York Minster is set to be filled with metal music as a band prepares to rock the ancient building.
A stage has been erected inside the Grade I listed cathedral’s nave ahead of the sold-out Organic Metal: Two Worlds Collide concert by Plague of Angels tonight (Friday, April 25).
“It’s awe inspiring… it’s quite overwhelming. It’s just such an incredible space, an incredible building,” said the band’s guitarist, Mark Mynett, after stepping down from the stage in front of what will be a crowd of 1,400 people.
Tonight will be the first time the Minster has hosted metal music.
Plague of Angels will be joined by a pipe organ, played by David Pipe, the former assistant director of music at the Minster.
David first got involved with the band after Mark, a senior lecturer in music technology and production at the University of Huddersfield, asked him to create a recording for the musicians to use.
Since then, David has played the organ alongside the band on stage – and the combination has gained international attention, even showcased on the One Show.
“It’s quite a difficult building to tame because it’s so large… I’m a bit apprehensive but it’s going to be fun,” he said.
Mark said the combination of the band and the organ will result in an “amazing experience”.
“Metal music is powerful. It’s incredible, it’s absolutely incredible,” he said.
Mark explained how metal fans have left the band’s previous gigs and attended an organ recital after hearing the instrument. And pipe organ fans have left the gig more interested in metal music, he added.
Lisa Power, head of events at the Minster, hopes bringing a new genre of music to the cathedral will result in more people being attracted to the landmark.
She noted that the Minster has previously hosted music, including by Damon Albarn.
“It’s going to be fun. We want to diversify our audience. We want to put on experiences in the cathedral that will bring in new audiences,” Lisa said. “I’m really excited, it’s definitely something new that we’re trying.”
The Minster is not exempt from this. The cathedral costs more than £33,000 a day to run and is “facing financial pressures connected to inflation and the increase in price of energy and the materials and equipment we use”, a Minster spokesperson told The Press earlier this week.
Mark feels events such as the metal gig will help attract new audiences to the Minster.
“So many churches are closing down. They need to have a broader remit for the future or they’re going to be turned into flats,” he said.
Controversy 'missed the point'
As The Press has reported, the gig’s announcement brought controversy when parishioners – speaking to the Guardian – said the concert was an “outright insult” to their faith after it emerged that two Plague of Angels members performed as session musicians with extreme-metal group Cradle of Filth.
Cradle of Filth sold what Rolling Stone described as “the most controversial shirt in rock history” which featured a topless nun performing a sex act, as well as a profanity about Jesus.
Mark previously condemned the t-shirt, saying it was “totally childish, totally puerile and we distance ourselves from that t-shirt completely”.
Recommended reading:
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He said neither of the band’s members wore the t-shirt and have not received any money from its sales.
The guitarist felt the controversy “missed the point” and was “based on ignorance because [those who raised concern] didn’t know what the event will involve”.
“The controversy really upset me because of the link to that t-shirt which we would distance ourselves from,” he said, adding: “It’s going to be an incredible event.”
