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!
Shrapnel – Sophie Lancaster Stage, Friday
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We’re from Norwich, the arse of England and the middle of nowhere.
How long have you been playing together as a band?
We started playing in 2008 but didn’t really start as Shrapnel until early 2009.
Where does the name of the band come from?
Back before we had even rehearsed we sat down and were thinking of a name and it came up. We checked around and found a few other bands with the same name but most had split up or weren’t very good, plus we didn’t think it would matter at the time, we were doing it for fun and playing locally so we thought “yeah, fuck it”. In hindsight maybe we should have thought for longer but it’s stuck, hopefully we can earn it and be the Shrapnel. Fun fact – Metal Church used to be called Shrapnel.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
We have our roots fairly deep in the old school thrash scene. We love Dark Angel, Slayer, Sepultura, Demolition Hammer, etc. but individually we also bring in black metal, death metal, blues, punk and there are moments where all those influences come out. You have to listen closely for some of those influences but others are a little more obvious. There’s something for everyone who’s into the heavier side of metal.
What’s your live show like? Why are people going to watch you instead of another band?
It’s fast, it’s heavy and we have fun doing it. We’re stepping up the live show all the time but its more about the music than anything else. No gimmicks, no bullshit, plenty of riffs.
Have you played Bloodstock before? If so, when?
2010 on the New Blood stage after winning the London Metal to the Masses competition and the Sophie stage in 2013 just before the debut album came out. Looking forward to number three!
How/when did you find out that you’d be playing the SOPHIE stage?
I got a call from Simon Hall offering us the slot. He has been good to us since we met in 2010 and he’s been following our progress with the new album coming out. Was a nice call to receive.
What sort of setlist can we expect?
A good mix of everything we’ve released and yet to release. Really looking forward to playing some new material. We are cracking out some of the “bigger” tracks and some tracks we’ve not played for a while so it’s going to be a fun set to play.
Which main stage band do you most hope you’re not clashing with so you can see them play?
Testament. The new album is great and I’ve not seen them for a few years now so I’m hoping I can get over to see them before or after our set, its looking like we might overlap at this point which means we will either be setting up or packing up when they’re on. I hope not.
What are you working on at the moment?
The very final touches for the new album. We just confirmed the release date as September 29th and there’s a lot of work that comes with that run up so we are up to our necks in it right now. Very exciting but crazy busy!
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
Touring with Acid Reign was a great run and seeing H launch himself off anything he could was crazy each and every time. The man has no fear!
Jager, Hobgoblin Ale, Kraken, Kingstone Press Cider, Kaltenberg Beer or Bulleit Bourbon? And, yes, we’ll be counting all the votes!
Jager has the most stories, Kraken is the tastiest and Hobgoblin makes everthing better….uuuum. Jager.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFAGNjKmEOw
M/ looking forward to seeing you launch into the crowds this time haha!