Bloodstock

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’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.

BLOODSTOCK ANNOUNCES FULL JAGERMEISTER STAGE LINE-UP

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With just 8 weeks to go before the metal brethren thunder through the gates of Catton Park, BLOODSTOCK is excited to reveal some of the hotly tipped talent who’ll be ripping up the Jagermeister stage this year.  So on festival weekend, why not grab a cold one and investigate some fresh talent that could become your new favourite band. 

Friday brings fuzzed-up Brummie rock duo, THIS SUMMIT FEVER, whose heavy riffage is showcased on ‘Messiah’, taken from their ‘Distraction Rituals’ EP.  Belfast’s high energy rock squad WILD HEAT, will also be bringing their ‘Hustle’ to Catton Park, plus expect to see Birmingham’s sludgy death metal trio, DEATHFIEND, whose brand new video for ‘Beyond Life’ is giving us life! 

Also joining Friday’s line up are Newcastle trio DUNES. Check out their desert-soaked sound via the video for ‘Heart of the Sun’.  Wrapping up proceedings with a headline slot on Friday’s Jager stage are Aussie thrash brutes, HIDDEN INTENT.  The three-piece have established a solid following around the globe, with influences taken from the classic Bay Area and Teutonic thrash movements.  Check out their riff-tastic video for ‘Breaking Point’. 

Opening up the Jager Stage on Saturday are DAYBREAKER, who hail from the North West of England. Check out their chunky, driving riffage via the track, ‘M.O.A.B’.  Also appearing on Saturday are Cumbrian old school death metal squad, REPULSIVE VISION.  The four piece have become mainstays of the extreme metal circuit across the US and EU, so check out what the fuss is all about via the video for ‘Other Than Divine’, taken from their second album, ‘Necrovictology’. 

Expect to also see Kent heavy rockers PRYMA, bring their sticky tunes like ‘Freaky Fright Night’, driven by singer Gabrielle’s powerful vocals to the Jager stage.  Grunge/alt trio, MUDDIBROOKE may be a familiar name, having picked up radio airplay on Kerrang!, Planet Rock and BBC and support slots with Nick Oliveri and Reef. Check out their statement take on ‘You Don’t Own Me’.  And headlining the Jager stage on Saturday evening are Yorkshire metalcore squad, WATERLINES, who’ll undoubtedly be starting a massive pit with their single, ‘KÖNIG’. 

Sunday’s proceedings kick off with Nottingham’s THOSE ONCE LOYAL, who’ve been described as the bastard child of Killswitch Engage and Hatebreed!  Decide for yourself by checking out their single, ‘Relentless Cycle’.  South London power trio DEAD AIR also join the fray, bringing their multi-influenced sound to Catton Park.  Watch their video for ‘Teeth Grinder’, a track taken from their 2022 debut EP, ‘City Sins’. BLOODSTOCK’s power metal fans will be pleased to see SKIES TURN BLACK play on Sunday, showcasing their impressive musicianship on tracks like ‘This Too Shall Pass’, taken from their ‘No Place Like Home’ debut album. 

Also appearing are PAST THE FALL, whose modern metal demonstrates elements of prog flair and refined classicism.  Check out their official video for ‘Beholden’.  Closing out the stage on Sunday will be Scottish riff beasts, IRON ALTAR.  The band have just completed work on their second album, ‘Promethean’, which is set for release soon.  In the interim, get up to speed via their video for 2020’s single, ‘Cruor’.
BLOODSTOCK is also excited to announce a very special collaboration with Black Feather Design on an exclusive capsule collection of solid 925 sterling silver jewellery.  You can take your pick between both small and large statement versions of BLOODSTOCK’s iconic S’tan mascot, hewn in silver and tailored to your finger of choice, or alternatively plump for the more understated, yet equally epic, BOA shield signet design.  There’s also two choices of earring; S’tan studs or S’tan Drops (11mm sleeper hoops).  The three rings and two earring designs will be available to pre-order for two weeks from today (Thursday 15th June until 30th June 2023), or as soon as the 200 pieces of each design have sold out (whichever comes first).  Your pre-orders will ship to you in time for this year’s festival. 

