Shetland-Music.com

HEAVEN AND HELL REVIEW - DAVIE GARDNER

'Heaven and Hell' collectively and indeed effectively came together in Lerwick's North Star last weekend, being the title of the last youth concert to be held there before the venue emits its final dying breaths in April.

Such a title could easily have made the parents of teenagers heading for the event decidedly uneasy, but in truth it was quite deceptive as this was an alcohol free event, especially for young people, organised in the main by a group of school-age students from across Shetland. Arranging and promoting the concert was just one part of a 'vocational pathway' course in audio engineering they are currently undertaking, thanks to a partnership between Shetland Islands Council and Shetland College, with the course itself designed and delivered by local musician and technician Fraser Mouat.

It was also held to celebrate the launch of a now commercially available CD, 'The Best of Heaven and Hell 2005/6', which the students have recorded, mixed and released as an integral part of their course. The CD was recorded at two previous concerts that also carried the same title, and features a number of Shetland's up and coming young rock bands recorded live at the events.

When the doors opened at 7 o clock, a decidedly unusual time for the North Star, it was clear there was already a significant buzz in the air. Forget the usual kind of spirits that pervade the venue to enhance the atmosphere, none of this was in evidence or on offer, with the only spirits evident being the decidedly good ones generated by Shetland's young folk hell-bent (forgive the pun) on having a good night. Indeed many had entered into the actual spirit of the theme, arriving dressed for the occasion. A miscellany of angels and devil-like visions flocked into the hall and, again unusually for the North Star, immediately rushed toward the front of the stage to occupy the best places and await the arrival of own personal rock gods.

A scream of feedback, the like of which could have echoed from the gates of hell themselves, heralded the start of the gig and 'Ripped of Our Wings', perhaps an appropriately named band given the occasion, literally flew onto the stage to confront and provoke their peers and, yes, make a un-holy racket into the bargain.

Young the band may be, but some things never change, as they chose to open their set proper with a generation transcending blast of AC/DC's near thirty year-old classic 'You Shook Me All Night Long' - a track almost twice the age of those delivering and reacting to its age-old glory. Add to that the guitarist playing the instrument behind his head a la Jimi Hendrix, while sporting a Led Zeppelin t-shirt, and it was clear to see that at least some of their musical influences were almost as old as the North Star itself.

Even given the relatively early hour, well over 100 young punters were responding to the bands every command, uncertain at times though these may have been, while songs such as 'Nightmare Reality' will tell you all you need to know about them and their attitude. Suffice to say it's unlikely they will ever sign up as contestants for the 'X-Factor'. The 'guest' vocalist delivered an ethereal growl that made 'Sepultura, the unchallenged wild-men of rock, sound utterly benign. The fact that the vocalist I refer to was female makes it even more scary.

The devils and angels in the audience seemed to harbour no sectarian animosity, partying as one, as 'A Minor Detail' took up the musical cudgel. With three females in the band, one of whom's role seemed to largely revolve around waving self-consciously to friends in the audience, you might have expected subtlety - but not a bit of it. Melody counted for nothing as the band simply chose to feed the audience on raw decibels and a totally unrelenting supply of them at that. No one seemed to mind in the slightest though and it was by now abundantly clear that this was not going to be a night for the musical purist or, even more so, those who valued their ear drums.

Occasionally a familiar melody would half emerge (usually a vaguely discernable whiff of 'Nirvana') before, more often than not, it quickly fell to pieces in a howl of planned (or possibly unplanned) brain-shattering feedback. This was young rock and roll at its rawest and messiest - and the punters obviously loved it.

With the audience by now swelling to nearly 300, 'Train to Wales' roared onto the stage and swept headlong toward the North Star moshpit - a furious teenage express, fired on attitude, with no brakes and no planned stops along their chosen route. Onboard this particular bandwagon was an utterly amazing drummer, J.P. Parsons, who sports an equally amazingly hairstyle that could puncture footballs or impale stage-divers. One to watch for sure - the drummer not the hairstyle I hasten to add.

The brave SIC community workers, who were charged with stewarding the event, kept a discreet distance, yawned indifferently and looked as if they needed a melodic antidote of James Blunt or Corinne Bailey- Rae and preferably an early night.

Glorious musical mess followed glorious musical mess fanning the flames still further, while imaginative arrangements, if they ever existed in the first place, were left cold and lonely outside the venue's Harbour Street pearly gates. That is until 'Beechless' brought a certain amount of musical sanity, and dare I say experience, to the stage, rounding off the night and bringing the curtain down on youth gigs in the North Star, almost certainly for the last time.

A seemingly endless throng of young gig-goers sporting by now disjointed devil horns and frayed and tattered angel wings happily wound and giggled their way either to their parents cars or out into the night, leaving behind them nothing more sinister that a sea of empty Irn Bru and Coke cans and another successful musical ghost to haunt the interior of the old North Star.

Where to now for those of a rock and roll persuasion - especially the young? This was the size and kind of committed, enthusiastic and, yes, sober crowd that more 'mature' bands and music promoters would kill for. Hopefully our commercial audiences of tomorrow with, for the time being at least, another social doorway and outlet now firmly locked behind them and next time around in their faces.

300+ young people, all dressed up with indeed somewhere to go, but for how much longer? On this night at least they more than clearly demonstrated that our young people are still very much a credit to, and vital part of, these islands and its future, and that they can indeed have a great night out without relying on alcohol for their entertainment.

They also showed that live music and entertainment is still alive and kicking and that their demand for this in Shetland is not unwarranted or without honest purpose, whatever some may choose to tell you. Hanging around ' the street' of an evening would seem an infinitely poorer option all round. Cultural and social activity critics take note!!!!