Devin Townsend // The Metamorphosis Solo Tour 2026 // Live Review // The Limelight // Belfast

What can you say when the one and only Devin Townsend announces a solid tour with a date in your home city, other than “take my card”? I guess if I am honest, I didn’t quite know what I was in for tonight, but I sure as hell knew I had to be there. Devin is an enigma, a generational talent that so many people are sleepwalking by, but that’s okay; it’s horses for courses. The world would be a dull place if we all loved the same music, but this guy is breathtaking. Just check out our review of his latest album The Moth to understand why.

7:30 sharp on a muggy Sunday evening in Belfast, the man himself walks out to a sold-out Limelight for a show that I’ll never forget. He just danders onto the stage, so unassuming, and starts talking shit with the crowd, so that’s how it’s gonna be, I say to myself. This is as intimate an event as you’ll get with an artist of this calibre, and he hasn’t even sung yet. He warns us he’s likely to talk way too much, and he’s gonna try his best to keep that to a minimum tonight, but we can handle it, D. We’ve made time for you tonight, my friend, so lay it all out on the line. We’re made of tougher stuff.

Then he explains he’s going to take us through the progression of his career, kicking off with “Funeral” and u swear to god you could hear a pin drop! The room was mesmerised, transfixed on the stage as Devon worked his magic and stole the air from the room. I honestly have never experienced another vocalist like Devin Townsend in my life; he is just an abundance of talent that is hard to comprehend. The guitar work that he can toss out at will whilst controlling his spectacular vocals is sublime to watch live.

And for me, what makes it all the more enjoyable is the man himself, such a crazy, addictive character, charming at every turn, humble and continuously in touch with his fanbase; evenings such as these really do fuse that relationship even further in such an intimate setting with limited numbers gathered at the altar of Devin Townsend.

We get treated to an amazing array of tunes that drag us inside the head of this crazy, beautiful, creative world so diverse and complex it’s hard to keep up at times, but lose yourself in his sonic wilderness you will. Now, as Devin disclosed earlier, tonight’s set has been amended to keep him on the straight and narrow with less talking than last night’s adventure in Dublin, but as the set has a few new tunes thrown in occasionally, he’s thinking on his feet, trying to piece together the lyrics at times, but the Belfast faithful are there on hand to keep him right! He can barely contain himself laughing as they do, gnarly N.Ireland accents screaming lyrics at him! We get treated to one final number with backing tracks before he takes a ten-minute breather, and I run for the door to get some fresh air and escape the oppressive heat inside the venue tonight.

As we kick off the second set, Devo opens up with ‘Bring Him Home’ from Les Misérables, not quite what I was expecting! And I am thinking to myself, what are we in for now? But as it turns out, the second half of our show was an anthology of Devo’s work, tracing the timeline and the stories behind the music.

Giving us a taster from each album as he chronologically takes us through the years, a crazy timeline filled with the most majestic soundtrack, tales and jokes that have the room in fits of laughter. This was just an extraordinary night, the limelight packed, air con off, sweating our balls off as we wipe the gravy off slope brows, getting lost in the most sublime soundtrack. Devo’s playing is on another level, effortless as his vocals shine and soar over the transfixed audience. But alas, as he wraps up with a final track from Moth, I am truly grateful for the experience, the opportunity to witness such a talent in the flesh and feel like I was the only person in the room.

Few could pull this off, few have the musical muscles to flex to an audience and doubt paced with local band members all in awe of the man centre stage who just makes it look so easy, but as the stories have been laid out before us tonight of the years of torment and personal struggle have made the man, made the music, and made this evening unforgettable, thank you Devin Townsend.

Hopefully, you can still catch Devin on one of the dates below:

Tickets are on sale now. Full list of dates below:

Tickets & info: www.hevydevy.com

Tue 1 Sep – BIRMINGHAM – GLEE CLUB

Wed 2 Sept – BATH – KOMEDIA

Thu 3 Sep – SOUTHAMPTON – 1865

Fri 4 Sep – EXETER – PHOENIX

Sun 6 Sep – LONDON – UNION CHAPEL

Mon 7 Sep – OSLO – SENTRUM SCENE

Wed 9 Sep – GOTHENBURG – PUSTERVIK

Thu 10 Sep – STOCKHOLM – NYA CIRKUS

Sat 12 Sep – HELSINKI – FINLANDIA TALO