Thinking back on all the events that I have attended, I
think I simply must say this - one has not truly lived if one has not
experienced metal by the sea.
No I don’t mean the type that corrodes with the sea breeze.
I mean metal music – the rawness, the unadulterated pureness of emotion that it
brings forth. It is beautiful how these two savage forces come together in
perfect harmony – sea and metal, such an inebriating combination, a match made
in heaven as it were.
Soft,warm sand at our feet, wind in our hair and sweet,
bleeding metal at our ears – a strange piece of paradise that baffled and blew
our minds. 2nd of July was truly special. Which is why after almost
a month, the memory is still crispy fresh in our minds.
The night started off in a rather amusing way. Just as we
turned into the car park at Shore by O, we were warned, albeit in an apologetic
tone, “it’s a band that’s playing tonight. I hope that is okay” (Sir, ada band
ekak gahanne. Kamak naane) by the friendly guy who was directing the traffic
there. We smiled and assured him that it’s more than okay, and that we were
indeed there “to see the band play”.
It was a lovely evening. The sun had already set and we
lingered a bit on the beach before wandering in. The sea-perfumed breeze
whipped at our clothes and gave us a sense of flying which was rather euphoric.
There was a sense of festivity in the air - perhaps it was all the fairy lights and the semi-charmed atmosphere that dusk creates. It was like being at a beach party
but instead of the colourful bikinis and bare chested fellows, we were
surrounded by a sea of black tshirts, interesting hair and pure, raw energy.
The stage was set with its back to the sea as a means of
protection against the salt drenched winds. While the setting would have been
absolutely breathtaking at sunset, we felt that this setting did not allow
maximum exposure to the crowd and we were left wondering from where we could
watch the performances. Especially considering that it was a Stigmata gig, (crazy
head banging, communal moshing anyone?) imagine what a glorious pit it would
have created had the stage faced sideways to the sand stretch of land! The sandy
beach, the sea
breeze making all that fabulous hair whip the unrelenting winds asunder (for hair and beard watching are two of the main reasons we like attending gigs), freedom to move frenzied with that slight
intoxication only ocean breeze can provide. However, once we got upstairs our
concerns were quelled. Although a gig is never fully enjoyed while sitting down,
the opportunity was too good to let go. We were able to get balcony seats for
the night – right above the stage, the seats offered uninhibited panoramic
views (ahem) and had the gig started at sunset rather than at that darkened
hour, we could imagine what a view it would have been.
The Gig
The night started with
Abyss, a band that we have not seen
perform before and therefore not very familiar with. These kids had a faint
whiff of Lamb of God about them with rather impressive ax and skins skills and
powerful vocals, although unfortunately we failed to make out any of the lyrics
to the songs. Their performance was energetic and it was surprising that there
was no moshpit action but I eventually attributed it to the narrow (and rather
precarious looking) space in front of the stage which was not very conducive
for moshing. A mix of originals and covers peppered their set but my favorite
was when the Stigmata Skinsman Taraka, joined them onstage for a cover of Lamb
of God’s Black Label.
Next up was
Salvage and they had been advertised as
performing an acoustic set that night, what with their skinsman being
unavailable for the night. Having witnessed their performances many time
before, I must say, their acoustic performance blew me away. Magic was
definitely in the air as they lulled the crowd with a mix of originals and
covers, each beautifully complemented by the brilliant lighting of the stage
(who did the lighting btw? It was pretty amazing) and the soothing sea breeze
caressing us into oblivion. The acoustics brought out the vocalist’s powerful
tones into the spotlight which are otherwise drowned out by the drums – and we
liked it. I think they should perform acoustic more often.
 |
| Check out the awesome lights-play |
Next up was the mighty
Stigmata who took to the stage. And we
all know how this goes down.
The performance as always started with a bang. The band unfurled, coiled, glided and stomped its way through their new and old tracks, the
all-time favorites and the sing-along—anthems (as the band puts it) brutally, majestically. There
wasn’t a person who wasn’t mumbling (or screeching) along to the lyrics of the
songs.
Now anyone who has ever been to a Stigmata gig rarely stops
at just one concert. Their stage presence, the performances, the intensity of
all that raw talent – the combination of it all is one that one rarely sees,
not only in Sri Lanka, but also in the world. Their music speaks for itself –
it speaks to your inner being, it lulls you and caresses you, sometimes it
makes you dance, sometimes it makes you launch yourself into the philosophical sphere and retreat within yourself. With powerful lyrics and mind twisting
music performed by a bunch of insanely (and somewhat insane) talented guys, it is no wonder that Stigmata
concerts usually see quite a lot of people belting out the lyrics to their enchanting pieces along with the band.
