Bloodstock Open Air

BLOODSTOCK GOES GREENER

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Following along from 2018’s ‘Drastic On Plastic’ initiative, this year we’re committing to the ‘BLOODSTOCK Goes Greener’ campaign!  This year we aim to recycle at least 50% of the festival’s waste and send nothing at all to landfill.  We’re encouraging everyone to say a big ‘NO’ to single use tents and plastics on site and we hope to completely eradicate single use plastics atBLOODSTOCK by 2020 as well as lower BLOODSTOCK‘s carbon footprint as a whole by 2021.  Our initial 6-point plan for 2019 runs as follows:

1 – RECYCLABLE BRANDED BLOODSTOCK CUPS ACROSS ALL BARS – BLOODSTOCKers pay a one-off sum of £2 for a recyclable BLOODSTOCK-branded plastic cup which can be used across all bars.  The added bonus is that you’ll have a souvenir to take home too.

2 – RECYCLING POINTS – BLOODSTOCKers to use the clearly signed recycling points in the arena & campsites.

3 – 100% BIODEGRADABLE FOOD PACKAGING – Food traders will only be using 100% biodegradable food packaging and cutlery this year.

4 – RECYCLE PLASTIC BOTTLES ACROSS THE SITE – Coca Cola will collect and recycle your plastic bottles on site and have them back in circulation within weeks of the festival.

5 – SAY NO TO SINGLE USE TENTS – Together with our tent partners Fat Franks Camping Shop and Tangerine Fields, we want to encourage you to either take your tent home with you after the festival or if you don’t want the hassle of bringing a tent with you in the first place, you can either ‘Click and Collect’ a tent and camping equipment from Fat Franks Camping Shop in advance – http://www.fatfrankscampingshop.com/sustainable-camping – or you can simply hire a pre-erected tent, airbed, bedding, etc, from Tangerine Fields –  https://www.tangerinefields.co.uk/events/bloodstock-open-air.html – which will be ready and waiting to move into when you arrive at the festival.  Both Fat Franks Camping Shop and Tangerine Fields are situated in the Midgard Campsite. 


DONATE YOUR TENT & WIN TICKETS TO BLOODSTOCK 2020!  Fat Franks Camping Shop will stay open until 12 Noon on Monday morning after the festival to enable you to take back any unwanted camping equipment (tents, sleeping bags, chairs, bedding, airbeds, etc) whether purchased from Fat Franks or elsewhere.  For those of you that drop off unwanted tents at Fat Franks, we will enter you into a prize draw to win a pair of tickets to Bloodstock 2020 (our 20th Anniversary event)!  Winners will be announced approximately 28 days after the festival.  All donated items will go to Pathways Homeless Charity and a local scout group.

6 – LOWER TRAVEL EMISSIONS – We want to offer low impact ways to travel to the festival so have partnered with Big Green Coach who have 34 pickup locations around the UK.  This creates a huge reduction in carbon emissions, coming by coach rather than car.  For every customer who books travel with Big Green Coach, they sponsor and protect 5 sq ft of Amazonian Rainforest for 10 years.  This has resulted in over 1,200,000 sq ft of Peruvian Rainforest being protected by Big Green Coach for the next 10 years since they began the commitment.  Their target is to protect an area covering 3 million sq ft over the next 5 years.  This is all thanks to you!  For more info click to https://www.biggreencoach.co.uk/why-are-we-green.  To book coach tickets; https://www.biggreencoach.co.uk/events/bloodstock-festival-tickets-coach-travel.  Alternatively, you can travel via Carshare to BLOODSTOCK with GoCarshare.com for the cheapest festival travel prices to site.  GoCarShare connect metal-loving drivers and passengers going in the same direction.  By sharing a spare seat or two, this reduces the number of cars on the road travelling to BLOODSTOCK and subsequently reduces carbon emissions.  Click to https://gocarshare.com/festival/bloodstock for full info.

Let’s work together to make the world a better place for us and our children.

