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Bloodstock Open Air 2024 – THE GIANT REVIEW!

August 15, 2024 by Anna Hyams

FRIDAY

Back to Bloodstock for my 22^nd year, yes you read that right – from it’s humble beginnings in Derby Assembly rooms and my humble beginnings as a baby greebo, here we both are once again. The sun is shining in a menacing sort of way that tells me I’m going to end the weekend a delicious shade of rouge, but I am so ready to headbang my way through BOA 2024’s delectable musical offerings.

Green Lung hailing from London bring their stoner metal flavour to the RJD stage, which is set with an odd collection of Jim Henson-esque monsters for some reason. I really like the furry viking head thing but that horse-raven thing at the side is absolute nightmare fuel to be honest. “This song goes out to anyone who has ever suffered with depression” says frontman Tom Templar, before the band play recent hit ‘One For Sorrow’.

Grand Magus’ set is besieged by technical difficulties early on as the PA appears to be off on it’s own musical adventure when they’d stopped playing, but wow did they recover. Swedish heavy metal may as well be a brand in it’s own right at this point, but I have a theory that bands that unironically wear their own t-shirts – are always great. Next we catch supergroup Haliphron over on the Sophie Lancaster stage for some screamy doomy funtimes with a frontwoman who is possibly of Targaryen descent; “We are honoured to be on the Sophie stage, may she be remembered forever”.

Off for a wander we say a quick hello to local(ish) Tamworth legend SpudMan who is yelling funny things at everyone whilst scooping ungodly amounts of cheese onto potatoes, in the best way. Battle reenactment in the square is drawing a massive crowd of cheers, because who doesn’t want to relive their primary school field trips at a festival? The biggest cheer is reserved for when one from the blue team manages to smack the helmet off a very tall member of the green team (don’t quote me on that, the colours were a blur of shields and swords) as the compare shouts “Aww what lovely long flowing locks he has” just to really dial down the cool-factor.

Next we catch Rotting Christ, who despite their name are actually a band of very nice and friendly looking men doing a lot of shouting and hair windmilling. Black metal in the sunshine really hits different than it does on Spotify I tell you, they’re even *smiling*.

Norwegian metalheads Enslaved come out swinging with their Norse mythology inspired works and runes tattooed all over them, but the tone is immediately sobered as they say “We had some sad news this morning, a friend of ours passed away yesterday” referring to Dave Sweetapple of American band Witch.

Hatebreed up the tempo later on, as the heat of the day finally starts to wane a little, yelling “This is hallowed ground Bloodstock”, “It’s our job to make sure you wake up tomorrow with no voice left” and inciting some giant circle pits. Even the inflatable dinosaurs are up for a crowd-surf this evening, despite them being quite hard to navigate where you’re actually grabbing/passing them above your head…

In what seems like a day of laments, there is also the matter of the Lemmy Forever vigil which is brought to the main stage. A giant bust of Lemmy Kilmister (of Motorhead, in case you’ve been living under a rock for… well, ever) is ceremonially wheeled out onto the stage flanked by the Bloodstock organisers Adam and Vicky, and Phil Campbell. They each take turns to explain a bit about how much Lemmy loved Bloodstock, and what an impact he’d had before the portion of ashes bequeathed to Bloodstock were locked up in a tiny safe inside the bust. It’s quite a cool thing to do really, send parts of yourself to everywhere you loved – what a nice idea. Anyway, during the weekend you can go and ‘visit’ Lemmy inside the BOA art gallery, before he is relocated to Nottingham’s Rock City venue for the next year. If you do visit him, let me know if you also think his bust has very Iron Throne vibes, it’s so cool.

After a brief reprise for a bag of hot donuts, my most-anticipated band Clutch absolutely smash the metaphorical doors off the place with their signature brand of fast paced rock n roll. I will always find it absolutely hilarious that the rest of the extremely normcore coded band stay almost stock still mid-stage for the entire set while enigmatic frontman Neil Fallon wreaks body-contorting frenzied havoc about the place for a solid hour. “I didn’t think I needed sunscreen in the UK, that was a mistake” he jokes, before launching into earworm (and favourite of mine) ‘Sucker for the Witch’.

The awesome cosmic backdrop sadly isn’t on any of their tour merch, which incidentally was almost sold out completely before they ever even made it to the stage, so here’s my petition to Clutch to get it done. In another little stage sound mishap for today; “Hold on the guitar isn’t working… did you turn it off and on again? That’s good enough for rock and roll fuck it” doesn’t impede them for long and we get the excellent ‘In Walks Barbarella’. If you don’t singalong “Weaponized funk” there’s something wrong with you.

On the Sophie stage, The Vintage Caravan look exactly as you imagine they would – sporting the white Stetson, bootcut flares, double denim and jorts style of the US south. Except that they’re from Iceland. Oh. Anyway, I flippin’ love them. Guitarist Óskar Logi Ágústsson may be delightfully twee and joyful to watch, but his work is impeccable clean and complex – straight on my playlist they go.

Operatic all-lady quartet MAB burst the seams of the EMP tent with a huge crowd, but really needed to be elsewhere for the full effect I feel. There’s something slightly janky about trying to contain soaring vocals into an itsy bitsy tent, that is also a bar, that is also surrounded by shops with their own music playing.

Final band of the day for us is main stage closer, Sweden’s premier prog gods Opeth. Now, I will preface this with – last time I saw them I was unenthused. Mainly because I’m not all that into prog, but also because it was daytime and it felt all wrong listening to that kind of music in the blazing sunshine. Tonight however, the crowd is full, the sun has gone down and we are ready for some gloomy good times. ‘The Grand Conjuration’ opens the show and it really is impressive, despite it lasting for around eleventy billion hours. No I’m only joking, apparently the average Opeth song is only (ONLY) 8 minutes and 19 seconds long…

Mikael Åkerfeldt is in a much more talkative mood than last time as well, which is nice because the BOA crowd are feeling a bit heckle-y tonight it seems. “I LOVE YOU MIKAEL” an enormous man in the front row yells, drawing a laugh from the band before someone else shouts “Play Freebird!”. Taking it in his stride, Åkerfeldt shouts back “Freebird? That’s a good song… but no”.

“We have a new record… but we don’t know the songs yet… were gonna come back and play some songs sometime in the UK. Our manager is really angry with me right now for not saying the date but I can’t remember” they joke, but there’s no doubt the new stuff is met with trepidation from ‘Oldpeth’ fans. ‘Deliverance’ for the encore more than makes up for it, it’s a gorgeous, sumptuous show… for Opeth fans. For the rest of us uncultured swine, it’s a litany of lengthy poetry and I am too sleeeeepy.

The Grand Conjuration
Demon of the Fall
The Drapery Falls
In My Time of Need
Heir Apparent
Ghost of Perdition
Sorceress

Encore:

Deliverance

SATURDAY

A showery start to Saturday has us all worrying we’ve brought the wrong clothing, but it soon clears up to be another spicy day in the sunshine, and we’re headed to the Sophie stage to catch the rather beautiful goth goblin that is Ludovico Technique. As the Ringwraiths, ahem, band, make their way to the stage we catch a glimpse of vocalist Ben V swigging something viscous from a plastic cup, that looks suspiciously like he’s downing a blood bag.

