Gojira who? Another extreme metal musician secretly played the Olympics this weekend

Gojira in 2023, next to the Olympics closing ceremony in 2024 — (Image credit: Medios y Media/Getty Images | Andy Cheung/Getty Images)

An extreme metal musician has quietly followed the lead of Gojira and performed at the Paris Olympic Games.

Gojira famously helped open the sporting event this year, offering a fiery heavy metal take on Ah! Ça Ira with an opera vocalist and inspiring worldwide headlines. It was the only time a metal artist had ever played the Olympics. But, as spotted by the eagle-eyed people at The PRP, Thomas Hedlund, drummer for sludge/post-metal behemoths Cult Of Luna, has now joined that very elite club.

The drummer played the closing ceremony of the Olympics on Sunday (August 11), but not with his main band. Instead, he was behind the kit for French electro/indie rockers Phoenix. Hedlund has been a touring and session member of the Versailles quartet since 2005.

Watch footage of Hedlund playing with Phoenix at the closing ceremony below.

Hedlund is a longtime member of Cult Of Luna, having joined the Swedish heavies in 2003, shortly after the release of their second album The Beyond. He made his recording debut with the band on 2004’s Salvation, which won critical acclaim. The music video for the album’s single Leave Me Here received moderate exposure on MTV.

Cult Of Luna released their latest album, The Long Road North, in 2022. It featured a collaboration with saxophonist Colin Stetson, composer for 2018’s cult horror film Hereditary, on the song An Offering To The Wild. Swedish musician and composer Mariam Wallentin also guested on the track Beyond I.

The band toured Europe extensively last year and headlined their own festival, Beyond The Redshift, in London in October. Cult Of Luna’s singer/guitarist, Johannes Persson, is currently touring Europe with post-metal/noise solo artist Julie Christmas.

Hedlund is now touring Europe and Asia with Phoenix. The band will play All Points East festival in London on August 25. For the full list of their upcoming dates, see their website.

#ClosingCeremony für mich persönlich musikalisch ein Hit. Meine lieblings french-elektro Bands von Justice über Phoenix bis Kavinsky, wie cool. Und dann H.E.R. Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, RHCP. Hätte nie im Leben gedacht, diese Bands bei #Olympics zu sehen!pic.twitter.com/035sJwP0KjAugust 12, 2024

Artists

Louder’s resident Gojira obsessive was still at uni when he joined the team in 2017. Since then, Matt’s become a regular in Metal Hammer and Prog, at his happiest when interviewing the most forward-thinking artists heavy music can muster. He’s got bylines in The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, NME and many others, too. When he’s not writing, you’ll probably find him skydiving, scuba diving or coasteering.