Orphaned Land at Manchester Academy 3

Jewish Telegraph, December 2024

𝗠𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗢𝗿𝗽𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗝𝗲𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝘀𝗿𝗮𝗲𝗹𝗶 𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝗔𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝘆 𝟯 𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆

Ever since the October 7 attack on Israel, Jewish Facebook groups have been filled with calls to support Israel.
Yet, I’m ashamed that the Jewish community was nowhere to be seen when an Israeli rock band played in Manchester.
Orphaned Land had built up a large fanbase in Muslim-majority countries where they would not be allowed to set foot. But after Hamas massacred 1,200 people in Israel on that fateful October morning last year, the group found themselves under attack online for showing support to their own country.
As lead singer Kobi Farhi said on stage in Manchester, it’s been a tough year for them but they were determined that this European tour would go ahead as playing music is what they do.
It’s just a shame that the Jewish community wasn’t there to show them support and make them feel that they are not alone.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t a big audience, but the people in attendance were hardcore fans who knew all the words — even of the songs, like Sapari, which weren’t in English.
Kobi, guitarist Chen Balbus, bassist Uri Zelcha and drummer Matan Shmuely were joined on guitar and bouzouki by Auria Sapir, of Matricide, as band member Idan Amsalem is on paternity leave.
The previous evening, Orphaned Land had appeared at The Underworld in London — Manchester was the only other UK date on the tour, which also has seen them appear in Germany, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria and Poland.
Opening with The Simple Man, the band sounded at their peak with Kobi evoking Biblical images as he strutted around the stage in his flowing robe.
In a relatively short set, a highlight was the title track of their breakthrough album All is One. I would have been quite happy if they had performed the whole of that album, but I have no complaints about the rest of the set.
There were a few songs from last album Unsung Prophets and Dead Messiahs, which is already six years old. Hopefully after the tour ends, they will start work on their next album.
Kobi told the audience that they do sad songs and happy songs, but that We Do Not Resist was an angry song.
He introduced Sapari as a song written 400 years ago and El Meod Na’Ala as a song they used to hear in synagogue.
The Manchester gig was under the banner The Motorcultor Festival and also featured Royal Rage, Ring of Gyges, Strale and Dirty Shirt.
I only caught the latter band, a fun heavy metal band from eastern Europe who included a violinist. As a result, there was a klezmer sound to some of the songs.
While I’ve bemoaned the lack of support from the Jewish community for Orphaned Land, on a positive note there were no anti-Israel protesters outside the venue.