Rock in a hard place

the long version

"A warm night in Abu Dhabi, back in 2011. Under the stadium lights a 30,000-strong crowd wait for Metallica's first ever show in the Middle East. Many have faced untold violence, but for tonight, nothing else matters. This is the story of that crowd. Of the people and the music they make in the backrooms of shabby houses in Beirut and Qatif, Damascus and Cairo. Of illegal shows in Tehran and Riyadh. Of songs that ousted a dictator in Egypt. Of exiles that have ended in glory and in blood. Journalist and heavy metal fan Orlando Crowcroft spent six years in the midst of the rock, hip hop and metal scenes of the Middle East. Rock in a Hard Place is a different voice, one that is at odds with the Middle East of extremism, war and ISIS. It is a voice recognisable to anyone who has ever turned up an amp to drown out the din of the everyday, a voice that may help unite us when we need it most."