Photo credit. Itay Gilad
Alestorm are currently one of the busiest bands on the road. It has not even been a year since they last toured the UK, and so despite this, when they were announced as the headliners for the returning Pagan Fest tour, the reaction was overwhelmingly positive.
I have been following the lads on tour vlogs that Alestorm have been posting on their youtube channel each day after every show they have played on this Pagan Fest tour, so when the day arrived for this tour package to hit Manchester, I was more than ready, and excited to watch one of the more comedic bands the UK has to offer once again.
This tour signifies the return of Pagan Fest for the first time in 15 years. This tour aims to bring together the best pagan, folk and power metal bands under the same roof through a tour around Europe.
Last time I was at the 02 Victoria Warehouse, not only was it extremely cold, but it was pouring rain when I arrived to queue. This time, everyone around me seems to be in a much better mood as it was still light outside, and apart from our shoes, we were all completely dry.
Upon entering the venue, it is only a matter of minutes before the first band of the night, Elvenking take to the stage. The Italians kick things off with ‘Throes of Atonement.’ A song full of melodic guitar parts, and a darker sounding chorus.
All throughout their set, frontman Davide “Damna” Moras barely says a word as the band rip through their set with barely any breathing room. What makes Elvenking stand out compared to the rest of the bands on this lineup, is that the use of a violin is incorporated into their sound, and it translates incredibly well live, as the violin sounds sharp throughout the entire set thanks to Fabio “Lethien” Polo.
With time for only eight songs, as the first band of the night, Elvenking do a decent job of energising the crowd, but as they leave, it feels as if the energy was the only problem in their short set, as the band clearly wants to showcase their phenomenal musicianship over crowd interactions.
The second band on the lineup is the only one to have opened for Alestorm during their last UK tour back last year, Heidevolk. This time around, the band has a vastly bigger audience and they make sure to leave no prisoners.
Despite the assault of energy Heidevolk gives out to the crowd, musically, this set seems lacklustre compared to what the crowd had just heard with Elvenking. ‘Schildenmuur’ is a clear exception. This short track was on the setlist when they opened for Alestom last year, the pounding tribal drum beat and the accompanying group vocals make this track a standout live song, and it is by far the best moment of the Heidevolk set.
The next band to go onstage is the only one on this Pagan Fest lineup I have already reviewed, so to say I was curious was an understatement. As Tyr go onstage, I expected a good set, but they blow my expectations out the water as opener ‘By The Sword in My Hand’ gets the crowd as energised as they have been all throughout this evening so far, as the band members headbang, and smile at the crowd throughout this song.
When ‘Hammered’ from their new album Batle Ballads starts playing, I am fully confident that this set is worthy of a headlining performance.
Throughout their set, just like Elvenking, Tyr focuses on the music rather than the crowd interactions. This crowd does not care as when the band members raise their fists into the air, so does the crowd, and by the end of this set, the crowd gets completely hooked. With a performance of this calibre, Tyr prove themselves as the best band on this tour, as well as being capable of headlining a three and a half thousand capacity venue.
Photo credit. Itay Gilad
Ensiferum are the band that follows from Tyr. They combine different subgenres of metal and in turn, their sound is a mix of folky power metal and death metal. This is a sound I thoroughly enjoy as I have been listening to Ensiferum for a few years now. Just like most of these bands, I have no idea what to expect in terms of their live performances, but this set feels bland. I was never hooked into this performance, but the saving grace comes from ‘Lai Lai Hei.’ A banger that is just over seven minutes long. The audience loves this song as at times the vocals are barely audible.
Following this song, I took the opportunity to get another of the most expensive pints I paid for in my life as I decide to just let the crowd enjoy the rest of the set as I wait in the same spot I had for most of the night until it was time for Scottish pirate metal heroes, or jokers Alestorm.