For more information and to pre-order your own piece of unique heavy metal, click here.

BLOODSTOCK REVEAL ‘METAL 2 THE MASSES’ FINALS DATES AND FIRST BANDS FOR 2023’s NEW BLOOD STAGE

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As Spring settles in, BLOODSTOCK HQ is a hive of activity.  This week’s announcement sees the first bands announced for the New Blood stage, and the dates are set for the Finals of 2023’s METAL 2 THE MASSES programme, BLOODSTOCK’s celebrated initiative to help developing bands score a landmark opportunity, playing a slot on the New Blood stage at the festival in August.  Some winners are chosen from online submissions, whereas others battle it out among their peers at local events across the country. This year, 29 different regions have stepped up and we also welcome initiatives from Croatia and Poland to the programme. 

The finals kick off this Saturday 29th April at Leicester’s O2 Academy and roll through to Saturday 8th July at Oxford’s Jericho Tavern.  Full dates are detailed below, so be sure to get out and support both bands and venues near you. 

Sat 29th Apr – LEICESTER O2 Academy
Sat 6th May – EDINBURGH La Belle Angele
Fri 12th May – BELFAST Voodoo 
Sat 13th May – DUBLIN Fibber Magees
Sat 20th May – SHEFFIELD Corporation
Sat 20th May – MANCHESTER Rebellion
Thu 25th May – NORWICH Brickmakers
Sat 27th May – MILTON KEYNES Craufurd Arms
Sat 27th May – LEEDS The Library
Sat 3rd Jun – LONDON The Dome
Sat 3rd Jun – NEWCASTLE Trillians
Sat 3rd Jun – OSIJEK (Croatia) Ex-Epic
Sat 10th Jun – CHORZOW (Poland) Lesniczowka Rock n’ Roll Cafe
Fri 16th Jun – COLCHESTER Coda
Sat 17th Jun – GRAVESEND Leo’s, Red Lion
Fri 23rd Jun – BIRMINGHAM Devils Dog
Sat 24th Jun – HITCHIN Club 85
Sat 24th Jun – WREXHAM XS @ The Penny Black
Sat 24th Jun – BRISTOL The ExchangeFri 30th Jun – BOURNEMOUTH Bear Cave
Fri 30th Jun – CHELTENHAM Frog & Fiddle
Sat 1st Jul – BURNLEY Sanctuary
Sat 1st Jul – STOKE The Underground
Sat 1st Jul – NORTHAMPTON The Black Prince
Sat 1st Jul – LIVERPOOL Zanzibar
Sat 1st Jul – CARDIFF Fuel
Sat 8th Jul – NOTTINGHAM The Old Cold Store
Sat 8th Jul – SALTASH Livewire
Sat 8th Jul – OXFORD Jericho Tavern
Meanwhile, grabbing New Blood slots via the online submission process are these lucky acts.
Joining Friday’s New Blood stage are London’s LOKUST.  Their ferocious, instrumental demo single, ‘Guiltless’ (featuring Krimh – Septicflesh/ex-Decapitated) only hints at what’s to come when they release their debut album this year.  Also appearing Friday will be Stoke On Trent’s self-described “heavy as fuck” trio, HEADPRESS. Get a taster of their brutal triple attack via the video for ‘Outlines’. And joining Friday’s fray are Yorkshire UKHC squad, STREET SOLDIER. Check out the crunchy uncompromising title track from their debut ‘One Man Gang’ EP.

For Saturday’s New Blood stage, we welcome South Wales black metal collective OFNUS. Watch out for the band’s debut full length coming this Summer and meanwhile get a taster of their bleak, brutal sound.  Also featured on Saturday will be riff-laden Manchester metal trio, VICE. Their second album, ‘For The Fallen’ was released last summer – watch their video for ‘Vultures’ here. 

Irish doomsters SOOTHSAYER also land themselves a Saturday slot. Get familiar with their glorious, atmospheric noise via the video for ‘Cities Of Smoke’, taken from their album ‘Echoes Of The Earth’. Last, but certainly not least, Danish modern death metal squad NAKKEKNAEKKER join Saturday’s line up. For a five piece with the average age of 18, these boys have skills beyond their years. Check out this clip of their live show.