The Dementor’s amp up and he creeps into centre brandishing his giant claws at the crowd. I’m really into this resurgence of industrial spooky metal, it has a very MM feel with a bit of a grungy Silverchair esque edge to it. I even like the orc-blood drool (which I guess was the contents of the curious cup).

On the RJD stage, Forbidden are bringing us some classic old school thrash metal, lots of hair and screaming, with Craig Locicero absolutely wailing on the guitar. The dinosaur meet-up on the EMP stage for today’s fancy dress theme, is somewhat of a distraction though. Especially when someone plays a metal version of the Jurassic Park theme.

Mimi Barks is ripping up the Sophie stage with her unique brand of doomy rap over electronic metal beats. Wearing a plastic yellow two-piece with a zip around the entire crotch region, and some impressively scary white-out contact lenses, she looks like some kind of otherworldly futuristic voodoo doll. I dig it, and her music is memorably feral. There’s a huge crowd in here, all going as berserk as she is, which really is the measure of any act I feel.

Unleash The Archers couldn’t be more of a whiplash change of pace, bringing Canadian power metal to the main stage. As you might imagine, they are extremely smiley and nice, but that doesn’t mean they can’t throw down. Frontwoman Brittney Hayes is capable of singing incredible highs AND windmilling her raven black hair at neck distorting speed. Joking about the weather here today, which has now become uncomfortably hot “We recently played rock en seine and it was 40 degrees… So I’ll take this any day” laughs Brittney, despite guitarist Andrew Kingsley being possibly the most sunburn prone ginger man I have ever seen.

Anyhow, I know it isn’t cooool but I enjoy some melodic/symphonic metal and I’d like to see a bigger return to it on future BOA bills.

The chaotically fun Nottingham band Red Rum bring all the pirates to the yard, well tent, for a very silly set of drinking and yelling about drinking. A very sweaty “Open up a circle here bloodstock! No, not for a pit… for a heavy metal conga!” to you all.

On the main stage, Deicide are hotly attended but I wish I could actually hear the guitars over the screaming, and I’m too hot. Whitechapel bring crowdsurfers galore over the barrier, including one lad dressed as a giant inflatable penis, but it’s Combichrist who really up the ante with a scorching electronic set of pure wild abandon. If you’re into NIN and Rob Zombie, Combichrist are gonna be one of your top bands this weekend – and I WISH they’d played the main stage because there wasn’t even an inch of space left unoccupied inside that tent.

Malevolence too go hard the minute they hit the stage, calling for the crowd to split into a giant wall of death, but they are also caught with some sound hijinks like a few other bands so far this weekend; “We are having some technical difficulties but I promise you we’re gonna have a good night together”. After the resolution, vocalist Alex Taylor yells that he wants everyone over the barrier, and the crowd surfers never stop coming.

“We are Malevolence and we’re from Sheffield, but we flew 300 miles to get here because we weren’t fucking missing this” is backed by a crowd-led chant of “Yoooorkshire, Yooorkshire” before an attempt is made at a very silly circle pit. “Show me the biggest fuckin circle pit Bloodstock has ever seen… Hold on make some space. I think I asked for it to go back around the sound desk. Push people out the way. I’m not leaving this stage until it happens”. At this point it occurs to me that they have no idea that there’s actually an ice-cream truck backed up to the sound desk, and very little real estate for any kind of interesting behaviour, but the people give it a go regardless. It looks a bit more like a goth fun-run than a circle-pit but I applaud the effort.

“This is the third time we’ve played Bloodstock, It’s a dream come true to be up here. We hold this festival very close to our hearts” they shout, and leave us with a record breaking 901 count for crowd surfers. Manic.

Sylosis are beset by horrendous technical issues one song in, downing play for over 15 minutes and some very awkward calls for solos. Frontman Josh Middleton (who is rocking a Deicide tee) is visibly beside himself with annoyance as his guitar output goes completely kaput, and refuses to reboot despite several attempts from techies. Eventually he comes back sans guitar and they give us everything they’ve got without it. It’s heavy and the pit is boisterous, but I feel really sad for them to have done it this way.

Main stage headliner Architects blow us all away with their heavy opener ‘Seeing Red’ and a heck-tonne of on stage pyro. “Malevolence earlier had a 901 final count of crowd surfers… we are going to give it shot. Do you have the energy in you? Get on your friends’ shoulders and get over this fucking barrier” shouts Dan Searle before calling Bloodstock “Hallowed ground”.

It’s a strong headline set, but there’s a bit of me that wishes it hadn’t been quite so clinical – a little nod to some of Bloodstock’s history is something we’ve come to expect from bands here, especially UK ones who know what BOA is to the scene, but this felt every bit like a stadium show to me. Regardless, they certainly play tight and the pyro/ticker tape always adds a bit of excitement to a set.

“There’s a guy there with a sign that just says I love anal… I ain’t about to kink shame you brother that fuckin rules” laughs Dan, before some heartfelt shout outs “We would not be a band if it wasn’t for my brother Tom”, Dan’s twin and Architects founder, who sadly died in 2016. “Another person who has really helped this band… Make some noise for Josh from Sylosis” their ex-guitarist who performed earlier today.

‘Doomsday’, ‘Nihilist’ and ‘Animals’ finish up a very respectable set from the Brighton boys, and if you like that Enter Shikari type of sound, they’ve definitely scratched that itch tonight – but I’m hoping next time they’ll feel more woven into the BOA lore.

Seeing Red
Giving Blood
deep fake
Impermanence
Black Lungs
These Colours Don’t Run
Hereafter
Gravedigger
a new moral low ground
Curse
Royal Beggars
Doomsday
Meteor
when we were young

Encore:

Nihilist
Animals

Like any festival worth its salt, the night-time entertainment doesn’t stop at the headliner, but BOA goes one up and has a Sophie Stage headliner too. Finnish folk-metal heroes Korpiklaani take that top spot tonight to an absolutely rammed tent, for a night of Lappish cultural tales dressed up in some downright dirty heavy metal. Frontman Jonne Järvelä is dressed like a Saami Jack Sparrow in a hide-tophat and fringed clothing combo, and he reads as extremely cheeky and prone to hijinks. Ideal.

In a bid to get us grooving, their fiddle and accordion-led music is amped up for ‘A Man With A Plan’ and we can’t help but enthusiastically join in, the constant stream of crowd-surfers over the barrier tell me that everyone in here is having a ball. If all of that didn’t satisfy your needs tonight, Jonne also gets his arse out – so there’s that. 10/10 I love Korpiklaani.

SUNDAY

Onto the final day of BOA and it’s another absolute scorcher out there, lots of extremely pink people are gathered at the main stage for the gorgeously melodic Soen. Billed as Swedish Prog metal, but definitively different to everything else I’d put in that category, Soen are captivatingly soft and sombre, as well as remaining heavy and singable. I’m not surprised they’ve had a big turn-out here, I really enjoyed their set.

