music

After forming in 1994, Canadian band Godspeed You! Black Emperor has gone on to become one of the most influential post-rock bands in recent history. Consisting of Efrim Menuck, Mike Moya and Mauro Pezzente, the group took their name from a 1976 Japanese documentary of the same name which follows the Japanese biker gang The Black Emperors.

Their first four albums, released between 1997 and 2002, redefined protest music through instrumental chamber rock, evoking a sense of alienation and resistance to capitalism. Albums like F#A#∞ (1997) and Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven (2000) became seminal works, cementing their influence on the post-rock genre.

Following a hiatus in 2003, they made a triumphant return in 2010 at the British festival All Tomorrow’s Parties. Since then, they’ve performed over a hundred sold-out shows and released a further four acclaimed albums, continuing to shape the experimental music landscape.