Sophie Lancaster

BLOODSTOCK REVEALS BANDS, CLUB NIGHTS, & PLANS WITH SOPHIE LANCASTER FOUNDATION & DERBYSHIRE LGBT+

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BLOODSTOCK can’t wait to welcome you to the UK’s best heavy metal weekender this summer and as every day passes, there are more exciting things to reveal! Read on for the latest news on who’s been added to the bill, some riotous club nights to get you warmed up, the start of the M2TM final heats, plans afoot with the Sophie Lancaster Foundation and Derbyshire LGBT+, plus while you’re getting set for the long Easter weekend, stop by BLOODSTOCK’s social media later this week for some special Easter competition fun! 


Following the unfortunate news that STATIC-X are cancelling all their European shows in 2022, BLOODSTOCK is excited to announce that their replacement in the Sunday night headline slot on the Sophie Lancaster stage are none other than Swedish melodeath pioneers DARK TRANQUILITY. The band are currently touring across Europe, covering more than 27,000km over 52 cities in 24 countries, in just 57 days, almost immediately after wrapping a US tour too! 


Regretfully, TALLAH have also had to pull out, but their spot will be filled by modern metal crew DEFECTS, fresh off tour with In Flames. Get to know them via their latest single, End Of Days. 


BLOODSTOCK is committed to inclusivity and is pleased to announce that Derbyshire LGBT+ and Sophie Lancaster Foundation will both have stalls at the festival this year, where all are welcome to stop by and learn more about the work they do. You can find them in the arena to the left of the main stage, alongside Derbyshire Blood Bikes.
 
2022 marks the 15th year since Sophie Lancaster’s tragic death. Adam Lancaster, Sophie’s brother and team member at the Foundation, will also give a talk each day of the festival at the Rock Society tent at the back of the main arena. His powerful, intimate account details the true horrors of hate crime and the work the Foundation does to combat prejudice and intolerance in Sophie’s name. 
 
Derbyshire LGBT+ add, “For 39 years Derbyshire LGBT+ has operated as the only charity in Derbyshire committed to the LGBT+ community of Derbyshire; offering support, advocacy, advice and empowerment. We are very proud to announce our attendance at BLOODSTOCK this year, so that we can extend our reach even further and offer these services at an event that promotes inclusivity and acceptance. Our amazing staff and volunteers will be standing by and we encourage people to visit us, find out more and to see what we have to offer. Let’s put the ‘Unity’ in ‘Community’ together!” 


BLOODSTOCK’s Metal 2 The Masses, the initiative that supports all genres of grass roots metal and offers a chance to play BOA’s New Blood stage, kicks off their final heats across 25 regions from 1st May. Get on down to your local event and help shape the festival’s line-up! Look out for the winners to be announced in due course, together with some additional bands chosen from CD applications and some of the very best runners-up. Check out the image below for your nearest finals event.

BLOODSTOCK is also thrilled to restart Bloodstock-themed club nights across the country! Local rock pubs and clubs are a key part of what BLOODSTOCK does with the ‘Metal 2 The Masses’ scheme, so we’re stoked to support them further by announcing the first wave of club nights for 2022. Get along to your local event, hear a ton of tunes from BOA bands past and present and be in with a chance of winning a pair of standard weekend tickets, a goodie bag or various other giveaways. Dates & times are subject to change, so check locally for latest info. More cities will be announced in Phase 2 which runs through June & July, but meanwhile, head down to the following for some fun!

Friday 15th April – Exeter, Cavern – Altern8
Saturday 16th April – Southampton, The Hobbit
Friday 22nd April – Reading, Face Bar
Saturday 23rd April – Camberley, Agincourt
Friday 29th April – High Wycombe, Crash Rock Club (Bucks SU)
Saturday 30th April – Stoke on Trent, The Sugarmill – Devil’s Night
Saturday 30th April – Brighton Above,
Friday 6th May – Plymouth, The Junction
Friday 6th May – Woking, Schism
Friday 13th May – Bristol, The Lanes – PHUCT
Friday 13th May – Exeter, Cavern – Altern8
Friday 13th May – Winchester, The Railway Inn
Saturday 14th May – Manchester, The Bread Shed
Saturday 14th May – Newcastle, Grindhouse
Friday 27th May – London, Elektrowerkz
Saturday 28th May – Stoke on Trent, The Sugarmill

