Band aiming high after reaching Scottish final of festival competition

Trowsholm, from left to right: Callum Anderson, Tom Smith, Aidan Peterson, Arthur Poleson.

Trowsholm, from left to right: Callum Anderson, Tom Smith, Aidan Peterson, Arthur Poleson.

A LOCAL band are in the running to win a spot at one of the UK’s biggest metal music festivals after reaching the Scottish finals of a nationwide competition.

Trowsholm have navigated through two rounds so far and will now play at a Scottish final in Edinburgh on 26 April.

The act who impresses the most will land a slot at the Bloodstock festival in Derbyshire, alongside other regional ‘Metal to the Masses’ contest winners across the rest of the UK.

Guitarist and vocalist Callum Anderson said the competition has been a “amazing experience” so far.

Unusually for a local act, Trowsholm – who perform their own brand of what is called folk metal – tend to play more down south than in Shetland.

Their music is fairly unique to Shetland – as is some of the stage show, including keyboard player Arthur Poleson donning a wizard outfit.

Trowsholm released their self-titled debut album in 2023 and are set to follow it up with another this year.

Sensing a bigger market on the mainland, the four-piece – completed by drummer Aidan Peterson and bassist Tom Smith – have played gigs across Scotland over the last couple of years as well as in England, including London, and have begun to build up a following.

The band reckon that last year they probably played ten times more down south than in Shetland.

Getting to perform at the Bloodstock festival, though, would be a jewel in the crown – it is the UK’s largest independent metal festival, with a capacity of around 20,000, and this year will be headlined by big hitters such as Gojira, Machine Head and Trivium.

Trowsholm’s first foray into the Metal to the Masses competition – which offers emerging bands a chance to play at the festival – came with a gig in Fraserburgh in February.

After getting through to the next round they then played another gig in Aberdeen at the end of March.

Although Trowsholm did not win the night they were selected by organisers for the ‘golden ticket’ slot at Edinburgh’s Scottish final.

“We are really chuffed to have made it through to the final of this competition,” Anderson said.

“When we first set out and played the first leg in Balaclava Bar, Fraserburgh we never thought we would make it this far.

“After being runners up in the Krakatoa, Aberdeen semi-final we were grateful to make it that far – we had great fun and met loads of new folk, all of whom had been very supportive of us, along with all our friends in Shetland who have been rooting for us.

“To then receive the news that we had scored so high we had a place in the final was a very unexpected but nice surprise.”

He said the band are now “locked in” for preparations for the final in Edinburgh later this month.

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