Bloodstock Open Air - Page 4 of 13 - Summer Festival Guide

BLOODSTOCK ANNOUNCES FINAL BATCH OF SOPHIE LANCASTER STAGE BANDS

April 28, 2022February 25, 2022 by Anna Hyams

Over halfway there! With just 168 days to go before the marauding metal hordes charge through the gates of Catton Park, **BLOODSTOCK** has its last batch of Sophie Lancaster Stage bands to announce. It’s also ‘Last Call’ time for the Deposit Scheme, where you can pay over 6 smaller instalments (full details below). Artists for the Jagermeister and New Blood stages and other fest entertainment details are yet to come, but in the meantime, wrap your eyes and ears around the following…

Once you’ve set up your tent and had your first beer, Thursday’s Sophie tent proceedings open with the unmissable, incendiary noises of Bristol blues-punk four piece, MOTHER VULTURE. Check out their high octane video of ‘The Wave’ for a taster of what’s in store!

Also snagging a Thursday slot are BASEMENT TORTURE KILLINGS who’ll bring their serial killer grindcore to your Thursday evening. If you’re not familiar with their sound, watch the clip for ‘Armchair Psycho Or Pure Predator?’.

Friday’s Sophie opener is deathgrind squad CREPITATION. If you’re heading to the Liverpool Napalm Death/Raging Speedhorn show in March, you’ll catch them opening the show. If you can’t make it, you can still witness their sonic chaos via this live footage from Foothills Gutfest a couple of years back.

If hardcore is more your vibe, you won’t want to miss London bruisers INHUMAN NATURE, also playing the Sophie stage on Friday. You can warm up extra early if you’re attending Cro-Mags’ London gig in June, for they’re first onstage that night. If not, check out the title track from their recently released ‘Under The Boot’ EP, out now on Church Road Records.

Saturday’s Sophie fun brings a pummelling from Hull crew MASTIFF. US magazine Decibel described them as *“a rousing blend of savage power that’s as ready for the mosh pit as it is for your next clandestine ritual in the woods.”* See for yourself via the video for ‘Endless’ from their crushing album, ‘Leave Me The Ashes Of The Earth’.

Joining the Sophie Lancaster Stage shenanigans on Sunday, are Coventry three-piece and M2TM alumni PELUGION, levelling up from their 2018 New Blood stage slot. Inviting fans of Black Sabbath & Black Label Society especially, investigate their single ‘Bane Of Humanity’, while you wait.

**BLOODSTOCK**’s Metal 2 The Masses, the initiative that supports all genres of grass roots metal and offers a chance to play BOA’s New Blood stage, is proud to announce a partnership with Eyesore Merch in 2022. The programme provides up and coming bands with an awesome opportunity to be seen and heard by a wide audience and part of the music industry normally out of reach for bands at that level. In partnering with Metal 2 The Masses, Eyesore Merch wants to add to that opportunity by offering 3 winning bands from the 26 regional heats, a chance to get their merchandise showcased to an audience of potential new fans. Those 3 winners will see their merchandise featured and available to purchase on www.eyesoremerch.com, have their gear included on Eyesore Merch’s mailout direct to customers and featured on the Eyesore Merch socials, which directly targets a metric tonne of metal lovers who love buying ‘hard to find’ band merch.

If you’ve got your ticket bagged, are you already thinking about how best to get to **BLOODSTOCK**? **BLOODSTOCK** is pleased to support two sustainable travel options – Big Green Coach (who’ll drop you and your gear right inside the festival gates for minimal walking, from 33 locations around the UK & you can secure your seat for just a tenner) and Liftshare (a safe way to offer up a spare spot in your car, or nab one in someone else’s & perhaps make new friends to boot). Get more info on both over at BIG GREEN COACH and LIFTSHARE.

Want something to get you all fired up for this summer’s event, or maybe you’re curious about **BLOODSTOCK** having never been before? If so, check out the brand new festival trailer for the lowdown.

Lastly, it’s final call for **BLOODSTOCK**’s phenomenally popular weekend ticket Deposit Scheme. Sign up here before 11.59pm this Saturday night, 26th Feb, if you want to take advantage. This year, payments are spread across 6 months instead of 5, making it even more manageable to secure your place and pay for your ticket in instalments. An initial payment of £31.20 is due upon sign up, then five additional payments of £24.16 will debit your bank account on 25 Mar, 29 Apr, 27 May, 24 Jun, with a final instalment on 29 Jul, which will include any applicable admin/booking fees. Tickets will be delivered digitally.

All VIP packages, Early Bird tix, and campervan passes have sold out. You can still snap up standard weekend camping tickets (just £145 +fees for 4 days of heavy metal fun) plus day & child tix are available now at the ticket store. Mini moshers under age 4 get in free!

**BLOODSTOCK**’s 2022 Ronnie James Dio main stage headliners are BEHEMOTH, LAMB OF GOD, and **MERCYFUL FATE**. Also appearing across the weekend are **KILLING JOKE, DIMMU BORGIR, TESTAMENT, EXODUS, AVATAR, ALL HAIL THE YETI, BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, GWAR** (in a UK festival exclusive), BURY TOMORROW, SACRED REICH, LIFE OF AGONY, SPIRITWORLD, BELPHEGOR, BUTCHER BABIES, VIO-LENCE, BLOODYWOOD, JINJER, LORNA SHORE, DOYLE, LOST SOCIETY, HATEBREED, SLEEP TOKEN, DARK FUNERAL, EYEHATEGOD, DISCHARGE, STATIC-X, THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA, ENFORCED, PARTY CANNON, SOEN, HERIOT, BLOOD YOUTH, BLACK TONGUE, HEART OF A COWARD, FEROCIOUS DOG, HEATHEN, NEKROGOBLIKON, CATTLE DECAPITATION, ORBIT CULTURE, TALLAH, SAMAEL, CYHRA, NOCTEM, NANOWAR OF STEEL, THROWN INTO EXILE, PUPIL SLICER, CAGE FIGHT, VENDED, ILL NINO, SKARLETT RIOT, DESERT STORM, SORCERER, RED METHOD, and **BAEST** as well as many more yet to come. Stay tuned for additional 2022 announcements in due course.

