Israeli heavy metal band Arallu performed twice in Norway in the summer of 2022. The first performance was at the Garage Festival (Garasjefestivalen) near Gjøvik, two hours north of Oslo, while the second was at the Rock In bar, an underground metal pub in downtown Oslo.
Arallu’s performance at the Garage Festival was the first of its kind by an Israeli heavy metal band in Norway. The band played for more than an hour to fans under a bright summer sun, beginning its performance at 8:30 in the evening. Despite performing a niche genre of music in an isolated location, Arallu managed to capture the attention of most festivalgoers who had the option of listening to other bands performing simultaneously.
In all, Arallu’s audience was about 500. People came from as far away as Tromsø (1600 km away and 350 km north of the Arctic Circle) and Kristiansand in the south. The average age was between 35-45 and was evenly divided between men and women. Reactions from the audience indicated their great approval of Arallu’s music, as attendees took numerous selfies with band members in addition to several interviews with Norwegian media.
Arallu’s second performance at the Rock In was another major success. Although it took place on a Sunday, they managed to fill the floor with longhaired blond headbangers. Their set lasted 90 minutes, and the crowd became increasingly excited with each new song. Like the previous concert, Arallu performed a few lyrics in Hebrew and proudly introduced themselves as being from Jerusalem, Israel. No one seemed to mind. They came for loud, high-quality live music, which is exactly what they got.