Rock in a Hard Place: Music and Mayhem in the Middle East

A muggy night in Abu Dhabi, 2011. Under the stadium lights a 30,000-strong sea of Libyans, Palestinians, Syrians and Egyptians wait in anticipation. Alongside them are Saudis, Iranians and Israelis. Defiance and excitement course through the crowd like electricity. Standing together, they are waiting for Metallica’s first ever show in the Middle East. Many have faced untold violence, but for tonight, nothing else matters… This is the untold story of that crowd. Of the young men and women and the music they make in the backrooms of shabby houses in al-Zarqa and al-Qatif, Nazareth and Cairo. Of illegal shows in Tehran and Riyadh. Of songs that ousted a dictator in Cairo. Of exiles that have ended in glory, in isolation, and in blood. Journalist and lifelong heavy metal fan, Orlando Crowcroft, spent six years penetrating the rock and metal scene in the Middle East. Rock in a Hard Place is a different voice, one that is at odds with the Middle East of violence, extremism, war and ISIS: a voice recognizable to anyone who has ever turned up a speaker or an amp to drown out the din of the everyday, and a voice that may help unite us when we need it most.

Table of Contents:
Preface Introduction 1. Saudi Arabia 2. Egypt 3. Iran 4. Israel and Palestine 5. Lebanon Epilogue

About the Author :
Orlando Crowcroft is a journalist and life-long heavy metal fan and has interviewed bands throughout the Middle East for Rolling Stone, Atlantic and Esquire. He is the co-author of the Lonely Planet Guide to Israel and the Palestinian Territories (2015) and has reported from a dozen countries including Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. In 2014, he reported from Israel, the West Bank and Gaza for The Guardian and The National. Orlando Crowcroft is a journalist and life-long heavy metal fan and has interviewed bands throughout the Middle East for Rolling Stone, Atlantic and Esquire. He is the co-author of the Lonely Planet Guide to Israel and the Palestinian Territories (2015) and has reported from a dozen countries including Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. In 2014, he reported from Israel, the West Bank and Gaza for The Guardian and The National.

Review :
a sober chronicling of music in some of the most conservative countries on the planet … Among such somber subject matter, there are also moments of triumph. An engaging new book on the heavy metal music scene in the Middle East … Crowcroft's book crackles with significance. Crowcroft’s book is a detailed narrative of how the metal scene evolved in the 1990s. With extensive interviews Crowcroft narrates the difficult birth pangs of the metal scene in the Middle East. Riveting … Crowcroft weaves a skilful narrative, drawing on the history of metal’s evolutions and controversies to give a wider sense of the world, illustrating just how many regimes and societies are still actively hostile to metal and its fans. Rock in a Hard Place takes readers beyond perceptions of the Middle East as an essentially violent and factional entity, instead showing the complex humanity that is shared between people in the region and the world.' Crowcroft’s book is a fine contribution to a growing literature on popular culture in the Middle East, providing a valuable, seldom-given glimpse into atheist, antiauthoritarian and anti-religious counter culture. Rock in A Hard Place is a must read for any musician. Especially those involved in the underground. An inspiring report on the power of music to unite human beings in the face of adversity. A fascinating insight into the impossibility of repressing everyone no matter how fanatic you may be. It is surprising that more heavy metal rockers do not get stoned to death. Crowcroft’s book is a revelation into the torture, oppression and imprisonment metalheads stand up to, just so they can be metal in the Middle East. This book is a must read! Black metal, Islam, war zones - and a great shock of humanity. Orlando Crowcroft goes where no other writer has even thought of going before and brings back an improbably remarkable story. Going to jail for liking a band like us, that's taking chances… It's shocking to hear that someone had to suffer and risk his life for nothing but a love of music and a passion for freedom of speech.