Overview

The first time I saw Ghost live was back in 2013. They were headlining the Jägermeister Tour, supported by Gojira and The Defiled. At the time, I didn’t know much about them — I’d come for Gojira, camera in hand, heart in my throat, ready for sonic carnage.

But by the end of the night, something unexpected had happened. Ghost had woven their spell.

Visually, they were mesmerising — theatrical, arcane, and absurdly precise. I’ve always been drawn to artists who treat the stage as a ritual space, and Ghost understood the assignment from the start. Painted faces, mitres, robes, saturated beams of light. And under all the artifice? Hooks. Big, beautiful, haunting melodies that floated through the air like incense after Gojira’s seismic assault. It was a contrast that worked — the sacred and the profane — and I was hooked.

Since then, I’ve photographed Ghost multiple times. Their world has grown darker, grander, more bombastic. The Nameless Ghouls shifting personas. The costumes sharper. The lights more cinematic. But the essence remains unchanged: Ghost doesn’t just play gigs — they conduct ceremonies.

In 2022, I caught up with them again in Manchester and Birmingham, this time for Classic Rock and Metal Hammer. Onstage, Tobias Forge held court with gothic swagger — part preacher, part rockstar, part pantomime villain. Every movement was deliberate. Every spotlight hit its mark. I found myself shooting through dry ice, between crucifixes and confetti, trying to frame the ephemeral.

And that’s what I love about photographing Ghost: it’s spectacle laced with soul. You’re not just documenting a band — you’re witnessing a myth unfold, frame by frame.