Springs in the air and I was just thinking about Summer..

As I was a a couple of *Single Hard Metallers just walked past the Rosebowl about 10 minutes ago. I say 'Single' Hard Metallers because of the footwear and a few other things. I'll explain later on.I think they were off somewhere to slaughter a lamb or something. Fair play to them like, it's pretty warm today and they haven't broken their style at all. You have to respect that at least a little.

The lad was about 6ft 9..Well actually he was probably about 5ft 9 but he had a pair of them Rok boot monstrosities on. You know the ones that only metallers that go in Games workshop wear. Metallers who's interests include heavy metal music and death but also collect comics and say they are really virgins because it's part of their religion as metal druids or something......They didn't exist when I was a double hard metaller back in the day. We wore Para boots. German ones...

Anyway, back on track. The massively tall one had one of those ankle length leather jackets that are only available in shops with names like 'Sanctum' or 'Hells Cauldron'...

(Alternatively to be fair you can get them in them leather jacket shops you get in markets, or in corners of shopping centres, and you never ever see anyone go in and out of them. You know, the ones called 'Cotswold leather' or ' Leather World' and the coats are like 400 quid, and there's always one of them 'Red Bull' motorcycle jackets on display in the window that you literally only ever see two types of people wear:

1. People with superbikes CBR's Kawasakis etc...

2. Young indian badass lad that wears aviator sunglasses at night and have their hair shaved very short at the sides, sometimes with a line of hair just above the hairline at the back and over the ears left slightly longer to make a neat border of hair.. It's definitely a look....)

The girl was wearing what can only be described as a straight jacket. It even had the sleeves, but the tie bits were hanging down at the sides. Very strange... Then the usual ripped tights and a pair of weird small biker boots...This must be the Metaller summer-wear catologue making it's entrance on the streets of Leeds!

*Double hard metaller: Someone that truly has the full metal image. Often old skool, they've been wearing this stuff since their early teenage years. Often have metaller parents and know things like 'petiole oil keeps your leather jackets soft' etc..They are usually sound as fuck, but at concerts for some reason have this facade that they are fighting at a riot...

DHM music of taste: Usually a DHM has a good grasp of the old classics of rock regardless of age they like Megadeth, Metallica, Slayer, etc..Most often heavier stuff as well, and they tend to love newer but still DHM acceptable bands like Lamb of God, or bands usually with something like 'Necro' in the name. Double hard metallers will usually have just an active love life and social life as normal people as to be fair being a proper rocker has it's benefits, it's always been looked upon as being quite cool so there's always blokes that fancy DHM girls and vice versa.

DHM music: Megadeth, Metallica, Sabbath, bands with Necro in the name, Lamb of God.

Hobbies: Playing in their band, going to the Fenton, sometimes the Angel, or in Wolves the Giffard.

Favorite tipple: Jack Daniels (or better) Newcastle Brown., going to gigs chatting to their mates and getting very drunk.

* Single Hard metaller - Often confused with double hard metallers to the untrained eye but a single metaller is different. Usually far more tragic. They really overtry the fashion thing and miss the point of what they are trying to achieve. They'll usually work in jobs like IT or at Games workshop and in their pursuit of being cool totally miss the target by about 100 miles and look like utter twonks.

SHM music: Limp Bizkit, Papa Roach, Bullet for my Valentine, any band with whiney emo vocals then a vain attempt to do grind vocals badly.

Hobbies: World of Warcraft, comics, games workshop, sitting around in bedrooms even at the age of 35 talking about horror films.

Favorite tipple: lager. They're not very imaginative.