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

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

BLOODSTOCK ANNOUNCES FINAL BATCH OF SOPHIE LANCASTER STAGE BANDS

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Over halfway there! With just 168 days to go before the marauding metal hordes charge through the gates of Catton Park, BLOODSTOCK has its last batch of Sophie Lancaster Stage bands to announce. It’s also ‘Last Call’ time for the Deposit Scheme, where you can pay over 6 smaller instalments (full details below). Artists for the Jagermeister and New Blood stages and other fest entertainment details are yet to come, but in the meantime, wrap your eyes and ears around the following…
 
Once you’ve set up your tent and had your first beer, Thursday’s Sophie tent proceedings open with the unmissable, incendiary noises of Bristol blues-punk four piece, MOTHER VULTURE. Check out their high octane video of ‘The Wave’ for a taster of what’s in store!  
 
Also snagging a Thursday slot are BASEMENT TORTURE KILLINGS who’ll bring their serial killer grindcore to your Thursday evening. If you’re not familiar with their sound, watch the clip for ‘Armchair Psycho Or Pure Predator?’. 
 
Friday’s Sophie opener is deathgrind squad CREPITATION. If you’re heading to the Liverpool Napalm Death/Raging Speedhorn show in March, you’ll catch them opening the show. If you can’t make it, you can still witness their sonic chaos via this live footage from Foothills Gutfest a couple of years back. 
 
If hardcore is more your vibe, you won’t want to miss London bruisers INHUMAN NATURE, also playing the Sophie stage on Friday. You can warm up extra early if you’re attending Cro-Mags’ London gig in June, for they’re first onstage that night. If not, check out the title track from their recently released ‘Under The Boot’ EP, out now on Church Road Records.
 
Saturday’s Sophie fun brings a pummelling from Hull crew MASTIFF. US magazine Decibel described them as “a rousing blend of savage power that’s as ready for the mosh pit as it is for your next clandestine ritual in the woods.” See for yourself via the video for ‘Endless’ from their crushing album, ‘Leave Me The Ashes Of The Earth’.
 
Joining the Sophie Lancaster Stage shenanigans on Sunday, are Coventry three-piece and M2TM alumni PELUGION, levelling up from their 2018 New Blood stage slot. Inviting fans of Black Sabbath & Black Label Society especially, investigate their single ‘Bane Of Humanity’, while you wait. 
 
BLOODSTOCK’s Metal 2 The Masses, the initiative that supports all genres of grass roots metal and offers a chance to play BOA’s New Blood stage, is proud to announce a partnership with Eyesore Merch in 2022. The programme provides up and coming bands with an awesome opportunity to be seen and heard by a wide audience and part of the music industry normally out of reach for bands at that level. In partnering with Metal 2 The Masses, Eyesore Merch wants to add to that opportunity by offering 3 winning bands from the 26 regional heats, a chance to get their merchandise showcased to an audience of potential new fans. Those 3 winners will see their merchandise featured and available to purchase on www.eyesoremerch.com, have their gear included on Eyesore Merch’s mailout direct to customers and featured on the Eyesore Merch socials, which directly targets a metric tonne of metal lovers who love buying ‘hard to find’ band merch.


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


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


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


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


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

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

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

BLOODSTOCK READIES M2TM FINALS AND ANNOUNCES SIX MORE BANDS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bloodstock announces more bands

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BLOODSTOCK festival is excited to announce another batch of bands for August’s event at Catton Park!

Regrouped Brit industrio-metallers, KILL II THIS join the main stage for a Saturday slot.  Frontman, Mark Mynett says “BLOODSTOCK is one of the finest metal festivals there is; this year’s stunning line up says it all!  So we are both delighted and honoured to be playing the Ronnie James Dio stage.”  Check out their video for ‘The Universe In A Nutshell’ here;  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myNgEf8I7jU.

