News / Sold-out Heavy Metal Buffet serves up a treat
THE ORGANISERS of this year’s Heavy Metal Buffet rock festival have called the weekend a complete success after it sold out over two nights.
The annual event was held at the Lerwick Legion on Friday and Saturday, with hundreds of punters enjoying distortion-doused music from both local and UK acts.
All 600 tickets sold despite the two-day shindig streaming live via Promote Shetland’s online 60N TV channel.
Aberdeen metal act Semperfi headlined the Friday night while local heroes Ten Tonne Dozer rounded off the Saturday with a raucous set.
Among the highlights were Glasgow’s Mountains Under Oceans, who stunned the crowd with weighty soundscapes, while Essex group Create To Inspire sparked off one of the weekend’s biggest mosh-pits with frenzied kineticism.
Shetland group Troppo Funk wowed gig-goers at the Legion’s second stage in the side bar with three groove-filled sets on the Saturday.
The crowd meanwhile played their part too, with people of all ages engaging with gusto.
Heavy Metal Buffet member Dirk Robertson paid tribute to the “family” feeling forged over the weekend between visiting acts, local bands and the audience.
“There’s something about this year that has created a vibe I’ve never seen before at a metal gig in Shetland,” he said.
“I don’t know whether it’s the full moon, or the fact that we’ve planned it more meticulously than before, but I think that this has been an astonishingly love-filled festival.”
Fellow organiser Jamie Dalziel added that plans are already afoot for next year’s event.
“I think we had a very diverse selection of music – each south band gave something that isn’t on offer in Shetland at the moment,” he said.
“Next year is already in motion – that’s all that I can say at the moment. I think there might be one or two familiar faces, but we’ll also have a lot of brand new, fresh bands.”
Among the visiting groups were Glasgow act Baethos, who seemed to truly immerse themselves in their first visit to Shetland.
All three members had a puffin-themed tattoo etched onto their skin at Lerwick’s Aurora Ink, while guitarist Steven Murray went skinny-dipping at Meal beach in Burra.
The musician revealed that the isles have found themselves a big place in his heart.
“I have fallen in love with this place,” Murray said after playing a well-received set on Friday.
“Everyone’s so welcoming and happy. I know a lot of people say that this gig is a bit of a one-off, but it’s enough for me to want to live here.”
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