Are Irish metalheads wankers?

[RICK-MCQUICK]

I love metal, but hate 99% of metalheads in Ireland. Apart from a pretty tight circle of friends in the scene, I would usually socialise with childhood mates as I just can't be fucking arsed putting up with these saps. I have also recently taken to going to most of the bigger touring gigs abroad as between pint prices, taxi prices and these fucking arseholes, I'm just not enjoying myself.

It appears to me that your average metal fan is nothing short of a braindead luddite and I see this at most every gig in Ireland. Not only by the carry-on of them, but also the absolute backwards shite that they come out with.

Off the top of my head, some examples:

• "Fuck off you queer. Little faggot". Directed at my gay friend.
• "That fuckin' n*gger is the jacks". Directed at the guy cleaning your grease filled piss.
• The absolute head the ball that brought the dead bird to Mayhem last year.
• Telling a man in a suit that he shouldn't be at a Slayer gig and wasn't welcome.
• Some middle aged, fat baldy ape grabbed my girlfriend's tits at the YOB gig in Whelans a few years back. When confronted by my bawling girlfriend and furious self, his reply? "It was only a joke for fuck sake, calm down", to which his friends seemed to agree and looked bewildered that I was ready to burst the cunt.
• A chap trying to choke people at the Deafheaven gig in Whelans

So what do you think? Am I cranky old bastard or do you lot have any similar experiences to share?

[Eoin McLove]

All of that is embarrassing bullshit apart from strangling Deafheaven fans,  which seems reasonable to me 

I seldom go to gigs these days but when I do it's usually small underground ones where I know half the heads at the gig anyway.  They tend to be aggressive-wanker free affairs.  The experiences you describe above make me think of mullers up from the bog for a big day out who think that being an ape is TERTERLLLY MERTERRRRLLLLL!

[Nail_Bombed]

Yeah, I'd say it's the larger gigs that bring out the gobshites. Have never noticed anything like that in the venues round Cork. Could be wrong, mind - there's always one or two eejits.

[Carnage]

What put me off going to gigs in Dublin for the best part of two decades was the constant attempts at 'out-metaling' each other (oldest/most obscure record/T-shirt etc.) and inability to exist outside the house without being pissed as farts, messily so. When I was in Galway there was none of that that I saw, and the smaller gigs were always enjoyable, whether I was into the bands or styles on the night or not.

I've moved away from Galway too, so I rarely bother with gigs at all anymore these days, but I didn't see much of that at the last few I've been to. What I find more annoying is cunts with oversized bags on their backs at packed gigs, knocking people and/or drinks about and just getting in the way.

[Nail_Bombed]

What I find more annoying is cunts with oversized bags on their backs at packed gigs, knocking people and/or drinks about and just getting in the way.

Yep, the whole walking about with a massive fucking shoulderbag or the like in a bar area is just 'Is your brain even working?'. At least have the decency to take it off your shoulders, and carry it at kneeheight if you're lugging stuff around. Or, if there is one, fuck it into the cloakroom.

[Juggz]

I've gone to a good few gigs abroad over the last few years and have enjoyed them far more than Dublin gigs. You don't get covered in some other spa's beer as they try to carry three or more pints through the pit, they leave space around each other and there are no topless sweaty fat cunts rubbing their bio-scum all over you.

[Eoin McLove]

What put me off going to gigs in Dublin for the best part of two decades was the constant attempts at 'out-metaling' each other (oldest/most obscure record/T-shirt etc.)

Nothing wrong with wearing obscure band t-shirts,  unless you don't actually listen to the band. I never realised there was a competition going on with people trying to out-metal each other.  How did that manifest itself?

[Carnage]

You could see it with regulars, coming in with more and more 'kvlt' stuff, and hear it in conversation, trying to outdo each other with whichbgem they bought or played recently, 'I had A years ago, moved on from it to B', just general oneupmanship. Pathetic, really. It's the main reason I gravitated more to punk gigs, in general nobody gave a shit.

[Ducky]

Most metalheads seem to be spas for sure. I certainly don't (nor ever did) identify as one - I consider myself to be a big fan of music, a lot of which happens to be metal. Also, I'm hitting my late-30s, the whole neo-tribalism of the Metal Bros. was already pretty fucking tiring by my early-20s.

When you have a lad telling you you're a "fake metaller" because you happen to think Machine Head are shite, and another one telling you effectively the same because you think Darkthrone are overrated and citing Death as your favourite band makes you a "commercial fanboy", all you can do is shrug your shoulders and get back to your Chic and Kool and the Gang records.

Edit - I do think it's more indicative of people in general being plonkers. Metal has a sizeable following, ergo you'll find a sizeable number of dipshits.

[blessed1]

I wouldn't usually go to gigs at all. I'll only go if I'm a big fan of the band playing.
My brother bought me tickets for a gig for Xmas though so I went to that but I was driving so I was sober. Jesus the amount of shit talk I overheard at it was unreal.
I seen on Facebook that metalheads Ireland group are putting on some kind of gig in some dump.
Cant even imagine the amount of spas that will be at that.
None of my friends are into metal which I'm actually grateful for tbh.

[Pentagrimes]

You could see it with regulars, coming in with more and more 'kvlt' stuff, and hear it in conversation, trying to outdo each other with whichbgem they bought or played recently, 'I had A years ago, moved on from it to B', just general oneupmanship. Pathetic, really. It's the main reason I gravitated more to punk gigs, in general nobody gave a shit.

Wow,my experience of punk was clearly very different to yours so.

[Trev]

Not sure if it's just metalheads, but no matter what type of gig I go to there's always a fair few pricks acting the bollocks. Seems like there's a percentage that just go to them for some sort of night out to get completely shitfaced and have no interest in the bands

[Born of Fire]

So should we just go ahead and change the name of the site to Metal Wankfare then 

I've no doubt that metal does attract a number of socially inept folk but there's just as many people in Ireland who'd have zero interest in metal and are also complete spastics that you'd want nothing to do with.  Point being that there's terrible wankers in all walks of life but you take far more notice of the ones who dabble in your interests.

[The Butcher]

there's just as many people in Ireland who'd have zero interest in metal and are also complete spastics that you'd want nothing to do with.  Point being that there's terrible wankers in all walks of life but you take far more notice of the ones who dabble in your interests.

Yeah asshats are everywhere. The more popular the gig, the more likely they will be there, hats and all. I get that sense on a normal night out in Dublin, let alone a gig.

[StoutAndAle]

Most metalheads seem to be spas for sure. I certainly don't (nor ever did) identify as one - I consider myself to be a big fan of music, a lot of which happens to be metal. Also, I'm hitting my late-30s, the whole neo-tribalism of the Metal Bros. was already pretty fucking tiring by my early-20s.

When you have a lad telling you you're a "fake metaller" because you happen to think Machine Head are shite, and another one telling you effectively the same because you think Darkthrone are overrated and citing Death as your favourite band makes you a "commercial fanboy", all you can do is shrug your shoulders and get back to your Chic and Kool and the Gang records.

Edit - I do think it's more indicative of people in general being plonkers. Metal has a sizeable following, ergo you'll find a sizeable number of dipshits.

Pretty much what I was going to say. I listen to a lot of music, much of which is on the heavier end.

It's not just metalheads. Irish gig goers in general are wankers.

In a weird dichotomy; I'm not a true/real metaller to "kvlt metalheads" because I don't wear the gear or know enough in conversations regarding the minutiae of the genre. However to everyone I work with and all my wife's friends - I am the most metal motherfucker they've ever met.