Gorjira‘s performance at the Paris Olympics is now available on streaming services.
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In July, they became the first heavy metal act to appear in an Olympic opening ceremony, performing on July 26 alongside experimental opera singer Marina Viotti.
The heavy metallers performed ‘Ah, Ça Ira!’ (which translates to ‘It’ll be fine’), a song that was popular during the French Revolution, during a segment titled ‘Liberté’ (in reference to France’s famed motto ‘Liberté, égalité, fraternité’), which celebrated one of the most famous events in French history, as well as the nation’s emphasis on freedom.
Now, the band have made the track available on Spotify, Apple Music and more.
During the ceremony, the band appeared on the side of a castle surrounded by fire and bursts of red streamers, with Viotti later appearing on a moving prop boat. Their performance followed a portion dedicated to Les Miserables and came just after a beheaded Marie Antoinette was shown singing.
The spectacle left viewers asking themselves if they’d just seen “one of the most memorable moments of 2024” or a “freakshow”. As heightened reactions on social media swirled, Gojira were forced to respond to claims their performance was “Satanic”.
Frontman Joe Duplantier told Rolling Stone: “It’s French history. It’s French charm, you know, beheaded people, red wine and blood all over the place — it’s romantic, it’s normal. There’s nothing satanic.”
Despite the controversy, it massively increased Gojira’s streaming numbers, with their monthly listeners shooting up to just under 2.7million a week after their performance, a growth of almost 50 per cent.
They are now set to join Trivium and Machine Head as the headliners for next year’s edition of Bloodstock festival. Gojira are set to close out the entire fest on Sunday (August 10). “We are psyched to play Bloodstock again next year,” said frontman Joe Duplantier in a statement. “Hold on to your socks, it’s gonna be brutal!”
