TYR + Alestorm @ JB’s, Dudley – 26th April 2009
I will admit now.. TYR are the first band I’ve seen that are based in the Faroe Islands and, for those of you who don’t know where they are, and I had to look, they are a group of islands situated roughly halfway between Iceland and Norway and it has a language that is based on old Norse from the Viking era. So armed with that information and a quick listen of the limited back catalogue I had downloaded the night before off I went to see what TYR and co-headliners tonight, Alestorm had in store for me.
Dressed in chain mail and leather body armour TYR took to the stage as opening act tonight and vocalist/guitarist Heri Joensen, with foot on monitor surveyed their next Nordic conquest. A band whose music encapsulates both traditional Scandinavian folk and heavy metal genres, giving us a ‘stomping beer swilling night before the invasion’ party atmosphere. Tracks such as ‘Wings Of Time’ and ‘Hail To The Hammer’ have us swigging ale from flagons and Nordic horns.
As a nod to the beer drinkers, a brilliant rendition of The Irish Rover sees the ‘cool’ people tapping their feet. Even a request to ‘play it again’ came from the audience.
TYR ended their ‘invasion’ with Whiskey In The Jar, a track that Joensen dedicated to James Hetfield! and the late Phil Lynott. The Faroese band came to sell their new album ‘By the Light Of The Northern Star’ and they certainly did to the Dudley audience.
Self described as ‘true Scottish pirate metal’ ALESTORM stormed the JB’s stage with a mighty challenge after TYR’s stunning set and rise to the challenge they did with a set mainly consisting of tracks about beer swilling, wenching and keelhauling. Vocalist Christopher Bowes, not sounding too dissimilar to a certain Captain Jack Sparrow, soon had the mosh pit growing (just a note, JBs doesn’t have a stage barrier and trying to take pictures in the middle of a mosh is quite interesting!).
Cap’n Chris steered the ship through tracks ‘Wenches and Mead‘, ’Keelhauled’ and ‘Captain Morgan’s Revenge’ before being joined on stage by TYR vocalist Heri Joensen for a rendition of Alestorm’s ‘Wolves Of The Sea’.
Two bands sharing a double headline on this leg of their respective tours and both bands very much suited to each other’s music and looking like they are having a right ball on the road and that shows through in their music. Great performances from both bands and the crocodile thing…………….went over my head!!
Review & Photos – Andy Whitehouse