IGORRR – live in Oslo February 2026
- Posted on 26-02-2026
Full photo gallery here:
All photos by Jonathan Mazin
Text: Andrea Chirulescu
Since I first witnessed IGORRR live few years ago (memory doesn’t serve me right and cannot place it on where exactly have I seen then), I try to make sure to not miss this act live. As I tried to explain to a friend who had no idea what to expect, I told him it’s probably one of the live acts with the most ‘wtf’s per song. Those who have experienced them live, might agree. Those who have not, do yourself a favor and try it once. It is an experience. And even if I had seen the same show few months ago in London, the tldr version of this review is: they were so awesome! Both times!
Now, the long version. Saturday night, a soldout Rockefeller in Oslo, snow everywhere, but most people have brought tons of good mood with them and gathered in decent numbers from the first opener, Thought Crime, a hardcore act with its own pinch of weirdness and who could soon use a way bigger stage as they could barely hold themselves on the small space left for them after Igorrr’s setup filled half of Rockefeller stage. Thought Crime is skillfully supported on drums by Dillinger Escape Plan’s Billy Rymer and their songs are rather hard to classify, except a very generic extreme metal. The rhythm shifts are often and surprisingly abrupt. Singing is fluctuating between some sort of maniacal shrieking to some calmer and beautiful parts and to some ‘usual’ hardcore type screaming. And lots of nice guitar gimmicks. Plus the usage of some popular tunes as intros gets the crowd cheering and dancing, just enough to get them confused when the hard rhythms hit. The band has found its own balance I’d say and while I still need to digest what they’re doing, they’re all very talented artists and there’s probably more goodies to come from Thought Crime.
The crew that makes the shows possible is super efficient in shuffling the instruments from the first band and not long after they finish, the Scottish based DVNE takes over and changes the mood a bit with one might consider post-metal. Or doom. Or doomish post-metal? Guess it doesn’t matter what you call it, but rather how you like it. It was way more ‘soothing’ and with longer and calmer songs – heavy in their own way, but not so much all over the place. It was a bit sad that the mics for the cymbals didn’t function properly so we mainly got a loud snare and toms for the whole concert. But one still could enjoy how the band gracefully shifts focus between guitars and the two vocals, clean and harsh and even if they have played Oslo before, this time the venue did them more justice. Hope they’ll be back with their own headlining show so one could get a longer time to enjoy their carefully built soundscape. I have mixed feelings about using such long intros when you’re a support act, and I know they would feel much more at home for their own set. And there’d have to be mesmerizing visuals with it.
Once again, clockwork stage shifting, all instruments and lights and cables got a final check and then the madness begun. Only from checking the setup, with two platforms, each with its own’drumkit’ on each side of the stage. One ‘classic’ drumkit, the other one just some toms on a huge stand, connected to a lot of synths and sound effect devices on the opposite part of the stand. And a very obvious cowbell in the middle. I’m not sure if that cowbell gets hit more than once per concert, but it i done with so much drama and elegance, that it earned its central position. Before I continue talking about the concert, I amused myself realizing that on the passes worn by the stage crew it didn’t seem to say ‘AAA’, but rather ‘RRR’. And each letter r on the playlist was written as a triple R. I love these kind of gimmicks.
Igorrr’s current lineup is Gautier Serre – multi-instrumentalist, DJ and band’s mastermind, Martyn Clément (guitar), JB Le Bail (growl vocals), Marthe Alexandre (soprano and mezzo-soprano vocals) and Rémi Serafino (drums). It is a lineup that messes with your mind, together with a lovely arranged lightshow. And if I understood correctly, I think there is a clothing code but couldn’t figure out how it related to each song. The non’vocalists all wore the same kind of black tshirts without the arms ‘section’ and black trousers. Except the drummer who only wore shorts. But his godlevel drumming allows for that. Then the singers had a mix of robes which resembled some sort of emperors or gods from ancient mythologies. And it was actually interesting to notice how the soprano, having a basic white dress, would always add small accessories and take advantage of them during each song. I probably need to watch the show again just to try to pay more attention to that.
The thing with Igorrr’s live show is that there’s so much going on at any given time. Even if they’re not too many on stage, and sometimes only the non-vocalists are on stage, it still feels massive and messes with your senses. And while it all breathes chaos, it’s very very controlled and organized. Just like their songs, where they swiftly blend those absolutely beautiful operatic parts with blast beats, screams, all sort of exotic instruments, DJ type loud bass sounds. And cowbell! And at times you wanna dance, at times you wanna rip your headoff while headbanging and at times you just wanna move your body like a snake controlled by a flute. It’s all so unpredictable, even if you heard their songs before. I like it that Igorrr still gives the vibes of a show I witness for the first time, with the way the unexpected crawls through what they do on stage. I just love the blend of drama, metal show, gothic vibes and DJ moves. And I am sure all those kids who started a huge moshpit loved it too.
As I made my way towards the back of the venue for a needed waterbreak, I had no way to swim back to the front for the encore, so I watched one of its three songs between hands and shoulders and then I gave up and left. I’m still in awe, as I type this. At the musical experience and at the professionalism of arranging this show. It was impeccable, both times I watched it. No wonder this act has become so popular in such short time. Congrats to them and to many more live performances to give the same good vibes to more and more people in the audience.