It’s that time of year again, when in the run-up to Bloodstock we endeavour to interview every band gracing the SOPHIE, 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! Today’s act actually featured as a New Band of the Day (back when it was called that) in 2013!
Control the Storm – SOPHIE Stage, Friday
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
Bristol, UK.
How long have you been playing together as a band?
9 years. Rae and Rich being the founding members.
Where does the name of the band come from?
Control the Storm is a metaphor referring to the internal struggle between our conscious and subconscious minds – the fight we face to control our dark side.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Our music has evolved for this new album. It is very eclectic and dynamic. There’s a lot of layered vocal harmonies and different musical styles going on. We spent 6 months recording it and a year writing it. Every song on the new album is quite different but falls under the category of “heavy metal”. We do have an ’80s inspired power ballad of sorts called “In the Night”.
“Strike to Defend” is a full-on power metal song about Lancaster Bomber crews during WWII. The title was the motto of 83 squadron – RAF. The title track “Forevermore” is a 13 minute song divided into 4 ‘acts’ with bagpipes, waltzes, ballady sections and huge sounding heavier parts.
What’s your live show like? Why are people going to watch you instead of another band?
Our live show is very energetic. We put so much into delivering the best performance we can. Our Bloodstock show will be quite a spectacle with what we have planned!
Have you played Bloodstock before? If so, when?
Control the Storm played Bloodstock in 2012 after winning the Metal 2 the Masses competition.
How/when did you find out that you’d be playing the SOPHIE stage?
We found out a couple of months ago. Simon Hall asked us to play. We’re ever so excited to be playing such a prestigious event.
What sort of setlist can we expect?
Our setlist will be focusing on the new record. We’ll play at least one older song as well.
Which other band do you most hope you’re not clashing with so you can see them play?
That’s a difficult question to answer, but for me personally, probably Anthrax.
What are you working on at the moment?
At the moment we’re working on all the necessary admin to get the album out in time for July 25th and preparing for our next show which is at Rebellion, Manchester on July 27th – our first gig since March.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
I once drank almond milk mixed with oat milk.
What drink do you throw back to get yourself fired up before going on stage?
For me, it’s a nice cup of Yorkshire tea. Rae likes his Irn Bru and Rich likes energy drinks.
Header image by Scorpius Photography
Control the Storm: facebook | instagram | youtube | bandcamp