Stepping into Friday’s special guest slot on the Sophie Lancaster Stage are Norway’s black jazzsters, SHINING.  Singer Jørgen Munkeby comments, “Last time we played at BLOODSTOCK was one of the best and most exciting shows we’ve ever done. We’re so much looking forward to be back at the UK’s best metal festival again!”  Remind yourself of their sound with the video for ‘The Last Stand’; https://youtu.be/7tNODbdyJaw

Also landing Friday slots on the Sophie stage are Brit crust/grindcore monsters, FOETAL JUICE and British apocalyptic metal crew, ANTI CLONE. Tunisian symphonic prog metallers, MYRATH play the Sophie stage on Saturday, as do French avant-garde extremists, MISANTHROPE.  Lastly, stepping into a Sunday Sophie slot are US progressive thrash beasts, VEKTOR.

The second wave of BLOODSTOCK club nights kicks off in June.  Get along to one of the following local events for a chance to win BLOODSTOCK weekend tickets and BLOODSTOCK-related giveaways.  Check with your local club for further details in case of changes and expect the unexpected!  Events for June and July stack up as follows:

Wed 1st June – Nottingham – Bodega

Thu 2nd June – Bury – Blind Tiger

Sat 4th June – Stoke-on-Trent – Bunker 13

Thu 9th June – Manchester Rebellion Bar

Sat 18th June – Stoke-on-Trent – Bunker 13 (Rawkus)

Fri 24th June – Middlesbrough – SUMO

Fri 24th June – Reading – Face Bar

Fri 24th June – London Elektrowerkz

Fri 24th June – Glasgow – Cathouse

Fri 24th June – Ipswich – The Cock and Pye

Sat 25th June – Birmingham – Eddie’s Rock Club
Sat 25th June – Sheffield – Corporation

Thu 30th June – Exeter – Timepiece

 

Fri 1st July – Leicester – Firebug

Sat 2nd July – Doncaster – The Vintage Rock Bar

Sat 2nd July – Brighton – Envy

Sat 2nd July – Coventry – The Phoenix

Sat 2nd July – Stoke-on-Trent – Bunker 13

Fri 8th July – London – Electric Ballroom

Thu 14th July – Winsford – De Bees

Sat 16th July – Birmingham – The Asylum

Sat 23rd July – Burnley – Sanctuary Rock Bar

Thu 28th July – Sheffield Leadmill

Sat 30th July – Birmingham – Eddie’s Rock Club

Sat 30th July – Sheffield – Corporation

Already announced for 2016 are the three headliners, TWISTED SISTER (in their last ever UK show), MASTODON and SLAYER, plus special guests BEHEMOTH, GOJIRA and ANTHRAX.  Also on the bill are FEAR FACTORY, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, SYMPHONY X, SATYRICON, PARADISE LOST, DRAGONFORCE, METAL ALLEGIANCE, STUCK MOJO, ROTTING CHRIST, MISERY LOVES CO, GHOST BATH, VENOM, UNEARTH, DIAMOND HEAD, GOATWHORE, ACID REIGN and many more.  Additional bands are still to be announced.

BLOODSTOCK adds more bands, ‘Metal 2 The Masses’ finals & announces first New Blood stage winners!

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BLOODSTOCK HQ is readying to send Team M2TM out on the road for the finals,
but in the meantime, there’s a few more band additions to the August bill!

Joining Friday’s main stage bill are newly re-grouped British death metal
overlords, AKERCOCKE.  The band are working on new music and BLOODSTOCK
will be their very first gig since their reformation.  Frontman Jason
Mendonca tells us: “AKERCOCKE have returned after 5 years absence from the
live circuit.  We are reinvigorated by the return of our original guitarist
Paul Scanlan and the ranks are completed by Dam front man Nathanael
Underwood on bass guitar.  Following the great experience the band enjoyed
in 2008, we are proud to return to the BLOODSTOCK main stage for a second
time.  Expect fan favourites from the past and killer new tunes from the
present.  See you down the front."

Stoner/blues rock five-piece, DESERT STORM join Sunday’s Sophie stage
bill.  Check out their video for ‘Signals From Beyond’ –
https://youtu.be/U2G-Tqhswsw.  The track can be snapped up on various
coloured vinyl as a split 7” (with Suns of Thunder) on 29th April from
http://www.h42records.8merch.com/presale.

Also landing a Sunday Sophie slot are thrash metal animals, DIVINE CHAOS.
Check out their video for ‘Fields of the Fallen’ –
https://youtu.be/wJn8qWmDt8A – and pre-order their debut album, ‘A New Dawn
In The Age Of War’ over at their webstore for a 29th May release –
http://www.divinechaosmetal.com/#!reviews/c9qb.