In a complete 180, Beast In Black are a gut-busting dose of fast and furious power-metal with an electronic edge. A massive neon Tokyo nights backdrop, retina-burning neon green and pink guitars that would look at home in any Goosebumps episode, and incredible themed outfits are the name of the game and I am here for all of it.

Sometimes you just need a band to come out and BE FUN. Beast In Black deliver across the board – I particularly like their choreographed headbanging/guitar swishing, but there’s no doubt about their musical talent either, the riffs are tight. Frontman Anton Kabanen (who looks like he’s ready to host the cyberpunk Crystal Maze), shouts “Are you ready to travel with us to a beautiful country called Japan? We’re gonna spend one night in Tokyo my friends!” and we are treated to a very cheesy but ultimately very catchy afternoon of metal.

Warpstormer have filled the EMP tent to bursting for their low and slow thrash, and Septicflesh are throwing down the hair-swishing gauntlet in the fiercely strong sunshine. “We are Septicflesh from Athens Greece! Are You ready to move with us?” is met with sword-wielding enthusiasm from the front (no really, one guy actually has a sword) but there are a lot of heat-suffering people trying to muster up the energy around the arena.

Ankor in the Sophie tent bring us stunningly energetic punk-edged metalcore, and I sincerely hope that this is a band we see on a BOA stage again very soon – not least because their pocket-sized drummer is an incredible thrash-Queen and their lead singer can screeeeeam.

The Night Flight Orchestra are a Swedish classic rock band, who sound exactly like the montage part of every 80’s action film ever made. Like if you’re going to drive a sports car around winding roads to get to your next Roadhouse, or spend some time learning how to do a crane-kick – The Night Flight Orchestra have your back buddy. Lead singer Björn Strid (of Soilwork fame) is resplendent in an iridescent cape, his backing singers are dressed as retro air-hostesses and the drummer is wearing a full suit and cravat. I don’t know what to say, but I like it all very much.

“Did you bring your dancing shoes Bloodstock? Did you?” yells Björn, and the crowd screams back at him – it seems there are a lot of NFO fans in the BOA crowd today. Instant earworm ‘Satellite’ sees the entire arena start bouncing, and the band call for a group of people dressed as pilots to join them on stage – “Security we need our people on stage, our crew, get them up here”. After hugging everyone, the fans on stage are instructed to begin a conga line with the air-hostesses, as a matching conga takes up in the crowd.

“This is the very last festival for us, make us proud!” he shouts as they hit ‘West Ruth Ave’ which sounds like it would be perfect for a 70’s cop show. I can’t overstate how much I have loved this entire set, and I love Bloodstock for being able to book something so ridiculously fun alongside the more doomy serious bands – what an epic choice.

I feel much the same about the main-stage placement of Irish celtic punk rockers Flogging Molly – a band I’ve been blessed to see a few times now, and every single time they have been utterly fantastic. Today is no outlier, between Dave King throwing out cans of Guinness into the crowd, and his chaotic running around the stage – it’s hard to scratch a moment to breathe amongst the revelry. ‘Drunken Lullabies’ is the perfect opener for a Bloodstock crowd and ‘Tobacco island’ with it’s piratey sound is very BOA coded. “Fuck I need a drink after that” giggles Dave, “I’m gonna look like a fuckin tomato after this I’ll tell you that. The most beautiful tomato you’ve ever seen”.

“You’re absolutely fuckin’ beautiful you really are”, “One of the great things about being in a band like Flogging Molly is, today we’re playing an amazing metal festival and in 2 weeks time we’re coming back to play Moseley folk festival in Birmingham” they joke, but they’re not wrong – some of the great appeal of Flogging Molly is their ability to genre-cross, and I’d wager most metal fans actually listen to a very wide range of music.

‘Devil’s Dance Floor’ features Bridget Regan on the tin whistle, and has the entire arena up and dancing in a way that sort of looks like Riverdance with cattle prods. In a tribute to Motorhead’s Lemmy, “…so this is a song of friendship, and it goes like this…” we get the soulfully beautiful

‘If I Ever Leave This World Alive’, one of my favourite songs of all time. Another truly epic show today, thanks for booking that one BOA.

Carcass might not be my precise jam, but I did have to giggle at the Evil Nation/Live Nation t-shirt, and in their defence – and awful lot of people were having a thrashing good time with them. For my personal preference, Moldovan metal band Infected Rain over in the Sophie tent are the kind of wild I like. Lead vocalist Elena Cataraga (Lena Scissorhands) has a stunning voice alongside being able to scream like some sort of eldritch horror, their bassist is going absolutely berserk and the tent is a swarm of undulating limbs.

Closing the main stage tonight is the long-awaited return of Sweden’s finest – Amon Amarth. As the black curtain falls from the stage, we are immediately blasted in the face by ten tonnes of viking death metal and so much pyro it makes my eyes explode. ‘Guardians of Asgaard’ is powerfully, enormously fantastic – it’s quite hard to describe the frenetic energy of being right in the midst of it all.

“I don’t know if you know the lore but I’m going to say it anyway… don’t worry about it it’s just the lead into the next song” frontman Johan Hegg (who I have affectionately termed ‘Fire Santa’) leads us into ‘As Loke Falls’ whilst standing directly over a raging smoke cannon. The effect is frankly cinematic, but I’m not sure entirely intended as he quickly disembarks the step.

The giant Viking horn drum set, the towering Hnefatafl-like statues flanking the stage sides, the unrelenting blasts of golden orange flames… what an insanely iconic show, again.“Bloodstock have you had a great festival weekend?” is met with an almighty roar from the crowd, before the much anticipated call “Right bloodstock… bring out the epic viking row!”.

Now this, is a uniquely BOA experience (even commemorated on the back of an Amon Amarth tshirt available this weekend) as it was started here, in Derbyshire. If you ever went to a 90’s school disco, you’ll remember sitting on the floor for some inexplicable reason, to do oops upside your head dance moves in weird columns. So take that image and add it to your mental representation of row-row-row-your-boat; but everyone is grown-up, in varying stages of alcohol toxicity, sweaty, tattooed and wearing black.

Almost everyone in the whole arena complies, sits down in rows and begin to… well, row to the commanding calls from Johan, as an inflatable viking ship bobs happily on the stage. It’s surreal and kitschy and I adore it.

For ‘Shield Wall’ they bring out a heap of Viking reenactment types to hit each other and provide a visual cue, and we all take the opportunity to drain our cups (or drinking horns) as they shout “You’re loud and you’re wild and we love that shit, so we thought we’d take this opportunity to raise our horns to you… bloods cheers… skol!”.

“I think we have enough energy for another one how bout you guys… do you wanna party? Well then I guess it’s time for you guys to raise your horns… sing along!” signals the beginning of the end, but the encore includes an inflatable sea serpent being vanquished by Johan wielding Thor’s hammer, under a curtain of pyro. Epic.

