YOU KNOW YOU’RE at a folk metal gig when you hear “Raise your horns!” and know that it’s not a reference to a hand gesture, but rather a drinking receptacle. This is the order of Jacco Bühnebeest, one of pagan troupe HEIDEVOLK’s two singers, before the band launch into Drink Met de Goden (Walhalla).
The Dutch mythologists command the stage with ease, and their rousing set is the perfect warm-up for what’s to come.
Another tell-tale sign that you’reare definitely serious –about music, drinking and writing songs about drinking, that is. Deploying early on in the set is a bold move for a Wednesday night –although they call it ‘little Saturday’ in their homeland, something that should definitely be adopted over here. They’re instantly successful in getting everyone moving about in a sort of mosh-jig hybrid; and have a similar effect. The sight of singer Jonne