Meanwhile, back at BLOODSTOCK HQ, the first acts for the New Blood stage
have been chosen!  After throwing their hat in the ring via CD
applications, the following bands win slots on the New Blood bill;  London
doomsters POSEIDON, Bristol’s darkly melodic MORDRAKE, Belfast metal
beasts RABID
BITCH OF THE NORTH and Austria’s REST IN FEAR all snare themselves stage
time at BLOODSTOCK!

BLOODSTOCK’s ‘Metal 2 The Masses’ judging squad are also ready to hit the
road, as the M2TM finals get under way soon!  The local heats have been
oversubscribed with entries and many playing to packed houses countrywide,
so anticipation is already running at fever pitch.  Get along to your local
event and support grass-roots metal!  Not only will be a fun night out,
there’s a chance at each event to win weekend tickets to BLOODSTOCK, a case
of Hobgoblin Ale to take home, or various other BLOODSTOCK related prizes.
You can even shake hands with BLOODSTOCK’s ‘M2TM’ mainman, Simon Hall.
Finals run as follows:

1st May – KENT / GRAVESEND – The Red Lion

6th May – NORTHERN IRELAND / BELFAST – Voodoo

7th May – REPUBLIC OF IRELAND / DUBLIN – Fibber Magees

14th May – NORWAY / SANDNES – The Tribute

20th May – WOLVERHAMPTON – Slade Rooms

21st May – LONDON – Nambucca

22nd May – BRIGHTON – The Green Door Store

27th May – GLASGOW – Ivory Blacks

28th May – INVERNESS – Mad Hatters

29th May – CARLISLE – Club Rock

2nd Jun – EAST ANGLIA / NORWICH – The Brickmakers

3rd Jun – LUTON – The Castle

3rd Jun – NOTTINGHAMSHIRE / MANSFIELD – The Intake Club

4th Jun – LEICESTER – Leicester De Montfort Hall (plus headline sets from
Phil Campbell’s All Stars and more)

17th Jun – NEWCASTLE – The Cluny

18th Jun – SOUTH WALES / CARDIFF – Fuel Club

19th Jun – MANCHESTER – Grand Central

24th Jun – SWINDON – The Victoria

24th Jun – DEWSBURY – The Old Turk

25th Jun – MERSEYSIDE / LIVERPOOL – Bumper

1st Jul – LINCOLNSHIRE / LINCOLN – The Lincoln Imp

2nd Jul – READING – Facebar

9th Jul – BURNLEY – Sanctuary

9th Jul – BOURNEMOUTH – The Anvil

9th Jul – POLAND / BIELSKO-BIALA – The Rude Boy Club

10th Jul – BIRMINGHAM – The Roadhouse

There’s still time to enter your band via the third method to win a spot on
the New Blood stage.  You have until 8th July to upload your band’s video
to Hobgoblin’s Video Upload site.  An outright winner lands a slot at
BLOODSTOCK, but a selection of runners up will win airplay for their band’s
video on Scuzz TV!!  Get all the details here –
www.bloodstock.uk.com/pages/hobgoblin.

Already announced for 2016 are our three headliners, TWISTED SISTER (in
their last ever UK show), MASTODON and SLAYER, plus special guests BEHEMOTH,
GOJIRA and ANTHRAX.  Also on the bill are FEAR FACTORY, CORROSION OF
CONFORMITY, SYMPHONY X, SATYRICON, PARADISE LOST, DRAGONFORCE, METAL
ALLEGIANCE, STUCK MOJO, ROTTING CHRIST, MISERY LOVES CO, GHOST BATH, VENOM,
UNEARTH, DIAMOND HEAD, GOATWHORE, ACID REIGN and many more.  Additional
bands are still to be announced.

Bloodstock: More bands and Club Nights

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The clock’s ticking! There are just 133 days ‘til BLOODSTOCK, the best heavy metal party weekender of the year and BLOODSTOCK HQ has a bumper batch of Sophie Lancaster Stage bands to announce to cheer you into April.  

Plus, if you didn’t win festival tickets in the very popular BLOODSTOCK website’s Easter Egg hunt, fear not, you could win a pair at one of the upcoming BLOODSTOCK raucous club nights – the first batch of party nights detailed below!