BLOODSTOCK READIES M2TM FINALS AND ANNOUNCES SIX MORE BANDS

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BLOODSTOCK is pleased to reveal another six bands joining the fray at Catton Park this summer, hailing from not just the UK, but also Spain, Finland, and Egypt! The Metal 2 The Masses finals kick off soon too, so make plans to support your local event detailed below and you might even get to win a pair of weekend tickets for just taking a photo!
Appearing on the Sophie Lancaster stage on Sunday are Anglo-Finnish tech progsters WHEEL (https://www.facebook.com/wheelband). Expect to hear some tracks from their recently released debut album ‘Moving Backwards’, including perhaps, their latest single ‘Where The Pieces Lie’ – https://youtu.be/MMe99B0EP94.
Joining them are Preston old school thrashers SOLITARY(https://www.facebook.com/Official.Solitary) recently reunited with guitarist Gaz Harrop after an 18-year gap and celebrating their 25th anniversary in 2019. Pick up their most recent album, ‘The Diseased Heart Of Society here but first listen to ‘Wait’ from that LP at https://youtu.be/U5xMZezsNAY.
Spanish thrash beasts VIOLBLAST (https://www.facebook.com/Violblast) are set to melt faces on Sunday’s Sophie stage, shredding tracks from latest album ‘Theater Of Despair’, which they’ve kindly added to YouTube in full over at: https://youtu.be/QZgO0gfJHPg. Go listen!
Adding to Sunday’s Sophie mayhem are Egyptian blackened death metal outfit,CRESCENT (https://www.facebook.com/Crescentband), who released latest album ‘The Order Of Amenti’ via Listenable Records. Investigate ‘Beyond The Path Of Amenti’ and see if this is what your Sunday at BLOODSTOCK needs at:https://youtu.be/SkZOGD5UHUA.
Finnish metal squad, BLOOD RED HOURGLASS(www.facebook.com/bloodredhourglass) also grab a Sunday slot on the Sophie stage. The band are readying the release of their 4th studio album, ‘Godsend’ for 31st May. While you may be priming your ears for new music at BLOODSTOCK, check out ‘Quiet Complaint’, the opening track from their 2017 album, ‘Heal’ – https://youtu.be/4jSV9h4vvb0.
Joining the Sophie Lancaster stage bill on Saturday are British prog instrumentalists, THE PARALLAX METHOD (www.facebook.com/theparallaxmethod). You may have caught the band live before, as they’ve graced the stage at a previous BLOODSTOCK, as well as slots at Download and Hard Rock Hell. Check out their video for ‘You Gotta Be Squiddin’ Me’ – https://youtu.be/okE2TjKIuYg.
BLOODSTOCK is very proud to support the grass roots scene and its renowned Metal 2 The Masses scheme is now reaching its Finals stage for 2019! Events are listed in full below, so support your local scene and watch one of your local bands win a slot at BLOODSTOCK in August. You also stand a chance of winning a pair of weekend tickets by taking a cool photo at one of the events and posting it to your social media of choice (Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter) using the hashtags #M2TMFinals2019 and #BloodstockFestival, ensuring your post is set to public (so we can find your entry). At the end of the Finals tour, we’ll choose our favourite photo from each platform and that winner will receive a pair of weekend tickets to BLOODSTOCK, so feel free to enter on more than one social platform if you so wish to maximise your chances!
Sat 27 Apr – COVENTRY The Empire
Fri 03 May – GLASGOW Ivory Blacks
Sat 04 May – SHEFFIELD The Mulberry Tavern
Fri 17 May – BELFAST Voodoo
Sat 18 May – DUBLIN Fibber Magees
Thu 23 May – NORWICH Brickmakers
Fri 24 May – OXFORD Wheatsheaf
Sat 25 May – MILTON KEYNES Craufurd Arms
Sat 25 May – LEICESTER The Dryden
Fri 31 May – HITCHIN Club 85
Fri 31 May – STOKE Underground
Sat 01 Jun – WOLVERHAMPTON KK’s Steel Mill
Sat 01 Jun – BURNLEY Sanctuary
Fri 07 Jun – BOURNEMOUTH The Anvil
Fri 07 Jun – WREXHAM Memorial Hall
Sat 08 Jun – CARDIFF Fuel Rock Club
Sat 15 Jun – POLAND Miejsce Rude Boy Club
Sat 15 Jun – NORWAY Oslo Rock In
Fri 21 Jun – LEEDS Wharf Chambers
Sat 22 Jun – MERSEYSIDE Liverpool EBGB’s
Sat 22 Jun – NOTTINGHAM The Maze
Sat 22 Jun – NEWCASTLE Trillians
Sun 23 Jun – MANCHESTER Rebellion
Fri 28 Jun – ESSEX Colchester The Soundhouse
Sat 29 Jun – NORTHANTS Northampton Black Prince
Sun 30 Jun – BRIGHTON Green Door Store
Fri 05 Jul – CHELTENHAM Frog & Fiddle
Sat 06 Jul – BRISTOL The Exchange
Sat 06 Jul – LONDON Nambucca
Sun 07 Jul – BIRMINGHAM Hammer & The Anvil
Sat 13 Jul – SOMERSET Bridgewater Town Hall
Friday night’s headliner SABATON, Saturday’s top dogs PARKWAY DRIVE and Sunday’s bill toppers SCORPIONS, join ANTHRAX, DIMMU BORGIR, CHILDREN OF BODOM, CODE ORANGE, POWERWOLF, SOILWORK, CRADLE OF FILTH, THY ART IS MURDER, TESSERACT, METAL CHURCH, SOULFLY, DEATH ANGEL, DEE SNIDER, QUEENSRYCHE, ELUVEITIE, SWALLOW THE SUN, EVIL SCARECROW, ROSS THE BOSS, GRAND MAGUS, ROTTING CHRIST, ABORTED, SKELETAL REMAINS, ALL HAIL THE YETI, INCITE, HYPOCRISY and many more on the Catton Park stages this August. With more bands to come, stay tuned for even more artists to be announced soon!