**BLOODSTOCK** will take place at Catton Park, Derbyshire on 11th-14th August 2022.

For more info, click to www.bloodstock.uk.com.

BLOODSTOCK ADD TWELVE MORE BANDS!

April 28, 2022January 28, 2022 by Anna Hyams

If you’re anything like us, you can’t wait to be back in the green fields of Catton Park watching some world class heavy metal at **BLOODSTOCK** – and we’re well over half way there! Is it too soon to start a count down yet?! (136 days to go, in case you were wondering… yes, 19 weekends).

With lots more bands and festival fun to reveal before then, here’s 12 more joining the bill to help round out the most fun you’ll have all summer.

Swedish rabblerousers AVATAR jostle their way onto Friday’s Sophie Lancaster stage bill. Joining them that day are US metalcore squad, THROWN INTO EXILE. Saturday, the Sophie stage welcomes the hotly-tipped, viscerally-dubbed PUPIL SLICER and hardcore/crossover thrash newcomers (feat. members of Tesseract and Eths) CAGE FIGHT. Sunday’s fun will be ably abetted by nu-metal stalwarts ILL NINO, Manchester hardcore noiseniks GUILT TRIP, hard-hitting rockers SKARLETT RIOT, and progressive groove/sludge merchants DESERT STORM.

Over on the Ronnie James Dio main stage, the super-buzzy Des Moines, Iowa upstarts VENDED are set to kick off proceedings and blow your Sunday morning wide open. Epic Swedish doomsters SORCERER and industrial metalheads RED METHOD are also both added to Friday’s bill, and waking you all up first thing on Saturday, will be Danish death metallers, BAEST.

Unfortunately, **PHIL ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS** will no longer be joining us with their hotly received Pantera set, due to the cancellation of their entire European tour, but rest assured there are plenty of other headbangin’ riffs across the **BLOODSTOCK** weekend to take your fancy.

For those of you who can’t join us for the whole weekend, or perhaps you’ve never been to **BLOODSTOCK** before and just want a one day taster, mark your calendar with this important date! Day tickets will go on sale in the ticket store on Friday 4th February at 9am, priced £65 (+bkg fees) for adults and £20 (+bkg fees) for children (4-11 years). Kids under 4 go free!

In other news, **BLOODSTOCK**’s phenomenally popular weekend ticket Deposit Scheme is filling up fast. Grab yours quick if you want to take advantage as once the allocation is filled, it will no longer be available. This year, payments are spread across 6 months instead of 5, making it even more manageable to secure your place and pay for your ticket in instalments. An initial payment of £31.20 is due upon sign up, then five additional payments of £24.16 will debit your bank account on 25 Mar, 29 Apr, 27 May, 24 Jun, with a final instalment on 29 Jul, which will include any applicable admin/booking fees. Sign up to the scheme here.

**BLOODSTOCK**’s 2022 Ronnie James Dio main stage headliners are **BEHEMOTH, LAMB OF GOD,** and **MERCYFUL FATE**. Also appearing across the weekend are **KILLING JOKE, DIMMU BORGIR, TESTAMENT, EXODUS, ALL HAIL THE YETI, BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, GWAR** (in a UK festival exclusive), BURY TOMORROW, SACRED REICH, LIFE OF AGONY, SPIRITWORLD, BELPHEGOR, BUTCHER BABIES, VIO-LENCE, BLOODYWOOD, JINJER, LORNA SHORE, DOYLE, LOST SOCIETY, HATEBREED, SLEEP TOKEN, DARK FUNERAL, EYEHATEGOD, DISCHARGE, STATIC-X, THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA, ENFORCED, PARTY CANNON, SOEN, HERIOT, BLOOD YOUTH, BLACK TONGUE, HEART OF A COWARD, FEROCIOUS DOG, HEATHEN, NEKROGOBLIKON, CATTLE DECAPITATION, ORBIT CULTURE, TALLAH, SAMAEL, CYHRA, NOCTEM, and NANOWAR OF STEEL as well as many more yet to come. Stay tuned for additional 2022 band announcements in due course.

With tickets selling faster than ever, all VIP packages, Early Bird tix and campervan passes are already sold out. Weekend camping tix & child tix are available now at the ticket store.

**BLOODSTOCK** will take place at Catton Park, Derbyshire on 11th-14th August 2022.

For more info, click to www.bloodstock.uk.com.

BLOODSTOCK announce 9 more bands & ticket deposit scheme

April 28, 2022December 1, 2021 by Anna Hyams

As the days shorten and we inch ever closer to 2022, **BLOODSTOCK** is ready to announce yet another clutch of bands who’ll grace the stages at Catton Park next August.

The legendary KILLING JOKE are Sunday’s Ronnie James Dio main stage special guests. Cited as an influence by myriad bands from Slipknot to Napalm Death, Lamb Of God to the Foo Fighters, this band of creative visionaries led by the inimitable Jaz Coleman have been preaching wisdom and bringing the fire for over four decades. Jaz tells us, *“Can’t wait to play, always loved* ***BLOODSTOCK*** *festival, looking forward to it!”* Check out the trailer for their ‘The Death & Resurrection Show’ music documentary and wrap your head around the prophetic lyrics of 2015’s ‘I Am The Virus’.

Also grabbing a main stage slot on Friday are California sludge squad, ALL HAIL THE YETI. Having opened the main stage back in 2019, we’re thrilled to see them return in the wake of their latest EP, ‘Within The Hollow Earth’. Check out the tripped-out video for ‘Headless Valley’ taken from that same 7-track collection.