Their set comprised of tunes new and old off their latest
album and their albums past. ‘
Andura’, - that sacred tune that every little boy
who had ever wanted to become a guitarist/rocker/ladies’ man wanted to master (“I
noticed you like metal. You know Stigmata? I can play “Andura”*sleazy eyebrow
wiggle*) has always been a crowd pleaser which sent the whole lot into a roaring
frenzy while ‘
Voices’, one of their evergreen classics got everybody
howling at the top of their lungs (myself and hubby dearest included) in an
attempt to sing along. Another remarkable fact that my husband (a bigger
Stigmata fan than I will ever be), pointed out was that they played ‘Purer’ for
the first time after a long time and despite the fact that Lakmal’s bass solo
was not properly heard due to technical difficulties, it was magnificent. It was good to hear an old favourite after such a long time. “
DeadRose” was goose bump -inducingly amazing as always and we launched into
full-fledged dance mode to the trippy tunes of
Jazz theory, swaying our hips to
the Flamenco and head banging to the rest. The mind boggling tunes of ‘An
Idle mind” as well as the jive-inducing ‘Our beautiful decay’ from their latest
album were welcome additions. But what really stole the show was that
amazing compilation of 90’s cartoon tunes metalized for our taste buds. Andrew
has performed a similar version at the video launch of “On the wings of the
Storm” but this was more refined and more ….well, simply put, absolutely
kickass. The band posted up a teaser of the piece and had our panties in all kinds of twists (the boyos included. Well, especially the boyos) and it wouldn't be wrong to say that this was the moment that we've been waiting for since the beginning of the night. AND it was phenomenal. Not sure how the kiddos who hadn’t known the shows like we did enjoyed
it, but we the 90’s kids totally dig it, having grown up with the likes of
Thunder Cats, Silver Hawks and the X-Men (why do they call it X-MEN? There are
WOMEN there too you know) as our heroes. We had to swat away a few phones
and cameras that popped up covering our faces just to get a glimpse of the
performance ourselves which explains that our enthusiasm was mutual.
We recorded the piece but had to give up on putting it up here when the upload failed multiple times. Technology has us all by the balls, so sad, sad day :(
The food
This part I usually publish in my
food blog but I decided to
do it here anyway.
Having had a look at the menu, I could see that they had a
large variety of interesting stuff which I was eager to try. But having set my
heart on the baked crab dish that sounded absolutely yummy, I was rather
disappointed to learn that the menu was not available that night (another thing that the friendly guy at the car park warned us about) and only the
displayed items in the buffet were made available. But that disappointment was
short-lived, I was about to discover.
There were the usual culprits of a seaside pub setting - the
fried rice, the French fries, the hot butter…….OMG!! Ok so bottom line, I ended
up ordering the hot butter cuttlefish, the hot butter mushroom AND the
oh-so-glorious pork in what I suspected, was a bistake. And the food, oh my, exceeded
my expectations by leaps and bounds.
Call me a prude but I do not have faith in ANYTHING that is
served in disposable things. Handed out in disposable plates, I will be honest
and state that I did not have high expectations of the food. But the first bite
of that hot butter cuttlefish changed my perception forever. It was not overly
spicy or laden with oil like most hot butter cuttlefish dishes you find out
there and rather delicately and expertly spiced. It could have easily found its place on the menu of a fine dining resto (if only they offered hot butter cuttlefish at these places). The batter was crisp and fresh
with a delicious crunch with the cuttlefish tender and buttery inside – a
difficult feat to achieve having made
hot butter cuttlefish myself on numerous
occasions. The pork was juicy and melt-in-the-mouth tender with a delicate
balance between the sweet and the spicy which was rather delightful. And anyone who has ever cooked pork know how easy it is to overcook the meat and have it resembling tough old boots.
I did not care much for the hot butter mushroom though.
While the textures were on point, the flavours were a little bland which was a pity
was because just a pinch more salt and a few more chili flakes would have made
it just perfect.
So the food – wonderfully done and was a worthy effort. Nibbling on a piece of pork, munching on the hot butter cuttlefish, sipping on a Kahlua cocktail and listening to some of the best bands in Sri Lanka play their hearts out? That was truly priceless.
It was a night to remember in so many ways.
I don’t remember the last time we danced at a metal gig but here is one in which we did. I don’t think we were drunk (I don’t think one cocktail can send us spinning off like that) but ocean breeze and good music are known to have intoxicating effects on us human beings. Giddy and light headed, we were laughing all the way home and it was with some effort that hubby dearest dragged me away from going dancing on the beach. T’was a good, good night. T'was an awesome night J
Check out some of the performances
here
