Bloodstock Open Air

Bloodstock 2024: FINAL BANDS ANNOUNCED!

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So many cool things to share, with just over 3 weeks to go to BLOODSTOCK 2024! Read on and get excited!!
If you’re still planning your outfits for BLOODSTOCK and fancy something new, EMP are here to lend a hand with a 20% off discount code! Just enter the code BOA20 at the checkout, before 4th Aug (minimum order value £30, one use only). They’ve also got a competition running for free tickets which you can enter here or by clicking below. 
Have you been paying attention to Planet Rock Radio of late? BLOODSTOCK is pleased to share that their highly contested battle to open the Sophie Lancaster stage on Sunday morning has been won by triumphant Welsh headbangers BLACK | LAKES. Get up early and go show some support, they might be just what your ARCHITECTS bangover needs.

The riotous, hotly fought Metal 2 The Masses finals covering 28 regions have now concluded for another year and BLOODSTOCK is delighted to reveal the final group of winners earning their spot on the Hopical Storm New Blood stage. Do check out some grassroots metal while you’re at BLOODSTOCK, you might just discover your new favourite band! Friday’s line-up welcomes Stoke champions SMOTHER and ABSOLENCE who clinched first place in the Burnley final. Saturday adds Oxford hard rock victors STONE SOUP, Cheltenham’s nu-metal/hardcore conquerors CONVEY, and Brighton’s top pick CHUB. A bumper crop join Sunday’s fun, including South Wales winners ROOT ZERO, Hitchin deathcore chiefs DEAD FLESH, SPACE PISTOL who took the gold for Northants, plus Devon & Cornwall heroes ATOM SMASHER, Bristol defeaters FROGLORD, and last but not least CRUCIBLE, who claimed Coventry’s crown.



When the bands are done for the night, it doesn’t mean BLOODSTOCK is!  Late night ents kick off on both the Hopical Storm New Blood and Sophie Lancaster stages ‘til the early hours. 

On Thursday and Saturday night from 11pm – 2am, New Blood hosts BLOODSTOCK’s biggest silent disco to date, with 3 live channels from Little M, Rich Harris, and Lloyd playing club/dance bangers, rock & metal, or party cheese respectively. Just grab a headset and choose your vibe, or a bit of all three! Friday’s New Blood late night fun cranks it up with DJs Darren Smith (Deadsoul Promotions/Stahlsarg) and Dawn Debenham (Raise Your Horns) joining forces, for a full volume night of extreme, black, folk, and power metal. 

Over in the Sophie tent from 12am – 2am, on Thursday, DJ Pressplay mixes it up with an array of tunes from upcoming bands and other metal bangers, while Friday brings The Blood Rave with DJs Little M and Lloyd, offering a fine choice of  EBM, industrial, techno, and heavy beats.  The Sophie tent on Saturday is taken over by DJ Arockalypse and the mighty SEETHING AKIRA, fresh from their main stage demolition last year with an exclusive DJ set! Expect remixes, metal, and more. Sunday sees DJ Rich Harris (Desertfest) with the ultimate in closing parties to get you all fired up to do it all over again at BLOODSTOCK 2025!

If you’d rather have your fun back in the campsites, head over to Midgard for late night inflatable shenanigans and newly Official Bin Jousting from 11pm – 2am, Thu – Sun. If you’ve nabbed an early access ticket to arrive on Wednesday, expect DJs (from 2pm), inflatables, and a couple of movies! 

Speaking of movies, if you managed to get a VIP ticket, there’s also a family movie screening every day Fri – Sun at 9:30am in the Serpents Lair (The Never Ending Story, The Goonies, Hocus Pocus) and a metal comedy movie at 2:30pm on Fri & Sun (Wayne’s World 2, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure). VIPers can also look forward to exclusive bands & DJ sets, Pop Up Puppet Cinema, face painting from Alice Bizarre benefitting the Sophie Lancaster Foundation, Never Mind The Bloodstocks pub quiz, and more, in the Serpents Lair! Not to mention your own bar with more ales & ciders than you can count.


Need something to get your blood pumping again in the morning after your late night? Drag yourself into the arena’s battle area for 10:15am on Fri, Sat, and Sun, for a fun, friendly, free RockFit class! What’s RockFit? A heart-pumpin’,fist-bumpin’ combo of dance, cardio, and toning set to an all rock and metal soundtrack featuring iconic tracks that compel you to move! Designed for every level of ability, just turn up and join in.



For something a bit more intense, don’t miss the special War Master Class with UFC & combat sports titan JOSH BARNETT, taking place at the battle area on Sunday at 4:30pm. Join the legendary MMA champion for an exclusive fighting master class. Unleash your inner warrior and learn from the best in this unforgettable experience! The limited spots to join in have been instantly snaffled, but anyone is welcome to watch! There’s also some special War Materials x Bloodstock merch items, like these exclusive chain wraps which you can click & collect – see the full range here!

And don’t forget, the Vikings will also be back there twice a day Fri – Sun at 11:30am and 2:30pm delivering more full on contact body blows! The battle area is located near the fairground rides (let’s hope they don’t get the two areas confused).

 

When you’re not watching bands or battles, why not squeeze in a spot of axe-throwing with your mates (at the BattleAxe stand) or visit Firehound Forge, the local blacksmith stall, who may even forge your item right in front of you? There’s also the Rock And Metal Gallery (reputed to be the coolest place onsite, metaphorically and literally – look out for more details about exhibitors in this very soon) and the Nordic Spirit Gaming Arena with modern and retro video games to play! Don’t miss the awesome new VR gaming additions in there this year: Beat Saber, Space Pirate, and Richie’s Plank Experience! The Beat Saber game will run as a competition across the duration of the festival, with the Top 3 scores at the end of the weekend winning prizes and the top scoring player will land themselves a pair of tickets to BLOODSTOCK 2025! 

Plus there’s Planet Rock Signing Tent where you can meet your favourite bands (and Josh Barnett).
Situated right next door to the Planet Rock Signing Tent you’ll find this year’s new Kerrang! booth! If exclusive, limited merch drops are your thing, you’ll want to make a beeline for the Kerrang! x Bloodstock capsule collection plus other awesome pieces of K! apparel like tees, hoodies, caps and more.



Besides that, there’s all manner of shopping for heavy metal pirates who want some booty to go with their bands. You’ll be able to pick up patches and badges, CDs/vinyl, or official merch and alt clothing (leggings, tshirts, denim jackets, leather waistcoats, military surplus, belts, hats, wellies, onesies… you name it) to rock n roll home accessories (inc horror-themed drinkware from Planchette Place), wiccan wares, friendship bracelets, vegan beard oils, Wyldwood wood sculpture, all types of jewellery (visit the Guitarwrist for items benefiting charity made with used guitar strings and Black Feather Design to snap up the very last pieces of BLOODSTOCK’s official 925 silver jewellery range) and if you don’t have one already, surely a Viking drinking horn is an essential addition (available in sizes from 50 ml to 7.5 litres!).