“Until next time, be safe, party on, but most important raise your horns”.

Raven’s Flight
Guardians of Asgaard
The Pursuit of Vikings
Deceiver of the Gods
As Loke Falls
Tattered Banners and Bloody Flags
Heidrun
War of the Gods
Put Your Back Into the Oar
Put Your Back Into the Oar
The Way of Vikings
Under the Northern Star
First Kill
Shield Wall
Raise Your Horns

Encore:

Crack the Sky
Twilight of the Thunder God

Oh Bloodstock, there’s no easy way to explain to an outsider how much you feel like home. This might be a small festival on the scale of iconic metalfests, but you bet your ass everyone knows about it – because the community is impeccable here. I raise a glass of Iron Maiden’s darkest red wine to you all (which was for sale by the glass or bottle here), because every single year this festival exceeds my expectations. Next year is already off to a stellar start with the band announcements, and I’m unprecedently early in my preparedness to have my face melted off by Machine Head… once my currently melted face has recovered from Amon Amarth.

BLOODSTOCK confirms official bin jousting (& some more bands)

July 17, 2024June 26, 2024 by Anna Hyams

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.

One Month To Go: Download Festival Unleashes Its ‘Beyond The Bands’ Offerings

May 21, 2024May 16, 2024 by Anna Hyams

#DLXXI
12-16 JUNE 2024

With only one month to go until the mighty return of Liquid Death presents Download Festival, DLXXI has unleashed its ‘Beyond The Bands’ offerings, giving Download-goers an even more exciting experience onsite with brand new food, drink, gaming and sport options. Taking place on 12-16 June 2024 at the hallowed grounds of Donington Park, Download will be headlined by Queens Of The Stone Age, Fall Out Boy and Avenged Sevenfold. You can buy the last remaining tickets here: www.downloadfestival.co.uk.

Bigger, better and bursting with exclusive goodies, the Download Megastore is set to impress with new product lines, limited editions and exclusive collaborations with the likes of P&Co, Mary Wyatt and more. From Lou’s Hot Sauce to patch and pin badges and exclusive plush toys, there’s something for everyone. Plus, fuel up with an exclusive 200 Degrees Coffee x Download Festival blend, complimentary with every reusable cup purchase.

For those looking to murder their thirsts, Liquid Death hydration stations will be dotted around for festival-goers to grab a cold can of Liquid Death. And if you’re super lucky, you might just catch a glimpse of their iconic branded Liquid Death Hearse somewhere too. Will their beloved mascot Murder Man make an appearance and get up to his usual antics?

Step into a realm of audio wonder with the Eulogy immersive experience housed in an intriguing shipping container. Created by Darkfield, and free for fans, this is a 30-minute journey of complete darkness, using binaural sound and sensory effects to situate each participant in the centre of intense evolving narratives.

The Outpost is set to host live fire cooking demos with Shropshire Lad & Boca Loco, fire lighting and primitive skills showcases from Axe & Paddle, chilli eating contests from League of Fire, hot dog eating contests, wellness mornings, and classic Hammer Films screenings for the ultimate fright night experience. Footy fans will also be able to watch the key opening games in EURO 24, as The Outpost will screen the Scotland (Friday) and England (Sunday) games live.

Elsewhere, the food and beverage offerings onsite promise to be better than ever, with dozens of vendors catering for all dietary requirements, including the likes of In For A Penne, Bunnyman’s Chow, Happy Maki, King of the Yorkie, The Rock and Roll Toastie Company, Spud Gun Loaded Fries, Señor Churro, Crooked K’s Macaroni, No Frickin’ Chicken and many more.

Back by popular demand is the LoNo bar, serving up a choice of non-alcoholic beers and cocktails, proving that you don’t need alcohol to have a good time. But for those who fancy an ice cold beer, The Tap House and Beer Hall are also returning for this year, as well as Rocktail Cocktail, who will be serving up tasty cocktails alongside a host of DJs playing epic tunes.

New for this year are The Gooseneck Inn, a biker bar with premium spirits, and the Ace Of Spades Tavern, which will host food and entertainment in District X. The Welders Yard, by the arena entrance, will host some fantastic food stands and specialist bars, and Nohrlund will be holding cocktail making classes and demonstrations and serving their organic cocktails across the festival.

Inside the arena, festival-goers will find a Liquid Death Skate Ramp where they can catch pro skateboard and BMX riders in action. Tattoo booths from Liquid Death Tattoo and Old Sarum will be ready to make this year’s Download a memorable one, Mantorship will be running an open circle for men to discuss their mental health, plus iconic fairground rides and more than 80 independent market traders offering everything from jewellery, camping goods to body art.

Sega and Atlus Games will be bringing a gaming experience like never before to Download, with festival-goers among the first to play Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance at the immersive gaming experience. In honour of this, Friday night’s hugely popular fancy dress theme will be based on Video Game Icons, with people invited to dress for the anime / manga / cosplay theme.

BBC Radio 1 will once more broadcast live from the festival and give fans the opportunity to enjoy their photobooth activation with some very special surprise guests!

Following on from the recent District X announcement featuring Silent Disco, Comedy and Podcasts, the DLXXI’s Beyond The Bands offerings prove that Download is much more than just its stellar band line-up, with truly something for everyone to enjoy across the 5 days. More information and tickets at www.downloadfestival.co.uk.

Tenacious D – REVIEWED!

May 10, 2024 by Anna Hyams

2024 seems be the year of the giant arena tours, with the likes of Foo Fighters, Bring Me The Horizon and Taylor Swift busting out the big guns all around the UK, you’d be forgiven for thinking a mock-rock band of humble origins wouldn’t be a huge scene this year. JB would tell us to never underestimate the power of rock, and with over fifteen thousand piling into the Birmingham Resorts World Arena tonight – a completely sellout show – it’s clearly going to be a wild one.

We take a quick gander at the merchandise offerings, but are unsettled to find t-shirts peaking at £50 (ouch) and the cheapest being £35 – half of what a standing ticket cost tonight, which is diabolically expensive when you consider two non-purchases of a tee could get you another ticket to a huge tour show. I do rate their alternative merch choices like tabi/sandal socks, bags of branded plectrums, and crocs charms – they’re much more in the realm of affordability and are something different than yet another black band tee. Here’s my heartfelt plea to bands to push smaller merch offerings that are at the £5-£20 mark, we all wanna participate but… cozzie livs innit.

VIP Nation patrons however, were also able to pick up a Jack Black curated fan gift with their priority seating tickets, comprising of a very fun Tenacious D pizza box, red apron, tea-towel and lanyard – all branded with the Spicy Meatball artwork.

Dave Hill

As the arena begins to fill, we are treated to the very weird but funny musical/comedy stylings of support act Dave Hill. Dressed in a Slipknot-esque boilersuit which is covered in whimsical floral and animal patches, he races onto the stage pretending to… well, fuck shit up, I suppose. He proceeds to play three or four chords on his axe between mumbling, kicking and moshing. I am bemused, but also amused. At one point he even grabs a pair of nunchucks and cavorts wildly about the stage.

