Building the metal underground

At 23 by the standards of the UAE metal scene the Jordanian musician and webdesigner Joe Akkawi says he is now "like a pickle about to expire".

But the hoary veteran is encouraged by his music's recent growth.

On the surface, Dubai would seem about as hospitable to heavy rock as it is to penguins. Until recently, fans had to swap downloaded tunes as the original albums were unavailable.

Yet, largely beyond the radar of mainstream event organisers, an army of metalheads is gathering.

"When we played seven years ago it was to crowds of only 30 or 40 people, but in 2003 the scene picked up. Shows are getting bigger and bigger," he says.

Some credit for this may be due to Akkawi's website phride.com. It has been a point of contact for musicians and fans since March 2003.

But the annual Desert Rock festival provided a further boost. CSM, the agency behind it also found a place on the lineup for local acts.

"There is an amazingly eager young fanbase. The day after Desert Rock they were already talking about who might be playing next year," Joe says.

Today, all nationalities rub shoulders in the mosh pit. In fact, metal has a passionate Arab following across the Middle East.

"One of the biggest Dubai bands is Nervecell, which has no Westerners in it," says Joe.

An oldster like me might expect this multicultural community to be united by an existential angst that finds relief in squealing guitar and artillery-barrage drums. However, this idea is swiftly laughed away.

"It's a load of rubbish about frustration," says Greg. "There is no anger to express. It's just a type of music, requiring imagination to write and skill to play."

Local acts embrace a surprising range of approaches. "Anyone who listens to rap - if you ask them what their favourite song is, they will say the last tune they heard on the radio," says Greg. "With metal, there is a huge sea of styles."

A sample of the fiendishly complex taxonomy of modern metal will be on show tonight at the Al Nasr Leisureland. Five UAE bands will be representing their individual brand of high-volume rock.

"The first act Ruptured is straight heavy metal. Then there's Sandwash, who are punk, and then Mannikind. My band, Equinox, is really heavy. The last band Death of Eighty are emo, which is kind of emotional punk," says Greg, who is organising the event.

Sadly, the lengthy roster also reflects the eternal problems of Dubai metallers. "There are a lot of gigs with 13 or 14 bands on the roster," says Greg. "I make a point of keeping it down to a minimum. It has been ridiculous in the past."

The temptation to fit so many acts into each event is because opportunities to perform are rare.

Indeed, the expense and complication of arranging music licences is a heavy anchor for such a youthful community to drag.

The other threat to the scene's survival is the annual blood-letting when performers leave the UAE to study abroad.

"I organised this gig for Christmas so we could re-form bands. With my band I am the only one still based here," says Greg.

Yet, while Dubai is set to lose another swathe of talent in September, reinforcements are expected from an unexpected quarter.

"The community in Abu Dhabi is growing a lot. Some of the best new bands are now coming from there," says Joe.