Dead keen for a chunky vertebrae steel choker? Nicola Hebson’s Curiosity Shop has you covered (and any ethical taxidermy art desires).  Look out for the Canny Bonny stall for hair-braiding (with/without colour extensions – you can pre-book here), Viking warpaint, and henna! Camel’s Sheesha will be present, as will pro-mental health brand Radical, and don’t miss Charlie & Wilkie from MALEVOLENCE’s debut festival pop-up shop for their merch & music label MLVLTD! 



As part of BLOODSTOCK’s continuing sustainability/green efforts, the cup redemption scheme returns to help keep BLOODSTOCK litter-free!!  Open to those 18+, you can redeem prizes for collecting used cups!  Hand in your stash at Lemmy’s bar to get a stamp on your collector’s card for every 50 cups returned. This year’s prizes are:  50 cups – 1 free pint / spirit worth £6100 cups – 15% off Bloodstock merch or 1 meal voucher worth £12 (one transaction only)250 cups – 1 Bloodstock festival shirt (size subject to availability)

600 cups – Jump the queue to the signing tent for one whole day 750 cups – Access to Serpents Lair VIP hospitality area for 2 people1000 cups –  Watch a band from side of stage or in the pit for first 3 songs (subject to no closed stage or pyro restrictions. Other T&Cs apply.). Help BLOODSTOCK leave Catton Park as tidy as on departure as on arrival – campers, please take a free bin bag on entry. More bin bags can be picked up as needed from the tent info points throughout the weekend and there are recycling bins throughout the arena and campsites. 

In addition, there will now be tent donation points in every campsite on Monday morning! Look for the tent donation flag (shown below) for the drop off point and read details on how to win one of five pairs of weekend tickets for BLOODSTOCK 2025. Winners will be announced on socials a week later.  When you’re going home, if you can’t be bothered to lug your tent (or airbed, chair, mat, sleeping bag) with you, don’t abandon it for landfill!  Put it to good use by donating it for charitable benefit.



If you’ve already snapped up your ticket and want to square away your travel arrangements for BLOODSTOCK 2024, BIG GREEN COACH offer a great solution, taking you directly on to the festival site with all your camping gear, from a town near you. There are 35 pick-up locations this year! Get full details here.

If you’re coming by train maybe you want to book seats on a shuttle to & from the festival site! BIG GREEN COACH have now got their shuttle service available for purchase, running to/from Tamworth station. Click here to buy your tickets while space lasts – a round trip is £14. 
Standard weekend tickets for BLOODSTOCK, priced at £185 (+ booking fee) are available now in the 2024 ticket store. You can also snap up day tickets, child tickets (mini moshers under 4 yrs can come for free!), and if you want all the BLOODSTOCK you can get, add-on early arrival for an extra day of camping on Wednesday too – these are nearly sold out so don’t hang about! Early Bird, VIP, and campervan tickets are already sold out.    

BLOODSTOCK’s 2024 Ronnie James Dio main stage headliners are AMON AMARTH, OPETH, and ARCHITECTS. Across the weekend you can also expect to see CLUTCH, HATEBREED, CARCASS, ENSLAVED, MALEVOLENCE, SATYRICON, ROTTING CHRIST, SYLOSIS, WHITECHAPEL, DEICIDE, GRAND MAGUS, DESERT STORM, THE VINTAGE CARAVAN, SOEN, GREEN LUNG, COMBICHRIST, XENTRIX, EXIST IMMORTAL, ETERNAL CHAMPION, GROVE STREET, MIMI BARKS, CRYPTA, FORBIDDEN, NERVOSA, BEAST IN BLACK, KORPIKLAANI, UNLEASH THE ARCHERS, FLOGGING MOLLY, SEPTIC FLESH, IGORRR, GROVE STREET, UNPEOPLE, NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA, HELLRIPPER, INFECTED RAIN, CULTURA TRES, SADUS, LUDOVICO TECHNIQUE, BURNER, RED RUM, EVERGREY, RAISED BY OWLS, TAILGUNNER, SOUTH OF SALEM, and ANKOR amongst many others! 

Get full festival information over at bloodstock.uk.com.  BLOODSTOCK will take place at Catton Park, Derbyshire on 8th-11th August 2024.

BLOODSTOCK confirms official bin jousting (& some more bands)

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There are just 44 days to go until BLOODSTOCK!! Actually, make that 43 days, if you’ve snapped up an early arrival add-on ticket for an extra day’s camping!

Did you ever think there’d be an announcement about bins? No, us neither. Knights of heavy metal, prepare your steeds… There’s also celebratory news about the latest group of winners from the Metal 2 The Masses finals, bagging themselves a coveted spot on the Hopical Storm New Blood stage, plus info on how to click & collect your fave merch items so the person in front on site doesn’t get the last one you wanted, travel help, fancy dress themes, and more.  Read on, fellow headbanger.

Perhaps you have heard of the infamous, illicit bin jousting, usually late night in the Midgard campsite? BLOODSTOCK frowned hard, wagged a finger, brought in more security, warned about safety, took bins away, and even tried chaining bins up, but to no avail. Bin jousting continued. The Midgarders were relentless and proud;  it’s become a tradition, a part of BLOODSTOCK lore. And you know what they say… if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em!! BLOODSTOCK proudly confirms there will be Official Bin Jousting at this year’s event, running Thursday-Sunday from late evening to 2am, in Midgard. Do you dare to have a go?  There will be a marshal for safety but the true essence and rawness of BLOODSTOCK’s new official sport will continue. Do you have what it takes to be 2024’s champion!?



The Metal 2 The Masses finals continue across the UK (and Norway), with the best new talent smashing it out the park on stage every night, to win spots on the Hopical Storm New Blood stage. Friday’s bill now also welcomes Essex victors REVERENT SON, Nottingham hardcore winners ROGUE LIMB, TIM WHYTE AND THE DEADBEATS who took first place for Somerset, and metalcore squad BY VIRTUE FALLS from the East Anglian final. Saturday adds alt-metallers THEM BLOODY KIDS from the London heat, Norway’s brutal top dogs SLAUGHTERHEAD, and North Wales death/thrash champs JUDGEMENT. On Sunday you’ll also be able to catch Kent’s conquerors CROWGOD and vanquishers from the Birmingham event, KENSEI. 

Unfortunately, Japanese metal maniacs RYUJIN have had to withdraw from this year’s event for health reasons. However, their spot has been swiftly grabbed by blackened doomsters MOON REAPER, who slide into the Sophie Lancaster stage line-up underneath OSIAH on Sunday.



