Godspeed You! Black Emperor

First run (1994–2003)

Godspeed You! Black Emperor was formed in 1994 in Montreal, Quebec, by Efrim Menuck (guitar), Mike Moya (guitar), and Mauro Pezzente (bass).[10][11] The band took its name from God Speed You! Black Emperor, a 1976 Japanese black-and-white documentary by director Mitsuo Yanagimachi, which follows the exploits of a Japanese biker gang, the Black Emperors.[10] The band initially assembled after being offered a supporting act for another local band named Steak 72.[12] Thereafter, the trio performed live on a few separate occasions. Previously, the name "God Speed You Black Emperor!" had been used by Menuck on a limited cassette entitled All Lights Fucked on the Hairy Amp Drooling that had been recorded the year prior, with limited contributions by Pezzente on bass, although it would not be until 1994 that the actual band formed.

The band expanded and continued to perform live. According to Menuck, joining the group was simple: "It was like if anyone knew anybody who played an instrument and seemed like an okay person, they would sort of join up."[13] The group's number of members frequently changed during this time. Local musicians would often join the band for a handful of performances, then depart. The revolving door nature of the group's membership frequently caused it strain before the release of F♯ A♯ ∞.[13] After that release, the group stabilized around a nine-person lineup with Menuck, Moya and David Bryant on guitars, Pezzente and Thierry Amar on bass guitars, Aidan Girt and Bruce Cawdron on drums, and Sophie Trudeau and Norsola Johnson on violin and cello respectively. Moya would depart in 1998 to focus on HṚṢṬA, being replaced by Roger Tellier-Craig of Fly Pan Am.[14] Tellier-Craig left in 2004 to devote more time to Fly Pan Am.[15] In 2002, the band released their third album Yanqui U.X.O., which was recorded in Chicago and engineered by Steve Albini.[16]

The group was once misconstrued as being a band of terrorists.[17][18] After stopping at a local gas station for fuel in the town of Ardmore, Oklahoma, during their 2003 tour of the United States, the station attendant working that day believed the group of Canadians to be terrorists. She quickly passed a note to another customer asking them to call the police. When the local police appeared, the group was held until it could be questioned by the FBI. Although the police were suspicious of the band's anti-government documents and some photos it had (such as those of oil rigs), they found no incriminating evidence. After background checks were run, the ensemble was released from custody and continued on its way to its next show in Saint Louis. Efrim Menuck later spoke to the crowd during their appearance in Missouri about what happened to them and speculated that their origin was a motive for being released quickly ("It's a good thing we're nice white kids from Canada").[19] The incident was mentioned in Michael Moore's book Dude, Where's My Country?.[20]

In July 2003, Constellation Records posted a note on their website reading: "godspeed will be on hiatus for the better part of a year, while the band members work on their many other projects".[16]

Reunion (2010–present)

On April 9, 2010, the band announced it was reuniting for an All Tomorrow's Parties music event in the UK as well as further US dates.[21] "after a decade's retreat, god's pee has decided to roll again", read the statement.[22] Mike Moya re-joined the band for the reunion, while original cellist Norsola Johnson declined to participate. The band played a full North American and European tour in 2011, and more dates in the UK including an appearance at the ATP 'I'll Be Your Mirror' music festival in London.

The following year, the band appeared at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, Coachella in California, and the All Tomorrow's Parties I'll Be Your Mirror festival in New York.[23][24] Drummer Timothy Herzog began touring with the band after the departure of Bruce Cawdron.

In 2013, the band won the Polaris Music Prize for their fourth album 'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!, but it criticized the cost of the ceremony during the time of austerity, stating, "Maybe the next celebration should happen in a cruddier hall, without the corporate banners and culture overlords."[26] The band's fifth album Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress was released on March 31, 2015, and the sixth album Luciferian Towers came out on September 22, 2017.

In August 2019, the band played new songs tentatively titled "Glaciers" and "Cliff".[27] They would appear on the band's seventh album G_d's Pee at State's End!, which was released on April 2, 2021.[28]

In February 2022, a copy of All Lights Fucked on the Hairy Amp Drooling was posted to 4chan's music board, /mu/.[29][30] The band eventually uploaded the full audio of the tape to its official Bandcamp page on February 14.[31]

On February 24, 2024, the band debuted three new untitled songs at the Knockdown Center in New York City.[32] On August 28, 2024, the band announced its eighth album, No Title as of 13 February 2024 28,340 Dead, supported by the lead single "Grey Rubble – Green Shoots".[33] Its title references the death toll of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip during the Gaza war at the time of the album's conception.[34][35]

In August 2025, the band removed most of their discography from major streaming services, including Spotify, Tidal, and Deezer. Their two albums released through Kranky—F♯ A♯ ∞ (1998) and Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven (2000)—remained temporarily available on Apple Music but were scheduled for removal. A representative for Kranky stated that the label allows artists to determine how their music is distributed. The band's catalog continued to be available for purchase and streaming through Bandcamp. The decision followed similar actions taken by Deerhoof, Xiu Xiu, and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, who had withdrawn their music from Spotify earlier in 2025. Those groups cited concerns regarding investments made by Spotify chief executive officer Daniel Ek through his fund Prima Materia, which has financed Helsing, a defense company developing artificial intelligence software for military applications.[36][37]