© *Anna Hyams for SFG. Do not use without permission.*

Finally he settles down slightly, and jokes “Great to be back here in Birmingham… The Paris of the Midlands. I’ve not been back here in ten years! For legal reasons…” before taking requests, for what turns out to be the first 5 seconds of any song yelled out. Yes, it was Freebird.

What follows is a very strange rant about Poundland – “Poundland, we sell everything but dignity” and then some pick-up lines that “will only work in Birmingham”. Dave smiles slightly, betraying his persona “Are you the west midland metro making stops between Birmingham and Wolverhampton? If you are I’d like to ride you all the way free of charge”. I don’t really know what I make of it all to be honest, he’s definitely not a traditional opener, but he gets the laughs and is actually a more than decent guitartist. Oh and I will always appreciate someone who exits the stage on a BMX for no discernable reason whatsoever.

Tenacious D

The stage lights dim to the mightiest roar from the packed arena, as the choral opening music from Tenacious D’s ‘The Pick of Destiny’ movie, sets the scene.

Strutting calmly on stage the duo, Kyle Gass and Jack Black revel in the full force thunder of the crowd. Taking their places in front of two red devil-hand mic stands they steal a quick nod to each other before launching into story-setting memoir song Kickapoo. Despite knowing the words myself, I don’t think I was really prepared for how much of tonight would feel like a Rocky Horror singalong – EVERYONE and their rockin’ mother was giving it a ruddy good go.

With his signature wry smile, Jack laughs “So Birmingham… Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin. There must be something in the water here, Rock. Rock is in the water. This might be the rock capital of the world” before sweeping his sweaty hair out of his face and catching a helpful fan’s scrunchie from the crowd, to tie it up.

Low Hangin’ Fruit and Rize of the Fenix come with a side of “Any of you seen our film ‘Pick of Destiny’? NOT AT THE CINEMA YOU DIDN’T” referencing the flop that almost scuppered the band, and requesting pyrotechnics which never materialised. “When we planned this tour, we had to rock a bit harder, be a bit spicier, we had to have pyro!” they yell as a very underwhelming single flame spurts from the stage.

Wonderboy rolls on to arguably the most anticipated song of the night, whose opening chords draw a huge cheer from the fans. A huge inflatable Satan at the back of the stage heralds the iconic

Tribute, and at one point the band are almost drowned out by everyone singing. Coming up from their bows, both adopt a slight stagger, joking “We’re getting too old for this shit.” before Jack snaps a quick high kick and a toe touch jump and shouts “Nope, still got it” to tremendous applause.

Next up is Video Games, followed by The Metal – in which a very Iron-Maiden-esque stage walker robot (that looks a bit like one of the goblin suits from Labyrinth with David Bowie) stomps his way across the stage to dance, rock, and at one point pretend to slam Jack doggy style. Then, as a treat “I need a palette cleanser… Sax-a-Boom please!” Jack shouts, and the now infamous children’s toy is ferried to the stage.

The Sax-a-Boom solo is summarily upstaged when KG brings out a ‘Max-a-Boom’, a giant version which plays funnily enough like a real sax, and the iconic Baker Street by Gerry Rafferty solo. Miffed, Jack calls for a Max-a-Boom removal, “Oh my fucking god, that’s Dana! She’s best roadie in the business right there” and a nice segue into Roadie, with the pronouns thoughtfully changed to ‘she’ throughout the song.

There’s a fun little skit of a silent argument “Hey Kyle can we talk by the drums, no mics please?” and KG pretending to quit, which lines up the lament Dude (I Totally Miss You) and the whole arena using their phone torch lights to join in. Kyle returns, there’s a joyful screened video of the pair leaping through the waves on a beach, and we get a rendition of Chris Issak’s Wicked Game before we come to another iconic D song. “KG… I think there’s something wrong with our electric guitar player… I think he’s possessed… BY SATAN”. Beelzeboss (The Final Showdown) is everything you want from Tenacious D, kinda camp, slightly ridiculous, and heaps of fun. We even get a double recorder solo from KG – which in the UK is everyone’s starter instrument at school, and every parent’s worst nightmare.

A traditional band intro/solo section is absolutely gratuitous but in keeping with their classic metal pastiche, they thank the sound crew and the lighting crew (who also get to do a lighting solo, love that) before Jack Black takes his own solo starting with the opening of Black Sabbath’s War Pigs. 10/10 very topical and locational, absolutely every voice in this place is joining in.

After a brief encore, Good Times Bad Times (a Led Zeppelin cover) is chased up by the excellent Master Exploder. “We don’t often perform this one because it’s too hard to perform live. This is The Spicy Meatball Tour though… are you ready KG?”… “Hahahaha I’m not ready, it’s too hard!” they joke. There’s a moment where Jack finally produces the Pick of Destiny and holds it aloft “God that would have been a good time for pyro. I even cued it up! BIFFY PYRO TO THE STAGE NOW”. It is a very kitschy skit with a bumbling pyro guy and a big red button, but it’s part of the charm and comedy. The Spicy Meatball Song (to the tune of Indiana Jones) is very funny, but we close with Fuck Her Gently and the entire crowd singing along again. Finally, we get the big stage fireworks and flame cannons, and the band triumphantly leave the stage with their arms in the air. Biffy Pyro is left alone, grinning smugly.

It’s hard to categorise Tenacious D, because ultimately they are a comedy show – and all the skits drive the narrative of the night, but I think it’s really important to note that underneath all of that, they’re just damn good songwriters and musicians. Tonight was a blast, a well deserved sell-out tour.

BLOODSTOCK announces EMP Stage Lineup

May 21, 2024May 7, 2024 by Anna Hyams

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

Standard weekend tickets for BLOODSTOCK, priced at £185 (+ booking fee) are available now in the 2024 ticket store. You can also snap up limited day tickets, child tickets (mini moshers under 4 yrs can come for free!), and if you want all the BLOODSTOCK you can get, add-on early arrival for an extra day of camping on Wednesday too. Early Bird, VIP, and campervan tickets are sold out.

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

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

BLOODSTOCK announce New Blood bands & M2TM finals kick off

May 21, 2024April 24, 2024 by Anna Hyams

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

May 21, 2024April 5, 2024 by Anna Hyams

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CLUB NIGHTS!

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

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

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

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

LEMMY’s ashes to live at BLOODSTOCK in 2024

March 19, 2024March 15, 2024 by Anna Hyams

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Alice Cooper – announces UK, Too Close For Comfort Tour

March 6, 2024February 21, 2024 by Anna Hyams

Icon, pioneer, and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee – Alice Cooper has achieved so much in his lengthy career. But most importantly, Alice Cooper remains one the greatest rock shows on the planet.

Returning to the UK for the first time since 2022, in October, Alice and his award-winning band are heading to arenas in Glasgow (14th), Birmingham (16th), Manchester (17th), Leeds (18th) and, for the first time in many years, more up close and in your face shows at London’s Eventim Apollo (20th + 21st).