For those who like a little fancy dress fun to liven up your festival weekend, why have one theme when you can have three?! Join in with just one, or all three, on whichever day(s) you like! How do you feel about horror movie characters? BLOODSTOCK cordially invites Freddy, Jason, Carrie, Chucky, Regan, Frankenstein and all their creeptastic pals for some frightfully good fun. Something a bit less OTT? Be part of the Motorhead tribute and wear something to commemorate Lemmy! This year’s final theme harks back to prehistoric times…. dinosaurs! We look forward to seeing a T-rex or two, and their mates, headbangin’ down the front. Please note, mini moshers are not on the dinner menu (though they can get in for free under the age of 4). For plant and meat-eating dinosaurs, there will be a wide range of food stalls available to sate your appetite. 



Want to make some new pals for BLOODSTOCK, or maybe you’re debating which campsite to stay in?! Every campsite has its own vibe, but if you’re looking for the designated quiet campsite, make a beeline for Ragnarok. Niflheim is the accessible campsite for those who have applied successfully in advance to camp there. Coming on your own and/or a bit anxious about that? Consider joining unofficial Bloodstock group Camp Loners & Newbies, who always camp in a corner of Valhalla. With Ironwood, Midgard, Jotunheim, Asgard, and Hel to choose from too (plus Vanaheim for our campervan friends & the Serpent’s Lair campsite for VIPers) you’re sure to find your home away from home!

Want to chat to fellow BLOODSTOCKers before you get there? There are a number of unofficial Facebook groups, including BMF666, Bloodstock Festival Girls Group, LGBTQIA+ Bloodstock Fans, and more.



Did you know? You can also utilise BLOODSTOCK‘s ‘click & collect‘ service to pre-order your favourites online from the 2024 merchandise range! Pre-purchase your favourite t-shirt or grab the 2024 beer mug without fear of your size or design being already sold out on site. Pre-order here and simply collect at the arena merch stall on the weekend, knowing your item is guaranteed. All ‘click and collect’ items in the store will be clearly marked with a yellow C&C badge. Maybe you want that BOA hoodie for when the sun goes down, so order, then collect from the merch stall to save a trip back to your tent. In a ‘click & collect’ exclusive, if you order over £100 of items via this method, you get 10% off, and over £200 gets 15% off. 

BLOODSTOCK’s dedicated one-stop-shop with Preo is now up and running, featuring an array of festival essentials. From cold beers (and 4 pinters of mango cider) to merch, through to camping equipment and much more, you can secure all your must-have items in advance from one online shop, eradicating the need for last-minute scrambles, long queues or searching in multiple online stores. And then just collect on your arrival at BLOODSTOCK! For more info and to explore the online shop, visit the Bloodstock Festival Preo store. VISIT BLOODSTOCK’S PREO STORE



If you’ve already snapped up your ticket and want to square away your travel arrangements for BLOODSTOCK 2024, BIG GREEN COACH offer a great solution, taking you directly on to the festival site with all your camping gear, from a town near you. There are 35 pick-up locations this year! Full list includes: Birkenhead, Bournemouth, Bradford, Bridgend, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Carlisle, Chester, Coventry, Crewe, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, Gloucester, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Newport, Nottingham, Norwich, Oxford, Plymouth, Preston, Sheffield, Southampton, Stoke-on-Trent, Sunderland, Swansea, Taunton, Worcester and York. If you’ve not yet booked your festival ticket, you can also opt for a bundle that includes one. Get full details here.

If you’re coming by train maybe you want to book seats on a shuttle to & from the festival site! BIG GREEN COACH have now got their shuttle service available for purchase, running to/from Tamworth station.  Click here to buy your tickets while space lasts – a round trip is £14. If you’re looking for sold out tickets like VIP or campervan passes, BLOODSTOCK has a new exclusive secondary ticketing partner, Tixel, where you can maybe still find what you’re looking for. Simply set an alert for notification if your tickets of choice become available, or pre-authorise your card in advance, so no need for constant checking back. Tixel also allows you to safely re-sell tickets to a new home if plans have changed. You can sell ALL ticket types, including instalment plan purchases, plus any tickets sold via Ticketmaster or other third party ticket outlets.

The new deal helps BLOODSTOCK streamline all resale tickets into one place to guarantee the safety of the sale, avoiding social media scam bots and rip-off pricing. It’s a very simple process for the customer and most importantly, it’s a trusted platform. Click through to https://tixel.com/uk/bloodstock-tickets for more information on how it works.  
Standard weekend tickets for BLOODSTOCK, priced at £185 (+ booking fee) are available now in the 2024 ticket store. You can also snap up limited day tickets, child tickets (mini moshers under 4 yrs can come for free!), and if you want all the BLOODSTOCK you can get, add-on early arrival for an extra day of camping on Wednesday too. Early Bird, VIP, and campervan tickets are sold out.  

BLOODSTOCK’s 2024 Ronnie James Dio main stage headliners are AMON AMARTH, OPETH, and ARCHITECTS. Across the weekend you can also expect to see CLUTCH, HATEBREED, CARCASS, ENSLAVED, MALEVOLENCE, SATYRICON, ROTTING CHRIST, SYLOSIS, WHITECHAPEL, DEICIDE, GRAND MAGUS, DESERT STORM, THE VINTAGE CARAVAN, SOEN, GREEN LUNG, COMBICHRIST, XENTRIX, EXIST IMMORTAL, ETERNAL CHAMPION, GROVE STREET, MIMI BARKS, CRYPTA, FORBIDDEN, NERVOSA, BEAST IN BLACK, KORPIKLAANI, UNLEASH THE ARCHERS, FLOGGING MOLLY, SEPTIC FLESH, IGORRR, GROVE STREET, UNPEOPLE, NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA, HELLRIPPER, INFECTED RAIN, CULTURA TRES, SADUS, LUDOVICO TECHNIQUE, BURNER, RED RUM, EVERGREY, RAISED BY OWLS, TAILGUNNER, SOUTH OF SALEM, and ANKOR amongst others with yet more still to be announced. 

Get full festival information over at bloodstock.uk.com.  BLOODSTOCK will take place at Catton Park, Derbyshire on 8th-11th August 2024.

BLOODSTOCK announces EMP Stage Lineup

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In a new partnership, BLOODSTOCK is excited to announce the line-up for its 2024 EMP Stage (formerly the Jagermeister Stage)!  

Friday’s bill will include tech/death squad LOST BRETHREN, thrash/death trio LETHAL EVIL, occult rockers CROWLEY, heavy blues rockers KING KRAKEN, and goth metal outfit MAB. 

Saturday’s line up features grindcore/hardcore outfit PUBLIC EXECUTION, metalcore beasts PARTING WITH ORIGIN, doom-fused heavyists FLAMEBEARER, high octane fusionists RUPCHA FARMS and alt metal band LURCHER.

Coming up on Sunday will be ‘fantasy space metal riff machine’ WARPSTORMER, celtic punk troupe THE CALLOWGATE MURDERS, fuzz-soaked riffmeisters of the Toad King GOBLIN SMOKER, the 3-man noise machine YERSIN and heavy blues rockers LOYDS TRIP.

