BLOODSTOCK REVEALS 17 BANDS FOR THE TIMOTHY TAYLOR NEW BLOOD STAGE

The UK might have been gripped by a heatwave of late, but BLOODSTOCK has some news that’s even hotter, revealing a whopping seventeen more bands set to take to the Timothy Taylor New Blood stage in just a few weeks time. 

With the winners of the grass-roots-supporting Metal 2 The Masses finals ranging from Somerset to Poland, your new favourite band might be lurking right here, so do check out any names you aren’t already familiar with and get excited for what’s in store! 

Without further ado,  Friday welcomes Nottingham winners tealdeer, bending reality with their unpredictable alt-metal mash-up of SOAD, DGD, horror films, and carnival chaos – led by masked guitarist ODM (Ominous Deer Man). Joining them are Poland’s champs RASCAL, delivering lightning-fast twin lead speed metal soaked in classic heavy and thrash energy, and Kettering’s BACKSEAT JULIET, a glam-soaked rock ’n’ roll riot — loud, wild, and proudly over the top.

Saturday brings London deathcore bruisers SYMBYOTE, diving deep into darkness with crushing riffs. Plus, Welsh victors ADFEILION who conjure enchanted landscapes through atmospheric folk metal and Cheltenham’s top dogs PRODIGAL, who deliver soaring, emotional anthems that hit the heart.

Joining them, Norway’s ZEBULON offer slow-burning doom riffs soaked in sulfur and fire; Birmingham’s MANTIS DEFEATS JAGUAR fuse hip hop, metal, and funk in riotous style; MECHROMORPH bring savage deathcore brutality (and pig squeals) all the way from Essex; HEAD DENT tear it up with no-BS punk chaos after winning in Stoke; and Kent’s UNNATURAL ORDER smashed first place slicing through the noise with their razor-sharp djent and metalcore aggression.
 
Sunday wraps up with Oxford’s OCEAN PLANET, a techy, progressive metalcore onslaught; Somerset’s RIZEN, pure rock ’n’ roll energy with no frills; and Hitchin’s HEADCOUNT, a hardcore groove juggernaut. Also for your headbangin’ pleasure, East Anglia’s KOBA build dark, immersive post-metal soundscapes; Newcastle’s RULED BY RAPTORS smash genre lines with punk-metal post-hardcore force (and did we mention Sunday is dinosaur day?); and last but not least for this reveal, North Wales’ BAD EARTH help finish the weekend with thunderous, no-nonsense “Rockcore” power. Being fans of Motorhead, Clutch, and Baroness, they’re sure to convert you too. 

Catch all of these hotly-tipped, bright new stars  – and even more still to be announced – at BLOODSTOCK this summer! Congratulations to all the winners of the Metal 2 The Masses finals so far and big shout out to the metalheads supporting at all the events as well. 
Lights, Camera, Carnage! Steel Donkeys Filming Starts at BLOODSTOCK 2025!

Cult writer/director Richard Stanley (‘Hardware’, ‘Dust Devil’, etc.), whose work defined the cyberpunk era, is to helm ‘Steel Donkeys’ from his own script for Steel Mill Films, based out of Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing’s legendary rock venue in Wolverhampton.

The film follows three small-time crooks hired to steal a powerful artefact from a mysterious rock star at a massive festival. When their heist goes wrong, they unleash a malignant Afro-Caribbean entity trapped inside the artefact — a demon that parties its way through the festival crowd, threatening to end the world. As the chaos spirals, the teens must rally a ragtag band of heroes to stop the demon and restore cosmic balance.

Will you be on screen? Exterior scenes will shoot at BLOODSTOCK this summer with further production at K.K.’s Steel Mill starting October 1st. Legendary martial artist Cynthia Rothrock (‘China O’Brien’) joins a cast drawn from the world of rock and metal.

BLOODSTOCK director Adam Gregory says, “We are delighted to be working with Steel Mill Films and with Richard Stanley on this fantastic project which will showcase Bloodstock to an international audience on the big screen.”
Director Richard Stanley adds, “The stars have aligned to conjure this dream into manifestation, a perfect storm of metal, martial arts and cosmic horror, precision calibrated to burn its way into the brains of a whole new generation of metal fans. It makes me hugely happy to be back in the UK and to be returning to my cultural roots with this supernaturally charged psychedelic hand grenade, freely inspired by a real-life misadventure from my younger years. Given the current state of the nation, I firmly believe ‘Steel Donkeys’ is exactly what Britain both needs and deserves…”
Name The Brew Of The Beast!

As the final weeks to BLOODSTOCK draw near, something dark and powerful is brewing. BLOODSTOCK has teamed up with Coffee Central Roasting Co. and Gregory Catering Ltd to create the first-ever official BLOODSTOCK coffee blend—and it needs a name as bold as the brew itself.

