News / Le grand Buffet
SHETLAND’S latest rock festival hosted by online radio show Heavy Metal Buffet in Lerwick last weekend has been hailed a success.
Organisers Dirk Robertson, Jamie Hatch and Marjolein Robertson pulled lively shows together at the British Legion and Mareel that displayed the wealth of musical talent in the isles.
Local five piece act Toxic Flames opened the Mareel night and their
set was well received by the growing audience, even though it was one of their maiden gigs.
Newcastle’s Tombstone Crow added a different element with their relentless energy, getting right in the crowd’s face from the second they stepped on stage.
Hoygir played a more classic metal straight from the 1980s, from their onstage theatrics – Rowen Thomson playing his guitar behind his head – to their cover of Metallica’s Seek and Destroy and self-penned songs.
Beef Cleaver ground and grooved, adding a string quartet for half of their set to add drama to their driving sound.
Wind-Up Projectiles, performing their last gig for the foreseeable future with the departure of bassist Hayden Hook, were as intriguing as ever with their mix of hip-hop, funk and rock winning the approval of the crowds.
Instrumental outfit Nomadia, formerly Automatic Chicken, treated the audience to their building, progressive and layered sound, which will soon be heard on their upcoming EP.
Drummer Lewis Murray performed in all three of these local bands, a testament to both his endurance and range.
Lyall vs Murray were able to keep the crowd entertained during changeovers with their blend of funk, hip-hop and rock music as well as their costumes, including mullets, fez, sunhats, astronaut attire and monkey masks.
Glaswegian group Eat Dr Ape began to get the crowd more hyped and active after the four Shetland acts, creating mosh pits and much more dancing.
Akord, hailing from Aberdeen, rode in on the back of the heaviness to send the crowd even more nuts.
Fellow Aberdonians Semperfi followed with more aggression and hard hitting sounds as the audience – mostly packed to the front barrier by this stage – began reaching their climax.
Local veterans of the music scene Ten Tonne Dozer were the penultimate band for the night, who sent everyone into a stupor. Their ballistic sounds were matched by frontman Dave Kok’s charisma and banter.
Scaldin’ Bragg closed the Buffet with their forever popular mix of Irish tunes and rock reminiscent of Flogging Molly or the Dropkick Murphys, ending the event on a high note.
What was easily on display that night was the diversity of Shetland’s music scene – not just the bands but the people willing to come out and listen – and the camaraderie and connection between bands and the crowd, which the Heavy Metal Buffet should be proud of achieving.
Iwan MacBride
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