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 is Calvin from Portrayal Of Ruinn who play the New Blood stage on the Saturday.
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We are based in the Greater Manchester area.
How long have you been playing together as a band?
We first met up in 2017 and managed to get our first gig halfway through 2018.
Where does the name of the band come from?
It is based on a Castlevania game called “Portrait of Ruin”. We are a bunch of nerds haha! We decided to make it sound a bit darker and in the band chat I typo’d “Ruinn”. I decided we should keep it to be edgy AF hence Portrayal of Ruinn.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
To be honest I don’t think we are unique musically, haha. I can’t think of any local bands that sound like us but that’s probably because our influences are older. We call ourselves melodic deathcore, because the main sound is deathcore, but we love ourselves some melodic moments.
What’s your live show like? Why are people going to watch you instead of another band?
We are siiiiiiiick, haha. Honestly, my main priority is to put on a show for the crowd without destroying the music itself. We go hard. We go heavy. We expect moshpits, walls of death, ballroom pits (you read that right). We also expect you to have a great time because we are there for you to watch. Without you, there is no us.
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Have you been to Bloodstock before? What did you think?
I think I’m the only one in the band that has been. Hell, I think this will be the first festival experience for at least one of the band members! I absolutely loved going to Bloodstock because the environment is so chill. Haven’t been since 2010 but that’s due to life and my social circles changing.
Which M2tM region did you win, or did you come through other channels?
We won an extremely intense competition in Manchester. When I say intense, I mean the competitive bands were absolutely fantastic!
Can you put into 10 words or fewer how it felt when you realised you were heading to Bloodstock?
Absolutely shocked. Still can’t comprehend it. Is this a dream?
What sort of setlist can we expect?
We will be going from the get go. Expect us to be going hard, and expecting you to join in with us. We have 6 songs. Some that are frantic throughout, and some that show off our emotional side
Which other bands do you most hope you’re not squished up next to so you can see them play?
Lorna Shore – the main deathcore band of the festival. If we play at the same time as them I might actually cry.
What are you working on at the moment?
Our set for Bloodstock, but also our next EP. We are almost done with the second song, which is the title of our next EP. Once we get a couple more down, we shall be sorting out getting them recorded.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
For one of our own shows I stood in the middle of the crowd and they decided to do a circle pit around me. It was a small venue and the circle pit was the most compact one I have ever seen, yet no one bumped me. As for watching another band, I saw a guy climb to the top of a pillar on the second stage at Download Festival during The Prodigy. The guy launched himself into the crowd. It must have been at least a 50ft drop. Still don’t know if he died or not.
What drink do you throw back to get yourself fired up before going on stage?
A couple beers do me fine. Not enough so I’m slurring around the place and singing songs by other bands, just enough to get the buzz and to get rid of those nerves.
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