Anna has been a festival fanatic since her first ever outing to Download Festival back in 2001, she's got eclectic tastes and covers everything from metal to EDM and loves a chance to try out new festivals. Anna has covered a few European festivals like Snowbombing and Wacken Open Air, but mainly hits up her UK faves; Download, Bestival and Bloodstock!
So here’s the thing. Festivals are continually criticised for their headline act choices, it’s always going to be the case. They’re damned for getting big name legends on repeat every few years, but also for giving newer bands the slot when they aren’t established or dramatic enough to be considered headline material. So what to do?
Well, most other festivals stick to the tried and tested, big act = big sales. But where does it end? The top drawer artist pool is rapidly drying due to either retirement or worse, death (2016 really has been a cursed year) and it just can’t go on. New blood has to flow.
This year, Rob Da Bank and co. have taken the far riskier, and frankly braver option of booking Major Lazer as their Friday night headliner. After a stellar daytime performance in 2014 they’ve been bumped into the top spot with good cause. The two year gap has seen Major Lazer release some huge anthems such as Lean On, Light It Up and Powerful (featuring Ellie Goulding), not forgetting the brand new Cold Water with Justin Bieber and All My Love with Ariana Grande. Tonight the rapidly filling arena is more than enough proof that newer bands can and will fill a top spot.
With bursts of streamers, flurries of confetti and smoke cannon blasts it’s unsurprising to see Diplo and pals take to the stage with a bang, Major Lazer are exactly the kind of high energy act that the Bestival crowd deserves. Wearing all-white outfits, flanked by dancers in sparkly black leotards, Jillionaire and Walshy Fire run around throwing tour tshirts out into the crowd to a frenzied crowd, whilst Diplo reminds us that Bestival is home turf for him – Rob booked him for the first time as a DJ back in 2004.
Despite a bit of dodgy sound (we do miss the much bigger speaker stacks of last year’s colossally huge main stage, sorry guys) it’s a great atmosphere and the Skrillex/Damien Marley collab Make It Bun Dem has the whole crowd attempting to wind. We British aren’t renowned for our sexy dancing skills but there are some serious shapes being thrown tonight, good job it’s dark.
Joined by Danish firecracker vocalist MØ, they tear it up with last year’s summer smash Lean On, and there’s something in Light It Up that just feels so… Bestival. Whenever I hear it I think of sundrenched fields of glitter-clad, neon-painted, carefree souls. Accompanied by a toasty array of on stage pyrotechnics and a considerable amount of jumping up and down, this is exactly what we came here for – wild abandon, and freedom from everything else in life.
We join in with the shirt-twirling, the dancehall steps, and duck as Diplo runs above the crowd in his giant hamster ball (okay okay, zorb…). It’s over far too soon. The only slight disappointments were the tiny acapella snippet of Cold Water, knowing that the drop is so good, and come on – for a band named Major Lazer, there were a distinct lack of actual lasers. Hopefully we’ll see Major Lazer back again soon, and kudos to Bestival for a great headline pick.
We’re delighted to announce that the Jägerhaus is destined to return to Bestival 2016. One of the most futuristic designs you’ll encounter on your festival travels, this year’s line-up is a thirst-quenching smorgasbord of advanced sonic sorcery taking in earth-quaking bass, skanking beats and mellifluous marvels.
A much anticipated live set from genre-resistant duo Maribou State tops the Jägerhaus’s Magic Meadow-based manoeuvres, plus they will have DJ sets from liquid DnB wizards Fred V & Grafix and Hacienda legend Greg Wilson, plus live reggae action from Stylo G x Jacob Plant.
Keeping you refreshed through the weekend there will be more live music from the likes of Theme Park, Boxed In, Trim, Elderbrook, Postaal, Raye, Bad Sounds, Pictish Trail, Virus Syndicate, Aldous RH, Loose Meat, NYTCLUB and 808INK.
And don’t miss DJ sets from Lemmy Ashton, M.A.X, Dirty Freud, Data 3, The Sultan presents JägerHaus Closing Party, Paolo Di Liberto, Ton Dis Up!, Simon Singleton, Deja Bruh, Pepper, JägerHaus Sunday Sessions, Top Rankin' Sound System and the Haus DJs who will be tearing it up long into the night.
