Tucked away within the basement of an previous mall lies gleaming Singapore’s most effective heavy steel bar, the place tune enthusiasts brush shoulder-to-shoulder with global rockers who helped pioneer the style.
Few venues cater to the rustic’s tiny however colourful steel scene, whilst the federal government has concerned with luring extra mainstream headliners — maximum not too long ago Taylor Swift.
Across the nook from the looming parliament and Ideally suited Court docket constructions, “The Flying V” is a steel tune oasis within the differently manicured surroundings.
Sitting on the bar on a Tuesday evening, Deep Crimson bassist Roger Glover loved a dismal Welsh beer forward of his band’s live performance the next day to come.
“I have long past to a couple of puts love it, and this is without doubt one of the perfect,” mentioned Glover, whose band is at the back of probably the most recognised bangers of all time, “Smoke at the Water”.
Two days later, a meet-and-greet consultation used to be held for enthusiasts of mythical steel muso Marty Friedman, ex-shredder for bands Megadeth and Cacophony.
Steel tune forges a detailed neighborhood, Friedman informed AFP, whilst “enthusiasts of different genres have discovered just right issues about steel”.
“So, it isn’t simply an underground neighborhood anymore,” he mentioned, after posing for pictures and signing autographs.
“However puts like this are very cool as a result of it is the hardcore actual steel enthusiasts.”
– ‘Beer, pizza, steel’ –
The bar’s partitions are plastered with fliers, posters and heavy promotion of Iron Maiden’s “Trooper” beer.
An indication over the doorway bears the venue’s mantra: “Beer, Pizza, Steel”.
But even so metalheads in black band T-shirts, the pub additionally draws shoppers of their place of work apparel in addition to vacationers.
“What shocks me is you get all of those guys who more or less appear to be you, or they seem like me, or they seem like common place of work guys, particularly like Eastern guys and German guys,” mentioned George Kirton, who co-founded the bar.
“They nonetheless must put on their shirts and their fits for paintings. However deep down inside of, they have got nonetheless were given that heavy steel streak from once they had been youngsters,” mentioned the Briton.
Consumers take turns to cue up their favorite tracks by means of the pub’s communal iPad.
Songs blare out, starting from vintage Eighties glam steel to thrash, grindcore or math steel.
“After we come right here (to the pub), we do not really feel like we are in Singapore. We really feel like we are in Europe,” mentioned Singaporean barber Saifullah Sabri, 36.
A Dutch engineer sipping his beer on a bar-stool informed AFP the Flying V reminded him of steel bars within the Netherlands.
“When you’re in the sort of bar, you instantly really feel at house,” Daniel Hokke, 48, mentioned.
The bar is located within the historical civic district the place annual Nationwide Day parades are ceaselessly held in entrance of the previous Town Corridor construction.
However within the Nineties, throughout the worldwide punk revival, the world used to be additionally fashionable amongst native counterculture teams, together with skinheads, punks and metalheads, and used to be house to a handful of stores promoting tune products and skateboards.
Ross Knudson, who co-owns the Flying V with Kirton, additionally runs LAMC Productions, which brings in rock and steel acts to the city-state.
Rock and steel are under-represented in Singapore and a spot used to be wanted for enthusiasts to hang around, Knudson informed AFP.
“Singapore has an excessively fancy more or less mentality,” the American mentioned.
“We simply sought after to do one thing that is other.”
skc/dhw/sco
