Two nights ago, we had the opportunity of attending a local gig: Unchained Melody – by none other than Stigmata, a metal band that carved a niche in Sri Lanka in their field.
Taking the stage, Stigmata too opened with a slow rendition of Unchained Melody to fit with their theme that quickly took on the band’s unique sounds and had the audience riled up for a night of metal in no time.
From what we observed of the gig, what we really enjoyed was the sense of community everyone seemed to have. It was clear that all the metalheads were there solely for the music; not just to socialise. That itself speaks volumes of Stigmata’s performance – they truly have an unbreakable bond with their audience and both were feeding off each other’s energy.
We had a chat with some of the metalheads on how they found the gig – especially since this was the first Stigmata gig in over two years. Binoy Abeywickrama enthusiastically expressed that the gig was brilliant. “As always, Stigmata gigs are something else; they have a unique vibe and we adore it,” he added.
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Asha De Silva exclaimed that Sanjeev Niles was a superb opening act; adding that he made it look effortless. “The whole gig was well worth the money and the feeling of nostalgia it evoked. I’m looking forward to bringing back the good ol’ days of regular gigs,” she told us.
We were fortunate enough to catch lead vocalist Suresh de Silva right after the gig, and he immediately questioned us on how we found it. Upon telling him that it was our first metal gig and that we were pleasantly surprised at how good it was, he shared that this sentiment was echoed by most of the guests as well. “A good 60% of the audience were people that turned up for the first time. We saw people from the fashion industry, we saw people advertising, entrepreneurs, and many people that turned up for the first time,” he told us.
On an ending note, he told us that he had been receiving calls the whole day from attendees and event partners alike gushing about how great the gig was. He added that even for the venue, such an event was a first, and even the staff there had received the show well.
When asked what they have coming up, he revealed that this was the first of a string of gigs that they are hoping to do. “We are very excited to build a bond with our audience,” he concluded.