BLOODSTOCK brings early Easter treats with 7 more bands for 2019!

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With Easter just around the corner, BLOODSTOCK has some treats for you with another seven bands added to the best metal weekender this summer.  Not only that, there’s an update on a brand new charity partner for 2019, club nights galore, and we suggest you stay tuned to BLOODSTOCK’s social media as Easter draws ever closer.  You never know when a special Easter competition might launch. Without further delay…

Industrial alt rockers, SULPHER grab a Sophie Lancaster stage slot on Friday.  The trio, comprising touring members of Marilyn Manson’s band, The Prodigy, and The Jesus And Mary Chain, recently released their 2nd studio album, ‘No One Will Ever Know’, available to pick up or stream over at https://sulpher.lnk.to/NoOneWillEverKnow.  Investigate the band further via the video for ‘Follow You Down’; https://youtu.be/5lLO3LN3Ivg.

Also landing a Friday Sophie appearance are Newcastle groove metal squad, DEF CON ONE. With founder member and ex-Venom sticksman Antton Lant behind the kit, have a listen to one of their newest singles, ‘Martyr To The New Blood’, the first to feature the current line-up, at: https://youtu.be/YTSBaLn4vaQ.

British metal squad, DAMNATIONS HAMMER also join the Sophie Friday bill.  Formed as a homage to the 80’s avant garde metal scene, the band’s vision was to create doom-laden, dark, atmospheric sounds with unrelenting heaviness. Get yourself clued up by listening to ‘Temple of the Descending Gods’ – https://youtu.be/E7aEjT7yt-M – taken from their recently released opus, ‘Unseen Planets, Deadly Spheres’, which you can pick up or stream via https://lnk.to/unseenplanets.

Hailing from Dewsbury and reforming a few years back, old school death metal crew  BLASPHEMER are added to the Sophie lineup on Friday. Their most recent album, ‘Lust Of The Goat’, dropped in November 2018 via Grindscene Records, and you can wrap your ears around all of the tracks, admire the colourful artwork, and order it at: https://blasphemeruk666.bandcamp.com/album/lust-of-the-goat.

Rounding out the Sophie stage announcements for Friday bands today are Irish death metal outfit, ZEALOT CULT.  Check out their concrete heavy, classic death metal noise via their EP ‘Karmenian Crypt’ over at their Bandcamp page – https://zealotcult.bandcamp.com.

Picking up a Sunday spot on the Sophie stage are Notts-based stoner groove power trio,  WITCHTRIPPER. Bringing “groove, shred, & roll”, if you’re a fan of Clutch, Orange Goblin, Kyuss, Sabbath or Led Zepp, these guys might be right up your street. Head over to the band’s official site at https://www.witchtripper.co.uk to hear latest album ‘Attitude Adjustment’ and more besides.

Also bounding into a Sunday Sophie slot are HARBINGER. Touted by Metal Hammer as “leading the next generation of tech metal wizards”, the band showcase their wares with blistering new track, ‘The Awakening’ on YouTube; https://youtu.be/AgWCn0klCGk.  Their debut album, ‘Compelled To Suffer’ lands on 17th May.  You can pre-order over at http://www.harbingerriffs.com.

This year BLOODSTOCK welcomes a brand new charity partner!  Say hello to the very worthy YoungMinds organisation (https://youngminds.org.uk), who work tirelessly to support young people’s mental health across the UK.  YoungMinds will benefit from our guest list donation scheme and have a stand in the arena for you to drop by, drop a quid in their collection box and find out about their work. YoungMinds is the leading the fight for a future where all young minds are supported and empowered, whatever the challenges.  They help to ensure the best possible mental health support for our youth and help them have the resilience to overcome life’s difficulties. The crisis in young people’s mental health is real and it is urgent. More than ever before are reaching out for help with their mental health, but for those brave enough to take that first step, help is much too hard to find.  YoungMinds are helping to change this. Click through to their website to read more about what they do and look out for them onsite at Catton Park!

