Raise Your Horns! Is London Metal?

Beer. Nails. Satan. Is Metal just chauvisnism and primeval savagery? Not so. Metal is the once outcast artistic form that derives from the very heart of human emotion. The howl of an opera singer in Covent Garden equates to the death roar of a metal frontman at the Camden Underworld. London shares an uneasy metropolitan space with the sound from industrial heartlands like Birmingham, home to pioneers Black Sabbath. However, metalheads share a strong community across this city. We all know London is rock’n’roll, but is it “METTAAAALLLL”? \m/

Identity

It’s fair to say that the metal scene probably isn’t all it’s cracked up to be in a small Welsh mining village. Like all subcultures, metal flourishes in cities. It propagates itself through exchange of ideas and style, with a twist of mayhem. At the same time, the fraternity aren’t quite as equated with vegan cafes and other more gentrified aspects of much of London. While many live the dream full time, plenty are hidden amongst our legions of office workers and service industries. There must be some long haired CEOs in Canary Wharf…

Either way, London hosts platforms for a huge variety of social groups and tastes. Metalheads may have to fight for space and identity separate from the Goth community but this alliance ensures a broad span of tastes within a large population. And everyone likes Rammstein of course.

Gender could be controversial with spiked bras and minimal leather clothing. But is this not the sexualisation of every genre? It’s not quite the same as mainstream music media, as the phrase goes ‘girls twerk, women headbang.’ Metal is about freedom of expression, even if it is cloaked in a denim jacket of conformity. Powerful front women like Joan Jett and Nightwish’s Tarja Turunen are not ‘feminist icons’, they transcend gender in the same way the men embrace long hair and jewellery.

Internationalism

The amazing thing about metal is it’s worldwide. Like some grand University, it’s pioneers scour the globe to exchange knowledge and ideas. In London you can expect to hear the evilest Norwegian Black Metal, South American thrash or Italian symphonic like ‘Fleshgod Apocalypse’. The roars and shredding transcends language to it’s rawest sound, common to all nomatter what race, gender, sexuality or else. Unless you’re a One Direction fan.

Venues

Despite venue closure, metalheads still have a variety of constant venues as well as regular events.

The famous Devonshire Arms, or ‘Dev’, in Camden is guaranteed to be a welcoming haven in nothing more fussy or cliquey than an honest pub. Just up the road the Unicorn holds regular gigs and of course the Underworld by the station plays host to the most niche subgenres of metal.

As for events, Project Mayhem is a monthly night at the Electric Ballroom and Voodoo rock takes over the ‘Slimelight’ Electrowerks in Angel.

There have even been reports a Camden vicar wishes to use his church as a venue!

London also means good transport links to festivals like Download and Bloodstock.

Shopping

Metal may claim to be a laconic retreat from consumerism, except it is as consumerist as any other culture. Leather jackets, New Rocks, Doc Martens, spikes and patches are de rigeur aspects of a uniform that has come together over forty years of metal history. Such influences as biker culture, punk and goth continue to be reinvented by current bands.

Having said that, some bands reinvent the formula with London-born Akercocke regularly donning tweed suits. This has inspired a trend of gentlemanly metal pursued by such bands as Talanas and Fleshgod Apocalypse.

The Passing Tide

Is London`s scene mere pastiche and tribute? Lemmy may have been found knocking back Jack Daniels in Dingwalls but not anymore. Actually, while commentators will declare Camden a tourist trap and mourn the loss of Soho’s old venues, metal remains alive. Young and old thrive in the metal community. The clique of leather jackets, studs and patches is just the face of passionate people who share a common voice.

 

(The above article is exactly 666 words long) \m/

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