Joining the Sophie stage on Sunday are the new, but old school death metal outfit MEMORIAM. Terrorizer magazine got the lowdown on this new outfit, featuring ex-Bolt Thrower and ex-Benediction members, which you can read at: http://www.terrorizer.com/news/karl-willetts-speaks-to-terrorizer-about-memoriam/. Still curious?  Visit: www.facebook.com/Memoriam2016.  London’s symphonic metal six-piece, PYTHIA are looking forward to rocking your face off on Sunday.  Perhaps you caught them in London in Feb, playing with BLOODSTOCK alumni, Ensiferum?  Check them out at www.facebook.com/PythiaBand.  THIS IS TURIN will be showcasing their brand of British tech metal on Saturday at BLOODSTOCK this Summer!  The band have been busy working on their forthcoming release ‘Thrones’ – learn more at www.facebook.com/thisisturin.  Inspired by Game Of…?  We’re not sure.  Also partaking in Saturday’s Sophie Lancaster stage shenanigans are ONE MACHINE, the thrashtastic brainchild of Steve Smyth (Nevermore, Testament, Forbidden).  Soon to hit the road with Overkill, stay up to date via www.facebook.com/OneMachineOfficial.  Sunday’s final addition are Londoners, DERANGE. Tipped by Metal Hammer (http://teamrock.com/feature/2015-10-13/hot-new-band-derange), watch their video for ‘Echo’ at https://youtu.be/QoQYAzu5LM4.  For more, head to:  www.facebook.com/DerangeUK.

Have you watched the brand new BLOODSTOCK 2016 trailer yet? Turn up your volume and click to https://youtu.be/T7gpYjVIH7o.  Popcorn not included.

The first batch of 2016’s BLOODSTOCK club nights are also ready to go!  That’s thirty-three pre-festival parties already planned!!  More will be added for June, July and early August, so don’t despair if your nearest rock club isn’t listed yet.  In the meantime, get along to one/some/all of these, check out the headbangin’ tracks being kranked out from BLOODSTOCK bands old and new, and be in with the chance of winning weekend tickets and BLOODSTOCK-related giveaways.  Check with your local club for further details and expect the unexpected!  Events for April and May stack up as follows:

Fri 1st April – Stoke on Trent – Bunker 13

Fri 1st April – Woking – Schism

Sat 2nd April – Norwich – The Waterfront

Fri 15th April – Ipswich – The Cock and Pye

Sat 16th April – Coventry – The Phoenix

Sat 16th April – Liverpool – Krazyhouse

Mon 18th April – Reading – Sakura

Fri 22nd April – Middlesbrough – SUMO

Fri 22nd April – Camberley – Agincourt

Sat 23rd April – Birmingham – The Asylum

Thu 28th April – Exeter – Walkabout

Fri 29th April – Plymouth – Envy

Sat 30th April – Manchester – Satan’s Hollow

Sat 30th April – Birmingham – Eddie’s Rock Club

Sat 30th April – Sheffield – Corporation

Fri 6th May – Woking Schism

Fri 6th May – Leicester – Firebug

Fri 6th May – Portsmouth – Edge of the Wedge

Sat 7th May – Stoke on Trent – Bunker 13

Sat 7th May – Brighton – Envy

Sat 7th May – Norwich – The Waterfront

Sat 14th May – Camberley – Agincourt

Sat 14th May – Bristol – Basement 45

Mon 16th May – Reading – Sakura

Fri 20th May – Bournemouth – Sound Circus

Fri 20th May – Glasgow – The Cathouse

Fri 20th May – Ipswich – The Cock and Pye

Sat 21st May – Coventry – The Phoenix

Fri 27th May – Mansfield – The Intake

Fri 27th May – Nottingham – The Landing (Nottingham Trent SU)

Sat 28th May – Birmingham – Eddie’s Rock Club

Sat 28th May – Cardiff – Fuel

Sat 28th May – Sheffield – Corporation

*clubs can be subject to change, so always check locally*

Already announced for 2016 are our three headliners, TWISTED SISTER (in their last ever UK show), MASTODON and SLAYER, plus special guests BEHEMOTH, GOJIRA and ANTHRAX.  Also on the bill are FEAR FACTORY, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, SYMPHONY X, SATYRICON, PARADISE LOST, DRAGONFORCE, METAL ALLEGIANCE, STUCK MOJO, ROTTING CHRIST, MISERY LOVES CO, GHOST BATH, VENOM, UNEARTH, DIAMOND HEAD, GOATWHORE, ACID REIGN and many more.  Additional bands are still to be announced.

