As families scoured the churchyard hunting for bugs, birds and blooms, the peaceful scene was shaken up by the arrival of Once Awake — a hard-edged death metal band from Norway.
The rockers, known for their thunderous riffs and bone-crunching beats, dropped in completely unannounced and asked for a personal tour of the 12th-century church itself — much to the surprise of organisers.
Despite death metal’s notoriously fraught relationship with religion, the band were on their best behaviour as they admired the ancient architecture, learned about the church’s iconic bells (recently restored thanks to a £76,450 National Lottery Heritage Fund grant), and explored the site’s 800 years of history.
Project manager Richard Godley admitted it was one of the more surreal moments of the day.
“They came out of nowhere — we thought they were lost at first! But they were incredibly polite, really fascinated by the church, and keen to hear about the bell restoration and local heritage. You couldn’t have written it — one minute we’re logging ladybirds, the next we’ve got a death metal band wandering round asking thoughtful questions about medieval stonework.”
The band were later spotted posing for photos outside the church before heading off to their next gig, leaving organisers and visitors slightly bemused but thoroughly entertained.
The rest of the BioBlitz event went ahead without a hitch, attracting scores of volunteers and nature lovers keen to record the wildlife thriving in St. Giles’ churchyard — from early bird walks and moth trap reveals to bug hunts and plant surveys.
Richard Godley added: “The visit of Once Awake may not have been on the schedule, but it certainly gave the day a very unexpected heavy metal twist.”
The BioBlitz event was part of a wider two-year project funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund which has already successfully restored the building’s iconic bells and is researching the 800-year history of the church.