A heavy metal rock band is preparing for the gig of a lifetime this evening in York, which sold out in under 10 minutes.
Electro-symphonic-metal powerhouse Plague of Angels will take to the stage inside one of the city’s most iconic landmarks, York Minster.
The show, Organic Metal: Two Worlds Collide, will see the band perform in front of a crowd of 1,400, joined by renowned pipe-organist David Pipe, former assistant director of music at the cathedral.
As the first event of its kind for the cathedral, it’s sure to be an evening that will go down in history.
Known for their epic arrangements, infectious choruses, and dramatic compositions, the band’s guitarist Mark Mynett told YorkMix how thrilled they are to perform within such awe-inspiring surroundings.
“Our vocalist is from Bordeaux, when he walked into the Minster he was absolutely in awe. I think that will be the case for the people coming tomorrow night too, the first thing is a sense of awe at York Minster.”
David Pipe will open the evening leading with a unique organ recital, featuring rock classics from Black Sabbath and Deep Purple.
Plague of Angels will then take over with a powerful one-hour set, their performance enhanced by the power of York Minster’s magnificent Grand Organ.
While David’s musical preferences lean more towards rock-pop, such as his all-time favourites – Queen, the collaboration with the band has opened his eyes to a new genre of music.
“ I think it’s made me realise it’s another branch of music I enjoy. It’s similar to books in the fact that there are too many books to read, and there’s too much music to listen to.
“You never really feel you’ve got on top of it, but it’s lovely I’ve now got a door open into that and can enjoy it. It’s exciting.”
David spent eight years as the assistant director of music at York Minster (2008-2016) and occasionally returns to perform with York Musical Society, his choral group.
His partnership with the heavy metal band began when Mark, who also works as a lecturer at the University of Huddersfield, requested a musical sample for his students.
The pair’s musical curiosity sparked a series of meetings, and David informed Mark about his desire to perform in a more unique way.
Following various “cups of coffees and conversations,” David and the band performed together at the Huddersfield Town Hall in June last year.
The show caught the media’s attention, landing them a performance on the BBC’s The One Show.
Following the frenzy, David jokingly suggested to York Minster staff about performing at the cathedral, to which they replied, “That would be quite cool.”
“It’s an absolute honour”
Mark describes the upcoming performance as an overwhelming privilege for the band, “It’s awe-inspiring, it’s actually quite overwhelming.”
Plague of Angels will be the first ever metal band to perform inside a Grade-I listed cathedral, as a world first.
“It’s such an exciting event. It’s been wonderful to see how everybody at York Minster has supported the event.”
However, not everyone initially welcomed the idea,
Earlier this year, an unnamed person caused a brief media storm against the event, after claiming it was “an outright insult to the faith it represents”.
The critic, who quoted themselves as a “member of the York Minster congregation” drew attention to the fact that two members of the band had previously performed with the group Cradle of Filth.
This particular band sold T-shirts featuring a topless nun performing a sex act and profanity about Jesus.
Plague Of Angels have since said that the two members only played as session musicians and they “deeply regret their involvement with Cradle of Filth”.
Speaking on the controversy, Mark told YorkMix, “The criticism was based on ignorance, because they don’t know what the event involves.
“It was a very tenuous link that had nothing to do with the band. And instead of focusing on the positives, which is an event that is about unity rather than division, they missed the entire point.”
Bringing together an audience ranging in ages from 8 to 88 is what Mark values most.
David agreed, “ I think we’re just hoping for a real cross section. We’ll bring in metal fans in their black t-shirts who probably would never go to an organ concert, as well as organ concert goers who would never go to a metal gig. It’ll be such a nice mixture.
“People wouldn’t necessarily come to a church or a cathedral for a concert because they might think it’s going to be dull, but this certainly won’t be dull.”
The duo hopes the audience leave feeling uplifted, and that this show paves the way for more unconventional performances in the future.
Mark concluded, “I think any of the concerns or negative connotations will just melt away, because there isn’t anything in our performance tonight that is not in line with the mission of the church.”