Moving across to the Sophie Lancaster stage, we see deathgrind legends CATTLE DECAPITATION and Swedish melodeath squad ORBIT CULTURE land a Sunday billing. Hotly tipped nu-metal upstarts TALLAH, Swiss extreme metallers SAMAEL and Swedish metal supergroup CYHRA are added to Saturday’s roster, plus Spanish black metal collective NOCTEM join Friday’s list. To round out the announcement, NANOWAR OF STEEL will be bringing their power metal parody skills to Thursday’s ‘opening party night’ line-up.

In other news, **BLOODSTOCK**’s phenomenally popular ticket Deposit Scheme is ready for sign ups! This year, payments are spread across 6 months instead of 5, making it even more manageable to pay for your ticket in instalments. An initial payment of £31.50 is due upon sign up (which you can do at any point before 26th Feb), then five additional payments of £24.16 will debit your bank account on 25 Mar, 29 Apr, 27 May, 24 Jun, with a final instalment on 29 Jul, which will include any applicable postage and booking fees. Sign up to the scheme here.

The **Metal 2 The Masses** scheme for 2022 has also begun, with its modus operandi to find the best unsigned and grass roots bands and give them the opportunity to play a slot on **BLOODSTOCK**’s ‘New Blood’ stage. Bands should get their applications into their nearest regional promoter ASAP, as heats kick off in the coming weeks. Local promoters in regions not yet represented can email Simon Hall ([email protected]) for info, if they wish to host the scheme in their local area. Regions announced so far are: SCOTLAND (Edinburgh), NORTHERN IRELAND (Belfast), IRELAND (Dublin), LEEDS, NORWICH, MANCHESTER, NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, SHEFFIELD, MERSEYSIDE (Liverpool), LONDON, KENT (Gravesend), STOKE ON TRENT, CHESTERFIELD, LEICESTER, HITCHIN, ESSEX (Colchester), BRIGHTON, NORTH WALES (Wrexham), SOUTH WALES (Cardiff), DEVON & CORNWALL (Saltash), NOTTINGHAM, SOMERSET (Bridgewater) & NORWAY (Oslo). Full details of venues and who to contact to enter in each region, can be found here.

**BLOODSTOCK**’s 2022 Ronnie James Dio main stage headliners are **BEHEMOTH, LAMB OF GOD,** and **MERCYFUL FATE**. Also appearing across the weekend are **DIMMU BORGIR, PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS** playing their Pantera set, **TESTAMENT, EXODUS, BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, GWAR** (in a UK festival exclusive), BURY TOMORROW, SACRED REICH, LIFE OF AGONY, SPIRITWORLD, BELPHEGOR, BUTCHER BABIES, VIO-LENCE, BLOODYWOOD, JINJER, LORNA SHORE, DOYLE, LOST SOCIETY, HATEBREED, SLEEP TOKEN, DARK FUNERAL, EYEHATEGOD, DISCHARGE, STATIC-X, THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA, ENFORCED, PARTY CANNON, SOEN, HERIOT, BLOOD YOUTH, BLACK TONGUE, HEART OF A COWARD, FEROCIOUS DOG, HEATHEN, and **NEKROGOBLIKON** as well as many more yet to come. Stay tuned for more band announcements soon.

With tickets selling faster than ever, all VIP packages, early birds, and campervan tickets are already sold out. Weekend camping tickets & child tickets are on sale now at the ticket store.

**BLOODSTOCK** will take place at Catton Park, Derbyshire on 11th-14th August 2022.

For more info, click to www.bloodstock.uk.com.

BLOODSTOCK weekend tickets sell out; more details revealed

July 21, 2021 by Anna Hyams

BLOODSTOCK is excited to announce that weekend tickets to this Summer’s festival are now SOLD OUT! A limited number of one day tickets are still available for Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with the latter day’s availability now very limited, so move fast if you wanna see Judas Priest! Anyone missing the boat or wanting to sell their ticket due to changing circumstances, can check here for official re-sales. So with BLOODSTOCK full steam ahead for 2021, the last of the bands are locked in, all ready for the festival’s 5-day run in just 3 weeks time.

Saturday’s opener on the Sophie Lancaster Stage will be Midlands alt metal four-piece, NETHERHALL. The band won their slot through Planet Rock Radio’s band competition and were picked from many, many submissions to win their slot.  NETHERHALL also recently performed at an event at Aston Villa FC for Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler to honour Butler’s induction into the Birmingham Walk of Stars. Get yourself appraised by checking out the band’s video for ‘Ruminate’ here.

The second phase of Metal 2 The Masses bands are also finalised, with 11 more grass roots outfits winning themselves a New Blood stage slot. The South Wales winners are rock squad PEARLER, Kent’s chosen ones are the groove/doom metal outfit STRUCK/DOWN, Leeds’ top dogs are fuzzed-out sludgesters SOUND OF ORIGIN, Birmingham’s victors are rock four piece INSURGENT and Northern Ireland’s winners are doom/sludge 6-piece, ELDER DRUID, all of whom land themselves a Friday spot.

Snagging their space on Saturday’s New Blood stage are Brighton victors KINZOKU who blend thrash, prog, death and metalcore, Chesterfield’s winners, the Hull thrash/groove outfit IRONTOOTH, Satanic Blackened Deathcore band BLOOD CHURCH take the Wolverhampton crown, coming out on top in Nottingham are rock 4-piece, COTTON MOUTH, Stoke’s winners are dread-soaked dropouts THE GHOULES and finally, Scotland’s Lovecraftian monsters NASSAU take the medal north of the border.

Each year, the RAM GALLERY showcases a wealth of fabulous and fantastic heavy metal related art, curated by festival founder and globally renowned fantasy artist, Paul Gregory. This year’s exhibits will include work from longtime Judas Priest artistic collaborator, Mark Wilkinson, who is also showing his latest creation in the shape of Fish’s latest ‘Weltschmerz’ album artwork.