Final headliner announced for Bloodstock 2019

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BLOODSTOCK are thrilled to announce their Saturday night headliner for 2019! Australian metalcore titans, PARKWAY DRIVE will be bringing their blazing breakdowns and hellacious riffs to Catton Park for the very first time this August, hot on the heels of their UK headline run that The Guardian declared, “An eye-popping visual spectacle.” Frontman Winston McCall tells us, “We’re pretty damn excited! This will be our first shot headlining a UK festival. BLOODSTOCK has a hell of a reputation and is renowned for having one of the best festival sites and atmospheres going. We’ll be bringing full production, we want to give BLOODSTOCK a set that’s worthy of a headline slot! We’re psyched! Thanks for having us!”
PARKWAY DRIVE join the previously announced Friday night headliner, SABATON, Sunday’s bill toppers SCORPIONS, together with ANTHRAX, DIMMU BORGIR, CHILDREN OF BODOM, CODE ORANGE, POWERWOLF, SOILWORK, CRADLE OF FILTH, THY ART IS MURDER, TESSERACT, METAL CHURCH, SOULFLY, DEATH ANGEL, DEE SNIDER, QUEENSRYCHE, ELUVEITIE, SWALLOW THE SUN, EVIL SCARECROW, ROSS THE BOSS, GRAND MAGUS, ROTTING CHRIST, INCITE and HYPOCRISY on the Catton Park stages this August. Stay tuned for even more bands to be announced soon!

BLOODSTOCK announce six bands as an early Halloween treat!

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As Halloween creeps up, BLOODSTOCK has prepared an early treat and announced six new bands to join their previously announced Friday night headliner, SABATON on the 2019 bill at Catton Park.

 

CHILDREN OF BODOM land a Friday spot on the Ronnie James Dio main stage in a UK exclusive. The band entered Danger Johnny Studios with producer Mikko Karmila earlier this year to work on a new studio album, due for release in 2019, following 2015’s devilishly good ‘I Worship Chaos’. See the video for ‘Morrigan’ from that album at: https://youtu.be/jm3kDrBTlt8.

 

CRADLE OF FILTH return to Catton Park’s main stage on Saturday. The British hellfiends are no strangers to our hallowed ground and we’re keenly expecting both tricks and treats aplenty. Lead Cenobite Dani Filth had this to say about returning to BLOODSTOCK; “Obviously we want to finish what we started ten years ago, that is to finish our set! And for that alone we are really, really looking forward to bringing a massive Cradle show back to the BLOODSTOCK fans. We f**king can’t wait!” Meanwhile, watch the video for ‘Heartbreak And Seance’ at https://youtu.be/DNRIaeg6EyY, taken from their gothic horror-infused twelfth album, ‘Cryptoriana – The Seductiveness of Decay’.

 

SOILWORK also pick up a Sunday slot in a UK festival exclusive. The Swedish metallers are currently hard at work in the studio brewing their eleventh studio album and the follow up to 2015’s acclaimed ‘The Ride Majestic’. Check out the band blazing through ‘This Momentary Bliss’ (taken from their ‘Live In The Heart of Helskini’ DVD) here; https://youtu.be/3RsAF6r3gQw.

 

BLOODSTOCKers will be able to see the inimitable DEE SNIDER on Sunday’s main stage! The Twisted Sister frontman’s recent solo album, ‘For The Love Of Metal’ was the result of a challenge issued by Hatebreed frontman (and BOA favourite!) Jamey Jasta! Whilst appearing on Jasta’s podcast, Jamey told Dee that he ought to make a “true metal album” and he wanted to produce! The project forged ahead, picking up numerous plaudits on release earlier this year. Check out the video for ‘Become The Storm’ – https://youtu.be/hljBz0zTEKQ – for a glimpse of what’s in store!

 

We also welcome QUEENSRYCHE to the main stage on Sunday. The Todd La Torre-fronted outfit are putting the finishing touches on their forthcoming new album too and are giving PledgeMusic supporters an early taste! Head over to https://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/queensryche2 to sink your teeth in and get your claws on all kinds of special pre-order bundles.