The Too Close For Comfort tour brings fans closer than ever to Alice with giant video screens blending the live action with pre-recorded scenes to delve deeper into Alice’s world.

Expect spectacle – snakes, guillotines, monsters and more – wreaking havoc on stage nightly. Classics like “Under My Wheels,” “I’m Eighteen,” “Schools Out,” “Poison,” “Billion Dollar Babies,” and “No More Mr Nice Guy” are staples and there are surprises every night, effortlessly drawn from one the greatest catalogues in rock and roll.

Fresh from the success of his latest album ‘Road,’ a concept album about the thrills and spills of touring, Alice is back, accompanied as always by his long-running live band of Ryan Roxie (guitar), Chuck Garric (bass), Tommy Henrikson (guitar), Glen Sobel (drums), and Nita Strauss (guitar).

“For ‘Road’, I wanted the band to be involved in the foundation of all the songs,” says Alice. “I only see these guys when we’re on the road. So, I wanted them to be as tight as they are for the show but on all new material. When you have a band this good, I believe in showing it off, and this is my way of doing so.”

Primal Scream, one of Britain’s best-loved rock bands, will join Alice for the tour, in all cities except London. The Glasgow band have been on an odyssey, making jangly guitar pop to brash rock n roll, incorporating acid house and psychedelia into unique records and live experiences. Frontman Bobby Gillespie cites Alice’s shocking appearances on 1970s Top of the Pops as a formative influence.

In London, legendary Sex Pistols guitarist and songwriter Glen Matlock will be Alice’s special guest. And on all dates, up and coming acclaimed punks The Meffs will support.

Too Close For Comfort Tour, UK Dates

October 2024

Monday 14 – Glasgow Ovo Arena

Wednesday 16 – Birmingham Utilita Arena

Thursday 17 – Manchester AO Arena

Friday 18 – Leeds First Direct Arena

Sunday 20 – London Eventim Apollo

Monday 21 – London Eventim Apollo

Tickets on Sale:

Three presale: Wednesday 21st February 10am

AEG Presents, AXS, Ticketmaster and venue presales: Thursday 22nd February 10am

General on sale: Friday 23rd February 10am

Alice Cooper

Highfield 2023!

January 14, 2024 by Sophie Bluestone

With Highfield’s 2024 Line up announcement complete, let’s take a look at how 2023 went, and what might be on the cards for this years summer festival

Friday

It was gonna be a stupidly hot weekend, and I will be complaining about that throughout this review. Better stupidly hot than torrential rain though, so no hard feelings. We managed to find a small corner to pitch our tent, a sweat inducing activity. Neighbourly introductions were made followed by a quick trip to the merch stall because the best stuff always sells out quickly. There was a really good selection of designs this year, including tank tops, which were obviously going to be needed in good supply this weekend. To recover from all that very arduous work, we went to cool down in the lake, which was covered in weird grass balls this year for some reason. Luckily those balls made good throwing entertainment for the many many people also looking to cool down.

We caught Stand by Me from California punk band Pennywise on the way into the arena and made it to the stage just in time for Bro Hymn. Admittedly the only one of their songs I know, but I’m glad I made the effort. The energy from the crowd made it a great start to the weekend of live music, with the song’s chant lasting well past the finish of the set. The arena has isolated puddles in places and a brewing swamp on the way out of the front of stage area of the Green stage. Apparently, a heavy thunderstorm had passed over the area just before the festival, pretty fortunate timing.

We hoped to see Yaenniver on the Blue stage after, but there seemed to be some technical issues. About 20 minutes late, someone came to address the modest crowd, letting them know they’re still trying to figure things out. I got my Duolingo done for the day. At 25 minutes, there was a birthday celebration near the front of the crowd, with bubbles and every birthday song they could think of (two). This devolved into drinking songs and then a woman took charge from the shoulders of a friend, directing the chants and keeping us entertained. The act started just as Roy Bianco & Die Abbrunzati Boys started on the Green Stage, which sounded like a silly fun time, so I headed over there. It was a shame about Yaenniver, I was looking forward to seeing her solo stuff.

Von Wegen Lisbeth were going for a “padded cell but make it zesty” look this year, an inflatable orange cushion making up the majority of the backdrop. All instruments were in matching orange, it looked great once the sun set. They played Wenn du tanzt, one of their most famous ones, as second song in the set, mentioning that they might regret it. The crowd was clearly up for it, and after a hell of a lot of dancing and singing, still stuck around for the rest of the set. So, the bands worries were unfounded. I think more bands should play their big stuff sooner, it definitely gets the crowd going. For their song Bitch, the band declared they would no longer be singing that word as part of the chorus and invited the crowd to fill in their own single syllable word, preferable a non-discriminatory one. It’s a nice way of continuing to play older (I mean, is 2016 older now??) songs that you’ve grown past in one way or another, while avoiding the aspects that aren’t up to your standards anymore. The stage was bathed in a rainbow of lights for Meine Kneipe, which was followed by Elon at the end of the set. I don’t know if the latter was put in at short notice because there was time, it felt a little anti-climactic after the fun of the former. But the crowd seemed to disagree with me, so what do I know *shrug emoji*. Either way, great show, these guys have been steadily climbing the line-ups over the years, so we’re sure to see them again in future years.

On a personal note/complaint, there was a pair making their way through the crowd, giving people branded red baseball caps and then taking fake candid shots. Would have been fine, you know, live and let live. HOWEVER, they had a super bright light with them to illuminate the groups definitely candidly wearing their merch. Unnecessary and annoying. And the volunteers/victims didn’t even get to keep the hats.

The Dropkick Murphys set was a hearty combo of foot stomping, pyro and mosh pits. A four-man crab mosh pit had formed around one of the primordial soups that had become part of the arena as the day went on. I managed to dodge the mud puddles to get close enough to feel the extensive fire emanating from the stage. The stage set-up was fairly straightforward otherwise, no fancy screens, only a black backdrop with the and name on it, making it feel more intimate, like a pub with 35,000 patrons, and also fire. Lead singer, Ken Casey, came down into the crowd for Rose Tattoo while the crowd chanted along. The final part of the song was accompanied by a waterfall of sparks cascading down from the top of the stage, meeting the flames shooting from the bottom. It was beautiful and impressive to look at. I wanted to look up some of the song names and found that setlist.fm was being updated in real time, clearly some very dedicated fans in the crowd. The show finished with Shipping out to Boston with all the rambunctious moshing you would expect followed by the more emotional We’ll Meet Again which had people swaying arm in arm.

After grabbing dinner, it was back to the Green stage for tonight’s headliner K.I.Z. The hip hop trio came out all in white with the logo of a fictional psychiatric hospital in green on the back. The matching building on the stage was complete with ambulance. The sign and inside of the building changed throughout the set: from hospital to night club to liquor store to gun shop. Definitely more of a guilty pleasure band, the content is far from politically correct. But if you squint with a healthy dose of irony it’s really good fun. The show was high energy from start to finish, an insane amount of moshing and probably the most consistent crowd participation. It’s cathartic to sing inappropriate stuff sometimes. A superb start to the weekend.