There’s also a very special piece of art from previous BLOODSTOCK headliners, Trivium! For the first time anywhere in the world, you’ll be able to see the actual painting from their recent ‘In The Court Of The Dragon’ video… and the first 100 fans to check it out can snag a 12×12 print to take home. Be warned though, the painting is powerful and may be cursed – if you’ve watched the video you’ve seen the two ladies drooling a mysterious black liquid…! Also exhibiting for the first time in the RAM Gallery is longtime Metal Hammer snapper and Iron Maiden official photographer John McMurtrie, who’ll have seven of his fabulous images on display.

The ever-popular luthier, CYNOSURE returns once again with his astonishing handcrafted guitars, including both 2020’s and 2021’s creations. 2020’s two guitars are a Jimi Hendrix inspired axe (to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of his passing) and a Ronnie James Dio guitar (marking a similar 10 years). 2021’s themes are a Devin Townsend-inspired piece and a piece that is an homage to Van Halen. There will be even more than just these works on display, so don’t miss this amazing and unique aspect of BLOODSTOCK, certainly something you won’t see anywhere else!  BLOODSTOCK is also proud to announce this year’s charity partners.

Our previous partners, the mental health-angled MIND, roll over from 2020, together with the related PATCH AMNESTY. Sharing the funds this year are DERBYSHIRE BLOOD BIKES, who offer a free medical courier service to the local NHS hospitals, moving blood, human milk for premature & ill babies, biological & diagnostic samples, medication and other urgent medical equipment wherever they need to go in the UK. Their 65 volunteers and fleet of 13 bikes and 3 cars travel over 200,000 miles every year and are funded purely by donations, needing over £35,000 a year just to operate, so every single pound helps and we’re hoping BLOODSTOCK can give their coffers a big boost in 2021.  If you’ve still not found your tent after 2019’s fest, fear not, Fat Frank’s Camping Store can help! You can pre-order all your gear, or just that one missing item and collect it on-site. You can have them blow up your air bed while you wait, or even ‘rent-a-tent’ from them for the weekend. Not only that, they can also solve the problem of towing it all home on the train with their ‘festival bag’ service, where they’ll deliver all your kit back to your home address within 3-5 days post-event, or if you don’t want your tent anymore, you can drop it off at their donation point in the Midgard campsite.

If you’d rather not wrestle with your own, you can rent one of Tangerine Fields’ pre-pitched tents, ready for your arrival at Catton Park. No hassle putting it up and then taking it down on Monday morning! Check out all the size options and book online here.

BLOODSTOCK’s 2021 main stage headliners are DEVIN TOWNSEND (Friday), KREATOR (Saturday), and JUDAS PRIEST (Sunday). The festival will also feature sets from SKINDRED, PARADISE LOST, DIAMOND HEAD, THERAPY?, VENOM PRISON, JINJER, VIO-LENCE, SAXON, THE WILDHEARTS, GLORYHAMMER, BLEED FROM WITHIN, NAPALM DEATH, PHIL CAMPBELL & THE BASTARD SONS, MEMORIAM, RAMAGE INC., GREEN LUNG, CONJURER, ORANGE GOBLIN, RAGING SPEEDHORN, LAWNMOWER DETH, CONAN, SYLOSIS, WINTERFYLLETH, HACKTIVIST, THE CRAWLING, EVIL SCARECROW, ACID REIGN, SVALBARD, BORSTAL, SEIDRBLOT, MOTHER VULTURE, BLOODSHOT DAWN, and EVILE, with plenty more besides and a wealth of new and breaking bands on our New Blood Stage. One day tickets are still available in the ticket store along with child tickets and parking tickets. VIP and campervan tickets for 2021, along with weekend tickets are now sold out. BLOODSTOCK 2021 takes place at Catton Park, Derbyshire from 11th-15th August 2021. For more info, go to www.bloodstock.uk.com.

LAST CALL FOR BLOODSTOCK TICKETS!

July 21, 2021July 13, 2021 by Anna Hyams

There’s just 29 days left to BLOODSTOCK and the remaining tickets are flying, so don’t wait if you want to join the fun this year, as it’s looking very likely the event will sell out in advance. Don’t miss tonight’s BLOODSTOCK Facebook Live at 6:30pm with festival directors Vicky & Adam, for all the very latest info including safety measures for this year’s event.

With international issues continuing for some artists, DARK TRANQUILLITY have had to cancel, but we’re thrilled that the very epic LOATHE are able to join us in their place on Friday’s Ronnie James Dio main stage. Frontman Erik Bickerstaff tells us, “We are thrilled to be performing at this year’s BLOODSTOCK Festival for the first time, and to be sharing the Main Stage on August 13th alongside an incredible and eclectic lineup of heavy artists.” Not familiar with LOATHE’s atmospheric heaviness yet? Get with the programme via their video for ‘Two Way Mirror’ taken from the amazing ‘I Let It In And It Took Everything’ album.

Similarly, BURY TOMORROW have had to pull out, but we welcome WHILE SHE SLEEPS in their place. BURY TOMORROW explain, “Due to the band’s current line up situation and despite best efforts we are unfortunately unable to play BLOODSTOCK this year, we are truly gutted! We support the festival and hope everyone enjoys every minute of the weekend! We are however over the moon to confirm BLOODSTOCK have invited us back next year so we will see you all at BLOODSTOCK 2022!!” We are more than sure that WHILE SHE SLEEPS are up to the task of filling their shoes – check out ‘Sleep Society’ from their blistering set at the Download Pilot.