The clock is ticking and The Future is very nearly here. With just over two weeks until Bestival 2016’s psychedelic adventures begin we give you even more amazing musical greats who will take you on wild, harmonic excursions and keep you reaching for the lasers long into the night at the greatest party on the planet this September on the Isle of Wight.
Rob da Bank says: “The Future is fast approaching and I’m super-excited about all the new explorers who will be joining us on our journey into the unknown. From dance music legend and big Sunday Best favourite Joe Smooth and sublime selector Jaguar Skills, to hot tips Ashworth, Kid Canaveral and Nimmo there’s a little bit of something for everyone, just the way we like it!”
Ensuring dancefloor devastation of a truly futuristic kind, we are delighted to announce that super-beat ninja Jaguar Skills will be stepping up to the ones and twos at Robin Hill for a trademark tear up that is destined to take us to a new dimension in space and time. We’ll also have performances from musical polymath Ashworth, our old muckers Bugged Out with their Little Bugger, seductive sonic types Cirque Du Soul, classic house legend Joe Smooth, wigged-out wonder Justin Robertson Scottish alt-poppers Kid Canaveral, infectious disco divas Nimmo, Chicago don Roy Davis Jr, genre-skirting trio Strong Asian Mothers and vowel-phobic punks SWMRS.
Don’t miss Manchester rave legends A Man Called Adam, Canadian folk troubadour Aidan Knight, slick pop siblings Ardyn, Strobewax co-founder Bobby O’Donnell and Oxford’s own Burt Cope. And expect to be blown away by CC Smugglers, Deaf by Disco, DJ GG, Dr Sid, Ella and the Blisters, Feeling Gloomy’s Bowie Tribute, Full Nelson, Ghettospheric, Graceland, Greg’s Greats, Ian Void, Idiot Savant, Jay-L and Jules and Lisa.
Plus, there will be even more sonic marauding from the likes of Kaf-Tan, Kemback, Lucy Cait, Martin Davies, Miss Chameleon, Mojo Filter, Nick Gabriel, Noble Jacks, Not Saffron, Pete Kosanovich, Rev Milo Speedwagon, Roy Davis Jr, Stevie Wonderland, Tasty Lopez & Karistocat, The Beau Bow Belles, The Black Kat Boppers, The Caulfield Beats, The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing, The Shellac Collective, The Tom Seals Band, Thomas Urv, Timo Garcia, Tom Colborn, Tony Tunes, Uncle Junior, Vote Pedro, Vula Viel and Ziriguidum Samba Band.
Booking your place at Bestival couldn’t be easier with our amazing £25 deposit scheme. For just £25 (plus booking fee) you can secure your Bestival ticket at Phase Three prices now.
Pay the balance by 1st September and join us we venture into The Future with headline sets from Major Lazer, The Cure, Sean Paul & Wiz Khalifa and even more amazing music from Bastille, Years & Years, Katy B, Hot Chip, Carl Cox, Diplo, Fatboy Slim, Skepta, Craig David & so much more!
And, if you’re having trouble persuading your friends to come along to our luminous dreamworld, dial Rob da Bank’s Decision line now on 0845 388 BEST (0845 388 2378) for just 5p plus your standard rate per minute, and let the man himself twist their arms.
As the summer sun beats down on Robin Hill, the wagon train of Monsieur Bateman’s incomparable masterpiece Caravanserai has made its way to Bestival’s Stardust field and a rendezvous with The Future. An arcadia of vintage caravans, wurlitzers, object d’art and alchemy, helmed by the inimitable Continental Drifts, Caravanserai is a cocktail-fuelled carousal of curiosity filled with eye-popping delights, raucous gypsy-bathed lilts and brass-powered beats, making it an unmissable stop on your date with destiny this September 8-11 on the Isle of Wight.
Rob da Bank says: “Caravanserai is without doubt one of the most incredible things you’ll ever come across at a festival anywhere in the world. Distilling the essence of merrymaking through the ages to create something truly futuristic and astounding, all topped off with delicious cocktails, this one should be at the top of your to do list”.