Regarding the new collaboration, EMP tell us, “We are absolutely thrilled to announce our partnership with BLOODSTOCK 2024! As proud sponsors of the 4th stage, EMP is ready to rock alongside the best in metal. Stay tuned for exciting giveaways and exclusive content in the lead-up to the festival. As Europe’s #1 for music, films & TV, gaming merchandise & alt fashion, EMP is honoured to be part of the UK’s biggest independent Metal Festival and can’t wait to join forces with BLOODSTOCK to make history on the EMP STAGE!”

To celebrate, our friends at EMP want you to get BLOODSTOCK ready with a special discount at their online store. Grab your festival attire and any festival essentials you need at EMP here and get 20% off (minimum order £30)! Just use the code BOA20 at checkout.  

[T&Cs: MOV £30 . Valid until 07.06.2024. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotional codes. Only redeemable once per customer on emp.co.uk. After entering the code, the discount will be automatically deducted from your shopping basket. Books, media, tickets, Rammstein, Die Ärzte, Die Toten Hosen, Feine Sahne Fischfilet, Broilers, New Balance, Böhse Onkelz, Funko Pop!, vouchers & items that include a donation in the price are excluded from the promotion.



If you’re looking for sold out tickets like VIP or campervan passes, BLOODSTOCK has a new exclusive secondary ticketing partner, Tixel, where you can maybe still find what you’re looking for. Simply set an alert for notification if your tickets of choice become available, or pre-authorise your card in advance, so no need for constant checking back. Tixel also allows you to safely re-sell tickets to a new home if plans have changed. 

You can sell ALL ticket types, including instalment plan purchases, plus any tickets sold via Ticketmaster or other third party ticket outlets. The new deal helps BLOODSTOCK streamline all resale tickets into one place to guarantee the safety of the sale, avoiding social media scam bots and rip-off pricing. It’s a very simple process for the customer and most importantly, it’s a trusted platform. Click through to https://tixel.com/uk/bloodstock-tickets for more information on how it works.  

Also, if you’ve not yet checked out BLOODSTOCK’s new podcast, hosted by the inimitable Beez, head over to Spotify or Apple Podcasts and check out the episodes so far, including guests such as Clutch, Sylosis, Green Lung and more! You can also now find some of these episodes on the official BLOODSTOCK YouTube channel.
Standard weekend tickets for BLOODSTOCK, priced at £185 (+ booking fee) are available now in the 2024 ticket store.  You can also snap up limited day tickets, child tickets (mini moshers under 4 yrs can come for free!), and if you want all the BLOODSTOCK you can get, add-on early arrival for an extra day of camping on Wednesday too. Early Bird, VIP, and campervan tickets are sold out.   

BLOODSTOCK’s 2024 Ronnie James Dio main stage headliners are AMON AMARTH, OPETH, and ARCHITECTS. Across the weekend you can also expect to see CLUTCH, HATEBREED, CARCASS, ENSLAVED, MALEVOLENCE, SATYRICON, ROTTING CHRIST, SYLOSIS, WHITECHAPEL, DEICIDE, GRAND MAGUS, DESERT STORM, THE VINTAGE CARAVAN, SOEN, GREEN LUNG, COMBICHRIST, XENTRIX, EXIST IMMORTAL, ETERNAL CHAMPION, GROVE STREET, MIMI BARKS, CRYPTA, FORBIDDEN, NERVOSA, BEAST IN BLACK, KORPIKLAANI, UNLEASH THE ARCHERS, FLOGGING MOLLY, SEPTIC FLESH, IGORRR, RUIJIN, GROVE STREET, UNPEOPLE, NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA, HELLRIPPER, INFECTED RAIN, CULTURA TRES, SADUS, LUDOVICO TECHNIQUE, BURNER, RED RUM, EVERGREY, RAISED BY OWLS, TAILGUNNER, SOUTH OF SALEM, and ANKOR amongst others with even more still to be announced. 

Get full festival information over at bloodstock.uk.com.  BLOODSTOCK will take place at Catton Park, Derbyshire on 8th-11th August 2024.

BLOODSTOCK announce New Blood bands & M2TM finals kick off

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The Metal 2 The Masses tour returns in 2024! BLOODSTOCK’s initiative to give emerging bands a step up and also support grassroots venues, kicks off on 10th May, with 30 regions and 6 countries participating. The fun begins in Belfast and rolls down through Dublin and back to England, Scotland, and Wales, taking in Norway and Poland along the way. The tour wraps up in Coventry on 15th July, with all the regional winners from the finals being revealed in due course. Check out the local events below and get along to your nearest event to support the headliners of tomorrow!

BLOODSTOCK is also thrilled to announce a collaboration with Timothy Taylor’s Hopical Storm as the official Metal 2 The Masses sponsor for 2024. Expect to see them on site and lend their name to the Hopical Storm New Blood Stage! To celebrate the new partnership, BLOODSTOCK’s very own S’tan popped by their brewery to greet the team… watch here.

Today also marks the first batch of bands selected to showcase their talent at 2024’s event, outside of the M2TM tour initiative. 

2023’s Northern Ireland victors and ‘war-jazz’ thrashers, ACID AGE will open Thursday’s Sophie Lancaster stage. They tell us “We love everything about M2TM. The exposure, photography, stage, lights and friends we made was more than satisfactory, but then we won and got to both attend and play BLOODSTOCK 2023! We couldn’t believe it, BLOODSTOCK is heavy metal Mecca. It’s where everyone comes together with a common goal, HEAVY FUCKING METAL! The sense of community at the festival is undeniable. Now that we have a chance to return and play the Sophie stage, we aim to show everyone why we are the best War-Jazz band in the world and we will do it for Sophie. See you in August.”  Check out their video for ‘Slave Girl’ and get up to speed.

Selected from 600 email submissions, on Friday’s Hopical Storm New Blood stage expect to see Scottish thrash squad DISPOSABLE, Leicester’s prog metal outfit FINAL COIL and Scottish rockers SHE BURNS RED. 
Saturday’s bill will feature London industrial noiseniks BIOMECHANIMAL, Herts heavyists PRAETORIAN and metalcore squad, LOST TO LIGHT. 

Sunday’s line up includes Brummie rockers STRAIGHT FOR THE SUN, Cambridge metallers AKKADIAN and Yorkshire blackened death outfit, SATHAMEL. 



In other 2024 BLOODSTOCK news, OPETH‘s headline set on Friday night will be a fan-voted set!  OPETH mainman, Mikael Akerfeldt explains in his inimitable dry humoured way: “This boils down to YOU voting for your favourite OPETH songs, culled from a list that we’ve put together (ie: songs that we know/believe/hope we can play fairly well). There are a few rarities in there, a few ”hits” and a few ”whatever” songs to choose from. Depending on our set length, we’ll put together a nice list of the top-voted songs that adds up to match the stage-time in question. Have fun! Be gentle! Thanks for participating!” 

 Check out OPETH‘s Spotify Playlist to remind yourself of the choices and vote for your Top 10 picks here. Voting ends 17th May. 