UNLEASH THE ARCHERS have also unfortunately dropped out and they will be replaced on the Sophie Lancaster stage by British rock squad BLACK SPIDERS, in their first ever BLOODSTOCK appearance. To whet your appetite, they just released a lyric video for the aptly-named new song ‘Give ‘Em What They Want’ from next week’s new album. We want to be back head-bangin’ in a field with all our mates! Look out for the album’s special diablo red vinyl on July 17th’s Record Store Day.

Due to LOTUS EATER splitting up, death metal bruisers FOETAL JUICE will now step into their spot, declaring, “We are absolutely delighted to be playing Bloodstock this year! It’s an incredible festival that we attend every year. The last time we played back in 2016 has still been the biggest show we have ever played. The year will absolutely kick that in the bollocks. We literally cannot wait to play this festival again!!” Get familiar with them via their latest album’s title track ‘Gluttony.’

This year’s Metal 2 The Masses scheme played out in a rather different landscape to the norm, but we applaud the efforts of the local promoters who’ve made a success of their heats despite an array of logistical issues. As such, we’re thrilled to announce 10 more winners from various areas across the country, who’ll each win a slot on the New Blood stage on Friday or Saturday.

Landing slots on the Friday are extreme metal 5-piece, TERMINAL SUN who win the Sheffield competition, the Essex victors are death metal squad BEYOND EXTINCTION, Somerset’s champs are melodic alt metallers, SAIL, Manchester’s top dogs are tech thrashers BEYOND SALVATION, and SEVERENTH bring home the prize for North Wales.
Snagging slots on Saturday’s New Blood stage are Hitchin’s stoner/grunge winners, BLACK ATLAS, Norwich sludgers A HORSE CALLED WAR, blackened death trio ASCARIS take the Bristol area prize, Newcastle’s goes to groove metal squad DESOLATION, while London’s victors HAWXX are also the winners of PRS’s Women Make Music award! Congrats to them!

There’s lots happening over on BLOODSTOCK’s Twitch channel and at 7:30pm this evening (13th July) the inaugural ‘BloodThirsty’ video interview podcast sees DEVILDRIVER frontman, Dez Fafara and JUDAS PRIEST’s Rob Halford talking all things metal! Tune in to watch the two legends discuss BLOODSTOCK and much more.

Brand new to BLOODSTOCK this year is our exciting gaming arena! Brought to you by our friends at Nordic Spirit, the Game Zone brings that little bit extra to an already packed, 5-day bonanza of metal. Feeling competitive? There’s a very wide array of games to play, on Xbox, Playstation, PC, retro consoles (from Atari to Sega to Nintendo), arcade machines, and more! The arena runs from 11am-8pm daily from Thursday, play at your leisure! While there’s plenty of space, do note it’s limited numbers at any one time. If you’ve got your ticket but are yet to figure out your camping situation, let Tangerine Fields take the stress out of the weekend. If you’d rather not transport and wrestle with your own, you can rent one of their pre-pitched tents, all set to go and ready for your arrival at Catton Park. No hassle with putting it up and then taking it down on Monday morning! Check out all the size options and book online here.

Our friends at PLANET ROCK RADIO have launched a BLOODSTOCK pop-up radio station, showcasing music from many of this year’s acts like Judas Priest, Kreator, and The Wildhearts, as well as others from BLOODSTOCK’s past such as Slayer, Nightwish, Machine Head, Gojira, etc to celebrate BLOODSTOCK’s 20th Anniversary. The channel will run for 3 months and is available on Planet Rock’s premium app, the Planet Rock Radio website and via smart speakers. Fans can get a month’s free subscription to Planet Rock Premium (in addition to a 7-day free trial period) using the code ‘Bloodstock’. Start your BLOODSTOCK party early by tuning in! More info here.

COUNTDOWN TO BLOODSTOCK!

July 21, 2021July 1, 2021 by Anna Hyams

There’s just 41 days to BLOODSTOCK 2021! We’re counting down the hours before Catton Park opens the gates to the biggest – and longest, at 5 days – metal party of the year!   First we have some bad, but also, good news!

A few more international bands are experiencing issues with travel and logistics and have had to cancel, but we’ve secured some fantastic replacements from UK shores.  Unfortunately, Thursday’s Sophie Lancaster stage headliner, The Night Flight Orchestra now cannot make it, but Brit metal legends, LAWNMOWER DETH step in to save the day. They tell us; “We are truly sorry you’re not going to get Night Flight Orchestra. They’re terrific and awfully melodic. Naturally as the B-TEC replacement for them, we sound exactly the same, so your disappointment should be somewhat abated. Just think melodic Swedish hard rock, with balloons. However, the chance to get in a field, well a tent, with you lovely lot and some beer, did we mention beer, is the bar open yet? BLOODSTOCK, we’re coming! At our age, slightly slower, but we’ll be there. Bring beer. And dancing shoes. And beer. Love LMD. x”

Stepping into Soen’s slot on Friday’s Sophie stage are sonic heavyweights, CONAN. The British three-piece tell us “We return to Bloodstock, dead eyes ablaze, breath like frost in our lungs as we arise from our slumber. From a lake of frozen souls, all hail CONAN!”  Check out the doomtastic video for ‘Volt Thrower’, taken from their 2018 album, ‘Existential Void Guardian’ and prep for maximum heaviosity at Catton Park next month from this unholy trinity.

Replacing Lost Society on Friday’s Ronnie James Dio main stage, are BLOODSTOCK New Blood stage alumni, DIVINE CHAOS. BLOODSTOCK loves helping New Blood bands level up, so are thrilled to offer DIVINE CHAOS the opening main stage slot on Friday! The band tell us; “BLOODSTOCK is woven into the very fabric of DIVINE CHAOS. Having had the pleasure of playing both the Sophie Lancaster and New Blood Stages, not to mention countless messy weekends as attendees, we are beyond delighted to have the opportunity to play on the Ronnie James Dio stage, long considered the holy grail of UK underground metal. We’re eternally grateful for the faith that the BLOODSTOCK crew has put into this band over the years, and can’t wait to showcase ‘The Way to Oblivion’ on the greatest of stages.”

