Sligo to host week-end festival of rock music
The Bank Holiday weekend, July 29th – July 31st will see Sligo’s first ever Weekend Festival of Rock/Heavy Metal. ‘Whiplash’ sees the cream of Irish Heavy Rock and Metal bands take to the stage in Sligo for a weekend of top-class entertainment never before seen here. A series of gigs will take place each night over the weekend. Saturday will also see an early evening gig, while Sunday will see the holding of a ‘Battle of the Bands’ competition for any budding U-18 bands interested in showing off their talent.
Among the many first class bands to play at ‘Whiplash’ are Metallitia and Erin Maiden (Drogheda), Eyesclosed and Chosen (Dublin) Steel Tormentor (Ballina), Dawn (Ballymoney), The Nexus (Belfast), Ground of Ruin (Kildare) and Speedking (Castleblayney). As well as providing a weekend of first class entertainment for rock/metal fans in Sligo and surrounding areas, the festival is destined to attract many metal fans from around the country. Buses are already being organised to travel from Dublin, Drogheda and Belfast for the weekend.
Headlining the opening night are Dublin band Eyesclosed who in the recent past have played support to such metal giants as WASP, Machine Head and Paradise Lost to name just a few. Providing support for them on the night are Ballina Metalheads Steel Tormentor. Following up the success of their debut self-released CD ‘Unleashed’, an album of pure power metal in the vein of Priest and Maiden, Steel Tormentor are now preparing to release their much anticipated follow-up. Opening on the night will be by Kildare’s Ground of Ruin, a hybrid of Thrash/Hardcore Metal for those who like their metal heavy and loud.
Saturday will begin at around 5pm with an early evening free gig with Sligo’s own legend Seamie O Dowd and friends. The main event that night sees Belfast band The Nexus and Ballymoney Rockers Dawn, who will be releasing their new album to coincide with the festival, open up for an Iron Maiden tribute band that have to be seen to be believed called Erin Maiden. Their live show covers all the Maiden classics from the early days of Paul Dianno through the Bruce Dickinson years up to the present and will be the perfect warm up for Iron Maiden fans preparing to see their idols in Dublin at the end of August.
Sunday sees the U-18 Battle of the Bands competition take place between 2 - 4pm. Following on from that will be a gig by Dublin metallers Chosen. Entry to all of this is FREE. The finale of the weekend will open that night with Speedking from Castleblayney, one of the most consistent and popular bands on the Irish Metal Circuit. The main event, however, will need no introduction to Metalheads in the North West. The Master of Tributes, Metallitia, one of Irelands most sought after Live Metal acts will bring the weekend to a rousing close. Their live shows are legendary and those who have witnessed them as recently as last month in Boyle, Co Roscommon will testify that their gigs are increasing in ferocity and intensity. Miss them at your peril.
Any young bands interested in competing in the ‘Battle of the Bands’ competition can contact any of the Committee at the numbers given or by e-mailing sligowhiplash05@yahoo.com to make arrangements for the Committee to hear their demos etc. Other events and gigs will take place and will be announced when they all details are confirmed. The Official Festival web-site address is www.sligowhiplash.com
Battle of the Bands Competition
Battle of the Bands line-up confirmed for Sligo 'Whiplash' Metalfest
The line-up of bands to take place in the Sligo 'Whiplash' Metalfest young
Battle of the Bands Competition has been confirmed. The four bands chosen to
compete on Sunday afternoon July 31st at the Leitrim Bar in Sligo are
Grinder, Crave, Scorched Earth and Vitaria.
SCORCHED EARTH
Previously known as hEADRUSh, Scorched Earth hail from Killybegs in County
Donegal. This four - piece, while not constrained to any one genre or strain
of heavy metal, have quite clear thrash metal leanings in their music. Their
3 - track demo belies the age of these young lads and throws up three
well-written and delivered tracks that evoke strong images of bands such as
Overkill, Testament and Sepultura in their thrashier days. With songs such
as 'useless existence' and 'agonys wings' Scorched Earth are a band for
those who like their music on the extreme end of the metal spectrum and are
definitely not for the faint hearted.
CRAVE
Ballyshannon four-piece Crave have already shown many throughout the north
west of their immense musical ability. Taking their influences from across a
wide range of rock and metal genres, Crave have an energy and passion for
what they do that has to be seen to be believed. Those lucky enough to have
already seen them either at the Ballyshannon Rory Gallagher Festival Battle
of the Bands competition or playing what was a blistering set including some
excellent covers of tracks by artists such as Metallica, Iron Maiden and
Rage against the Machine to name just a few at the actual Festival itself
over the June Bank Holiday Weekend will testify to that.
VITARIA
Originating from Bangor in Co. Down, Vitaria were formed in January of this
year. While this will be their first visit to Sligo, they have already
played a series of high-profile gigs including the Belfast Metalfest this
month as well as the Virgin Megastore Battle of the Bands Competition in
Belfast which they won despite stiff opposition. They have wide musical
influences from bands as diverse as Avenged Sevenfold, 36 Crazyfists,
Machine Head and up and coming US metal giants Trivium. One listen to their
3 - track demo (recorded in their bassists bedroom) reveals the depth of
their musical ability and talent and they are quite clearly a band with a
future in the music industry.
Grinder
Formed in October of last year, Grinder, formerly Stone Free, need no
introduction to audiences in the Sligo and Donegal areas. Currently they
have a residency slot in Bootleggers in Bundoran on Tuesday nights. Their
influences are wide and varied but under the guidance of Sligo guitarist
Neil Hegarty they currently wield their instruments of sin to perform the
music of (old proper) Metallica, Judas priest, Led Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy,
Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath and AC/DC. Extremely talented and committed to
their music, Grinder are a musical force to be reckoned with.
The competition has been organised as part of the 'Whiplash' Sligo Metalfest
which runs over the upcoming Bank Holiday Weekend from Friday July 29th
until Sunday July 31st. Among the bands taking to the stage in Sligo over
that weekend will be such Irish heavy metal giants such as Erin Maiden,
Steel Tormentor, Eyes Closed, Dawn and the mighty Metallitia, who are sure
to bring the festival to a rousing close on the Sunday night, to name just a
few.
Battle of the Bands will commence at 2pm on Sunday July 31st at the Leitrim
Bar, Sligo and will be followed directly afterwards with an early evening
gig by Dublin band 'Chosen' who are making their Sligo debut. Entry to the
BOTB competition and the following gig are open to all ages and is FREE. The
winners of the competition will win a number of days recording in a
professional recording studio as well as numerous media interviews which
will help to enhance their profile.
The following is the full listing of events for the 'Whiplash' Metalfest in
order of appearance.
Friday July 29th
Ground of Ruin (Kilkenny)
Steel Tormentor (Ballina)
Eyes Closed (Dublin)
Leitrim Bar, The Mall, Sligo 8pm C/C ?7
Saturday July 30th
Seamie O Dowd & Band
5-7pm Hennigans Bar, Sligo - No C/C
The Nexus (Belfast)
Dawn (Coleraine)
Erin Maiden (Drogheda)
Leitrim Bar, The Mall, Sligo 8pm C/C ?7
Sunday July 31st
2-4pm Battle of the Bands Competition - No C/C
Followed by @ 4.30pm Chosen (Dublin) No C/C
Leitrim Bar, The Mall, Sligo
Speedking (Castleblayney)
Metallitia (Drogheda)
Leitrim Bar, The Mall, Sligo 8pm C/C ?7