In time-honoured tradition Caravanserai will be a melange of madness and music both live and deejayed, featuring fevered enchantments from Budzillus, Cut Capers, Daytoner, Dejavoodoo, DJ Chris Tofu, DJ High Daniels, DJ Kosta Kostov, DJ Penny Metal, Forest of Fools, Immigrant Swing, Lee Bruck, and Madame Electrifie.
Plus, there will be outlandish expressionism from Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer, New York Brass Band, Oh My God! It's The Church, Owen Penrice, Rumpsteppers, Samuel Wulf & Lso, Seas of Mirth, The Balkanoes, The Ska Vengers, Thrill Collins, Transylvania and WBBL.
But that’s not all, adding an air of sorcery and wonder to proceedings Cirque Bijou will present Cirqueserai, an aerial, acrobatic pageant of the preposterous that is sure to blow your minds!
And don’t forget, you can book your place at Bestival with our amazing £25 deposit scheme. For just £25 plus your booking fee you can secure your Bestival ticket at Phase Three prices now.
Pay the balance by 1st September and join us we venture into The Future with headline sets from Major Lazer, The Cure, Sean Paul & Wiz Khalifa and even more amazing music from Bastille, Years & Years, Katy B, Hot Chip, Carl Cox, Diplo, Fatboy Slim, Skepta, Craig David & so much more!
It’s that special last month before Autumn sets in, the high summer sun shines down on the most inappropriately weather-attired crowd of the entire year, yes, It’s Bloodstock Open Air. I will never stop being equally amused and proud that the metal community rocks black tshirts, heavy denim, sticky leather and a mass of metalware regardless of temperature, or indeed comfort.
Though this year’s Bloodstock line-up has been the topic of much forum debate and there are some rather under-represented groups (female musicians on the main stage anyone?) this year, you can’t deny there is first-class metal on offer this weekend. Friday sees a beautiful site-wide crab-athon (Crabulon) with Evil Scarecrow, and Corrosion of Conformity tear up the Ronnie James Dio stage with their gritty bluesy metal, to a decent crowd having overcome some mishaps on the route here. “In case you guys don’t know, we lost our guitars in fucking Paris… we’re kind of winging it” the guys let us know, before a calling Donald Trump a dickhead and dedicating the beautifully relevant ‘Vote With A Bullet’ to him.
Over on the Sophie Lancaster stage, the comedically named Foetal Juice hailing from Manchester, sound pretty much exactly as you’d expect – extreme but a little bit silly. Everyone in the tent seems to love them though, which is pretty good going for group of mates who started this for fun.
Heading over to the Kraken Rum garden for a spot of black ice-cream (good work guys, you know this is exactly the crowd to appreciate a gothic dessert) we take the opportunity to check out the merch stall and pop into Lemmy’s Bar to raise a glass (well, plastic cup) to the man, the legend. Back on the Sophie stage XII Boar are absolutely killing it, yelling out “You’re here! You’ve made it to the party” to us latecomers joining them mid-set. It’s a bit of a shame about the noise-pollution next door, the music on the fairground rides is offensively loud and unnecessary. No-one needs to hear Sweet Child O’Mine more than once in half an hour.
Home grown heroes Venom are a massive Friday highlight with their thrashy, wild child behaviour and obvious love of what they do. Calling out “It’s great to see the fucking UK legions” to a roaring crowd, it’s nice to see a proper homecoming. Demon-faced Behemoth are kind of a BOA staple now right? The band are over from Poland, presumably to promote Satanism and murder… *snigger* and for a band who’ve done every trick in the goth manual to seem dark and gloomy, they look like they’re having a pretty amazing time.
Last up is the final ever (yes really, EVER) UK Twisted Sister show on their ‘Forty & Fuck It’ tour, and it’s an absolute blinder. Playing 15 minutes over the curfew, with every single hit you wanted to hear, and a gigantic crowd singing alongside them – Twisted Sister go out with a bang. Like the music or not, you can’t deny they’ve got amazing showmanship and the ability to engage with a crowd on a funny and personal level. They will be hugely missed.
