As ever, we’re going to try and cover every single Jäger, New Blood and SOPHIE stage band before Bloodstock kicks off on August 9th. 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!
Sertraline – Hobgoblin New Blood Stage, Friday
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
You say simple, but it’s actually not so simple! Hendo and Mike are from the Stoke-on-Trent area originally, Lizzie and Tom are from Leeds and Si hails from the Manchester area. The band formed in Stoke whilst all the original members were living there (by happy coincidence!) and now we are primarily based in Leeds/Manchester.
How long have you been playing together as a band?
It’ll be 4 years on 4th August, about 2 years as the current line up!
Where does the name of the band come from?
Sertraline is the name of an antidepressant. We’re working from the idea that music makes people happy and so the band is an antidepressant in itself. It works for us!
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
We throw a lot of metal subgenres into our sound. Our two existing EPs are very melodic, with lots of chunky, groovy riffs. Big choruses, heavy breakdowns, lots of atmosphere. Our newer material (which is currently being written) delves deeper into progressive metal territory. Our vocalist Lizzie can both sing and scream, and people don’t believe the contrast till they hear it first hand! We’re unique because we can’t name another artist we sound like, it’s a constant struggle to write ‘for fans of’ taglines!
What’s your live show like? Why are people going to watch you instead of another band?
It’s passionate, loud and energetic. We want the audience to feel as involved as possible so there are opportunities to sing along, start a pit, do whatever you want to do! We had a group of people doing ‘row, row, row your boat’ when we played in Italy, so anything goes. We like to think we are a band that you remember (for the right reasons!) so we hope metal fans at Bloodstock will enjoy the show!
Have you been to Bloodstock before? What did you think?
We’re all Bloodstock virgins! We’ve heard so many amazing things about the festival though so we’re excited to have the full Bloodstock experience!
Did you enter M2TM thinking you could win it? Which region did you win, or did you come through other channels?
We definitely had an interesting M2TM journey! We originally entered the Selby region, and we got through our first heat. Sadly, The Venue in Selby closed its doors shortly afterwards and their competition was cancelled. Luckily for us, Mike from Lizard King Promotions had space in his Lincolnshire competition, so we were able to join the semi-finals there. We are massively thankful to Mike – we wouldn’t be where we are without him! The Lincs Final was so tight, we weren’t confident at all, all the bands were amazing. The result was so tense and it was a huge wave of emotion when we realised we’d won! We’re very grateful!
What sort of setlist can we expect?
Very full on! We don’t want to be the only sweaty ones in the room so you’ll have lots of opportunities to move! There will be a mixture of old and new songs, plus an unreleased track that will show everyone what to expect from us in the future.
Which other bands do you most hope you’re not squished up next to so you can see them play?
VOLA – a few of us are massive fangirls of this band, we were lucky enough to support them last year and we can’t wait to catch their set again! Gojira because, well, Gojira. Hundred Year Old Man – they were the guest headliners at our M2TM final and completely blew everyone away. Dramatic set and heavy as balls.
Our friends in Fahran are playing on the same day as us but on the Sophie Lancaster Stage. Hoping for no clash there!
What are you working on at the moment?
New songs! We all love the writing process so we are taking the time to put together our best work yet.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
None of us saw it in the flesh, but we heard that a couple of girls sucked the eyeballs from a salmon or something on stage… we don’t go that wild! There’s been some bloodshed from various fingers during our gigs though. #guitaristproblems
Jager, Hobgoblin Ale, Red Bull, Kingstone Press Cider, Kaltenberg Beer or Bulleit Bourbon? And, yes, we’ll be counting all the votes!
Tough choice between Jager and Bourbon but we’ll go Jager. We love a good Jager train on a night out!
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