Alestorm/Gloryhammer: The Belasco - Los Angeles, CA - 10/4/25
Ahoy there, Matey’s! The pirate metal band from Scotland known as Alestorm announced their USA tour which would have them sailing across the USA. Joining them on tour are British power metal band Gloryhammer and Glyph. Alestorm are continuing to tour in support of their eighth album The Thunderfist Chronicles which was released on June 20, 2025. This weekend was full of metal shows and fans still showed up to pack The Belasco in Los Angeles for a fun-filled night of metal.
The venue was packed almost to capacity by the time that Gloryhammer was ready to take the stage. Lots of fans with various merch could be seen throughout the venue which included shirts, inflatable swords, inflatable shields and inflatable hammers. The lights went out and the venue cheered with excitement as the band members made their way to the stage. When bassist James Cartwright (The Hootsman) came on stage, he was greeted by fans chanting, “Hoots! Hoots! Hoots!” The first song performed was “The Land of Unicorns.” Their fast-paced power metal music began and, naturally, fans began to mosh. The second song performed was “He Has Returned” followed by the fan favorite “Fly Away,” which had the crowd singing along. During the performance of Wasteland Warriors Hoots Patrol,” a goblin came out to do battle with Angus McFife, but was slain after a few hits from the Hammer of Glory. There was nothing but positive energy throughout the whole performance. The band members would talk to the audience in character of whoever they were portraying, almost like a play. More glorious songs were performed which included “Gloryhammer” “Universe on Fire” and “Hootsforce.” During “Hootsforce,” the crowd went even wilder in the mosh pit and the fans were singing along to the catchy chorus of the song. Easily one of the best songs performed that night. The final song of their set was “The Unicorn Invasion of Dundee.” Every song performed was flawless and they sound just as good live as they do on their albums. Gloryhammer thanked their audience, then left the stage even though the audience clearly wanted more. If Gloryhammer ever come to your area, be sure to check them out as you will not be disappointed, and they will make a fan out of you.
Plenty of Alestorm fans were scene in the audience as they were sporting merch or even dressed as pirates. Alestorm came out and started their show with “Keelhauled,” one of their best and most popular songs. The fans wasted no time in moshing once again and crowd surfers wasted no time in showing up as well. One of the first things you’ll notice is that on stage Alestorm put up a giant inflatable duck. Has any band you’ve seen live put up a giant duck on stage? I didn’t think so! The party continued as Alestorm played “Killed to Death by Piracy” and “The Sunk’n Norwegian.” One thing that’s mandatory at an Alestorm show is to get your drink on. Alestorm’s songs are super fun and easy to sing along to, so it’s no surprise to hear fans singing along to all the songs. Some of those songs that fans loved singing along to included “Hangover,” “Mexico,” and “P.A.R.T.Y.” One of the more fun segments of the show was when they played “Nancy the Tavern Wench” and Bowes asked the fans on the floor to get on the ground and row as if they were rowing a boat. It was quite the sight to see so many fans rowing. The last song of the night was “Shit Boat (No Fans)” and it’s one of the most fun songs to sing along to, especially when they chorus is, “Your pirate ship can eat a bag of dicks! Your pirate can eat a giant bag of dicks!” and, naturally, the fans were singing at the top of their lungs. The song ended, Alestorm left the stage, and all seemed quiet. After a few minutes, Alestorm came back out for some encores. Bowes told the audience that Alestorm was here to do one thing and one thing only. That thing was drinking the fans’ beer. The first encore was simply titled “Drink.” Simple, yet effective in getting the fans to both drink more alcohol and to sing along to the catchy chorus. To end the show, Alestorm played another one of their most popular songs and fun to song along to. The last song was “Fucked with an Anchor.” Bowes told the audience that this last song was how he felt about every single person in the audience. He started singing the song and raised his middle fingers to the audience. The audience responded by raising their middle fingers back to him. This was the last song, so the fans went all out. Between singing along, moshing and crowd surfers, it was a glorious sight. The song ended and Alestorm gave a surprise ending by playing “Rumpelkombo,” which is the shortest song in their catalog at only 7 seconds, and the only lyric is the song title. A Saturday night was perfect for this pirate metal drinking crew. So, if any of you Scallywags see Alestorm coming to your area, be sure to get your tickets before it sells out and be cast into Davey Jones’ locker. Get drunk or die!