This isn’t just coffee. It’s an anthem in a cup. Riffs in the roaster. Crafted with precision by Coffee Central, this brutal blend combines a specialty-grade Robusta from Clarke Farm in Uganda—bold, smooth, and loaded with caffeine—with a naturally processed Central American Arabica, rich with dark fruit and chocolate. The result? A massive, high-octane brew built to fuel the faithful all festival long and all the long days that follow ’til you reunite with your BLOODSTOCK brethren.

But now the power is yours! BLOODSTOCK needs you! From June 27th – July 11th, submit your name ideas and vote for your favourite across BLOODSTOCK’s official social platforms: Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, and YouTube. Festival management is watching them all, and the chosen name will become part of BLOODSTOCK history.

The creator of the winning name will earn eternal bragging rights, a pair of weekend tickets to BLOODSTOCK 2026, and a hefty 1kg bag of the exclusive blend. Two runners-up will each receive a 250g bag to taste the fury at its finest.
You’ll find the blend exclusively at Gregory Catering Ltd outlets across the festival, including VIP, Niflheim, and Ironwood. A limited run of 500 retail boxes will also be available via Coffee Central’s webshop – just look out for the QR code on site! VIP ticket holders will get an exclusive gift pack in their official goodie bags!

BLOODSTOCK’s battle cry in liquid form. The energy of the pit. The brew of the beast. Summon a name that will echo through the ages…

Stay tuned for more news on BLOODSTOCK 2025 soon!

BLOODSTOCK reveal the first batch of Metal 2 The Masses winners

There’s just 9 weekends ‘til your heavy metal brethren thunder their way onto Catton Park’s (un)holy lands for BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2025! So it’s about time to reveal the first batch of winners from this year’s hotly contested Metal 2 The Masses finals that have been taking place across the country, earning spots on the Timothy Taylor New Blood stage! These bands have battled their way through their local scenes to claim a coveted slot this August.

Friday will see Belfast victors If It Bleeds, a five-piece delivering hardcore-infused metal in spades, make their mark on the New Blood Stage. Joining them are Sheffield champions ThunarWülf, fusing folk melodies, myths, and thunderous riffing; Manchester’s Vmbra, offering a fresh progressive rock/metal hybrid; Compounds, who won over the Southampton final with their punked up, melodic hardcore edge; and Baelfýr, the top dogs in Leicester, bringing a blackened death metal assault with accessible bite.

Saturday welcomes Edinburgh’s Nothing Speaks, winners of the Scottish final. This young hard rock outfit blend grunge and groove with nods to classic influences like Alice In Chains, bringing gritty energy to the day’s proceedings.
Sunday rounds out the weekend with Leeds champions Theocracide, furnishing headbangers with a hefty dose of thrash metal steeped in crossover/hardcore intensity. Representing further afield, Speak In Whispers – conquerors of the Cyprus final – will showcase their progressive groove metal, and are reputed for their high-energy performance and intricate heaviness.

Catch these rising names  – and many more still to be announced – at BLOODSTOCK this summer, where the future of heavy music is forged in fire!
Got your ticket and making plans already? BLOODSTOCK’s dedicated one-stop-shop with Preo is now up and running, featuring an array of festival goodies from nice-to-have to downright essential! From cold beers (and 4 pinters of mango cider) to merch, plus airbeds, chargers, and more, you can secure your items in advance from one online shop. And then just collect on your arrival at BLOODSTOCK! For more info and to explore the online shop, visit the Bloodstock Festival Preo store

Did you miss the fancy dress themes being announced last month? In case you did… On Thursday, it’s all about pink, Sylvia Lancaster’s favourite colour. Whether it’s an accessory or a full head-to-toe vision, pink up in support of the Sophie Lancaster Foundation. Friday is the domain of gamers – BLOODSTOCK cordially invites Mario and Luigi, Lara Croft, Sonic, Pikachu, Princess Zelda, Chun-Li, Master Chief, and all their gaming character friends. Saturday brings a clash of titans as heroes meet villains! Which side of the eternal epic showdown will you choose? 

On Sunday, it’s the return of the dinosaurs, with Catton Park becoming Jurassic Park! It was just SO much fun last year, BLOODSTOCK thought you should get to do it all over again. BLOODSTOCK’s official photographers will be roaming throughout the weekend looking for the best dressed to feature on social media!

