Live Review: Bokassa - Corporation, Sheffield
17th April 2025
Support: Mother Vulture
Words & Photos: Martin Hingley
Kicking off the Easter weekend in style, Norwegian stoner-punk trio Bokassa descend on Sheffield’s Corporation and they’re not alone in bringing the energy.
Opening the night are Mother Vulture, whose blues-punk chaos warms up the crowd with serious intensity. They make their entrance through a mass of amplifiers at the back of the stage to a roar of cheers, the only signal that they’re ready to go, as the house lights stay surprisingly bright.
What Mother Vulture lack in dramatic lighting, they more than make up for in raw, relentless performance. From the first note, the band explode into action. Guitarist Brodie Maguire channels an Angus Young-meets-caffeine vibe, flinging himself across the stage, bouncing off walls, all while nailing riff after riff. Meanwhile, bassist Chris Simpson charges around, bringing heavy, killer bass lines into the mix with infectious energy.
At the centre of it all is Georgi Valentine, whose vocals steal the show, effortlessly flipping between blues-soaked tones and guttural screams. The Led Zeppelin-meets-punk fusion sets them apart and cements Mother Vulture as a band with serious potential. If there’s one injustice tonight, it’s that they’re playing to a crowd far smaller than they deserve.
Following that kind of support act is no small feat, but Bokassa don’t flinch. Instead, they hit the ground running with Impending Doom, the sub-two-minute opener from their debut album, setting the pace for what’s to come. They waste no time shifting into Charmed & Extremely Treacherous, a tight blast of rhythmic riffs, pounding drums, and raw, shout-along vocals that immediately gets the crowd on side.
For all their aggressive, punk-infused sound, Bokassa are also instantly likeable not just great musicians, but also cool, suave, and super fashionable. Between songs, frontman Jørn Kaarstad cracks jokes about buying Krispy Kreme socks from Primark to stay stylish when they head back to Norway, charming the crowd as much as he shreds.
Jørn’s guitar work is flawless tonight, his fingers dancing across the fretboard, firing out riff after riff with intensity and precision. While there’s no full-on mosh pit, the room is alive with movement: heads are banging, feet are stomping, and more than a few people are bouncing around to the beat.
In true Bokassa fashion, the set is short and sharp, just an hour, but it’s an hour of pure, riff-heavy stoner punk, delivered with style and swagger. It’s no wonder Lars Ulrich dubbed them one of his favourite bands back in 2019.
If tonight’s show is anything to go by, December’s tour with Clutch is going to be unmissable.
Photo credits: Martin Hingley
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