From 1st May, you can also utilise BLOODSTOCK‘s ‘click & collect’ service to pre-order your favourites online from the 2024 merchandise range! Pre-purchase your favourite t-shirt or grab the 2024 beer mug without fear of your size or design being already sold out on site. Pre-order here and simply collect at the arena merch stall on the weekend, knowing your item is guaranteed. All ‘click and collect’ items in the store will be clearly marked with a yellow C&C badge. Maybe you want that BOA hoodie for when the sun goes down, so order, then collect from the merch stall to save a trip back to your tent. In a ‘click & collect’ exclusive, if you order over £100 of items via this method, you get 10% off, and over £200 gets 15% off. Mark your calendar and head over on 1st May to grab your swag. 

Also, if you’ve not yet checked out BLOODSTOCK’s new podcast, hosted by the inimitable Beez, head over to Spotify or Apple Podcasts and check out the episodes so far, including guests such as Clutch, Sylosis, Green Lung and more! You can also now find some of these episodes on the official BLOODSTOCK YouTube channel.

BLOODSTOCK to open standard campsites 1 day early & announce club nights

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ARRIVE ONE DAY EARLY FOR JUST £20 (+ booking fee).

BLOODSTOCK knows possible congestion and intended roadworks on the routes around Catton Park could cause delays sitting in traffic which no one likes. Plus, who doesn’t want a little more BLOODSTOCK?! So, after extensive review with the licensing council, to make your festival experience even better this year, all standard campsites will open one day earlier at midday on Wednesday 7th August for a limited number of spots, to help spread arrivals over two days. Of course, coming early also means more time to get settled & hang out with your mates for more fun too! 

To aid in that, there will be a cinema set up on the Midgard village green showing movies on Wednesday evening, a bar, food stalls, premium hand-crafted coffee (in the Ironwood campsite), plus some light evening entertainment via inflatables and DJ’s. The supermarket and Fat Frank’s camping shop will also be open in Midgard for anything you’ve forgotten and to blow up your airbed. 

You should only consider buying a Early Arrival add-on ticket if: You have or will be getting a standard weekend ticket (this includes those with a campervan ticket)You are NOT travelling via a Big Green Coach packageYou are NOT camping in the Serpents Lair VIP or Accessible campsites

Headbangers who have booked a Tangerine Fields pre-erected tent package (located in the Asgard campsite) can also arrive early on Wednesday from midday by purchasing the Early Arrival add-on ticket. 
Standard campsites include Asgard, Valhalla, Midgard, Ironwood, Jotunheim, and Hel, plus for families and those wanting a quieter camping experience, Ragnarok. Vanaheim will also be open for those with campervan tickets.

Please note, if you are arriving by train, the arrivals shuttle from Tamworth train station does not run on Wednesday. If you’ve already purchased your standard weekend ticket then you can purchase an Early Arrival add-on ticket for £20 + booking fee. If you haven’t yet purchased your standard weekend ticket then you can get both together priced at £205 + booking fee.

The limited Early Arrival add-on tickets will go on sale – on a first come first served basis – from the 2024 ticket store at 9am BST tomorrow, Friday 5th April. 

Accessible campsite patrons and Serpents Lair VIP patrons with VIP parking will still need to arrive from Thursday midday as normal. This is because BLOODSTOCK needs to contain the movement of traffic and patrons to one side of the festival whilst crew are busily completing the rest of the site, so these campsites cannot be open until then.

BLOODSTOCK is working closely with the licensing council and appreciates your understanding to help get everyone on site safely and efficiently.
CLUB NIGHTS!

Want to get the party started this month and meet some other BLOODSTOCKers? The first batch of this year’s riotously fun club nights are revealed! Kicking off as soon as this Friday, there are 24 opportunities for merriment all over the country, with Manchester’s event even boasting a guest DJ set from BURY TOMORROW. There will also be a competition at every club night to win a pair of standard weekend festival tickets! If none of these nights are near you, more events will be announced for June & July in due course. 

Fri 5th April – Reading – Face Bar, Schism
Sat 6th April – Torquay – The Attic, Party Hard!
Sat 6th April – Nottingham – Rock City, Alpha/Omega
Fri 12th April – Bristol – The Lanes, PHUCT
Sat 13th April – Manchester – The Bread Shed, Deadbolt (inc. Bury Tomorrow guest DJ set)
Fri 19th April – Exeter – The Cavern, Altern8
Fri 19th April – Guildford – The Star, Schism
Fri 19th April – Plymouth – The Junction, Pretty Fly
Sat 20th April – Liverpool – The Shipping Forecast, Boneyard
Fri 26th April – London – Electrowerkz, Voodoo
Sat 27th April – Stoke-on-Trent – The Sugarmill, Devil’s Night
Sat 27th April – York – Bluebox, Deadbolt

Fri 3rd May – Cardiff – Metros, Doomsday
Sat 4th May – Brighton – Above, Apocalypse
Sat 4th May – Torquay – The Attic, Party Hard!
Fri 10th May – Bristol – The Lanes, PHUCT
Sat 11th May – Isle of Wight – Strings, Apocalypse
Sat 18th May – Nottingham – The Sal, Hexx
Sat 18th May – Newcastle – Think Tank, Grindhouse
Sat 25th May – Southampton – Sobar, Apocalypse
Sat 25th May – Camberley – Agincourt
Sat 25th May – Stoke-on-Trent – The Sugarmill, Devil’s Night
Sat 25th May – Norwich – The Waterfront, MeltdownFri 31st May – Warrington – Eden, Asylum

All club nights are subject to change. Please check specific details with venues.

LEMMY’s ashes to live at BLOODSTOCK in 2024

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BLOODSTOCK, by arrangement with Motörhead management, have announced that the legendary, late, great Lemmy Kilmister will be permanently memorialised at the heavy metal festival.  Some of Lemmy’s ashes will be housed at BLOODSTOCK – one of only a few places globally – in a unique urn, with the festival commissioning a Bust of Lemmy to incorporate the ashes.  Fans will be able to view the installation and pay tribute to Lemmy and his legacy in the RAM Gallery on site.  Once the festival is over, the Bust of Lemmy will move to Nottingham’s Rock City venue, where fans will have access to the ashes; they will return each and every year to their primary home on the hallowed turf of BLOODSTOCK at Catton Park. 

Motörhead’s manager, Todd Singerman comments: “BLOODSTOCK has always been a special place for Motörhead and for Lemmy. The people and the energy matched Lemmy’s values perfectly. Alan and Vicky were also great friends, and basically family of Lemmy, as he was the reason that they originally got together. This is definitely a fitting honor in the continuing series of enshrinements of Lemmy’s ashes in his most loved places.”

BLOODSTOCK’s Vicky Hungerford adds “We were humbled and honoured to be approached by Motörhead management to have Lemmy’s ashes at BLOODSTOCK. Lemmy holds a very special place in everybody’s heart, but to myself and my husband he was the reason we met and fell in love. Nothing will mean more to us and the BLOODSTOCK family than to honour his legacy  and have Lemmy forever at BLOODSTOCK “
The memorial will be part of a bigger picture theme for the festival this year to commemorate this special news and celebrate the remarkable legacy of Lemmy and Motörhead. 

