Katatonia @ The Gov, Adelaide 8/10/2026

Katatonia hail from Stockholm, Sweden, and while their early sound could have been labelled death metal, vocal issues experienced by frontman Jonas Renkse in the late 1990s prompted a change in direction. The music became more melodic, incorporating progressive elements, but make no mistake: the underlying sound remains dark, heavy and uncompromising. The band were last here only two years ago, but the loyal faithful still turned out, dressing black, sporting an impressive variety of metal band T-shirts.

Walking into The Gov, we were greeted to a large red tinged image on screen, with birds flying across the image. The screen and the images portrayed were to become an integral part of the performance, with a different video accompanying each song. The drum kit had been bought forward on the stage and two six stacks of Marshall speakers adorned each side of the kit across the stage.

The band took to the stage to loud cheers and much fist pumping. No opening pleasantries, just the opening salvo of Thrice from their latest, 2025, album, Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State. Birds from 2023 followed, the accompanying video behind them enhancing the atmosphere through the room. The musicianship was technically flawless, with the guitars delivering a wonderfully loud and powerful wall of sound.

A “delighted to be back” from Jonas Renkse led to Rein from the album City Burials. With the departure of guitarist Anders Nyström last year, Renkse is now the sole remaining original member. Katatonia have experienced a revolving door of musicians throughout their career, but you would never have guessed it from the power, precision and passion displayed on stage.

Austerity was suitably bombastic, with hair flying from the band members, and from those in the crowd who still had enough to let fly. Consternation followed, accompanied by some particularly dark imagery on screen, perfectly matched by the dark music pouring from the stage.

“You are wonderful, Adelaide,” Renkse declared, before attempting to work out which day of the week it was. “Doesn’t matter if it is Friday or Saturday, every day is Saturday on stage.” It was actually Thursday, Jonas.

He continues with “This is a monstrous song” and the band launched into My Twin to raucous cheers of recognition of what was being played. The songs intricate passages weaved in and out of crushingly heavy sections. It was a superb demonstration of the band’s ability to balance technical complexity with sheer sonic weight.

Before The Longest Year a person at the back of the room started yelling out, what I presume was Swedish. Whether it was a request, a greeting or something else entirely, nobody seemed to know. Renkse looked up and simply replied, “Yeah, that’s right,” much to the amusement of everyone.

Old Hearts Fall proved to be one of the night’s standout moments. About as close to a ballad as Katatonia are likely to get, it was moody, melancholic and steeped in regret. The song provided a welcome change of pace without sacrificing the band’s unmistakably dark character, and it was arguably the highlight of the evening.

July and Lethean followed in quick succession before red lights bathed the stage for the entire playing of No Beacon to Illuminate Our Fall.

“We will play one more song, if you want” teased Jonas. Of course we wanted one more. The band rolled into Untrodden, a song that slowly builds to a climatic, apocalyptic finish. The band left the stage but there was no way the audience were going to let them go. Cries of “one more song” were matched by a group yelling “ten more songs”. Maybe they felt a bit cheated by the short sixty-minute main set.

Jonas and band walked back on stage and with a cheeky grin said “you still here. You want more music? This is In the White”.
Forsaker followed and for one final song, the foundations of The Gov were shaken yet again. Bass player, Niklas Sandin, stalked the stage with his huge fretless bass guitar, looking menacing at the audience, then smiling at them.

There is something about European metal that seems to set it apart from the rest of the world. It can be dark yet sincere, brooding yet melancholic, combining crushing heaviness with an emotional depth that lingers long after the final note. Katatonia delivered all of that and more.

“Thank you, Adelaide,” Renkse said as the band left the stage for the final time. On the screen, the words “Thank you for sharing the moment with us” appeared.

No, thank you, Katatonia, for sharing the night with us.

Live Review By Geoff Jenke