Our tent was pretty much exactly between two late night DJ stages which made for an interesting lullaby by the time we finally got back, but to be fair, we were so spent that it didn’t matter.

Saturday

To no one’s surprise the tent was stupid hot in the morning. Held together by spunk, moxie and ibuprofen I managed to get the desired liquids (coffee) in and the undesired liquid (pee) out of my body, ready for the day. First order of business as always: lake time. The shallows were mad busy so we swam out to the buoys and hung out for a bit. Kind Kaputt were playing on the Beach Stage so we lingered for a while because it was immediately too hot out of the water. Once we braved the sun, got back to the tent and showered the sand and lake gunck off we were ready for day two.

Querbeat were up first on the blue stage. The brass-pop band consists of 13 members, basically a marching band but with more pizzazz. It was so hot I was actually dripping with sweat from very mild swaying. The band had immaculate summer vibes, with giant inflatable flamingo races across the loose but committed crowd. The band wandered into the crowd for a great brass medley including Industry Baby, Hips Don’t Lie and Crazy in Love. Pride and Climate action flags dotted the crowd and the loose mosh pits were more akin to dance floors.

You Me At Six played on the Green stage to a modest crowd. Lead singer, Josh Franceschi, came on in a suit jacket over a white t-shirt. He was excellent at animating mosh pits. Last night’s swamps had been filled in with woodchips giving it a weird doughy texture, but that was better than the dry dust over at the blue stage. It was a good show, but the weather was clearly taking its toll, a lot of patrons stayed in the few remaining shade rather than braving the arena.

Sondaschule are a staple of German festivals and never disappoint. High energy ska-punk from the first note celebrating life and comradery. I managed to keep up for the first few songs, but the heat got to me, and I had to have a little sit down. The lady near me had no such qualms, dancing with gay abandon, not noticing or caring about her beer’s successful escape attempts. The circle pits had several wheelchair users joining in with the festivities. Endless crowd surfers were welcomed with open arms by the securities at the front. For the last song, Bist du Gluecklich?, the band asked everyone to wave their hats. The number that went up made me feel double stupid for forgetting mine at home.

Enter Shikari have steadily grown on me across several festivals. Starting off with a firelarm ringing into Set me on Fire. Juggernauts was accompanied with a slow count up of the years since the late 1800s to now, each year’s average temperature being represented by a colour from blue to dark red. I know it’s not a new image, but there’s something more threatening about seeing it slowly build up and get so red, so quickly. I’ve written myself into a bit of a downer here with no obvious way back, so denial it is: the lead singer had an ungodly amount of energy given he was wearing a leather jacket in this heat. He did some magic show shenanigans, taking his top off and pretending to jump into a cube of screens that made it look like he jumped into water, only for him to appear at the centre barrier with leather jacket and starting into Bloodshot. He stuck around for a while, walking around the crowd and climbing the media tower. His microphone cut out a couple of times but generally it was a really good show and I look forward to their inevitable return.

Tokio Hotel are the epitome of mid 2000s emo in Germany. I didn’t realise they still existed until I saw them on the line-up. They’ve actually kept releasing music semi-regularly since their debut in 2005 but this was their festival debut. Their hit from way back when, Durch den Monsoon, is a cornerstone of any German emo kid so clearly that one had to wait until later in the set. The stage was draped in gold, matching the high school prom vibe of what I was expecting. But instead of an emo band, I was greeted by Bill Kaulitz, the lead singer, in a purple and blue be-sequenced cowboy get up, complete with fringey tassels, hat and assless chaps. Consider me surprised but not disappointed. Bill had a platform filled with fans so that he could a) keep cool and b) give his blond curls the blowing in the wind aesthetic that frankly, we all need in our lives. The set included several outfit changes, all sparkly, all wonderful. The rest of the band stayed in their clothes and looked like a standard rock band. You know, like that Elton John carpool meme. You get it. The show was pretty good, but the new stuff didn’t really grab me which was a shame. The crowd seemed pretty lukewarm as well, also a shame. The actual show was good though, so maybe the music will grow on me.

I arrived over at Giant Rooks in time for Tom’s Diner. Everything was bathed in warm light and the stage felt so warm and inviting. The instruments and amps were all white against a black curtain backdrop. The band cancelled last year due to mental health struggles, so it was wonderful to see them back again. It looked like they were having a great time, smiling and dancing across the stage. The set included the new song Somebody Like You and was generally just a really nice indie show. The crowd sang along so so loud and cheered even louder. The lead singer came down into the crowd for Wild Stare and the set finished on Watershed with a beautiful crowd chorus.

The front of stage area was packed solid for SDP, even the photographers had to wrangle their way through security. The anticipation was building when the curtain finally dropped, revealing the number one party boys of the German festival circuit’s return to Highfield with all the expected energy and flare for hosting an ecstatic night of dancing, singing and jumping. The giant beach balls quickly came out, and by giant I mean giant. The accompanying inflatable ducks were quickly boarded and surfed across the jubilant crowd. Bela B of Die Ärzte (set to play an hour later on the green stage) came on for his feature on Das Lied. Really cool considering SDP grew up with Die Ärzte’s music, must have meant a lot to them. For some reason, as the set went on Vincent and Dag thought the crowd looked like an inviting place to be, not the hot sweaty mess we were. As they made their way through, they quickly realised. Luckily, they made it to the middle barrier unscathed and continued to play several songs from the middle to “the new front row”. A short break after returning to the stage, they ran back on to another set opening song (from previous tours) with all the same energy they had 45 minutes earlier when they first started. And they went on and on until the fireworks finale. Even if you don’t understand every word, or even any, I’d highly recommend these guys, always a highlight.

Die Ärzte are one of Germanys oldest punk rock bands, originating in 1982, they’ve thankfully been more active in recent years, with tours and festival sets. Definitely a more unique set up, the three band members were on equal ground at the front of the stage, Farin on guitar, Bela B on drums and Rod on bass. The stage backdrop was made up of deep red curtains with a giant A made of hexagonal lights. No strangers to self-deprecating humour the opening statement asked if we were ready for two hours of cringe. What followed was two hours of shit talking, missed drum intros and general tomfoolery. The trick to punk is not taking yourself too seriously and it’s clear these guys have decades of experience in that. I think it tried to rain at one point, but it felt like most drops evaporated before they hit the packed crowd. There was a little switch around for Rod to play guitar and sing while Farin took over bass and later in the set Bela B played a solo song. One song was stopped because something had happened in the crowd and the band saw people waving for attention, so they waited until things were sorted out. I didn’t see what was going on, but apparently one guy took a photo of the incidence, which was called out by Bela B and booed by the crowd, rightly so. With things sorted out, the barrage of silly punk continued. It was a long gig, two and a quarter hours, which was hard work for the end of a long, hot Saturday, but worth every second. If you want to put your German to the test, or just enjoy some catchy riffs and great energy, this is definitely the band for you.

