Once again we were under the black sails of the Scottish pirate crew known as Alestorm, and this time they were, together with Thaurorod, warming up for the Swedish war-machine Sabaton.

I know we have had our differences in the past, but still I tried to keep a fairly open mind as these Hawaiian shirted pirates boarded the stage at Amager Bio, to an intro mostly resembling that of a b-gameshow from TV (although I must admit it sounded rather amusing).
The fact that the rest of the crowd were happily looking forward to this show was not to be mistaken though; even far before the intro started sounding, the air was heavy with loud chants of the band-name, and when vocalist Christopher Bowes opened with the line; ”We’ve come to drink your beer, fuck your women and play music!” the chants were instantly replaced by loud cheers.
These cheers kept on sounding throughout the show, only to be momentarily replaced by sing-along’s and a hi hi ho!
Well, things were shouted in between songs as well, and even though I couldn’t make out what it was, Bowes apparently could, and replied with a hearty; ”And so’s yer ma!”

The setlist consisted of all the live-classics they have assembled through the two albums they have released so far, but that was not all; Alestorm also gave us a preview of their upcoming third album in the form of a song simply called Rum.
Not surprisingly, the song seemed to be a celebration of the drink in question, with a chorus running something like; ”Rum is the power, rum is the key…” The style of the song was familiar to the bands earlier material, and maybe because of this, it was quick to attract several hoisted arms and a ‘Hey’ chanting.

So far I’ve gone on about how impressed the audience was, but what about the band?
Well, I must admit that they made the most of the small stage (most of it was occupied by a large ramp which was waiting for Sabaton), and even though Bowes seemed to have some problems with his keytar at one point, the band kept the momentum going throughout the entirety of their time, and looked like they enjoyed themselves royally. Even their new drummer, Peter Alcorn, seemed to feel completely at home in this ragtag outfit.

Pirates the men of Alestorm will never be as long as they keep this style up (they certainly don’t look the part), but even for all their shortcomings in the buccaneering trade, over-exposure and too high praise by fans and media, I still must admit, against all my better judgment, that I had a good time in their company.

Setlist (incomplete):

Wenches & Mead
Heavy Metal Pirates
Rum
That Famous Ol’ Spice
Keelhauled
Captain Morgan’s Revenge
Wolves Of The Sea (Pirates Of The Sea cover)