The RAM Gallery on site will be extended this year to accommodate an expanded Motörhead theme, including a full wall of Motörhead artwork, as well as archive memorabilia, plus you can relive a moment in time by visiting a recreation of Lemmy’s touring dressing room (attached on to the gallery, accessible from within the gallery marquee).  On site this year,  BLOODSTOCKers will see the Motörhead Bomber in the arena, witness various bands paying tribute to Motörhead in their live sets, and the opening and closing of the festival will be marked with a sounding of the famous Motörhead air raid siren.  

BLOODSTOCK will also welcome Motörhead’s Phil Campbell to the festival this year and are thrilled to have his participation in these special celebrations. Even more Motörhead themed activations are still in the works, so stay tuned as this exciting development continues coming together. 

Standard weekend tickets to BLOODSTOCK, priced at £185 (+ bkg fee) are available now in the 2024 ticket store. Early Bird, VIP and campervan tickets are already sold out.   BLOODSTOCK’s 2024 Ronnie James Dio main stage headliners are AMON AMARTH, OPETH, and ARCHITECTS. Across the weekend you can also expect to see CLUTCH, HATEBREED, CARCASS, ENSLAVED, MALEVOLENCE, SATYRICON, ROTTING CHRIST, SYLOSIS, WHITECHAPEL, DEICIDE, GRAND MAGUS, DESERT STORM, THE VINTAGE CARAVAN, SOEN, GREEN LUNG, COMBICHRIST, XENTRIX, EXIST IMMORTAL, ETERNAL CHAMPION, GROVE STREET, MIMI BARKS, CRYPTA, FORBIDDEN, NERVOSA, BEAST IN BLACK, KORPIKLAANI, UNLEASH THE ARCHERS, FLOGGING MOLLY, SEPTIC FLESH, IGORRR, RUIJIN, GROVE STREET, UNPEOPLE, NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA, HELLRIPPER, INFECTED RAIN, CULTURA TRES, SADUS, LUDOVICO TECHNIQUE, BURNER, RED RUM, EVERGREY, RAISED BY OWLS, TAILGUNNER, SOUTH OF SALEM, and ANKOR with more still to be announced. 

Get full festival information over at bloodstock.uk.com.  BLOODSTOCK will take place at Catton Park, Derbyshire on 8th-11th August 2024.

BLOODSTOCK REVEALS NINETEEN MORE CRUSHING BANDS

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BLOODSTOCK has two true loves…heavy and metal. This Valentine’s, let BLOODSTOCK sweep you off your feet with 18 more crushing bands for August’s best metal weekender.  And, with the line-up now complete for the two biggest stages, day tickets have gone on sale in the ticket store. 

With SOEN, COMBICHRIST, XENTRIX, RYUJIN, IGNEA, UNPEOPLE, BURNER and many more all joining the bill, there’s something this year for everyone on Catton Park’s hallowed turf!  If you’re still hungry for more, why not get involved in your local Metal 2 The Masses heats, and be part of shaping the line-up for the Hopical Storm New Blood stage, with lots of lower card bands still to be confirmed in the coming months.   

Joining Sunday’s Ronnie James Dio main stage bill are Swedish progressive metallers, SOEN.  The band recently released their sixth studio album, ‘Memorial’, via Spinefarm Records.  Check out the lead single, ‘Unbreakable’, taken from that album here.  And opening Sunday’s main stage are extreme metal comedians RAISED BY OWLS, who will be bringing their unique brand of mirth and revelry, as well as beefy riffs to kick off your Sunday morning. Watch their latest video effort here, ahead of their new album dropping in May.

Joining Saturday’s main stage bill are Ukrainian melodic metal storytellers, IGNEA, who are surely bound to play some fresh tracks off their latest record, ‘Dreams Of Lands Unseen’, released by Napalm Records last year.  Perhaps including its lead single, ‘Dunes’? 

Also landing a Saturday slot are British black metal outfit, DEITUS. Investigate ‘Irreversible’, the title track of their latest album released by Candlelight Records, here, if you’ve not yet discovered them.

That’s not all!  Over on the Sophie Lancaster stage on Friday, expect to see atmospheric heavyists DARKEST ERA, death hardcore fusionists BURNER, symphonic black metallers HALIPHRON, Irish death squad DEATHCOLLECTOR, Swedish metal stalwarts WOLF, and opening proceedings that day will be powerhouse rock trio, HAXAN. 

Saturday’s Sophie bill now features Las Vegas industrial squad COMBICHRIST, hot new alt rock collective UNPEOPLE, Brit hardcore newcomers CAULDRON, classic rock n’ rollers ASOMVEL, and Finnish deathcore outfit, ENEMIES EVERYWHERE.

And on the Sophie line-up on Sunday, BLOODSTOCK welcomes thrash icons XENTRIX, Japanese samurai metal warriors RYUJIN, Brit deathcore bruisers OSIAH, and melodic metal six-piece, AWAKE BY DESIGN.

BLOODSTOCK’S 11 BANDS OF CHRISTMAS

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As December extends its frosty fingers, BLOODSTOCK is getting in the festive spirit with some early Xmas gifts by way of another chunky 2024 announcement.  If you’re hoping for some heavy metal next summer, BLOODSTOCK’s got your presents wrapped up with a bow on top!  And if you want to give the gift of heavy metal (yes, we mean a ticket for BLOODSTOCK 2024), you can now download a special festive card when you order at the ticket store to help present it to the lucky recipient! 

Don’t miss BLOODSTOCK’s Festive Facebook Live at 7pm on Dec 7th  for some seasonal fun & oh maybe some prizes… and we suggest you keep your eyes (and your sprouts) peeled for who knows what other treats might be in store across the festival’s socials later this month… 



On the Ronnie James Dio main stage, grindcore & melodic death metal pioneers CARCASS land Sunday’s special guest slot.  The “most influential band out of Merseyside since The Beatles” released their current studio album, ‘Torn Arteries’ in 2021 via Nuclear Blast to colossal acclaim. 

Also appearing Sunday on the RJD main stage are South American progressive sludge metal project, CULTURA TRES.  Last year, the 4-piece, featuring Sepultura’s Paolo Pinto Jr on bass, released their 5th studio album, ‘Camino De Brujos’. 

Black metal icons, SATYRICON will return to the stage for the first time in 5 years to headline Sunday’s Sophie Lancaster stage.  In what are becoming increasingly rare appearances, frontman Satyr informs us: “The way SATYRICON’s attitude has resonated with English fans throughout our journey as a band, has made us feel that playing there isn’t so much a visit, but rather a homecoming. Having decided to do only a few select shows, we can’t go everywhere, but fortunately there are a few places our hearts seem to take us, one way or the other. Like England.”  

