It’s that time of year again, when in the run-up to Bloodstock we endeavour to interview every band gracing the Sophie Lancaster, New Blood and Jägermeister stages from 8th – 11th August 2019. This means you’ve got a chance to read up on all your favourite bands set to play over the weekend and decide which new ones you’ll want to check out.
As ever, we’re predicting some horrible clashes because, true to form, there are some great bands across all three stages so you should start planning who you want to see.
Our thanks to all the bands for taking the time out to answer our questions!
Goat Monsoon – New Blood Stage, Saturday
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We’re an Essex-based band, with 2 of us living in Colchester, and the rest, beside the seaside.
How long have you been playing together as a band?
Actually we are 7 years old this very month. Time flies when you’re playing doom!
Where does the name of the band come from?
The name was originally suggested by our former singer, Chris. He came up with Ghost Monsoon! I got him to change it, because ghosts are pretty rubbish, and goats are way cooler. The name gets us a fair bit of attention, so that always helps.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
In actual fact we don’t really know how to describe it ourselves. We tend to refer to it as “garage fuzz rock” but we don’t really know what that means. I guess you could put doom, stoner, and groove metal in there as well. The fact that we can’t really describe ourselves might be the “unique” aspect.
What’s your live show like? Why are people going to watch you instead of another band?
Essentially, we rock hard, and we rock heavy. There’s no bullshit, it’s totally honest. It’s loud, it’s fuzzy, and our singer (Mike) comes up with some cracking one-liners! People could do a lot worse than spend half an hour or so in our company.
Have you been to Bloodstock before? What did you think?
Ben (our lead guitarist) is the seasoned festival goer in the band, he always has a great time at Bloodstock. The rest of us get to have our first Bloodstock experiences by playing it!
Which M2tM region did you win, or did you come through other channels?
We won the Essex heats. Big up to Ian Manning for all his hard work and dedication. The shows were a blast to play, and proves that rock and metal audiences are the best in the world.
Can you put into 10 words or fewer how it felt when you realised you were heading to Bloodstock?
Utter shock and wonderment. Then elation and alcohol.
What sort of setlist can we expect?
Roughly 30 minutes of hard hitting groove. We’ve got big riffs, big hooks, melody and meat.
Which other bands do you most hope you’re not squished up next to so you can see them play?
Personally, I’m glad I get to see Anthrax, Evil Scarecrow, Taake, and The Wildhearts. Ben (guitar) might have to be quick to catch Cancer Bats after our set. Lewis (drums) and Charlie (guitar) certainly wanna get some Raging Speedhorn.
What are you working on at the moment?
We are trying to organise an incredibly violent video shoot for our latest single, “Shake Me Down”, and we are looking forward to getting loads more gigs (especially in London) after Bloodstock. A new EP should be on its way too.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
Personally I love getting covered in rancid blood at Watain concerts, and I remember seeing Izzy Stradlin play a gig once, and an audience member calmly got on stage and stole the bass guitar. A roadie followed him into the crowd using the instrument’s lead as a guide! A lot of wild stuff that I’ve seen tends to involve things bursting into flames! As for Goat Monsoon…well…
What drink do you throw back to get yourself fired up before going on stage?
I guess, as a band, it’s beer, but I do like having a bottle of red wine onstage with me. Absinthe too. We ain’t no Fanta drinkers!
Goat Monsoon: facebook | soundcloud | youtube | bandcamp
