Gong + Henge at New Century Hall A Double Bill of Cosmic storytelling
- Desh Kapur
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
New Century Hall Manchester - 27th March 2026
WORDS AND IMAGES TONI SLATER
An early start at New Century Hall with doors opening at 6pm on a cold, windy Friday night.
The queue of brightly coloured fans patiently waiting to get in was vast. A sea of elaborate costumes, some wearing deely boppers, light up hats and carrying neon mushrooms, this set the tone before the night even before either band had taken the stage.
This was a joint headline tour with the bands alternating the main slot.
Tonight it was Gong’s turn to open. They came on at 18:50 but the hall was already packed.
Gong are touring their new album “Bright Spirit” alongside a mix of classic and old songs from their extensive back catalogue.
The energy spilling out from the lead singer Kavus Torabi was infectious, engaging with the crowd, taking them on a special psychedelic journey with charisma, good vibes and a real sense of enjoyment.
The band are tight, instrumentally competent, with visual backdrops and a stunning lightshow which added to the enjoyment of the set. Kavus thanked the crowd for still being there “after all these years:” and given the age range of the fans there were certainly staunch followers of the band who been together in one guise or another since 1967.
A mesmerising set, just under 90 minutes long, a classic, immersive, hypnotic ride doing what they do best.
After a short break Henge appeared to a riotous welcome. The crowd were excited, waiting for the cosmic aliens with anticipation. The “Sounds of the Cosmos” tour, was a mix of fan favourites and newer material.
The stage lacked the lightshow and backdrops of the previous band but Matthew Whitaker (performing as Zpor) made up for this with active crowd engagement and a theatrical presence.
A strong focus on performance art with all members of the band taking on fictional characters to perform their self-proclaimed “Cosmic dross” Highlights from the set were “Goldilocks’, “DNA” and “Wanderlust” Halfway through the set the band were joined on stage by the dancing mushrooms who energetically moved through the song “Mushroom One” much to the delight of the crowd.
Henge are there to entertain, they do not take themselves seriously by any means, and they put on a great show. The set was full of pure psychedelic joy, with bizarre, playful moments. New Century Hall has great acoustics and a wide-open floor which is perfect for a show such as this. The lighting in the room adds to the vibe, which adds to the visual engagement.
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