Saturday sees the likes of The Raven Age, off the back of their supporting role in Iron Maiden’s Book of Souls world tour, carving out a name for themselves on the Sophie stage, and Rotting Christ have the main stage under a veil of darkness with their unique melodic metal and some synchronized headbanging. Fear Factory pull in a huge crowd and those 90’s sounds are just so nostalgic it makes us want to buy some of those huge jeans again, you know the kind with safety pins all up the seam and one of those giant ball-chains attached to your wallet.
Grabbing some grub is much more difficult than we had anticipated, this festival has come a long way on the food front since it’s early days of scary burger vs. scary hotdog options. We opt for a Bi-ella (It’s not sexual, it’s just both kinds of paella – meat and veggie. Actually I take it back, that is pretty sexual.) and chilli-inna-bun, which is much less Dibbler than it sounds. Both were awesome and actually worthy of high price tag we’ve come to expect from UK festivals.
Paradise Lost playing in the late evening sun is an absolute treat, but the stunningly beautiful guitars ring out across a sleepy crowd, there are a lot more people sitting down in a post-dinner sun-drenched haze. Only the astoundingly tall Kraken diver is dancing around like a lunatic, presumably taking an in-suit bath in his own sweat.
Over on the Sophie stage One Machine are throwing down hard, their sound is interesting and fresh and there’s a pretty decent crowd in there enjoying it. In the Hobgoblin New Blood tent, Warwickshire band The Face of Ruin have In Flames vibes and we are loving their rowdy set. Let’s hope they return to BOA soon… next year even… on a bigger stage…
On the main stage it’s time for the truly incredible Gojira, and judging by the sheer size of the crowd that has turned out to see them, they could just have well bumped Mastodon from tonight’s top spot. There’s something so strangely hypnotic about Gojira, it’s hard to put your finger on it, but as the sun sets on day two of BOA it’s clear they’re one of the true highlights of the festival already, and ‘L’Enfant Sauvage’ is the anthem. Shouting out “Are you having a great day at the festival? Are you drinking enough beer? Are you happy?” It’s kind of adorable that they care about our festival welfare, and everyone is more than appreciative of the brand new tracks from Magma.
In comparison it’s hard to watch Mastodon’s entrance onto the main stage, with dodgy sound and a do-the-job attitude, the magic dwindles a little. Sure, they’re musically strong but there’s less of the awe and more of the ought about them. However, as the night pulls on Mastodon appear to get comfortable and the last half an hour is considerably, thankfully better.
As the hungover masses drag their butts outta bed (well, sleeping bag) for one last day of metal mayhem, the Sunday lineup sees the likes of Satyricon, complete with forked mic stand and altogether too much white face powder – makeover the main stage with their black metal in the rather overcast afternoon. It’s sort of appropriate. On the Sophie stage, Derange deserve a bigger crowd than they’ve got – I mean, no their sound is nothing exactly new, but they execute well and vocalist Cat Pereira is commanding centre stage.
Outside after a bloody (literally, one guy had his head cut open) battle reenactment, it’s time for the final challenges of the Bloodstock’s Strongest Man competition, and get this… the trophy is Thor’s Hammer! Amazing. After a lot of grunting, sweating and swearing, a little crowd participation and some free tshirts being thrown about, a champion is crowned. It’s been a brilliant little event, hope to see it back bigger for next year.
On the main stage there’s a kicking of heels as we wait patiently for Dragonforce to appear. Technical difficulties are blamed and it’s a blistering, albeit short show from the power-metal heroes. Despite the crowd chanting ‘Herman Lee’ rather than Dragonforce before they came on, it really doesn’t seem to have phased the rest of the band, and frontman Marc Hudson yells “We are Dragonforce from London England, and it’s nice to fucking play at home for once”. ‘Cry Thunder’ and ‘Through The Fire And Flames’ have the entire crowd wailing along as crowd surfers flail overhead, which is pretty great considering that’s all we got. Five songs seems hardly enough.