Bloodstock: More bands and Club Nights

by

The clock’s ticking! There are just 133 days ‘til BLOODSTOCK, the best heavy metal party weekender of the year and BLOODSTOCK HQ has a bumper batch of Sophie Lancaster Stage bands to announce to cheer you into April.  

Plus, if you didn’t win festival tickets in the very popular BLOODSTOCK website’s Easter Egg hunt, fear not, you could win a pair at one of the upcoming BLOODSTOCK raucous club nights – the first batch of party nights detailed below!

Joining the Sophie stage on Sunday are the new, but old school death metal outfit MEMORIAM. Terrorizer magazine got the lowdown on this new outfit, featuring ex-Bolt Thrower and ex-Benediction members, which you can read at: http://www.terrorizer.com/news/karl-willetts-speaks-to-terrorizer-about-memoriam/. Still curious?  Visit: www.facebook.com/Memoriam2016.  London’s symphonic metal six-piece, PYTHIA are looking forward to rocking your face off on Sunday.  Perhaps you caught them in London in Feb, playing with BLOODSTOCK alumni, Ensiferum?  Check them out at www.facebook.com/PythiaBand.  THIS IS TURIN will be showcasing their brand of British tech metal on Saturday at BLOODSTOCK this Summer!  The band have been busy working on their forthcoming release ‘Thrones’ – learn more at www.facebook.com/thisisturin.  Inspired by Game Of…?  We’re not sure.  Also partaking in Saturday’s Sophie Lancaster stage shenanigans are ONE MACHINE, the thrashtastic brainchild of Steve Smyth (Nevermore, Testament, Forbidden).  Soon to hit the road with Overkill, stay up to date via www.facebook.com/OneMachineOfficial.  Sunday’s final addition are Londoners, DERANGE. Tipped by Metal Hammer (http://teamrock.com/feature/2015-10-13/hot-new-band-derange), watch their video for ‘Echo’ at https://youtu.be/QoQYAzu5LM4.  For more, head to:  www.facebook.com/DerangeUK.

Have you watched the brand new BLOODSTOCK 2016 trailer yet? Turn up your volume and click to https://youtu.be/T7gpYjVIH7o.  Popcorn not included.

The first batch of 2016’s BLOODSTOCK club nights are also ready to go!  That’s thirty-three pre-festival parties already planned!!  More will be added for June, July and early August, so don’t despair if your nearest rock club isn’t listed yet.  In the meantime, get along to one/some/all of these, check out the headbangin’ tracks being kranked out from BLOODSTOCK bands old and new, and be in with the chance of winning weekend tickets and BLOODSTOCK-related giveaways.  Check with your local club for further details and expect the unexpected!  Events for April and May stack up as follows:

Fri 1st April – Stoke on Trent – Bunker 13

Fri 1st April – Woking – Schism

Sat 2nd April – Norwich – The Waterfront

Fri 15th April – Ipswich – The Cock and Pye

Sat 16th April – Coventry – The Phoenix

Sat 16th April – Liverpool – Krazyhouse

Mon 18th April – Reading – Sakura

Fri 22nd April – Middlesbrough – SUMO

Fri 22nd April – Camberley – Agincourt

Sat 23rd April – Birmingham – The Asylum

Thu 28th April – Exeter – Walkabout

Fri 29th April – Plymouth – Envy

Sat 30th April – Manchester – Satan’s Hollow

Sat 30th April – Birmingham – Eddie’s Rock Club

Sat 30th April – Sheffield – Corporation

Fri 6th May – Woking Schism

Fri 6th May – Leicester – Firebug

Fri 6th May – Portsmouth – Edge of the Wedge

Sat 7th May – Stoke on Trent – Bunker 13

Sat 7th May – Brighton – Envy

Sat 7th May – Norwich – The Waterfront

Sat 14th May – Camberley – Agincourt

Sat 14th May – Bristol – Basement 45

Mon 16th May – Reading – Sakura

Fri 20th May – Bournemouth – Sound Circus

Fri 20th May – Glasgow – The Cathouse

Fri 20th May – Ipswich – The Cock and Pye

Sat 21st May – Coventry – The Phoenix

Fri 27th May – Mansfield – The Intake

Fri 27th May – Nottingham – The Landing (Nottingham Trent SU)