Also replacing Savage Master in Friday’s RJD Stage opening slot are British metal collective, LOTUS EATER. The band’s debut album, ‘Where The Body Goes’ is set for release later this month via Hopeless Records and features their ferocious new single, ‘Obliterate’, featuring a guest slot by Oli Sykes of Bring Me The Horizon.

Thrash beasts SHRAPNEL replace Noctem on Friday’s Sophie stage. The band inform us, “It’s been a long, crazy year, but we can’t think of a better way of getting back to business than playing at BLOODSTOCK! It’s the 20th Anniversary, and our first time at BLOODSTOCK with our new line up, so it’s going to be a special one. We can’t wait to finally blast some of ‘Palace For The Insane’ for you, and we’ll see you in the pit!”. In the meantime, warm up your necks with some ‘Winds of Slaughter,’ taken from that same album.

While Blasphemer also had to cancel, NECRONAUTICAL bring their British black metal wares into their spot on Sunday’s Sophie Stage. Frontman/guitarist Naut tells us, “We are thrilled to be granted the opportunity to perform at this year’s BLOODSTOCK. After over a year in wait, it will be an incredible experience to meet with the fans for our return, and right before the release of our new album “Slain in the Spirit”! In spite of the short time to prepare, we guarantee the audience at this year’s BLOODSTOCK an epic and immersive Black/Death metal experience they will not soon forget! See you at the Sophie stage on Sunday night!”.  Also check out the video for ‘Hypnogogia’, taken from their upcoming album, ‘Slain In The Spirit’, set for release in late August.

Last but not least, dark metal squad, SPECTRAL DARKWAVE join Sunday’s Jager stage line up. Describing themselves as “a hi-definition musical tour of human horror in sonic technicolour”, you know you’re in for something unique! If you’re as yet unfamiliar with the band, check out their 2019 video for ‘A Toll Is Due’ and make your own mind up.

In after hours entertainment news, the legendary VIP Area ‘Silent Disco’ is returning in an expanded format! VIP-ers will still get their Silent Disco on Friday and Sunday in the Serpents Lair tent, but on Thursday and Saturday, the Silent Disco will kick in from 11pm until 2am over in the New Blood tent. Headsets are at limited capacity, so availability is on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. There’ll be two channels, DJ Rich Harris (Total Rock, Desertfest) will be manning the metal/rock channel and DJ Lloyd Rust (Bearded Theory, Truck Festival) will be spinning the cheese on the pop/disco/dance channel. Expect Vader to Vengaboys, Machine Head to Madonna; one channel permanently playing metal & alternative and the other playing all your guilty pleasures from the 1950’s to present day.

On 9th July, our friends at PLANET ROCK RADIO are launching a BLOODSTOCK radio pop-up station showcasing music from many of this year’s acts like Judas Priest, Kreator and The Wildhearts, as well as others from BLOODSTOCK’s past such as Slayer, Nightwish, Machine Head, Gojira, etc to celebrate BLOODSTOCK’s 20th Anniversary. The channel will run for 3 months and is available on Planet Rock’s premium app, the Planet Rock Radio website and via smart speakers. Fans can get a month’s free subscription to Planet Rock Premium (in addition to a 7-day free trial period) using the code ‘Bloodstock’. Start your BLOODSTOCK party early by tuning in from next Friday! More info here.

BLOODSTOCK’s 2021 main stage headliners are DEVIN TOWNSEND (Friday), KREATOR (Saturday), and JUDAS PRIEST (Sunday). The festival will also feature sets from SKINDRED, PARADISE LOST, BURY TOMORROW, DIAMOND HEAD, THERAPY?, VENOM PRISON, JINJER, VIO-LENCE, SAXON, THE WILDHEARTS, GLORYHAMMER, DARK TRANQUILLITY, BLEED FROM WITHIN, NAPALM DEATH, PHIL CAMPBELL & THE BASTARD SONS, MEMORIAM, RAMAGE INC., GREEN LUNG, CONJURER, ORANGE GOBLIN, RAGING SPEEDHORN, UNLEASH THE ARCHERS, SYLOSIS, WINTERFYLLETH, HACKTIVIST, THE CRAWLING, EVIL SCARECROW, ACID REIGN, SVALBARD, BORSTAL, PIST, SHARKS IN YOUR MOUTH, SEIDRBLOT, MOTHER VULTURE, BLOODSHOT DAWN, and EVILE, with more still to be announced.

Standard weekend tickets for the extended, now 5-day event in 2021 remain under a temporary price freeze at £145 (+ booking fees). In addition, child tickets and parking tickets for 2021’s event are available now at the ticket store, as well as a limited number of day tickets for Thurs, Fri, Sat & Sun. Wednesday’s fun remains exclusively for weekend ticket holders. VIP and campervan tickets for 2021 are sold out.

BLOODSTOCK SHARES MORE JAGERMEISTER STAGE ADDITIONS!

July 21, 2021June 17, 2021 by Anna Hyams

While we all wait patiently for the final lockdown restrictions to be eased, BLOODSTOCK HQ remains busier than ever finalising details for this year’s event. We know everyone is more than ready for a hellaciously good time with their friends in the sunshine and tickets are moving fast now, don’t miss your chance to grab yours before you can’t!
So while you’re making your long-anticipated summer plans, here are 14 more reasons not to miss the fun at Catton Park in August, BLOODSTOCK’s 5-day 20th birthday party. Who’s bringing the cake?! Definitely bringing heavy and/or metal to the Jagermeister Stage on Friday are sludge instrumentalists Wall (feat. twins Ryan & Elliot Cole of Desert Storm & The Grand Mall), Reading trio Black Emerald, slap bass/drum duo Ale of Adam, doom/stoner crew Godless Suns, and Häxan, devotees of modern classic rock.