Over on Sunday’s New Blood stage, you’ll be seeing East Anglian thrashers ELIMINATION. The band’s 2021 debut, ‘Echoes of the Abyss’ turned many heads and the band are at work on its successor, due out this year.  In the interim, watch their video for ‘Icon of Despair’. 

Also grabbing a slot are Northern Ireland rock trio, SKYPILOT. The band’s latest album, ‘Simple Beasts’, laden with fat riffs, landed last Summer, featuring the track, ‘Octofuzz’. And Nottingham extreme noise terrorists OUTERGODS grab a Sunday spot. Featuring members of Evil Scarecrow and Raised By Owls, the band are working on a new album that’ll land this Summer.  In the meantime investigate their ungodly ‘Catacombs of Madness’.  
BLOODSTOCK’s very popular club nights are also underway! Grab your mates, hit the dance floor, and perhaps you’ll be a lucky winner coming home with a free pair of weekend tickets – every club night will be running a competition! If none of these are near you, fret not, there will be more party nights at other locations through June and July revealed soon.
APRILFri 28th April – Warrington, FC2Fri 28th April – Cardiff, Metro’sSat 29th April – Camberley, AgincourtSat 29th April – Stoke-on-Trent, The Sugarmill
MAYSat 6th May – Brighton, AboveFri 12th May – Bristol, The LanesSat 20th May – Newcastle, Reds Bar @ Northumbria Uni Students UnionFri 27th May – London, ElektrowerkzSat 27th May – Southampton, SuburbiaSat 27th May – Stoke-on-Trent, The SugarmillSun 28th May – Exeter, The Cavern

BLOODSTOCK’S EASTER UPDATE

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With 135 days to go to BLOODSTOCK, are we allowed to start a countdown yet?! Spring is officially here and though the festival has some disappointing news to share first, there is also a plethora of excellent news and lots more still to reveal while we’re (im)patiently waiting for August to roll around. You can also tune in to the next Facebook Live on Thursday, 6th April at 7pm. We can’t promise festival management will be wearing Easter bunny ears, but we can promise some Easter goodies. Keep an eye out on BLOODSTOCK’s socials next week too for a little Easter competition…!
Unfortunately, we have to share that both Nonpoint and DevilDriver have pulled out of the festival this summer. Putting on a festival involves a lot of moving parts, and BLOODSTOCK is as disappointed and frustrated as its audience when things crop up which the festival has no control over – after all, BLOODSTOCK wants to deliver the very best possible festival for you and works hard year round to curate an stellar line-up. Dez from DevilDriver has shared the following message and we wish Dez all the best with his continuing recovery. 
BLOODSTOCK is delighted to announce that the legendary, Norwegian black metal icon  ABBATH will step in to fill the breach on Saturday’s Ronnie James Dio main stage. Rarely in the UK, and not at BLOODSTOCK since Immortal’s headline slot in 2011, this is certifiably a set not to be missed!! ABBATH declares, “We’re really looking forward to be coming back to the UK to shake the Bloodstock foundation. It’s been way too long!” Get up to speed with this full stream of latest release ‘Dread Reaver’, out now via Season Of Mist, or watch the video for ‘Dream Cull.’ Better hone your meme skills, too. 
With Nonpoint dropping out, the previously announced, almighty BOSSK are moving up the Sophie Lancaster stage bill to takeover their slot, and BLOODSTOCK can also reveal the addition of crossover thrash beasts PEST CONTROL to keep your heads bangin’. Trot over to Bandcamp to investigate their tunes, including latest release ‘Don’t Test The Pest’, released just last month. 
The festival is more than just bands though! BLOODSTOCK is excited to welcome the UK’s biggest rock and metal fitness company ROCKFIT for the first time! Renowned for an amalgamation of cardio, dance, and some serious body-sculpting set to a pure rock and metal playlist for those that like it loud, if you’re not sleeping in then ROCKFIT will be the perfect way to shake off the night before and limber you up for the pit! Squatting to Slayer, singing your lungs out, and even the occasional viking row, there will be a 45-minute open air class kicking off Friday, Saturday, and Sunday  in the main arena at 10:15am! RockFit @ Bloodstock is going to be a seriously unique festival fitness experience for metal fans by metal fans to leave you feeling energised and fit for the pit! 
If the ROCKFIT workout gets you hot under the collar, then BLOODSTOCK also has the perfect thing to cool things down. BLACK ICE-CREAM is back!
Suitable for all ages and a refreshing ginger and lemon flavour, it’ll be available in the main arena all festival. Possibly the perfect summer accessory for you to watch ABBATH’s unholy set with?