Sat 28th May – Birmingham – Eddie’s Rock Club

Sat 28th May – Cardiff – Fuel

Sat 28th May – Sheffield – Corporation

*clubs can be subject to change, so always check locally*

Already announced for 2016 are our three headliners, TWISTED SISTER (in their last ever UK show), MASTODON and SLAYER, plus special guests BEHEMOTH, GOJIRA and ANTHRAX.  Also on the bill are FEAR FACTORY, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, SYMPHONY X, SATYRICON, PARADISE LOST, DRAGONFORCE, METAL ALLEGIANCE, STUCK MOJO, ROTTING CHRIST, MISERY LOVES CO, GHOST BATH, VENOM, UNEARTH, DIAMOND HEAD, GOATWHORE, ACID REIGN and many more.  Additional bands are still to be announced.

Seven more bands announced for Bloodstock’s Sophie Lancaster Stage

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Seven more bands announced for Bloodstock's Sophie Lancaster Stage

Can you feel the festival season creeping up?!  Soon, very soon it will be time to pack up your tent and your Viking drinking horn, then you and your mates will be thrashing your way to Catton Park for BLOODSTOCK 2015!  With 17 weeks to go, here’s another 7 head-banging additions to the Sophie Lancaster stage.

Crash landing into Friday’s Sophie line-up are London-based metallers, I AM I.  Fronted by ZP Theart (formerly of Dragonforce), I AM I are currently hard at work on their new album and follow up to their ‘Event Horizon’ debut.  Check out their website at http://www.iamiofficial.com/ for video updates!   Also rocking up the bill are HANG THE BASTARD, the stoner groove road dogs who recently released second album, ‘Sex In the Seventh Circle’ via Century Media and opened for Corrosion of Conformity on their UK tour.  Check out the ‘Sex In The Seventh Circle’ video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvYvGo2CBxw.  British thrash stalwarts RE-ANIMATOR grab themselves a slot too, after reforming in 2013 after a 20-year break.  Wrap your ears round ‘Low Life’ from their ‘Condemned To Eternity’ album here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTDUUHTkcyo.  Hard rock riff-monsters, FIRE RED EMPRESS also land a spot.  You can listen to their recent ‘Paint Me The Devil’ EP over at http://fireredempress.bandcamp.com/album/paint-me-the-devil-ep.  Last (for this announcement), but not least, Denmark’s HEXIS also bring their unique blend of hardcore and black metal doom to Friday’s line up.  Friday is topped out by previously announced headliners, DELAIN!

Rock n’ roll tearaways JETTBLACK will be Saturday night’s main support to Sophie stage headliners, FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE.  With their brand new album, ‘Disguises’ out this week, JETTBLACK are coming out all guns blazing with a bunch of fresh tunes!  Check out some album clips over at http://www.jettblackuk.com/.

Irish metal three-piece, DEAD LABEL also join Sunday’s bill on the Sophie stage.  Their new album, ‘Throne of Bones’ is set for release soon.  Follow their news over at https://www.facebook.com/DeadLabel.

Tickets for BLOODSTOCK 2015 are available via the 24hr ticketline at 0871 230 5584 or online at http://bloodstock.seetickets.com/event/bloodstock-2015/catton-park/809956, priced at the very reasonable £135 (plus booking fee) for a four-day Thursday through Sunday weekend ticket with camping.  VIP packages and upgrades are also available, plus pre-booked car parking pitches.  Camper van pitches are now all SOLD OUT!

All these killer bands are already announced!  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 T.A, NUCLEAR ASSAULT, 1349, NAPALM DEATH, DARK ANGEL, ARMORED SAINT, BELPHEGOR, OVERKILL, ENSIFERUM, AGALLOCH, KORPIKLAANI, PRO-PAIN, ENSLAVED, RAGING SPEEDHORN, XERATH and WOLF.  Plus 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 more and, there’s even more bands to be announced in the coming weeks!