Once Ensiferum get off, we all get a very special light show that is accompanied by Queen classics, as the best sight of the night is getting prepared. Alestorm are known for being a party band, with some hilarious lyrics. They are also known for one of my favourite stage set designs of any band. A massive rubber ducky. That is what they normally come with. That is what they brought with them last time they were in Manchester at the 02 Ritz. This time, the Alestorm crew members inflate not one, but three ducks. A couple of smaller ones on the sides of the stage, and a massive rubber ducky at the centre of the stage. As soon as this big duck gets inflated, the crowd unleashes the most noise I have heard all night, as everyone seems ready for a pirate party time.
After ‘We Are The Champions,’ the lights dim one last time as Alestorm have their bizarre intro play before the band runs onstage. “Let me see your hands in the air Manchester” frontman Christopher Bowes yells into his mic before the band rip into their now iconic set opener ‘Keelhauled.’ This catchy yet always energetic track forces the crowd into a sing along as soon as the guitar riff starts.
The third song of the set is when the party truly begins. Bowes greets the crowd in an extremely goofy way before asking us if we are ready to have some fun. At this point, the intro to fan-favourite ‘Mexico’ starts as the lights turn into the colours that appear on the Mexican flag in order. It is then when I notice that the acoustics are not spot on. The bass was overly loud. Not only this song, but others later on in the set such as ‘Voyage Of The Dead Marauder’ had the same difficulty. This does not deter the crowd one bit from having the most fun they have had in almost five or six hours.
The three rubber ducks onstage is not the only change that Alestorm have come up with. Last year, the band brought Patty Gurdy, a musician and singer known for playing a hurdy gurdy, on tour with them throughout UK and Ireland. On that tour, she only played a few songs with the band. This time, Gurdy is onstage with Alestorm for the full set. Her vocals on ‘Zombies Ate My Pirate Ship’ are spot on as ‘Voyage Of The Dead Marauder’ sounds so much better as it did last year despite the sound problems.
As fun as this set is, Alestorm only gets an hour and 10 minutes to play. The band feels rushed to play through all of the songs on their setlist. This is evident once the band reaches the encore segment. Before kicking off ‘Drink,’ Bowes introduces the rest of the band members. Starting with drummer Peter Alcorn, as he moves on to introduce the rest of the members; keyboardist and harsh vocalist Elliot Vernon, bassist Gareth Murdok, Patty Gurdy again on the Hurdy Gurdy and vocals, and lastly guitarist Máté Bodor before telling the crowd that the only reason Alestorm is here is to drink our beer.
The song that follows is not always played due to timing constraints, however, because every band so far has managed to come onstage early, this gives Alestorm room for an extra song. The song of choice is ‘Wooden Leg.’ This is where the timing panic sets in as Bowes says that they can only play this song if they are quick enough. Quick enough is exactly what they are, as the band rapidly smash through the song, which only leaves the band with one song.
Upon this announcement, Bowes tells the crowd that he wants to give us a message from the deep dark cold hearts of each of the band members onstage. Following a four count, Bowes and the crew launch into the biggest sing along of the night in the form of their biggest, and most hilarious song ‘Fucked With An Anchor.’ This is the proper way to end a set as not a single person in the crowd stays quiet. The band ends this song to a humongous ovation, and with Bowes saying ‘Fuck You Good Night,’ the night officially comes to an end.
Five bands in a single night is not ideal, but it is a great way to see new bands you have not had the chance to see yet. Each of these bands are special and unique in their own way, but together, these did not overly feel very cohesive. What matters at the end of the day is if the crowd enjoys the performance, and the crowd loved every single one of these bands.
Alestorm is always a blast live, and while they may not be the most complex or the best sounding live band, the performances are so over the top, and fun, that once you are in the moment it is impossible to not enjoy yourself. This makes Alestorm the right pick to have headlined the first Pagan Fest in 15 years. If any band should headline Pagan Fest in future, it will be a crime not to keep Alestorm as headliners.