 

Lastly, but definitely not least, Swedish death metal luminaries HYPOCRISY join us on Sunday! With Peter Tägtgren at their helm, the band released their first record back in 1992 and have released 11 more since. The band enter the studio in January 2019 to create a new masterpiece, their first since 2013’s, ‘End Of Disclosure’. Watch the video for that title track at https://youtu.be/MJsdZ2FR3WM.

 

 

BLOODSTOCK announce SABATON as Friday night headliner for 2019!

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BLOODSTOCK are excited to announce their first headliner for 2019! Swedish metal warriors, SABATON will headline Friday 9th August in what will be their only UK show in 2019! Check out what they had to say about returning to Catton Park’s hallowed turf to headline the festival this time around – https://youtu.be/a_m5jrhKUZs. The band have always been a huge hit with BLOODSTOCK’s crowd in years prior, so we’re excited to see them step into a headline slot. Remember their 2015 set when they brought their tank?! Watch them blast through ‘Metal Crue’ here – https://youtu.be/nt2pF7Bf944.

 

Stay tuned for more band announcements soon!

 

Standard weekend tickets are also currently available at ‘early bird’ prices (just £132 for four days of metal fun), so grab yours now at the ticket store – http://bloodstock.seetickets.com – if you want to save a few quid. Camper van passes are also available in limited quantities, but be quick, half the available spaces have sold already!

 

For those who want their VIP spot guaranteed, BLOODSTOCK’s first wave of 2019 Serpents Lair VIP tickets are also available, priced at £290. A second wave, including the Deluxe VIP packages (Luxpads, Bellepads, Podpads, etc) and a limited amount of VIP upgrades (for those who’ve already purchased standard weekend tickets) will then become available on 16th December at 9am. For full details click to http://www.bloodstock.uk.com/pages/vip-camping.

 

We trialled the deposit scheme for VIP tickets in 2018, but please note, there will be NO DEPOSIT SCHEME for VIP tickets this year.

In other excellent news, BLOODSTOCK is very proud to announce that the 2018 event raised a total of £11,872 for TEENAGE CANCER TRUST, via the guest list scheme, on-site donations and the charity stall at Catton Park. A great result for a very worthy cause so a giant THANK YOU to everyone who donated.

 

BLOODSTOCK will take place at Catton Park, Derbyshire on 8th-11th August 2019. Get additional information over at www.bloodstock.uk.com.

Bloodstock Open Air: PREVIEW – 3 WEEKS TO GO!

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The countdown is on, three weeks until Catton Park is overrun by a hoarde of the weird and wonderful, your punks, goths, metalheads, geeks and freaks. Yes, it’s almost time for Bloodstock Open Air – the UK’s premier Metal fest.

Let’s take a look at what BOA 2018 has to offer…

BANDS

Headlining Friday night at BOA are the mighty Judas Priest, tipped to be bringing some ahem, serious fire-power, alongside material from their new album… ‘Firepower’. It’s going to be a memorable show that’s for sure, but it’s not all about the headliners at Bloodstock – Friday offers up a plethora of bands we rarely get to see at other festivals in the UK, like Emperor and Suicidal Tendencies. We also can’t wait to walk with zombies Wednesday 13 and get our thrash on with Onslaught, we are coming fully prepared to leave this festival with RSI of the neck.

On the Sophie Lancaster stage we’ll be looking out for metal goddess Doro, and we’ll definitely be checking out the New Blood stage to fill our boots with brand new music to add to our playlists.

Gojira are back after a year off, but this time taking the Saturday headline slot to showcase their unique brand of metal and having seen them hit BOA in 2016, it’s pretty clear we’re in for an incredible night. Also on Saturday’s menu, the beautifully weird juxtaposition of Scotland’s own pirate power-band Alestorm, followed by New York death metallers Cannibal Corpse. I’m down for that sort of variation, it keeps things interesting. We’ll also be turning out for Combichrist, and Israeli band Orphaned Land over on the Sophie stage.

Sunday’s finale spot, perhaps somewhat controversially goes to Nightwish, a band who are no stranger to drama throughout their career. Indeed this will be the third time the band have headlined the festival, with yet another different vocalist – Floor Jansen. However Nightwish undeniably deserve the accolade of closing out Bloodstock, having topped the bill twice before and drawing from a massive eight studio albums worth of music, we’re catching them on the ‘Decades’ tour, which is bound to be celebratory. Also on Sunday, SFG are looking forward to At The Gates, Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed fame, and Evergrey but the biggest hype by far is for American rock crooners Mr. Big. We simply cannot wait to karaoke the hell out of ‘To Be With You’ in the cheesiest way possible. Might even slow dance. There’s something fantastic about Mr. Big featuring on the same bill as Watain – over on the Sophie stage, who we will also be sure to catch. If you’re heading there too, take a poncho for the gore and keep your phone in your pocket. Trust us. It’s gonna be a wild one.