BLOODSTOCK WELCOME BOSSK TO THE SOPHIE LANCASTER STAGE

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Bossk!

Following the unfortunate news that ska-punkers RUSSKAJA have called it a day, and will therefore no longer be performing at BLOODSTOCK this summer, BLOODSTOCK is pleased to tell you who will be stepping into their slot… 

This enigmatic and experimental band formed in 2005 but it was eleven years before their debut ‘Audio Noir’ saw light of day through Deathwish Inc and exploded them into post-metal’s most respected echelons. Despite nods to Neurosis and Converge, this distinctive, atmospheric five-piece remain hard to pigeonhole, and continue to display their bone-crushing heaviness on latest album ‘Migration‘, which also features a guest spot from Cult Of Luna’s Johannes Persson on the single ‘Menhir‘. This Sophie Lancaster stage slot on Friday will be filled by none other than the mighty BOSSK!

BOSSK said, “It’s been a fair few years since we last played at Bloodstock. When we played the first time we were a little apprehensive about how we would go down at a predominantly fast metal festival, but the response was incredible. And even better the next time. To play in 2023 is going to be incredible, and to see the festival continue to grow is a great thing for the UK music scene. Thank you to everyone involved for having us back, we can’t wait. Hail the riff.

BLOODSTOCK reveal Lorna Shore Full Set YouTube Premiere & New Plush Toy

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While you’re waiting patiently for this year’s BLOODSTOCK to roll around, HQ are putting together a few tasty treats to help pass the time. 

Have you explored BLOODSTOCK’s official YouTube channel yet? Chock-full of exclusive footage from previous year’s events, it’s about to get even better, with a brand new premiere on the way from none other than LORNA SHORE, with their whole set from 2022 hitting the channel from 7pm GMT on February 24th in all its ferocious glory. You’ll be able to watch it in full here. Click here for a quick 30-second sneak peek of what’s in store.

With 2022 marking their very first performance on BLOODSTOCK’s hallowed stage, LORNA SHORE said, “We dreamed about playing Bloodstock for years and years. The reality was beyond the dream. We thank the entire Bloodstock team and the fans for a life changing experience.”

Overwhelmed at the vast array of videos to choose from? BLOODSTOCK’s YouTube chief & webmaster has highlighted several of his favourites and why!  In no particular order then… 
THE ENERGY
ARCH ENEMY – You Will Know My Name – Bloodstock 2017 I absolutely love Arch Enemy, this video is such a great track with lots of energy. I would love to see them back at Bloodstock in 2024.
THE CLASSIC
JUDAS PRIEST – Metal Gods – Bloodstock 2021 A very iconic moment when Glen Tipton came on stage for 3 tracks at Bloodstock 2021, Metal Gods is simply a classic. 
THE MIND CHANGER
DEVIN TOWNSEND – Full Set Performance – Bloodstock 2021 I confess I’ve never been a true Devin fan, but the 2021 performance was simply out of this world and has to be one of my favourite premieres on our channel to date.
THE TASTER
KREATOR – Terrible Certainty – Bloodstock 2021 I helped convince our band booker to have Kreator as a headliner in 2021 and what a great performance it was! To date a couple of the tracks have been shared, but I’m excited to reveal that their full set will be coming as a premiere in April! It’s a killer set, really looking forward to sharing this for everyone to enjoy!
THE UNMISSABLE
GOJIRA – Full Set Performance – Bloodstock 2016 What can I say… you gotta watch some Gojira, simply a band that creates masses of energy and gets the crowd moving. Their 2016 and 2018 performances at Bloodstock were amazing. 
THE EPIC
LAMB OF GOD – Full Set Performance – Bloodstock 2022 This Lamb Of God set just had to go online! I have watched it many times; it took a long time to get this approved – so thank you to the band and management for working with us to get this online, it’s a simply epic set.
THE SURPRISE
ORBIT CULTURE – Strangler – Bloodstock 2022 Because we’re busy working, I don’t get to watch all the bands live at the festival – but I do go through all the footage to choose which bands to put online. Orbit Culture were a band that simply blew me away, their sound and energy is just on another level –  they played the Sophie Lancaster stage, but I would love to see them on the main stage in the next few years.
BLOODSTOCK want to know which are your favourites from the channel! Send in your video playlists and perhaps the festival will highlight a few or give out some spot prizes! What other sets do you want to see? Tell BLOODSTOCK via your social media platform of choice!

