A UK metal band have become the world’s first band to perform a gig on an iceberg.
London Metal quartet The Defiled staged their latest gig on a floating iceberg in the Greenland close to the small town of Kulusuk.
Locals from the town watched the 30-minute set from fishing boats and leisure crafts after helping the band ferry their equipment across the water and on to the iceberg.
In order to capture the gig and the breath-taking surroundings, the expedition team used remote controlled state-of-the-art ‘octocopter flying drone cameras’ to hover above and alongside the iceberg.
Before the performance the band spent time getting to meet local musicians and watched them perform their own traditional music.
Front man of the band, Stitch D, said: “This has to be one of the most insane gigs we’ve ever played! You see these things on TV documentaries but it’s not until you get to see them in real life that you realise just how big and amazing icebergs are.
“Although it was cold, I don’t think any of us noticed once we got started as the stage location literally takes your breath away.”
After hearing that the Kulusuk village community hall had burnt down in a fierce winter storm, the band decided to donate their equipment to the locals as a thank you.
Stitch D, said: “We’ve made a lot of friends during our short stay here and donated some music equipment to the local people, so we look forward to coming back one day and playing a joint gig out here next time – maybe the first ever gig with two bands playing on two icebergs at the same time!”
The gig was part of the German drinks company, Jägermusic’s Ice Cold Gig Challenge where bands and artists perform in various freezing conditions.
Tom Carson, Jägermeister music manager, added, “As far as stage backdrops go, I don’t think you’ll find anything more impressive than this.
“We’re used to staging events at music venues and summer festivals, so it made for an interesting change to be checking ‘berg suitability’ as part of the pre event checks as opposed to the typical band riders and sound systems.
“We’ve worked with The Defiled for a number of years now as part of our Jägermusic programme and we’re extremely grateful to them for accepting the Jägermeister Ice Cold Gig challenge and staging one of the most unique sets we’ve witnessed – we hope the locals of Kulusuk enjoyed it as much as we did.”
By Tony Connelly