Sunday

Sunday morning was a little overcast hinting at a cooler day, but no such luck, the clouds cleared pretty quickly, and the relentless sunshine continued.

The sun was still low enough for the Blue Stage to cast a shadow as we arrived for Lostboi Lino. Festival goers perfectly filled every last remaining bit of shade as if the light was deadly (to be fair, it felt like it by Sunday). Lino came on stage, pink hair, pink puffer jacket, pink trainers, jean shorts. His voice was distorted as he launched into the opening of his 30 minute set. The coat quickly went, revealing a hand drawn white tank top with “Highfield Lino 2023” written on in in fluorescent pink. He was accompanied by a drummer and guitarist, both looking like they were having a great time. There were some technical problems with the microphone in the middle of the set, which Lino used to check we were all drinking enough water. His “lets hear it from the ladies, lets hear it from the gentlemen” calls went on to include those between and outside (the aforementioned categories) before launching into Maenner about defying gender stereotypes, while wearing a dress himself. The microphone issues came back so the set finished with him in a circle pit while the crowd sang the last choruses. It was a lot of jumping and moving for an opening act, really good fun.

Kaffkiez jumped onto the line-up last year after Giant Rooks no longer being able to make it led to some timetable re-arrangements that left a gap. Going from a last-minute opener to 1630 on a Sunday is a pretty good trajectory. The stage was set up like a rural bus stop, complete with bench, postbox and cigarette dispenser. During the indie set, the lead singer asked for whom this was their first festival. After a few people raised their hands, he explained the rules for the biggest declaration of love a group can make, the mosh pit. Hands to yourself, help each other up when someone falls. A little pit opened in front of me and in jumped a group of people who looked like they were still at school or just left. They were mainly women, and it was the softest, friendliest mosh pit I’d ever seen (affectionate). They were having such a good time and it was heart-warming to see this rite of passage for festival goers. Time to accept that I’m one generation in now, the youth are coming up and it’s wonderful to see.

While the overlap between Kaffkiez and Nothing But Thieves was a shame, there was a sweet spot between the two stage that meant I could catch the end of Nie Allein while waiting for Nothing But Thieves and could head straight down as Welcome to the DCC started playing. These guys have been growing on me the more I see them at festivals and I’m glad I made the time for a whole set this year. The lead singer, Conor Mason, was saying they had played some gigs in the area and had some more dates coming up, declaring his intention to win over anyone who wasn’t going yet. Going back to east Germany might be a bit of a trek, but I’ll definitely keep an eye out for UK dates in future, so his mission had a minimum success of one. It was a good pallet cleanser to have something more rock after a fairly relaxed start. There were some great mosh pits going on much to the Mr Mason’s delight. They finished on Amsterdam and it was great. Also, there was now a bit of wind, also nice.

I went to get a little sweat treat during Nina Chuba, my sugar levels were dipping, and we still had some high energy acts to go (gotta fuel correctly). Nina Chuba’s set had a wonderful tropical vibe to it in the light of the evening sun, the crowd was huge and really enjoying themselves. Light on her feet as she danced across the stage, she was chatting with the crowd, inviting them to sing along and generally having a fun time.

Swiss of Swiss und die Anderen expressed confusion as to why people were with them instead than over at Nina’s show. That felt like a sign of unironic, deep admiration coming from a rowdy, far left punk like Swiss. Their show started with a dramatic build up, but suddenly fell silent, prompting some roadies to come rushing on to stage and start pressing buttons. The band came on to unclimactic silence, acknowledged that their intro was epic and got straight to work. The line-up was generally less political this year compared to previous years, which was bought into sharp focus just by virtue of Swiss und die Anderen standing out through their political statements this year. Same with flags and flares in the crowd, looking back, those were more common in the past. Maybe security is tighter, maybe there’s still a post pandemic sleepiness to more dramatic behaviour. I think a good smoke flare is never out of place at a punk gig (as long as it’s outside and safe etc etc blah blah caveat caveat). I digress. The show was a raucous good time, with mosh pits and clear stances against the far right and pro refugee rescue. It included a cover of the anti-nazi song Schrei Nach Liebe by Die Aerzte and a dingy race between two women from the crowd (because guys always break the boats according to Swiss) across the crowd and then generally round in circles. Apparently, Bloodhound Gang had sued the band for copyright because they ripped off one of their songs (Swiss’s words) but luckily, committing crimes is more fun together and there will be a collection going round for the infringement fine later, so they played Vermisse dich anyway. Which, now they mentioned it, is very similar to Bloodhound Gang’s Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo.

Heaven Shall Burn was the heaviest band on the line up. Complete with long haired headbanging, fire and death growls. Clearly it was time for the pros because this crowd had the fastest circle pit I’ve seen, complete with someone holding a roundabout road sign. Very German, all labelled correctly and probably (German) OSHA compliant. The securities were super into it too, jumping along as they were waiting to pull the crowd surfers across the bar. Having avoided a dust bath up until now, this crowd loosened up the ground to no end, partly obscuring themselves in the process.

Blue stage headliners Beatsteaks started strong, with lead singer coming down to the crowd after just one song. They asked phones to be put away so they could play a gig like the good old days. Surprisingly, people complied, to the point I felt bad for wanting to take a quick video of the ecstatic crowd and their dancing and singing. Maybe it was because the average age of the crowd seemed a little older. The set contained both English and German songs, both of which the crowd was singing along loudly. I could never get into the band when listening to studio recordings, so I was definitely enjoying them vicariously through the people around me. Maybe they’ll click more with me in the future, the live show was definitely great for fans.

Green stage headliner Marteria was definitely one of my highlights. Starting off with the trance-y Paradise Delay through the smoke and flares of Bengalische Tiger and the mesmerising Verstrahlt. As we were on the final straight of the festival I indulged in a little wall of death (as a treat) for Adrenalin. We were all equal parts sweaty and ecstatic from the weekend, a perfect chance to burn every last bit of energy. After having seen him at Southside earlier this year, it’s clear that he belongs in a headliner slot. Not sure if the crowd was watered down with people waiting for the subsequent headliner at Southside Festival, but there was definitely more energy here at Highfield. Marteria’s alter ego Marsimoto made a brief appearance on the screen, announcing his last album for the next year. The show (and thereby the whole festival) finished 10 minutes early, bit disappointing as the vibes were immaculate and the party could have gone on for a few more hours, no question. A fan in a Rostock football shirt (Marteria’s team) was invited to join on stage for the final celebration which was very sweet. For the crowning finish, Marteria dropped the mic aftergingerly asking if he was allowed given it was the end of the festival.

It feels like there’s more international bands returning the Highfield after the pandemic break and they’re all happy to be here. I get the impression that those bands have a dedicated followers in Germany, as well as having fans who will follow them anywhere. As always, it’s been a great festival, the swimming lake was up there as MVP of the weekend. A great line up with plenty to see and relatively light on having to compromise between acts. See you next year Highfield (Tickets went on sale the Monday after).