In BLOODSTOCK merch news, you asked… and BLOODSTOCK has delivered! The festival’s very first plush S’tan toy is on the way, horns n’ all You can pre-order from the merch store on Friday 24th February here for dispatch by April 10th. For those quick off the mark, the first 200 S’tans ordered can be snapped up at a special intro price of £19.99, saving you a fiver on the normal retail. Here he is larking around with his new pal the Download Dog. Wonder what other adventures he’ll get up to and where he’ll be spotted next…?
Unfortunately, since BLOODSTOCK’s previous band announcement, ska-punkers RUSSKAJA have split up, and will therefore no longer be performing. Take heart, there are still lots of bands to be revealed in the coming weeks!

Last call! Time is running out to sign up for the very popular weekend ticket Deposit Scheme. If you’re keen, you must sign up before 28th Feb. With payments spread across 6 monthly instalments, it makes it much more manageable to pay for your standard weekend ticket. An initial payment of £34.50 is due upon sign up, then five additional payments of £27.50 will debit your bank account on 28 Mar, 28 Apr, 29 May, 28 Jun, with a final instalment on 28 Jul. Join the scheme or see all ticket options here.

Never been to BLOODSTOCK before and just want to come for a day to check things out? Can’t do the whole weekend this summer but don’t want to miss all the fun? A limited number of day tickets are on sale now in the ticket store. Adult day tickets are £75 and if you’d like to make it a family day out, child day tickets are £25 (mini moshers under 4 can come for free), plus booking fees. Want to come for the full weekend experience? VIP and campervan tickets are already sold out, but you can still get standard weekend tickets in the ticket store! If you’d like to stay onsite so you don’t miss a single minute of the action, camping is included! There’s also a  dedicated quiet campsite, sometimes preferred by those with junior headbangers and fans of a proper sleep. 

Watch BLOODSTOCK’s new trailer at: https://youtu.be/y4cL0i4vFSU or by clicking below.
BLOODSTOCK’s 2023 Ronnie James Dio main stage headliners are KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, MESHUGGAH, and MEGADETH. Also appearing are HELLOWEEN, IN FLAMES, DEVILDRIVER, BIOHAZARD, EMPLOYED TO SERVE, ROYAL REPUBLIC, SACRED REICH, HEAVEN SHALL BURN, SEPULTURA, FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY, CROWBAR, CANDLEMASS, TRIBULATION, SEETHING AKIRA, UGLY KID JOE, DECAPITATED, GATECREEPER, ZEAL & ARDOR, KING 810, UNTO OTHERS, URNE, ALL HAIL THE YETI, DEAD LABEL, NONPOINT, CHURCH OF THE COSMIC SKULL, BROTHERS OF METAL, GUTALAX, UUHAI, INVISIONS, COBRA THE IMPALER, TROLLFEST, SKYND, WARKINGS, FROZEN SOUL, THE VIOLENT INZIDENT, TRIBE OF GHOSTS, DAKESIS, THE ENIGMA DIVISION, THE GREY, EYES, TUSKAR, STENGAH, OVERTHRONE, TORTURED DEMON, CASKET FEEDER, GAEREA, BLOODYARD, WOLFBASTARD, SKIN FAILURE, WITCHSORROW, WYTCH HAZEL, HATE, BLACK COAST, STRIKER, and ZETRA. Many more are yet to be announced.