Easter Sunday awesomeness at the Glasgow Garage, one of those serendipity moments. I’d never heard of Blind Channel until a few months ago when I was scrolling through Facebook and saw the tour d. Seemed like my kind of music and featuring hot guys in eyeliner and nail varnish so I thought I’d expand my musical horizons. Impressive advertising definitely, and in no way misleading – this band certainly knows how to put on a show.
I will it it was quite daunting standing in the crowd waiting for the main act to come out and not quite knowing what was about to happen, but there was a great atmosphere. Then the band burst out on to the stage in an explosion of red and black, the heavy music started, and I knew I was going to enjoy myself. It wasn’t just the really raw guitar riffs that started gently before the accompaniment kicked in. The ones that find you involuntarily jumping and banging your head along with the band, who themselves are dancing with an energy like something that’s been bottled up and suddenly released. It’s not just the melodies that carry you off somewhere. Whether or not that somewhere is to that place in your head that brings about the calmness and chill you feel listening to music that ticks all your internal boxes.
It’s music that speaks to you on some weird level you can’t quite put into words, but which gives you those few moments out from life. Perhaps it’s the hints of music you recognise from years ago? I actually thought I heard hints from Usher’s “Yeah” at one point during “Dark Side” which made me smile – music I liked in a previous life. The melody has you (such as with “Wolves in California” and “Deadzone”) so when those deep seated screaming lyrics come along you’re right there with them getting that same release. Then you look up back at the show, the energy is still going, the excitement with it and the band are living each moment with you.
I noticed several times how engaging they were with the audience, catching eye , pointing to people singing along. They even allowed a girl holding a sign saying that it was her birthday to come up onto the stage, just well rounded awesomeness.
If you like what we do, consider ing us on Patreon for as little as £1 per month!
But when the lights settled and the sound cut to allow the intro of “Die Another Day” to gently float into the venue, I felt tears come with them.
I will never have enough respect for bands who are brave enough to share their mental health stories, personal battles and demons through their art. Ever since the world lost Chris and Chester almost seven years ago I’ve struggled with the fact that even though their music brought peace and solace to millions who found something relatable in the lyrics, it was still an unanswered cry for help from the artist.
While “Die Another Day” does have that despair there is something in it that feels hopeful, like a positive overall message. And that positive message is what I want to encourage moving forward. I’ve always found the metal community to be one of the most friendly and welcoming of all, because we all have that common bond over our mental health and how the music makes us feel a release.
So I ask you please, if a song gives you all that, please give back. It’s never been easier to reach out to artists on social media and share your love of their talent so that they will know that the fans are there for them too. Because the lyrics to “Die Another Day” are brutally honest. Sometimes life will literally fuck your world up. Sometimes life is hard, dark and unfair. But there is a real strength in embracing that darkness, powering through it to get to the light on the other side. It may not seem like it but it is there, and it will be all the brighter when you’ve faced those fears.
So give yourself a break, there are rocky roads ahead, but just embrace them like you’d embrace a mosh pit, get those elbows up and push back. We all get it – and we are right behind you.
Don’t fancy Patreon? Buy us a one-off beverage!
Header image: Christian Ripkens / Ossi Morko
If you’re a metalhead and feel you need someone to talk to, you’re welcome to us here at Moshville Times for a chat any time. Or reach out to the wonderful people at Heavy Metal Therapy.