The mighty SYLOSIS steam into a Saturday slot on the Sophie stage.  Their latest album, ‘A Sign Of Things To Come’ landed in September and the Brit metal heavyweights told us, “We can’t wait to be back at BLOODSTOCK!  We’ve had some amazing shows over the years, but it feels like next year is going to be really special!”  We can’t wait either!  In the meantime, get a load of new song ‘Descent’ taken from that brand new release. 

Also appearing on Saturday’s Sophie stage are American goth metal project, LUDOVICO TECHNIQUE.  Fronted by enigmatic songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ben V, they released their most recent album ‘Haunted People’ in 2022.  Check out their epic video for ‘Live As Myself’, taken from that album, here. 
Ahoy!  Metal pirates RED RUM also grab a Saturday Sophie slot.  If you like your pirate tunes laden with riffs and melodies, RED RUM aren’t to be missed.  Sing along with ‘We Pirates’ taken from their current album, ‘Book of Legends’ out now on Trollzorn Records.  

SADUS bring their death/thrash sounds to BLOODSTOCK’s Sophie stage for the first time ever on Sunday.  The band came off an extended hiatus in 2017 and signed to Nuclear Blast for the recent release of new studio album, ‘The Shadow Inside’.  Check out the lyric video for album track, ‘Ride The Knife’. 
On Sunday’s Sophie stage bill, expect to see Spanish alt metal collective, ANKOR.  Fronted by Jessie Williams (who hails from Bristol, UK), the band blend metalcore with progressive and electro elements, creating a sound of their very own. 

If you’re a weekend ticket holder, the party starts early for you on Thursday.  Once you’ve set up camp and had your first cold one, prog metal Swedes EVERGREY are set to headline Thursday’s Sophie stage, with earlier evening sets from classic heavy metallers TAILGUNNER and Bournemouth rock n’ roll squad, SOUTH OF SALEM.  

BLOODSTOCK’S HALLOWEEN TREATS

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Happy Halloween! Trick or treat?! BLOODSTOCK loves the spooky season and has only fiendishly good news to share! Are you ready? Get set to howl the house down when you see which nine bands are being announced today! There’s also news of everyone’s brilliant fund-raising efforts with details of just how much was raised for two worthy charities from BLOODSTOCK 2023, the ticket deposit scheme launch date, & more. Without further ado… 

Swedish metal legends GRAND MAGUS land a Friday slot on the Ronnie James Dio main stage. It’s already been 4 long years since the doom-infused three-piece dropped album ‘Wolf God’ with Nuclear Blast, but the band themselves have already made mention of their tenth album coming in 2024! Get excited! Last seen at BLOODSTOCK in 2019, refresh your memory of that epic set here. 

Metal Blade mob WHITECHAPEL serve up a hefty slab of deathcore on Saturday’s main stage. After regretfully pulling out of 2023’s event, you’ve had an extra year to anticipate just how ferocious that pit is gonna be. Watch the video for latest single ‘Without You/Without Us’ or deep dive into the entirety of current album ‘Kin’ here. 

Florida death metal icons DEICIDE also jet in for a main stage Saturday spot in a UK festival exclusive. It’s all go in the Deicide camp of late, signing a new record deal with Reigning Phoenix Music and putting the finishing touches on their upcoming, 13th full-length album, ‘Banished By Sin’, featuring new guitarist Taylor Nordberg. The first new album since 2018, just give us the release date already! While you’re waiting patiently, check out some classic Deicide via the video for ‘Scars Of The Crucifix.’ 

Oxford-based riff beasts DESERT STORM roll in to wake you up on Friday morning, opening the main stage. Their latest masterpiece ‘Death Battle’ dropped via APF this March, an intoxicating mix of stoner doom and prog metal. If you’re a fan of Clutch and Orange Goblin, you won’t want to miss them. Wrap your ears round their latest track ‘Salt Of The Earth’ here.

Over on the Sophie Lancaster stage, five more treats have been locked in. 
Icelandic psych rock squad THE VINTAGE CARAVAN secure a position on Friday’s bill. The Led Zep fans are currently cranking out their classic rock/prog-infused sounds across mainland Europe, promoting latest release ‘The Monuments Tour (Live)’, unveiled 2 weeks ago via Napalm Records. Watch the live video for ‘Can’t Get You Off My Mind’ here. 

Londoners EXIST IMMORTAL also bring their metal maelstrom to the Friday line-up. Their self-titled current album, released by Seek & Strike, is available now. Appraise yourself of their sound via their latest single, ‘Emerge’.

Joining them on Friday, are the epic metal ETERNAL CHAMPION from Texas, who marked their tenth anniversary this year. Released by No Remorse Records in 2020, you can listen to their latest LP ‘Ravening Iron’ in full here.

One of alt.music’s hottest rising stars, MIMI BARKS is added to Saturday’s Sophie bill. If you’re looking for something just a little bit different to add flavour to your BLOODSTOCK weekend, perhaps a little doom-trap will be just the ticket. Current release, ‘DEADGIRL’, claimed the full 5Ks from Kerrang. Watch ‘Saw’ from that release now.

GROVE STREET rampage onto Sunday’s roster.  The band have been causing a massive stir in hardcore circles and last month released new album, ‘The Path To Righteousness’. Check out the title track here and see what all the fuss is about.  
BLOODSTOCK is also excited to announce that Timothy Taylor and their Hopical Storm ale have partnered with the 2024 METAL 2 THE MASSES programme.  The 2024 M2TM season is now underway, with bands around the country competing to win a slot on the newly named Hopical Storm New Blood Stage.  If you’re in an unsigned or developing band and would like to throw your hat in the ring, click over to the M2TM page on the BLOODSTOCK site to see information about participating venues/cities. 
In other festival news, BLOODSTOCK would like to thank everyone who contributed to this year’s event’s charity fundraising efforts. A grand total of £13,903 was raised in donations from BLOODSTOCKers for the festival’s two official charities for 2023: The Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Rutland Air Ambulance (DLRAA) (£5492) and The Sophie Lancaster Foundation (£8411). This comprised: Guest & media donations amassing £10,984, which was split equally between The Sophie Lancaster Foundation and DRLAABar staff generously donating all tips to The Sophie Lancaster Foundation. Alan, the bar’s head honcho, also doubled this donation, making a total of £838.The Rock Society raised £200 via a raffle for The Sophie Lancaster Foundation.The T-Shirt / CD Amnesty raised £1881 for The Sophie Lancaster Foundation.

The Sophie Lancaster Foundation’s Chief Executive, Alison Vincent said: “We are so grateful to BLOODSTOCK and their amazing staff and supporters for their incredible donation of £8,411. This is a huge amount of money for us and will be used to fund more work to support the alternative community and also deliver more sessions in schools about tolerance and respect for others. Thanks to BLOODSTOCK for making us so welcome and for doing all they could to make BLOODSTOCK 2023 the best ever!” 