Trying to decide which campsite to be in? Every campsite has its own vibe – just ask the regulars if they have a favourite! If you’re looking for the designated quiet campsite, you’ll want to head for RagnarokKyrr is also a designated quiet campsite this year (but you must have a Kyrr ticket to camp there). 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, or perhaps it’s your first time at BLOODSTOCK? Consider joining unofficial Bloodstock group Camp Loners & Newbies, who always camp in a corner of Valhalla. With IronwoodMidgard (this is the lively one, party fiends), JotunheimAsgard, and Hel to choose from too (plus Vanaheim for our campervan pals & 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 and get some tips? There are a number of unofficial Facebook groups, including BMF666Bloodstock Festival Girls GroupLGBTQIA+ Bloodstock Fans,  Niflheim CommunityParents, Family, and Baby Bloodstockers, and more. You might even find festival management popping in and joining the chatter from time to time.

Next time you’re doing some online shopping, be sure to check out the online merch store for some awesome brand new items – from a S’tan rubber duck and bathrobe to a BLOODSTOCK hockey shirt and a beach towel!

See all items here. And if you buy a hockey shirt this week and have a BOA24 t-shirt in your basket too, you’ll get the t-shirt free! There’s also a select range available to click & collect at the festival – browse those items here.

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

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 Open Air – Three weeks to go!

BLOODSTOCK HQ is a-buzz with activity with just over three weeks to go!   There’s still more bands to announce and we also welcome the return of the brutal-yet-amazing ‘Battle Of The Nations UK’ historical fighting team!

 

The New Blood stage on Friday sees a brace of additions; Hertfordshire melodic death metal outfit and Luton ‘Metal 2 The Masses’ finals winner, COUNTLESS SKIES (www.facebook.com/countlessskies) and Gothenburg, Sweden’s WE ARE THE CATALYST (www.facebook.com/WATCofficial) – who also won DELAIN’s competition with Metal Hammer magazine to win a support slot on the Dutch symphonic rockers’ UK tour.  Joining the New Blood bill on Saturday are Midlands-based prog metallers, MARTYR DE MONA (www.facebook.com/martyrdemona, groove metal outfit and Norwich M2TM winners, SOULBORN (www.facebook.com/soulborn) and self-proclaimed ‘hobo sludge’ gang and Reading’s M2TM winners, VICTORIAN WHORE DOGS (www.facebook.com/VWDBAND).  Sunday welcomes London death metallers SKARTHIA (www.facebook.com/skarthia), hard rock funk/schplunk metal men and London final M2TM winners, WRETCHED TOAD (www.facebook.com/wretchedtoad) and lastly, the winners of the ‘Metal To The Masses’ Hobgoblin online video upload competition, Newcastle groove metal beasts, TOMBSTONE CROW (www.facebook.com/tombstonecrowofficial).

 

Over on the Jagermeister Stage on Friday, hard rock four-piece CITY OF THIEVES (www.facebook.com/cityofthievesuk) join the fray.  On Saturday, the blues-based rockers PIG IRON (www.facebook.com/pigironmc) grab a slot, as well as stoner/sludge squad, MORASS OF MOLLASSES (www.facebook.com/MorassOfMolasses) and straight out of Valhalla, the truest of true cover bands, HANOWAR (www.facebook.com/Hanowartruemetal); a bit like Manowar, but…well, you do the math!  Lastly for this announcement, Sunday sees horror-metal punksters, THE HELL PUPPETS (www.facebook.com/hellpuppets) join the Jager bill.  Final additions to all stages will be announced next week!!

 

There’s plenty more on site to see and do besides watching the awesome bill!  Returning this year for Friday-Sunday are the very popular BATTLE OF THE NATIONS UK historical fighting team!  These guys have to be seen to be believed.  Catch their regular ‘demonstrations’ (read: ‘full-on’, no-holds-barred fighting with broadswords, maces and plenty of other historical weaponry) in their designated pen in the main arena.

 

All these stellar bands are on the bill!  Friday’s headliner TRIVIUM and special guests SABATON, Saturday’s headliner WITHIN TEMPTATION and special guests OPETH, Sunday’s headliner ROB ZOMBIE and special guests BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, plus CANNIBAL CORPSE, IHSAHN, SEPULTURA, ORANGE GOBLIN, DEATH D.T.A, NUCLEAR ASSAULT, 1349, NAPALM DEATH, DARK ANGEL, ARMORED SAINT, BELPHEGOR, OVERKILL, ENSIFERUM, AGALLOCH, KORPIKLAANI, PRO-PAIN, ENSLAVED, RAGING SPEEDHORN, XERATH and WOLF.  Over on the Sophie Lancaster stage, there’s headliners DELAIN, FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE, GODFLESH and ARNOCORPS, LAWNMOWER DETH, MORDRED, ETHEREAL, ONSLAUGHT, OAF, CONAN, PLANET OF ZEUS, GODSIZED, plus many many more.