Symphony X are somewhat underwhelming but New Blood’s Valous, immediately followed by amusingly named Footprints in the Custard – are anything but. Both bands are energetic and enthusiastic, an atmosphere that spills over into their rowdy crowds who are loving it.
As the many… many Judges circle the site telling you not to take photos of them, or pretending to terminate delinquents, they can only herald one band. Anthrax hit the stage with all the raw power you’d expect from a band twenty years their junior, they just make it look easy. ‘Antisocial‘ has the entire arena thrashing, and as they close out with ‘Indians’ shouting “This is the war dance, bang your fucking heads! Everyone move ok?” it’s unsurprising to see the BOA crowd comply, hard.
Following up with another of the ‘Big Four’ thrash metal bands, Slayer are here to re-conquer Bloodstock and with a stage top to bottom bathed in real actual fire (how they sustained playing in that direct heat, I have no idea) it’s almost as if they’ve come out to prove they’re children of the underworld. Last time Slayer topped the BOA bill was just after the death of Jeff Hanneman, three years later we see a fresher, stronger Slayer with a giant Hanneman tribute flag, and something to prove. With the massive and iconic riffs of ‘South of Heaven’ and ‘Raining Blood’ reverberating around Catton Park, it’s hard to imagine a better way to close Bloodstock 2016. Here’s to 2016, and wondering what the next lineup will bring…
The Future is almost upon us! With just three weeks until Bestival 2016, you've got just enough time to pull together a killer outfit, so get cracking.
Every year amazing fancy dress concoctions are on display and this year's theme 'The Future' is sure to continue the tradition. Expect to see steampunks, planets and moonpigs, aliens and astronauts, dystopian delinquents and galactic rulers… but if you've missed the creative boat, don't fret!
Check out our mini-collection of some cyborg pieces you can pick up quick online…
Ebay: Alien ring, refraction goggles, biohazard mask and light up shoes
Cyberdog: Cage dress, silver dress, holographc backpack and alien necklace
A packed arena tentatively awaits the dropping of the giant white screen across the front of the BOA stage, as we prepare to close out Bloodstock Open Air 2016 with one of the biggest metal bands of all time, the almighty Slayer.
As the curtain drops the thrash legends throw down hard, opening with titular track of their most recent album ‘Repentless’ amidst a stage almost sagging with the weight of the insane pyrotechnics they’ve rigged. Flanked by two humongous inverted crosses made from amps, which are actually there to shoot massive bursts of flame out onto the stage, it’s frankly amazing that drummer Paul Bostaph still has eyebrows.
When the flame cannons aren’t firing the back of the stage is alight with flame runners behind the band and the backdrop depicting an artistically creepy Christ image is reminder that Slayer one hundred percent do not give a fuck about offending anyone. Hell, the multiple law suits brought against the band have merely become a woven part of their society-defying history, so it’s pretty much par for course.
Kerry King, wielding his fork-headed axe and a belt of swinging chains shreds through the likes of ‘Disciple’, ‘When The Stillness Comes’ and ‘Mandatory Suicide’. Yelling out “You guys having fun today? Another year at this bloodfest!” it’s clear the guys are enjoying this one, and the thousands of windmilling heads in the crowd seem to agree.
King calls out “Thank you very much for coming today, cause we’re all here to have some fucking fun right?” before introducing ‘Die By The Sword’ with a quick quip on recent terror events around the world “The words are kinda fitting with all this crazy shit going on. I believe in karma, what comes around, goes around”. This is a band with such presence and power, you could bottle and sell it. As the Christ curtain drops to reveal the band’s famous eagle logo, an almighty roar goes up in the crowd before the band smash through ‘Seasons in the Abyss’ and they joke “You guys are here because you love music right? So we’re gonna do a love song…” for ‘Dead Skin Mask’.
After a short cut of the lights, Slayer pull out the big guns for the encore. ‘South of Heaven’ has one of the most memorable refrains of all time but it’s ‘Raining Blood’ that gets every single one of our little black hearts beating, and you just don’t know whiplash unless you’ve headbanged to Slayer.
