As ever, we’re going to try and cover every single Jäger, New Blood and SOPHIE stage band before Bloodstock kicks off on August 10th. Your chance to check them out and start planning which bands to get there early for!
Trust us when we tell you that this is bound to result in some frustrating clashes because, as ever, there are some great bands on these three stages.
Our thanks to all the bands for taking the time out to answer our questions!
Battalions – Hobgoblin New Blood stage, Sunday
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
Kingston upon Hull.
How long have you been playing together as a band?
Seven and a half years now, time flies!
Where does the name of the band come from?
The band name was thought up by our original drummer Kris Barford, he wanted something to portray the rumbling sound we were creating at the beginning, and Battalions stuck.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Blues heavy sludge, with tortured vocals. I’d say what makes us unique is the classic sound brought right up to date, and the lead bass lines!
What’s your live show like? Why are people going to watch you instead of another band?
Riffs to bang your head to, one after the other. Phil and Dennett rampaging about the stage and everyone giving it their all! Big riffs = big smiles.
Have you been to Bloodstock before? What did you think?
Bloodstock is a staple of the metal calendar, and one of the best weekends every year, we try to attend as often as we can.
So how does it feel to be invited to play the one and only Bloodstock?
Been longtime attendees, we are over the moon to be asked to play the New Blood stage this year and aim to put on the best show of our lives!
What sort of setlist can we expect?
Our second album Moonburn is due to be released the week before Bloodstock, so we will be airing most of that, along with some crowd favourites from the first album.
Which main stage band do you most hope you’re not squished up next to so you can see them play?
For me personally (Phil), it’s got to be Obituary, I’ve never seen them before and do not want to miss out on seeing the death metal masters at work!
What are you working on at the moment?
We’re currently booking up as many shows and tours as possible to promote the release of Moonburn, along with being back in the practice room and starting to write for the follow up.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done on tour?
Whilst on tour with the amazing 1968 and Ritual King, our drummer Mott got so pissed on the Buckfast, that at around 4am when everyone was asleep he ‘woke’ up and walked around like a zombie, before passing out again over the electric radiator, and a smell of burning beard began emanating from his KO’d self.
Jager, Hobgoblin Ale, Kraken, Kingstone Press Cider, Kaltenberg Beer or Bulleit Bourbon? And, yes, we’ll be counting all the votes!
THE KRAKEN AWAKES!!!
Battalions: facebook | twitter | bandcamp