ENTERTAINMENT

If the music isn’t enough to satiate your appetite over the weekend, or there’s a bit of a lull in your lineup, you’ll find plenty of other stuff to see and do at BOA this year. Take a stroll through the BOA RAM Gallery which features the incredible artwork of Paul Raymond Gregory, various photographers’ shots from previous years, and new this year – an entire Judas Priest wall.

Meet your heroes and get your stuff signed! Bloodstock has always had a great band-to-fan signing tent with loads of opportunities to meet and greet, so make sure you take along any special CD sleeves for your favourite band and check the signing times.

Muscles 2 the Masses – BOA’s very own Strongman/Strongwoman competition now has an amateur division for festival-goers (who have competed in qualifying heats already) to be crowned Bloodstock’s Strongest Man, in a series of events which centre on… well, you know, lifting stuff up, mainly. If that doesn’t take your fancy, we’ve heard Battle Reenactment is back on the menu – who doesn’t love armored dudes beating seven shades of hell out of each other?

Late night DJ’s and movie screenings after the bands are finished are also being laid on for the drunks and nosferatu among us, so if all your mates have crashed and burned for the evening, pull up a pew for Spinal Tap and make some new pals.

FOOD

There’s no slacking on the food front either, for a smaller festival the options are excellent whether you’re a straight up carnivore, a vegan or somewhere in between. Grab yourself a brisket sandwich between bands, pick a veggie paella or an entire Sunday dinner in a Yorkshire pud, but for my money – I’m making room for a crazy hot chili in a bread bowl also known as Bunnychow. Oh and you’ll find your morning hangover cure over at the famous Motley Brew, I particularly love their ‘Sweet Chai o’Mine’ mugs and the fact that you can also get a massage while you convalesce.

MERCH

BOA’s main arena boasts a massive array of shops in which you are sure to find anything and everything a metal fan needs – you’ve got your patches and pins, your leather chaps, extremely obscure black metal tees, jewellery emblazoned with skulls, studs on absolutely everything and of course, viking drinking horns. If you’re looking for rare vinyl or CD’s – Bloodstock has your back, particularly brilliant if you’re looking for something better than the programme to take into the signing tent (I once found a vinyl of The Final Countdown and got Europe to sign it, they were not thrilled to recall their hairstyles…).

As for official merch, you’ve got your straight up festival tees with the incredible Bloodstock artwork, and a heap of other stylish variations, but this year I’m after some of the new offerings, particularly the leggings, hip flask and leather cuff. It’s great to see BOA venturing into more merchandise variation, and we’ll definitely be getting hold of the branded reusable cups for our beers too.

So what are you waiting for? Tickets are on sale HERE

See you down the front! m/

 

 

BLOODSTOCK ROLL OUT SIX MORE

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Bloodstock roll out six more bands –

Joining us in a Friday Ronnie James Dio main stage slot are British thrash icons ONSLAUGHT. The band are working on their new studio album set for release later this year via AFM Records, so expect the world premiere of a brand new song at BLOODSTOCK! The band tell us “ONSLAUGHT have always loved playing at BLOODSTOCK, the UK’s finest metal festival and this year the show is going to be something special indeed! We’ll see you maniacs at the front!” Get warmed up by watching the video for ‘The Sound of Violence’.

Also nabbing a Friday slot opening the main stage are British metal crew, FEED THE RHINO. The quintet’s latest album, ‘The Silence’ landed last month via Century Media with lead track, ‘Heedless’ landing its premiere via Daniel P. Carter on the BBC Radio 1 Rock Show. Have a listen! The band tell us “We are beyond honoured to be performing at this years BLOODSTOCK Festival. See you in the Pit!"

Japanese power metal ladies, LOVEBITES join us for a slot on Friday’s Sophie Lancaster stage. The five piece release a new mini-album, ‘Battle Against Damnation’ on 6th June, but if you’re not up to speed on the band, make sure you investigate this video for ‘Shadowmaker’ and additional news info over at their Facebook page.

London death metallers, DE PROFUNDIS join us in a Sophie stage slot on Friday. The band are readying the release in May of new album, ‘The Blinding Light of Faith’. Get a load of this new track ‘Bastard Sons of Abraham’ and then view the array of purchase options (digital, physical and special bundles) over on their Bandcamp page.