A final banner drop shows a giant Heineken style logo with the words ‘Hanneman, still reigning’ to commemorate Slayer’s late founding member and guitarist, Jeff Hanneman who passed away in 2013. Going out with enough pyro to feel the warmth from the sound desk Slayer hit hard with ‘Angel of Death’ and it’s all over too soon. There is often much dispute over which bands could or should headline Bloodstock and to some extent it all comes down to preference, but Slayer are and have always been one of those bands you just can’t argue with. Tonight, they proved once again why they are metal royalty.
With a UK legacy of great shows already behind them and a fanbase that can be measured in the sheer number of their tshirts on display in the crowd today, Mastodon have stake their claim on Bloodstock’s Ronnie James Dio Stage as headliners.
Throwing down with moody opener ‘Tread Lightly’ Mastodon come out strong, unfortunately the sound does not. Luckily it’s quickly remedied and the melodic guitars of ‘Feast Your Eyes’, ‘Blasteroid’ and ‘Oblivion’ shine through. The crowd density of last night isn’t quite replicated tonight, you can pretty much wriggle to the front with relative ease, but Mastodon’s lighter sections seem to conjure a sort of sombre reverence where everyone is just appreciating the music.
Amusingly (albeit for those who are old enough to remember…. Sigh…) the five giant light panel installations behind the band, appear to be playing the entire Windows 98 screensaver catalogue. You know, the one with neon electricity or trippy tie-dye patterns that everyone thought they were super edgy and cool for having instead of the standard windows one your Dad used.
In a rare moment of crowd-interaction in Mastodon’s twenty-song onslaught, bassist Troy Sanders yells out “You guys are music hungry lovers, thank you” before the band swing into the harmonic vocals of ‘High Road’. However on a few of the others the words seem to be coming out so distorted you could almost swear the band are fluent in whale.
As the stage lights up in yellows and reds for ‘Ember City’ and the band call out “Are you fucking alive?” to the headbanging crowd, Mastodon seem to relax slightly into the show. Speaking of their first UK gig sixteen years ago at Camden Underworld, the band want us to know that they love us… “We knew we were going to have a special relationship with this country, you metalheads. When we’re home or on vacation… we talk about you guys! You nice British people”. Aww, isn’t that adorable?
Finishing up with ‘Megalodon’, ‘Colony of Birchmen’ and to an almighty roar of appreciation from the BOA arena, the huge ‘Blood and Thunder’ – Mastodon close the RJD stage for Saturday night with style. “Thank you for an unforgettable experience, we’re Mastodon, we love you”.
With their own unique brand of slowed down psychedelic sounds vs. hyper and heavy eardrum challenging metal, you could be forgiven for being on the fence about Mastodon, but tonight’s extremely tightly rehearsed set does everything to prove that above all else this band cares about music.
With a set that sounds almost identical to their album tracks (bar some vocal blurring from a production point of view) you almost with they’d break character a bit, interact in a less forced way. There’s a grittiness missing for sure, but Mastodon make up for it by being, well, precisely beautiful.
Over the years, Bloodstock Open Air has been the stage for some seriously special and one-off performances, but this surely takes the win. For the last time ever on UK soil, playing their farewell tour ‘Forty and Fuck It’, glam metal heroes Twisted Sister are here to melt our faces off, fifteen minutes fashionably late of course. A photo montage of old tour memories plays over AC/DC’s ‘It’s a long way to the top (if you wanna rock and roll)’ and the tightly packed arena is already clapping along in anticipation.
Taking to the stage with his signature permed silver mane, ferociously pink mic stand and a flowing denim tailcoat, Dee Snider hasn’t lost a single bit of that performance quality that we’ve come to expect from those original great frontmen, and the band power up with ‘Stay Hungry’ and ‘The Kids Are Back’.
Lying on his back at the edge of the stage, Dee lets his hair dangle towards the crowd before racing around amidst giant flame cannons for ‘Burn in Hell’. Yelling out to the crowd “Bloodstock! The only true metal festival in the whole fucking UK… not those fucking assholes at Download…” to a mighty roar of appreciation from the crowd, Dee strikes gold. There’s always been a bit of banter (and backlash) between the two festivals so team BOA is suitably rowdy in response.
