Reviews / Rock scene continues to flourish
With the folk festival rearing its head earlier this month in a blaze of glory before riding back into the sunset again, Shetland’s live music circuit has been dominated recently by fiddles, acoustic guitars and accordions.
On Saturday night at the Lerwick Legion, however, it was rock’s time to shine as local podcasters and promoter Heavy Metal Buffet hosted a launch night for their annual two-day festival in August, writes Chris Cope.
The group’s members stood proudly inside the Legion’s doors with a myriad of freshly made t-shirts emblazoned with their logo for sale as punters streamed in, ready to chow down on the Buffet’s latest feast of alternative music.
A total of six groups played on the night, but any threat of that ‘too many cooks’ phrase was promptly dashed, with each act showcasing unique qualities to give the evening a diverse and varied aura.
Up first were youthful speed merchants Høygir, who rallied their way through Motorhead-esque classic rock and metallic chops with assured confidence. They seem to get better every time you see them, and their set saw effervescent lead guitarist Rowen Thomson go all rock n’ roll on the room by riffing away on top of a table, instrument bulging with boldness in front of some bemused onlookers.
Dig Deep followed, with singer Keirynn Topp leading his band through indie rock tunes that had just enough bite to satisfy any crusty-jacketed, stern-faced metal heads supping on their red tins at the bar. Topp’s vocals were impressive, with a soulful depth streaming underneath melodic mastery, and there was even time for a cameo from the powerful pipes of Beef Cleaver singer Claire Thomason.
The superbly named Shetland Phony were next to take to the stage – which meanwhile enjoyed impressive production via the use of a projector and lighting – as songsmith Joe Watt took his latest project to the public.
The group, also featuring the likes of drummer Lewis Murray and bassist David Sjoberg, busted out a genre-melting set that dipped toes into hip-hop, jazz and just about everything else. There was enough twists and turns in the set to give credence to the idea that 17-year-old Watt is one of the most innovative and talented songwriters Shetland has reared in recent years, and his spunky on-stage swagger only served to augment the flair.
There was no end to the groove meanwhile when DJ-meets-drummer duo Lyall Vs Murray followed Phony with a non-stop set of beats, groove and samples, acting as a musical intermission between all the rock.
Or maybe it was just a chance to give the aforementioned Watt and Murray a quick breather. The pair later performed with local sleaze-rock merchants Spoothawk, who channeled the likes of AC/DC with some chunky riffola that zapped out of the guitars of double team Ewan Nowak and Arthur Nicholson.
‘It’s Getting Hot’ sped away like a runaway train as the crowd tiptoed onto the dancefloor to soak up the indefatigable energy that emanated from the quintet.
It was up to instrumental metallers Nomadia to conclude the night and they did so with the panache and aplomb of a seasoned touring act. Slabs of guitar riffs were volleyed around the Legion and with tracks like the bulldozing ‘Sonder’, there’s every reason to believe that the young foursome are now Shetland’s premiere rockers.
But whilst some of their contemporaries opt for breathless assaults, Nomadia interweave the dark with the light, and there’s enough dynamics and down time to hold the attention of any metal naysayers in the room – even the Queen, who watched on attentively as she hung from the wall. Tub-thumper Murray (yes, him again) is due to leave Shetland later this year to study drumming in London – and bassist Norman Willmore is set to depart too – so the future of this band remains uncertain.
What is certain, however, is that Nomadia are trailblazers in the Shetland scene and are pretty darn big fishes in a small but continually flourishing pond.
* The Buffet 2014 festival is taking place at the Lerwick Legion on August 22 and 23, with the likes of Ten Tonne Dozer, Spoothawk and Witch Charmer set to perform.
Chris Cope
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