Alestorm @ KST, Belgrade 8/8/23
It's pirate metal. Your objection is invalid.
Actually, this whole idea is quite silly. Partly because I'll be seeing Alestorm in a coupla days at the Jailbreak festival anyway. Partly because I've got a flight to catch tomorrow. And Alestorm, mostly writing songs about drinking, are known for getting their audiences more or less inebriated. Yeah, with a name like that...
Oh, and not the least of all, partly because Alestorm just plain ARE silly. Yeah, with a name like that. And those lyrics about drinking. And that big inflatable rubber duck on stage with them. And with a side project like Gloryhammer. And many other things.
But I'd be a scurvy landlubber to pass up the opportunity. Guy like me can't have too much pirate metal. In fact, I'd argue that pirate metal is the most overlooked metal subgenre. But I digress.
There are many things I like about the southern- and easternmost parts of Europe. And one, in particular, is the metal scene. Sure, Germany, Sweden, and Finland have some of the world's strongest metal scenes. But the Balkans, even with relatively much sun for moshpit comfort and a relatively low average income for concert ticket dispensability, still have surprisingly dedicated fans and crowds.
It's clear from the beginning, with +100 meters of black t-shirts and pirate costumes lining up outside Belgrade's +70-year-old cultural hub KST. And from the crowd's singing along to the Queen playlist on the PA during the world's briefest soundcheck. And from the first coupla seconds in opening hit "Keelhauled".
You just know this is the kinda crowd that owns the whole discography, even though with 7 albums, the whole joke's arguably getting a bit worn out. But daffy concept or not (duck joke pending), you can't argue with Alestorm in a live situation. And you'd have to be the world's most miserable whiner to at least not crack a smile here. Whether it's during older, mandatory classics like "Shipwrecked" and "Nancy the Tavern Wench" or newer hits like "Zombies Ate My Pirate Ship" and the band's eponymous anthem.
Shit, even that "Hangover" song – Hell, especially that one – works. Even though it's a cover of some supposedly horrible original by some supposedly horrible artist who couldn't rock if his or her life depended on it. But horrible original or not, we get a guy in a shark suit on stage rapping. This is obviously a party as much as it's a metal show, and it's impossible not to like.
… Well, to a certain extent anyway. Because vocalist/keytarist and all-round mastermind Christopher Bowes does speculate a bit too much in that whole party atmosphere. So much so that the guy went ahead and made a downright awful tune entitled "P.A.R.T.Y." which features one of those nauseatingly over-compressed synths that sounds like the cookie-cutter jingles that mass media passes off as music and force feeds to ignorant consumers.
Fuck that shit. And since I don't know the newest stuff, the ensuing "Magellan's Expedition" also leaves me a bit unimpressed. So apart from another beer, it takes the double whammy of "Captain Morgan's Revenge" and "Pirate Metal Drinking Crew" to get yours truly back into gear.
But in gear we are, on the whole. Also in spite of a subpar, bass-heavy sound. Because, to reiterate, you can't argue with a set-up and a concept like this one. Not in terms of entertainment value anyway. And also, y'know, pirates rule. And beer.
Rating: 4.5 out of 6
Genre: Heavy metal
Date: August 8th, 2023
Venue: KST, Belgrade, Serbia
Organizer: Hangtime Agency
Setlist:
- Keelhauled
- No Grave but the Sea
- The Sunk'n Norwegian
- Alestorm
- Under Blackened Banners
- Hangover (cover of some supposedly shitty artist)
- Mexico
- Nancy the Tavern Wench
- Shipwrecked
- Magnetic North
- P.A.R.T.Y.
- Magellan's Expedition
- Captain Morgan's Revenge
- Pirate Metal Drinking Crew
- Shit Boat (No Fans)
Encore: - Drink
- Zombies Ate My Pirate Ship
- Fucked With an Anchor
All photos by Kathleen Hendriks. Not sure if there's any copyright involved, but I suppose all rights are reserved.