Looking out at the stage-lit sea of faces (and questioning the gustatory offerings at BOA – “Mexican doughnuts sounds delicious, is that not one thing?”) Dee’s easy going patter has everyone on side, it’s hard not to like a band who don’t take themselves too seriously. ‘Destroyer’ and ‘Like a Knife in the Back’ go down a treat but it’s ‘You Can’t Stop Rock and Roll’ that really gets the arena jumping, in the words of Dee – “hashtag fuck yeah”.
Speaking of their late drummer AJ Pero who sadly died last year, the band introduce Dream Theatre legend Mike Portnoy, who came on board because AJ reportedly said “If anything ever happens to me… I want Mike to do it”. Sailing into classic hit ‘I am (I’m me)’ Twisted Sister are as loud, proud and rowdy as they ought to be, especially as they were subjected to being on Top of the Pops the first time round for this song in the UK. However, ‘I Wanna Rock’ – the anthem of rock fans on road trips the world-over is what we’ve been waiting for. There’s nothing quite like a whole arena full of people throwing horns up and yelling their little black hearts out.
Promising this is a real ‘final tour’ Dee jokes “…this is no Scorpions, Judas Priest, Ozzy Osbourne last tour… who’s got a final tour tshirt? I know I do… Twisted Sister is saying goodbye FOR REAL” and as the crowd, trained in the very British tradition of pantomime reply booo’s in response, the band laugh and say “Yes! That’s the appropriate reaction! Sometimes people clap!”.
Likening their farewell to an Irish funeral instead of a sad affair and lamenting on the greats we’ve lost in the last couple of years, Twisted Sister pay tribute to Dio, AJ and Lemmy“It doesn’t feel like festival season without Lemmy and Motorhead doing shows” and dedicate ‘The Price’ to all of them, asking the crowd to light up the arena with phone screens and lighters.
‘I Believe in Rock and Roll’ and ‘Under the Blade’ sees the band engage in a bit of synchronized headbanging, we approve, we’re traditionalists, and after a quick statement on the recent events in Orlando and Paris “There are people out there trying to stop us having a good time… Twisted Sister says fuck them!” it’s onto the next huge hit ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’. Finishing up with Rolling Stones cover ‘It’s Only Rock n’Roll (But I like It)’. The crowd participation element of screaming ‘but I like it’ “kinda death metally” has Dee and the band in stitches (clearly Bloodstock is the only place this would work) and they return triumphantly for an encore of ‘Come Out and Play’, ‘Shoot Em Down' and their swan song ‘SMF’.
Going out in a wave of on stage sparks and toasty pyro, it’s the perfect farewell show, Forty and Fuck It is right – this is a band who sound so good they could probably have gone on forever. After Forty years of metal mayhem, maybe it’s time they went and did whatever the hell they want, knowing that their last tour was probably one of their best. Thanks for the music and the memories Twisted Sister, you sick motherfuckers.
BLOODSTOCK HQ is at fever pitch with just 10 days to go ‘til the gates swing open at Catton Park! There are a last few things to announce before everyone packs their bags and heads to the UK’s biggest and best heavy metal party!
One of the things that sets BLOODSTOCK apart from other events is festival founder, Paul Raymond Gregory’s on-site RAM Gallery. This year, Paul has paid tribute to MOTORHEAD’s Lemmy Kilmister with a stunning new portrait exhibited in a custom, hand-carved frame, as well as other choice installations from his world-renowned portfolio of work. Regular RAM Gallery contributor and luthier Cynosure, creator of hand-made guitars as art, will be exhibiting two new instruments also inspired by Lemmy. Other artists also exhibiting work are Orange County artist, Christian Sloan Hall, who has created work for the likes of AMON AMARTH and TESTAMENT, plus abstract artist and GOJIRA drummer, Mario Duplantier, who has contributed two original paintings. Also expect to view featured art-focussed books from Lariyah Hayes (Darkadya: The Book of Art From Below) and Ramon Martos (And Justice For Art, revised edition), plus rock-themed photography from Peter Nahum and Alison Richards.