Brit thrash outfit REPRISAL also land a Friday Sophie slot. Their new album, ‘None Survive The Sun’ lands this Friday 30th March via Hostile Media. Feast your eyes on the video for ‘Nephila’ and head over to pick up a copy of the album at

http://reprisal.bigcartel.com.  

Progressive death metal New Yorkers UNCURED land a slot on Sunday’s Sophie stage. Having just wrapped a 28-date US run with Soulfly, the four piece come to Europe this Summer to play shows with their friends in JASTA. Check out their video for ‘Stygian Valley’ below and if you're curious for more, get further info on the band over on their Facebook page . 

Our first phase of BLOODSTOCK club nights start on Monday 16th April! More will be added for June/July, so don’t despair if your local rock club isn’t listed. Get along to one of the following events, check out some tunes from BLOODSTOCK bands old and new, and be in with the chance of winning weekend tickets or related giveaways. Expect fun ways to win tickets – previous year’s events featured the likes of bucking broncos, endurance tests, and air guitaring! Check your local club for details, as dates may be subject to change. Events for April/May run as follows:

 

Mon 16th April – Reading Coalition

Fri 20th April – Camberley Agincourt

Fri 27th April – Bristol The Hatchet

Fri 27th April – Woking Schism

Sat 28th April – Birmingham Eddie's Rock Club

Sat 28th April – Sheffield Corporation

Sat 5th May – Exeter Catacombs

Sat 5th May – Brighton Envy

Sat 5th May – Hanley JJ's

Sat 12th May – Southampton – Engine Rooms

Fri 25th May – Bristol The Hatchet

Sat 26th May – Birmingham Eddie's Rock Club

Sat 26th May – Sheffield Corporation

 

NEW YEAR, NEW BANDS FOR BLOODSTOCK 2018

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BLOODSTOCK are excited to make their first band announcement of 2018!

Tickets for 2018 are flying out the door, with less than 50 VIP tickets remaining. Do not delay if you’re planning on joining us in the Serpent’s Lair! Standard tickets, as well as the very popular Deposit Scheme and the last few camper van pitches are all currently available in the ticket store. So, about those band announcements…

JASTA & FRIENDS are set for a Ronnie James Dio main stage slot on Sunday! As a great friend of BLOODSTOCK, we’re thrilled to welcome Jamey Jasta, frontman of Hatebreed, Kingdom of Sorrow and Icepick, back to the festival with his solo band, JASTA. However, this is not just JASTA, this is JASTA & FRIENDS, so expect some special guests to jump on stage for various songs, just for the BOA faithful at BLOODSTOCK 2018! Guests will be revealed in due course, but we can tell you that the mighty Kirk Windstein (Crowbar, Down, Kingdom of Sorrow) will be one of them! Jamey says, “I’m beyond excited and honoured to have my first UK show with JASTA be at the mighty Bloodstock Festival! So many legends have graced the Bloodstock stages, we will channel their energy and give the fans a killer set with some special surprise guests!” Check out JASTA’s recent video for ‘The Same Flame’ here – https://youtu.be/P7PnbooaTOE.

VENOM INC also join Saturday’s main stage bill! With new album, ‘Avé’ released via Nuclear Blast last year, the seminal British metal icons will be bringing both classic tracks and new to BLOODSTOCK next August. Check out the lyric video for ‘Avé Satanas’, taken from that album here – https://youtu.be/Xt_yGt0ET0U and get ready to welcome The Demolition Man, Mantas and Abaddon to Catton Park!

Our Saturday night Sophie Lancaster stage headliner will be ORPHANED LAND! The ground-breaking band’s new album, ‘Unsung Prophets And Dead Messiahs’ is set for release later this month via Century Media and features guest appearances from Blind Guardian’s Hansi Kürsch, Tomas Lindberg from At The Gates and Steve Hackett. Check out the epic album teaser here – https://youtu.be/GNm20DFCO7Y.

Also joining the bill are the hotly tipped Danish prog metal outfit VOLA, who join the Sophie stage bill on Saturday. The band are hard at work on their new studio album, set for release through Mascot Records this year. Get a taster of their sound via the video for ‘Stray The Skies’ taken from 2016’s debut album, ‘InMazes’ – https://youtu.be/EipdyUZfrG0.

