met with cheers. A solid way to finish this headlining set.

https://www.facebook.com/saorofficial/

https://www.instagram.com/saormusic/

The music had stopped yet the night was far from over. A spontaneous celebration and afterparty had emerged (the venue was in no hurry to move people on, which is to their credit).  Members of Saor hung about immediately after their set, taking advantage of the lack of physical separation the venue offered to interact with their fans and pose for photos. Some were local, some had traveled (including me) and drove a fair distance. Though one fan in particular had handily beat us all by traveling not just from a different country but an entirely separate continent. From Venezuela! A fan traveling from Venezuela to see a Scottish black metal band play in York, England! Let that sink in. An ode to the band’s reach and popularity which left Andy visibly stunned!

I ventured over to the merch stand to speak to members of Ofnus. They spoke of their gratitude for playing with a band they genuinely admire, and excitement for both their new album “Malediction” and upcoming Bloodstock performance. I acquired a patch, said my goodbyes, and ventured to my car for the journey home. The 2-hour drive home was long, longer than the 10-minute tram journey from when I had seen Saor the previous summer in Manchester. I felt somewhat sad that it had to come to an end but felt some comfort and smugness in knowing I would get to experience this again in April with Saor set to make an appearance at the Dark Easter Metal Meeting, in Munich, Germany.