It’s late on a Saturday night, it’s a week since our first appearance on the main stage at Festwich, and I thought it was time to do a bit of reflecting on how the first seven months of 2022 have gone for us lot in ArrAnthrax.

We’ve had some great gigs so far in 2022. Hit Glasgow, missed Inverness, hit Bathgate, hit Lancaster, hit Prestwich… and STILL we’ve got a few more gigs lined up this year, before we look further forward to 2023. Yes folks, we’re already booking that far ahead and it won’t be long until we’re hitting 2024 as well. But plenty time before then.

I wanted to take a moment to write this week, because it still feels surreal at times to look back and what we’ve achieved as a tribute band since we started in 2018. It may technically be four years as a band together, but it feels COVID took some of that time away and we’re doing our best to make it back.

For a little bit of history, like the rest of the guys, as a heavy metal fan, I did my time over the years, playing in bands through high school, into my twenties, thirties, and beyond. I had limited success with my mates, and I had a ton of fun playing original songs, songs I wrote or had a part in writing and will always be proud of. I thought there was no rush like it. It’s a rite of passage thing that I think a lot of metalheads go through. Some of us are even good enough to take that rite of passage to levels the rest of us can only dream of… but for those of us that don’t ever hit that level, we still look to make that dream happen in other ways.

I guess, what I’m trying to say is, that I didn’t expect the rush of playing in a tribute band to reach those heights I had playing my songs, in original bands I was a part of. And yet, last Saturday afternoon, on that main stage at Festwich, playing to an audience the size I think I’ve only come close to once before, there were moments I felt I had to pinch myself.

Last weekend I came to the realisation that it doesn’t matter what kind of band you’re in, there’s something special about creating or playing music with a bunch of mates, and on top of that, people being gracious and kind enough to take the time to enjoy it with you.

I came in as an outsider to ArrAnthrax. The guys were looking for someone to complete the band, and I thought in some vainglorious way that I could do the job well enough for them. I’m lucky enough, and thankful to them all, that they thought I did a good enough job to fit the bill. Four and a half years down the line we’re not just a bunch of musicians playing for profit, we’re a bunch of, at times dysfunctional, mates who go on the road and play tunes of a band we love, while listening to cheesy 80s hair rock tunes, laughing at inappropriately funny moments or jokes, and just in general making memories and life experiences that we hope we’ll live long enough to reminisce about when we’re older.

…kinda rich a guy who’s nearly into his fifties talking about all that eh 😉

BUT ENOUGH OF THE NAVEL GAZING AND NOSTALGIA TRIPPING…

Second half of 2022, we’re hitting some new places, some old friends, and more importantly, we’re getting to see the legends themselves ANTHRAX when they come to Glasgow in September. Hell, we may even get to meet them if we’re lucky. You know, really, our dream is to get up on stage with them in September to play, but if that does happen it really will be another “pinch me” moment.

Until then, it’s a return to Edinburgh to Bannerman’s in a few weeks time where we’ll join our good mates in Live Undead for a Slayer and Anthrax double bill of THRASH. Don’t miss it if you’re in Edinburgh during the festival.

To Martin, Allan, Paul, and Greg… thank you for letting me be a part of this marvelous adventure of ours. Here’s to wherever this metal thrashing mad journey takes us.

To the rest of you, thanks for reading this far if you have… you lot rock
Scotti AKA Joey B