If you haven’t grabbed your ticket yet and are a bit stretched post-Christmas, BLOODSTOCK’s payment plan helps ease the ‘lump sum’ shock of paying for your ticket by breaking it into five smaller, more manageable amounts. Sign up in the ticket store any time before 28th Feb for an initial deposit of £36.00. Thereafter, four additional instalments of £29.00 will debit your bank account on 3rd April, 1st May, 1st June and 2nd July respectively. Find out full details and sign up over at https://bloodstock.seetickets.com.

If you already know you can only attend for one day, sign up for a day ticket reminder email as day tickets will not go on sale until next summer. Register your day ticket interest here – https://www.seetickets.com/register/bloodstock.

With Friday night headliners, JUDAS PRIEST, Saturday headliners, GOJIRA and Sunday’s bil toppers, NIGHTWISH already announced, as well as EMPEROR, DEVILDRIVER, WATAIN, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, WEDNESDAY 13, FOZZY, COMBICHRIST, BLOODBATH, MR BIG, KAMELOT, DORO, ORDEN OGAN, SEPTICFLESH and MEMORIAM so far, 2018 is shaping up to be another stellar year for BLOODSTOCK.

 

BLOODSTOCK add four more for Halloween

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BLOODSTOCK is excited to announce four more spooktacular bands and add the 2018 Rock Society tickets to the ticket store. 

We’re excited to announce that WATAIN will bring their black metal ritual to headline Sunday’s Sophie Lancaster stage in a UK festival exclusive.  Frontman Erik Danielsson tells us, "Our last performance at BLOODSTOCK in 2012 was also the final date on the ‘Lawless Darkness’ tour.  The sun was setting while we played and the crowd was getting louder and wilder the darker it became.  A very charged atmosphere.  Eager now to return and see what the eventful years that have passed and the force accumulated since then has done to both us and the BLOODSTOCK crowd.  Furthermore, England is of course sacred ground when it comes to Metal in general, so when performing there, the stakes are always high.  May all those that doubt be impaled upon them."  Look out for the band’s long awaited sixth studio album arriving on 5th January 2018!

German power metallers, ORDEN OGAN also land a Ronnie James Dio main stage slot on Saturday.  The band released ‘Gunmen’, their fifth studio album, this summer via AFM Records.  Check out the video for ‘Gunman’ here and get a taster of what’s in store for their set in 2018 – https://youtu.be/JPm46Qgyn24.

Atlanta aggrotech outfit, COMBICHRIST also join the main stage bill for an early slot on Friday.  The band have been working on new music after the release of their eighth studio album, ‘This Is Where Death Begins’ which landed in 2016.  Check out the new track, ‘Broken:United’ at the following link – https://Combichrist.lnk.to/BrokenUnited.

Also landing an early main stage slot on Friday are British death/grind four-piece, MEMORIAM.  Combining ex-members of Bolt Thrower and Benediction, MEMORIAM’s pedigree is high.  The band of scene veterans are hard at work on the follow up to their debut, ‘For The Fallen’ released via Nuclear Blast earlier this year.  Check out ‘Reduced To Zero’ taken from that opus here – https://youtu.be/Nmucoieg2Lc.

BLOODSTOCK’s Rock Society tickets become available in the store on Halloween morning, 31st October at 9.00am!  The ‘Rock Society’ is effectively the festival’s ‘Members Club’, offering not only a 10% discount on your weekend ticket (on top of the early bird discount if you purchase the Rock Society membership + ticket bundle option), but all sorts of other cool benefits like priority signing tent access, a Rock Society laminate, access to the VIP Serpents Lair bar, a tour of the backstage & production areas to see ‘behind the scenes’, the chance to meet with the festival organisers, a dedicated hangout area in the Rock Society tent on site, a Rock Society Facebook community where you can make friends and get to know your fellow RockSoc members and plenty more besides.  Full details can be found at http://www.bloodstock.uk.com/pages/rock-society.  Memberships are priced at £75, limited to 300 and sell out almost immediately, so don’t delay if you want to pick one up.

Also now in the store are tickets for our new VANAHEIM campervan field.  Due to increasing demand each year, we've made some site adjustments to allow for more pitches.  As such, the new VANAHEIM site is located across the road, directly adjacent to Serpents Lair VIP parking, allowing an increase in size to accommodate 240 campervans, as opposed to just 130.  Campervan pitches always sold through very rapidly, so this allows for more of our metal brethren to join the campervan club.  Tickets for campervan pitches will remain at this year's price of £60. 

With Friday night headliners, JUDAS PRIEST, Saturday night headliners, GOJIRA and Sunday headliners, NIGHTWISH already announced, along with EMPEROR, DEVILDRIVER and NAILS, 2018 is shaping up to be another stellar year for BLOODSTOCK.