Joining them on Saturday’s Jager line-up are: alt metalheads Zookeeper, The New Sun (a solo project from Garganjua’s Scott Taylor), Middle Eastern doomsters Lowen, instrumental heavy prog three-piece Mountain Caller, and playing an additional stripped down set, power metal squad Primitai (who play their full electric set over on the Sophie Stage on Friday). Save a bit of head-bangin’ energy to go with your Jager shot though, because come Sunday, you won’t want to miss: bluesy hard rockers The Howling Tides, 100% prog beasts Trilobite, grindcore punkers Boycott The Baptist, and Gemma Fox, the vocalist from Collibus, not the grime singer!

First timer at BLOODSTOCK? Welcome! Check out the vibe in store via this new trailer. If you’re on Facebook, make new friends before you even arrive and get chatting to your BLOODSTOCK brethren in these unofficial groups – BMF666 and Bloodstock Camp Loners & Newbies. Don’t be surprised to see the festival directors joining in the conversation.

If you need a new tent this year, Fat Frank’s Camping Store have got you! You can pre-order anything and everything you need and collect it all on-site. Have them blow up your air bed while you wait, or even ‘rent-a-tent’ from them for the weekend. Not only that, if you’re not driving to the festival, they also solve the problem of towing it all home on the train with their ‘festival bag’ service, where they’ll deliver all your kit back to your home address within 3-5 days post-event.

BLOODSTOCK’s 2021 main stage headliners are DEVIN TOWNSEND (Friday), KREATOR (Saturday), and JUDAS PRIEST (Sunday). The festival will also feature sets from SKINDRED, CRADLE OF FILTH, PARADISE LOST, BURY TOMORROW, DIAMOND HEAD, THERAPY?, VENOM PRISON, JINJER, VIO-LENCE, SAXON, THE WILDHEARTS, GLORYHAMMER, DARK TRANQUILLITY, BLEED FROM WITHIN, NAPALM DEATH, ONSLAUGHT, PHIL CAMPBELL & THE BASTARD SONS, MEMORIAM, BEHOLDER, RAMAGE INC., GREEN LUNG, CONJURER, ORANGE GOBLIN, RAGING SPEEDHORN, UNLEASH THE ARCHERS, SYLOSIS, WINTERFYLLETH, HACKTIVIST, THE CRAWLING, EVIL SCARECROW, ACID REIGN, SVALBARD, BORSTAL, SEIDRBLOT, NOCTEM, MOTHER VULTURE, BLOODSHOT DAWN, & EVILE and many more. And there’s still even more bands yet to be announced.

Standard weekend tickets for the extended, now 5-day event in 2021 remain under a temporary price freeze at £145 (+ booking fees). In addition, child tickets and parking tickets for 2021’s event are available now at the ticket store, as well as a limited number of day tickets for Thurs, Fri, Sat & Sun. Wednesday’s fun remains exclusively for weekend ticket holders. VIP and campervan tickets for 2021 are sold out. Don’t delay though, because when they’re gone, they’re gone!

THE COUNTDOWN IS ON! 85 DAYS TO BLOODSTOCK 2021!!

July 21, 2021May 18, 2021 by Anna Hyams

Regrettably, due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation, DIMMU BORGIR have been forced to postpone to 2022, but fear not, we welcome CRADLE OF FILTH onto the bill in their wake. Dimmu’s management tell us, “Due to restrictions and uncertainties regarding international travel and logistics, we have to postpone DIMMU BORGIR´s performance at Bloodstock until next year. The band is absolutely gutted about this, having to cancel BLOODSTOCK again, but we have already confirmed with Vicky and the BLOODSTOCK team that the band will be back in the UK for the 2022 edition. Stay safe!”. We look forward to welcoming DIMMU back next year. Besides this killer livestream, CRADLE OF FILTH meanwhile recently collaborated with California merch brand, BlackCraft Cult on an exclusive t-shirt design – get your orders in here, so you can wear yours at Catton Park!

BLOODSTOCK is also excited to bring you details for Wednesday, the extra day this year exclusively for weekend ticket holders. Once you’ve arrived and set up your camping area, over in the Sophie stage tent, there’s a fun-packed evening lined up. British thrash legends, ONSLAUGHT are set to headline, with the bill rounded out by underground metal standard bearers, BEHOLDER, who will be playing their farewell show and epic-soundscape painters and M2TM alumni, WARD XVI. In a reshuffle, the ever-entertaining RAISED BY OWLS and progressive death metallers ANAKIM both move across to a Wednesday slot, from their previously announced Thursday.

BLOODSTOCK’s party goblins have also been busy locking in a full range of after-hours fun at Catton Park. Once the bands are done each day, the entertainment in the big top Sophie tent borders on legendary, so be sure to rock up to Catton Park early on Wednesday, pitch your tent and get your beer on in time for the evening’s proceedings. DJs ChunkRock & Miss Abraxas will be hitting the decks, welcoming everyone back ‘home’ for the Metal party of the summer! On Thursday night, there’s a ‘Wrestling’ theme with the whole evening set to be livestreamed on the official BOA Twitch channel. BLOODSTOCK’s ‘Bear Pit’ Twitch host and DJ, Ryan ‘Bear’ Mills will be slamming a wrestling-themed evening where capes, lycra, and war paint are encouraged. Will you be rocking the full Ultimate Warrior or Hulkamaniac look, or prefer the more subdued Road Warriors approach? Either way, prepare to win prizes and power pose to some kick ass tunes. On Friday (13th), naturally it’s Horror Night, so BLOODSTOCK welcomes South coast rock/metal club titans, Apocalypse. Dust off the Elvira, Freddy, and Pinhead costumes and bang, whilst trying not to lose, your head. Saturday celebrates music through the decades, so join DJSoundwave as he celebrates the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and Naughties with a full-on mix of tunes from Abba to Anthrax and Disco to Deathcore. Closing out the 5-day weekend, the Apocalypse crew return with a Pirates Vs Vikings Party, so raise your horns to Odin or for Rum, with Crabulons and Robototrons also welcome.

