Metal by the Sea

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