When the metal finishes in the Hobgoblin New Blood tent each evening, a different set of howls take centre stage with BLOODSTOCK’s comedy bill. Friday’s gag-filled line up includes David Jordan’s edgy songs and stand-up, Chris Brooker’s hilarious improvisation, the award-winning newcomer Ingrid Dahle, all compere’d by everyone’s favourite heavy metal comedian, Andrew O’Neill. Saturday evening’s bill features compere and all-round funny man, Jim Smallman, plus laffs-a-plenty from Jonathan Mayor and Perrier comedy Award-winner Wil Hodgson. Sunday ushers in a full ‘History of Heavy Metal’ set from Andrew O’Neill, combining stand-up comedy with live music played on his customised Flying V guitar. Andrew will be supported by thrash metal beasts, REPRISAL.
Over on the Sophie Lancaster stage, once the bands have finished for the night, the DJ squad steps in to take you through ‘til 2am. Expect a guest slot on the decks from EVIL SCARECROW’s ringmaster Monty Blitzfist and Kraven Morrdeth on Friday, the DJs from London’s VooDoo Rocks on Saturday and Total Rock’s Anna Dumpe on Sunday, plus BOA’s resident 4 DJ’s Of The Apocalypse doing their regular 12 Midnight-2am slot.
The always popular Friday fancy dress competition is returning! This year the theme is ‘Twisted’, so dress up in whatever you fancy, the more extreme and creative, the better! To enter the competition, just find BOA’s official photographer (between the Serpents Lair VIP area and the EMP Tent entrance) between 12pm and 6pm on the Friday to have your photo taken (the photographer will wear a Fancy Dress Photographer t-shirt). Then check BLOODSTOCK’s Facebook page for the photo gallery the week after the festival and tag the fancy dress photo of yourself for the chance to win a pair of tickets to BLOODSTOCK 2017!
Got your tent ready?! This year, our campsite partner is Miss Daisy’s Camping Store. If you don’t want to tow a ton of camping gear to site, order online and collect your stuff from the Miss Daisy tent in the main Midgard campsite at Catton Park. Saves a lot of hassle and achy shoulders! Place your order or just see what’s available via their ‘click & collect’ service here – http://www.missdaisyscampingstore.co.uk/.
Want to check out the 2016 merch range? BLOODSTOCK's online 'click & collect' service allows you to pre-order your favourites for on site collection. Festival attendees can snap up their choice of t-shirt or grab the 2016 beer mug or hip flask without fear of their size or design being already sold out on site. Simply pre-order at https://bmerch.com/store/bloodstock/collect-on-site and collect at the merch stall in the arena at any point over the weekend, knowing your item is guaranteed and paid for. Maybe you want that BOA hoodie for when the sun goes down, so just collect it from the merch stall then to save a trip back to your tent!
How to get to BLOODSTOCK? Ditch the hassle of parking, trains & transfers and let our official coach partner, Big Green Coach take you and your camping gear straight to the festival from 21 UK cities. To book your return seat and see where to catch the coach, check: http://www.biggreencoach.co.uk/events/bloodstock-festival-tickets-coach-travel. If you’re coming by train to Catton Park, don’t forget to pre-book Big Green Coach’s shuttle bus from Lichfield City rail station to save yourself a wad of cash. Return tickets are priced at £10, one way at £8 (it costs more to pay on the day, so pre-booking wins)! Book tickets at the link. Car-sharing with GoCarShare is another option (and participating could even win you a pair of tickets for 2017)! Full details and to post up a car space/look for a car ride from your town, visit: http://gocarshare.com/festival/bloodstock.
Our three headliners for 2016 are TWISTED SISTER (in their last ever UK show), MASTODON and SLAYER, plus special guests BEHEMOTH, GOJIRA and ANTHRAX. Also on the bill are FEAR FACTORY, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, SYMPHONY X, SATYRICON, PARADISE LOST, DRAGONFORCE, METAL ALLEGIANCE, STUCK MOJO, ROTTING CHRIST, MISERY LOVES CO, GHOST BATH, VENOM, UNEARTH, DIAMOND HEAD, GOATWHORE, ACID REIGN and many more.