Commenting on behalf of the Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Rutland Air Ambulance charity, Tracey Jones, Community Fundraising Executive for Derbyshire said, “We would like to say a big thank you to everyone at BLOODSTOCK Open Air who donated funds to support our lifesaving missions. A special thank you goes to Rachael and Adam for choosing us as one of two charities to support at their festival this year. We rely on generous fundraising and funding to remain operational, and without the support of the local community just like this, the lifesaving missions in Derbyshire and further afield wouldn’t be possible.”

For more information on the important work these charities do, or to donate, please visit:https://www.sophielancasterfoundation.com/ and https://www.theairambulanceservice.org.uk. 
Want to do a bit more for The Sophie Lancaster Foundation?
Did you catch the amazing set by SKYND headlining the Sophie stage on Thursday at BLOODSTOCK this summer? Perhaps you spotted Skynd’s special pink jacket on stage during her performance or her wearing it earlier in the day?

Skynd has donated this one-off jacket and The Sophie Lancaster Foundation are auctioning it on eBay! Skynd has also signed the protective bag it will come in. The auction is already underway, so go sling in a bid and perhaps you’ll be the lucky winner. The auction ends on November 5th!

Bid here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/314914024832

Skynd says, “A foundation like the Sophie Lancaster Foundation is important today as well as tomorrow, because it does not let us forget what and especially WHY happened to Sophie, but also that prejudice and intolerance have no place. I am grateful and emotionally touched about a foundation like this, where the people involved are committed and have their hearts in it and contribute a part to the fact that prejudice, hate and intolerance have no place anywhere. To be different, to live as you want should not be a reason for hate or violence. I support this foundation and will continue to do so. Say her name: SOPHIE!”

BLOODSTOCK REVEALS SEVEN MORE BANDS INCLUDING FINAL HEADLINER!

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If you’ve been hanging on for a few more bands to be revealed for BLOODSTOCK 2024 before snapping up your early bird ticket, this is the announcement you’ve been waiting for, with seven more stellar acts joining the bill.  Don’t wait much longer for an early bird, because the allocation is over 90% sold, and after that, prices will increase. 

Swedish progressive legends, OPETH will headline Friday’s Ronnie James Dio main stage for a very special fan-chosen set.  What’s more, the performance will be their only UK show in 2024.  Frontman Mikael Akerfeldt extols, “So…back to BLOODSTOCK 2024 for us, it appears!  I don’t remember how many times we’ve played the festival, but we do have fond memories from there. ”Filling in” for Heaven and Hell when RJD had passed is one.  Fuck!  Can’t remember a more emotional event on stage for us, to be honest.  Anyhoooo, we’ll be there ‘rocking’ and ‘rolling’ in our own way, playing songs that you’ve chosen (apparently).  Please be gentle. Right now I feel pretty far from being a ROCKER, as I’m writing this sat in my (favourite) greasy sweatpants, and my hair is greasier than ever.  I’m working, you see.  But I promise I’ll have a look in the mirror before we hit the stage. The band will be tight (that’s also a promise). I’ll sing OK (semi-promise). You’ll recognise the songs (I really have no idea, but you picked them!) and, we’ll be IN. THE. ZONE!  All in all, providing the weather’s nice and the beer is cold, the possibilities for a magical night are rather decent.  Wouldn’t you say?  Hope to see (and hear) you there.”  You’d not want to disappoint the man now, would you? 

The mighty HATEBREED are bringing their 30th Anniversary set to Friday’s main stage bill.  Having been forced to cancel their whole UK/European run in 2022, BLOODSTOCK is thrilled to have them return to Catton Park with a stacked set of pit-churning classics.  Will they take the title for most number of crowd-surfers during their BLOODSTOCK set from current record holders Cannibal Corpse?! Killswitch Engage came close in 2023, but were about 40 short… Watch them light up Wacken back in 2018 in this footage for ‘Destroy Everything.’

Avant garde prog extremists ENSLAVED play the Ronnie James Dio main stage on Sunday. Formed back in 1991, these long-time masters of their craft have a veritable horde of tracks across 16 albums to narrow down a set list from. Certain to be a welcome return, ENSLAVED were last seen at BLOODSTOCK in 2015. Check out the epic song ‘Congelia’, taken from current album ‘Heimdal’, out now via Nuclear Blast.
Brazilian thrash outfit NERVOSA land themselves a main stage slot on Friday.  The band have recently rejigged their line up, with founding guitarist Prika Amaral also stepping up to now also front the band.  Witness their ferocity on recent single ‘Endless Ambition’, taken from their imminent ‘Jailbreak’ album, arriving 29th September. 

There’s even more LatAm talent with Brazilian death squad CRYPTA bringing their brutal noise to the main stage on Saturday.  Bassist Fernanda Lira and drummer Luana Dametto formed the band after departing Nervosa back in 2019.  Watch them shred their way through ‘Trial Of Traitors,’ taken from their brand new album, ‘Shades Of Sorrow,’ which was released last month via Napalm Records. 

Calling all power metal fans! BLOODSTOCK is pleased to share that Finnish PM gang, BEAST IN BLACK will be strutting their stuff on the main stage on Sunday. Currently on the road across North America, you can keep up with their tour antics on their official TikTok! Have you checked out their widely-praised third album ‘Dark Connection’ yet?  Watch the video for the most recent single, ‘To The Last Drop Of Blood.’
Bay Area thrash veterans, FORBIDDEN grab a slot on Saturday’s main stage.  Having recently re-booted with a brand new frontman (Norman Skinner) and drummer (Chris Kontos), the band wasted no time laying waste to Belgium’s Alcatraz festival this year.  Check out ‘Twisted Into Form’ from that incendiary set, and warm up your necks in anticipation for BLOODSTOCK 2024!

In related news, BLOODSTOCK’s founder Paul Gregory has had both his career and life story told in a new documentary, ‘Heavy Metal Painter’.  The movie, put together by Toronto-based film-making collective, The Art of Heavy Metal, is set to premiere on the BLOODSTOCK YouTube channel on 10th October.  In the meantime, check out the trailer to whet your appetite and get some popcorn ordered in! 
There are less than 10% remaining of the standard Early Bird weekend tickets, priced at £165 (+ bkg fee).  Once the discounted Early Bird allocation has gone, standard weekend tickets will increase in price to £185 (+ bkg fee), so grab yours and save yourself £20.  Head over to the 2024 ticket store now! 

BLOODSTOCK’s other 2023 Ronnie James Dio main stage headliners are AMON AMARTH and ARCHITECTS.  Across the weekend you can also expect to see CLUTCH, MALEVOLENCE, ROTTING CHRIST, KORPIKLAANI, UNLEASH THE ARCHERS, FLOGGING MOLLY, SEPTIC FLESH, IGORRR, NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA, HELLRIPPER, GREEN LUNG and INFECTED RAIN, with many more yet to be announced.  Get full festival information over at bloodstock.uk.com.

BLOODSTOCK will take place at Catton Park, Derbyshire on 8th-11th August 2024.