It had been almost a year since I last saw Slay Duggee play their “Christmas Slaycation” gig, which was such a fun day that I absolutely had to go and see them the next time they played in London.
This was my first time at Blondies Brewery in Leyton, and it is a great space. As you come in there is a little cafe / bar area on the right that is decorated in a very rock’n’roll way with gig posters etc on the wall, and then there is a seating area outside on the left, before you move into the main gig space and brewery. I hazard a guess that this is the first time the gig space has had a bouncy castle and face-painting set up inside it, but with the halloween decorations still up, and a band of dogs (and a bear) about to play metal to some kids, it all seemed to make sense.
Doors opened at 11am (we love a matinee show) and the venue started filling up really fast, with kids enjoying the bouncy castle and getting their face painted (metal designs only, of course), while a DJ played rock and metal classics. What a lovely time indeed! Around 2pm it was time for the main event – Slay Duggee, who walked onto stage waving large flags and full of energy.
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If you are unfamiliar, Slay Duggee are a band of dogs and a bear who give young children their first experience of live heavy metal. The songs are short, but there are a lot of them – some featuring well-known characters such as “Spongebob”, “Bluey” and “Sarah And Duck”, and some of their own creation, including “Stick”, and “I Am A Shape” (which explains what a circle pit is, and then experiments with what a triangle pit or square pit might also look like).
As is traditional for a Slay Duggee show, there were plenty of inflatables, including a couple of quite large killer whales who ended up getting caught in the chandeliers (not sure if they were halloween decor or a permanent fixture), and everything was high-energy and up-beat from start to finish. Towards the end of their set they played probably two of their most well-known songs; “Stick” and “Baby Shark”, for the latter of which they were joined on stage by some friendly dancing sharks, of course.
After explaining the concept of an encore, it was time to say “Goodbye Goodbye”, but what a wholesome afternoon. I watched parents beaming at the sight of their little ones raising their horns and running around in a circle pit for the first time, and children excitedly wanted their photos taken with the band after the show. There was also some incredible fancy dress from the little ones, including one child that was dressed in a ghost costume that just looked awesome. I am not a parent, but this must be such a great opportunity to introduce metal to children in a safe and fun environment of other parents doing the exact same thing. Slay Duggee really are the goodest boys in metal.
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All photos by Katie Frost Photography
