FESTIVAL REVIEW: Bloodstock Open Air Part 2 – Live at Catton Hall


 

SATURDAY:

After I visit the bust of Lemmy in the RAM Gallery, Brazilian death metallers Crypta are in full flow on the main stage, tearing through the likes of Lift the Blindfold” and “From the Ashes”, casually stripping away any vestiges of third-day fatigue. And if that wasn’t the perfect wake-up call, then there”s always Bay Area thrashers Forbidden who blast through the likes of “Forbidden Evil,” “Twisted Into Form,” and “Step By Step” aided by summer recruit Dan “Chewy” Mongrain of Voivod. A great show, although a time overrun means we are deprived of the classic “Chalice of Blood.”Continue reading


Bloodstock Open Air 2024 Announces Final Bands, Activations, and Ticket Giveaway


Bloodstock Open Air 2024 is a month away! Headlined by Architects, Opeth, and Amon Amarth, get tickets and the full festival information at the links below.  Bloodstock will take place at Catton Park, Derbyshire on 8th-11th August 2024.Continue reading


Hacktivist, PIJN, Viscera, Raised By Owls and More Booked for Mangata Festival



Nottingham UK’s premier heavy music event, Mangata Festival, is set to return on 13th July 2024. It takes place across four venues: Rescue Rooms, Red Room, Ghost Nightclub, and the Tap & Tumbler. Headliners include Hacktivist, Viscera, PIJN, and Ritual King, with notable performances from Boss Keloid, Skarlett Riot and Raised by Owls. Find out more below.
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Bloodstock Books Metal 2 Masses Winners Sleep In Motion, Nihilanth, Kraken Waker, Hammer, Black Hole Divers, Hellbearer, Running With Knives, Divided By Design, and Semprah


 

 

There’s just 65 days – or 9 weekends – ‘til your heavy metal brethren thunder their way onto Catton Park’s hallowed turf.  As the days count down, Bloodstock has the next phase of Metal 2 The Masses winners to reveal, as well as a new batch of club nights for June and July, plus news about the gaming arena this year, Vikings, and more!

First up then, the bands… Grabbing a Friday slot on the Hopical Storm New Blood stage are Nottingham alt-rock trio Sleep In Motion, Belfast metallers Nihilanth, Newcastle riff merchants Kraken Waker, and Edinburgh heavyists Hammer

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Bloodstock Announces EMP Stage Line-Up ft. Lost Brethren, Lethal Evil, Crowley, King Kraken, MAB, Flamebearer, Rupcha Farms, Warpstormer, Goblin Smoker, Yersin and More


 

In a new partnership, Bloodstock is excited to announce the line-up for its 2024 EMP Stage (formerly the Jagermeister Stage)!  Friday’s bill will include tech/death squad Lost Brethren, thrash/death trio Lethal Evil, occult rockers Crowley, heavy blues rockers King Kraken, and goth metal outfit Mab. Saturday’s line up features grindcore/hardcore outfit Public Execution, metalcore beasts Parting With Origin, doom-fused heavyists Flamebearer, high octane fusionists Rupcha Farms and alt metal band Lurcher. Coming up on Sunday will be ‘fantasy space metal riff machine’ Warpstormer, celtic punk troupe The Callowgate Murders, fuzz-soaked riffmeisters of the Toad King Goblin Smoker, the 3-man noise machine Yersin and heavy blues rockers Loyds Trip.Continue reading


Bloodstock Announces First Bands For The Hopical Storm New Blood Stage, Metal 2 The Masses Finals Tour Kicks Off


The Metal 2 The Masses tour returns in 2024! Bloodstock’ initiative to give emerging bands a step up and also support grassroots venues, kicks off on 10th May, with 30 regions and 6 countries participating. The fun begins in Belfast and rolls down through Dublin and back to England, Scotland, and Wales, taking in Norway and Poland along the way. The tour wraps up in Coventry on 15th July, with all the regional winners from the finals being revealed in due course. Check out the local events below and get along to your nearest event to support the headliners of tomorrow!Continue reading


FESTIVAL REVIEW: Bloodstock Festival 2023 Part 3 


 

Friday:

A challenge of being a concert photographer is seldom experiencing a full set. Often, I dash between stages, trying to capture each band as if on a Pokémon quest – though “gotta shoot ’em all” has a different ring to it. Nonetheless, the silver lining is I often witness a good portion of every set over the weekend. Here are my top picks and suggestions from Bloodstock’s two smaller stages, showcasing their stellar support for the underground scene and nurturing emerging metal talent in the UK and beyond.Continue reading


FESTIVAL REVIEW: Bloodstock Open Air 2021 Part III


Having shown resounding and unequivocal support for every single band so far, the Bloodstock faithful are still raring to go after four full days of partying. As battle commences one final time, highlights on the Sophie Stage include the hard hitting Midlands retro-fuzz of Wolf Jaw, Brighton doomsters Grave Lines, the angry sounding double punch of Vexed and Pist, a debut performance from symphonic death metallers Ghosts of Atlantis, and Manchester black metal mob Necronautical.

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FESTIVAL REVIEW: Bloodstock Open Air 2021 Part 2


 

FRIDAY

With energy levels and festival excitement still high, quality acts such as Welsh black metallers Agrona, Norfolk thrashers Shrapnel, Liverpool doom/sludge merchants Conan, and a reinvigorated and retooled Evile invade the Sophie Lancaster Stage, decimating all before them. Birmingham grindcore legends Napalm Death complete the day’s entertainment with a reliably devastating set, the crowd gathered outside the tent almost as huge as the one inside.

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FESTIVAL REVIEW: Bloodstock Open Air 2021 Part 1



We’re back!

Sure, we might be having to follow a series of new Coronavirus safety protocols which may or not become a regular thing for live shows, but we’re back. And judging by the size of the opening day crowds spilling out from the main entrance, car parks and campsites, not a moment too soon. Since its inception Bloodstock Open Air has always attracted early birds who like nothing more than to arrive long before the gates even open, but this time feels different. Everyone seems to be here early. Coiled springs desperate for release. The festival’s twentieth anniversary isn’t just a celebration of metal this year, it’s a genuine escape

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