It’s that time of year where we set out to interview as many of the Sophie, New Blood, and Jager bands as we can in the lead-up to one of the most anticipated festivals of the year, Bloodstock. Answering our questions here are Irontooth who play the New Blood Stage on Saturday.
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
The arsehole of the M62, namely, Hull. That’s where we are centered anyway but we do have members from further afield and the surrounding area.
How long have you been playing together as a band?
We have been together in this form since 2017/18 but some of the band members go way back! Dan (Bass) and Rich (Vocals) have been performing in bands together for around 20 years. Ben (guitar) and Dan (bass) also played in a prog metal outfit just before joining Irontooth. Sam has been on the local metal scene for years playing in numerous bands and when Dan (drums) joined us everything clicked into place.
Where does the name of the band come from?
This is where I wish I could give you a really cool back story about a guy with an iron tooth but in all honesty, it just sounded cool. Kinda.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
It’s hard to describe accurately, I guess. We have elements of quite a few different genres (thrash, stoner, post, black etc.) but if we had to pick a blanket term that best describes us it would have to be Groove Metal. I think that’s what makes us unique as well. We are five guys all from five different backgrounds bringing five different sets of influences together in order to create something unique and refreshing. Each song has different aspects to it and I would like to think there is something there for most.
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What’s your live show like? Why are people going to watch you instead of another band?
In a word; energetic.
We pride ourselves on our live performances and we don’t hold back. Expect a high octane, thunderous wall of barely organised noise. We push ourselves to the limits when performing live and Bloodstock will be no different. And hey, even if you don’t like our sound, I guarantee you will be entertained.
…that is the most self praise I have ever done and now I feel dirty.
Have you been to Bloodstock before? What did you think?
Many times. Every member has been at some point with Rich, Dan and Ben being festival regulars. In previous years you would have found Rich wandering around the arena in a Minion onesie or Dan in the medical tent with one shoe. This year it’s all business though. Kind of.
Which M2tM region did you win, or did you come through other channels?
Even though we are from Hull we actually came through the Chesterfield shows! Unfortunately there aren’t really any M2TM shows in our area so we ended up travelling to compete. We have gotten to the finals a couple of times in different venues but to actually win was immense, especially at The County Music Bar, one of our favourite venues on the circuit. Massive thanks to Phil and everyone there for putting the events on. I still can’t believe we are actually playing, it all feels very surreal still. I just can’t wait to get on that stage.
Can you put into 10 words or fewer how it felt when you realised you were heading to Bloodstock?
Equal amounts of euphoria, gratitude and unadulterated fear.
What sort of setlist can we expect?
To be honest, we will be playing mainly older songs. As this is our first time performing at Bloodstock we wanted to make sure that the songs we play are firmly cemented in our slowly aging minds and eliminate any forgetfulness of newer riffs. We’re playing it safe with the tried and tested but the set will still be an auditory (and possibly visionary) onslaught of riffs.
Which other bands do you most hope you’re not squished up next to so you can see them play?
As we all come from different musical backgrounds each member would give a different answer but personally for me (Ben) it would have to be Devin Townsend, Svalbard, Conjurer, Son of Boar, Lunas Call…I could go on. The line up is an absolute beast this year and Bloodstock have done an immense job of gathering some of the best underground British bands on the live circuit right now. If you are ever stuck on who to watch just head over to the New Blood Stage, you wont be dissapointed!
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What are you working on at the moment?
We are working on a few things at the moment but I think the main thing would be an album. We have been a bit lacking in terms of recording with a couple of failed attempts but the opportunity to perform at Bloodstock has really pushed us to up the gears and up the productivity.
Also,Earlier in the year we had the opportunity to do a small cameo in the Troma produced ‘Carnal Monsters’ flick which I believe is coming out later this year so there is also that to come. Lots of blood and lots of boobs! A real Sunday, lazy afternoon kind of film. Our video for ‘Eating Glass’ was filmed on the set and our music will be featured in the film so we are quite excited about that.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
Honestly, at our shows? I couldn’t tell you. It all becomes a bit of a blair. It gets so chaotic on stage and when we are zoned in it’s hard to concentrate on what’s happening around you. I spend most of the time dodging Dan’s dreads whilst trying to see through my own mass of hair.
What drink do you throw back to get yourself fired up before going on stage?
We tend to stick to the herbal teas; Green, Turmeric with the occasional Earl Grey thrown in to settle us down. That’s all we need, thank you very much. Well, that and Red Stag, Captain Morgans, JD, Jager, beer….. In no particular order.