If you’ve still not found your tent after 2019’s fest, fear not, Fat Frank’s Camping Store can help! You can pre-order all your gear, or just that one missing item and collect it on-site. You can have them blow up your air bed while you wait, or even ‘rent-a-tent’ from them for the weekend. Not only that, they also solve the problem of towing it all home on the train with their ‘festival bag’ service, where they’ll deliver all your kit back to your home address within 3-5 days post-event.

NOT 1, NOT 2, BUT 19 BANDS ADDED TO BLOODSTOCK 2021!

July 21, 2021May 4, 2021 by Anna Hyams

With the weather slowly warming up, we’re counting down the days to BLOODSTOCK. There’s a veritable feast of new bands to get your ears around before August – some you may know, some you may not (yet), but one thing is for sure – they’re all determined to help make this year’s BLOODSTOCK the absolute best fun you’ve had in over a year.

Landing the Sunday night Sophie stage headline slot are festival favourites, EVIL SCARECROW. With some of our overseas bands having to cancel, many of our UK friends are heroically saving the day. We asked SCARECROW to come join the fun and they said, “So, we haven’t played as a band for a year. Not even a practice! We closed and abandoned our rehearsal room. Our van is gathering moss on a driveway. We have 2 new members who we have never played with. One of them was our main stagehand and we have not replaced that position. Basically, EVIL SCARECROW are, in reality, unconscious in stasis, floating through the void of space until we clear the disease-ridden Van Allen radiation belt. Along came the good ship BLOODSTOCK, who nudged us awake to see if we will come and play with them. “No”, we mumble, “No band yet. More sleep”. They return with a cup of tea and a bacon sandwich. “It’s headlining the Sophie Stage” they whisper. Shit. So, we’ve sprung back into life! We are dusting off our props and may even have a band practice or two. So, if you want to see the most shambolic, unpracticed, unprepared EVIL SCARECROW show ever, then join us! We can’t promise our usual super-polished -ahem- performance. But we promise to bring the biggest, messiest, stupidest party yet.” We believe them and we’re all about it! Remind yourself of their skills via their one-take video for ‘Hurricanado’ and get ready to close out the festival with a Scarecrow party!

With the Metal 2 The Masses events happening soon, as well as the winners from that initiative, the New Blood bill is rounded out with a number of bands selected from online applications and we’re happy to give these additional bands the opportunity to showcase their wares at BLOODSTOCK. We had over 600 applications and these lucky acts get a slot on the New Blood stage. Grabbing a Friday slot are Gloucester metal squad BROKEN JAW and Liverpool death metallers COLPOCLEISIS. Saturday’s bill will feature Brummie rockers DEVILFIRE, Irish sludgemeisters GREY STAG and purveyors of ‘true metal’, HANOWAR (yes, they are what you think they are)!

Sunday’s bill features a swathe of fresh blood, including mask-wearing, theatrical noiseniks THE INJESTER, classic rockers SOUTH OF SALEM, stoner/doom squad SON OF BOAR, Midlands thrashers WIRED, THIS IS ENDLESS (featuring members of Onslaught/Ted Maul), power metallers FELLOWSHIP and SORCERESS OF SIN, melodic death metal outfit FROZEN IN SHADOWS, southwest metal 5-piece HYBRIDIZE, psychological death metallers STRANGLE WIRE, Irish modern metal outfit WORDS THAT BURN, black metal sonic terrorists DEITUS, and GHOSTS OF ATLANTIS (featuring members of Devilment). The remaining New Blood bands will be announced after the M2TM events in July, so stay tuned for more additions then.

SIXTEEN WEEKENDS ‘TIL BLOODSTOCK…

April 26, 2021April 20, 2021 by Anna Hyams

Hot on the heels of JUDAS PRIEST confirming that their Sunday headline slot at BLOODSTOCK this summer will now be their only European performance this year, let the excitement for the metal party of the year continue to rev up with another 7 bands joining them on the bill…

VENOM PRISON are set to crush a Friday slot on the Ronnie James Dio main stage. The band tell us, “Venom Prison are honoured to be invited to play at the legendary Bloodstock Festival again, having first appeared at the 2017 edition. This will be our first show in nearly two years since the world was shut down by the pandemic. We can’t wait to step out on stage again and cause utter destruction. See you in the pit.” The group are hard at work on their next studio album, the first for new label Century Media. For a hint of what’s to come, watch ‘Slayer Of Holofernes’, from their recent ‘Primeval’ release.

New UK hardcore squad, BORSTAL, featuring Nick Barker (ex-Cradle of Filth, Brujeria) on drums, promise a punishing opening to proceedings on Saturday’s main stage. Just the thing to sort out your Friday night bangover! The band released their debut EP, ‘At Her Majesty’s Pleasure’ just two weeks ago via 4Family Records. Check out the video for ‘Vicious Circles’, taken from that EP, here.

On the Sophie Lancaster stage front, BLOODYWOOD have unfortunately had to postpone their appearance at BLOODSTOCK, but we look forward to welcoming them in 2022! As such, their Friday night headline slot will be filled by the mighty NAPALM DEATH! Having recently renewed their record deal with Century Media, the grindcore legends are set to see some of their ample catalogue re-released on vinyl. Check out their social media for details and warm your necks up with some classic Napalm noise via the video for ‘Time Waits For No Slave’.

Snagging Friday spots on the Sophie stage are Cornish rockers KING CREATURE and melodic/power metal beasts, PRIMITAI. Adding to the Saturday Sophie affray are Southampton crew TERRA IV and steamrolling in to Sunday’s lineup are Leicester metal five piece, INTERNAL CONFLICT.