Continuing our run of letting you know a little more about as many of the bands on at Bloodstock 2025 as we possibly can before you get a chance to see them, we have Ruled By Raptors. This bunch play on the New Blood Stage on the Sunday.
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
Will: The North East of England, we say Newcastle because people actually know where that is, but specifically Ashington, Blyth and Bedlington in Northumberland
How long have you been playing together as a band?
Chris: Nick, Will and I for almost 10 years now, Matt has been with us for almost 9. They each joined my previous band Digits, slowly over a 12-month period from about September 2015 after we came back from a break following the birth of my eldest daughter. The bassist of that band, who I’d played with for 13 years, was getting married the following year and we already knew he’d be leaving some time in 2016. However, as our drummer decided that he didn’t really want to be touring, our bassist suggested it would be less disruptive to replace both at the same time. Matt then came in around September 2016 to replace our guitarist who was getting too busy with his tribute band and it kept conflicting with our dates. At the end of 2018 we decided to draw a line with that band and start something that was just ours. We started gigging as Ruled By Raptors in 2019.
Where does the name of the band come from?
Nick: It’s an anagram for ‘So Blurry Parted.’ It’s a well-known phrase that we all know the truth behind.
Matt: Royals are lizards init. In all seriousness it’s a bit tongue in cheek, we’re not mad conspiracy nuts, and it’s more of a commentary on the predatory nature of the ruling class.
Will: We sat in a room at the time googling what seemed like hundreds of band names, making sure we picked one that was unique, and we could get the social media tags for without issues, and as it turns out almost everything you can think of has already been taken.
Chris: Ironically about a year after we picked the name someone told us that there was a band called Raised By Raptors which we have sometimes been confused with. I recall a bunch of names coming up and Matt being keen on the alliteration of the name because it makes it more memorable, but I couldn’t tell you who suggested it. I quite liked it because we’re a fairly political band, and a lot of your fascist and military imagery involved raptors, birds of prey, Eagles, etc, so it evoked imagery of civilians threatened under a military state, and puts us as the ones being ruled over fighting for peace and equality, etc. It felt very other.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Chris: I’d say the aim was to be a post-hardcore band, along the lines of At The Drive In and Reuben, etc, but we’re all influenced by so much music, a lot of other stuff leaks in there.
Matt: We sit somewhere between brazen 00’s post-hardcore, prog, punk, math rock & metal. We’re eclectic, anthemic, a juggernaut of noise.
What’s your live show like? Why are people going to watch you instead of another band?
Chris: Often a bit chaotic. Usually I just let Matt and Nick get on with it, someone has to keep the music going with Will. Occasionally I join in. We do like to get into the crowd when we can.
Matt: Flailing limbs & walls of sound, inter-spliced with ambience, politically fuelled fire and emotional catharsis.
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Have you been to Bloodstock before? What did you think?
Nick: I’ve never actually been to Bloodstock in the past.
Chris: None of us have to be honest, due to me having Sleep Apnea I usually do festivals like Give It A Name Festival (RIP) and Slam Dunk Festival, as I need a machine to stop me dying in my sleep. After we won this, I found out that I can hire a battery with solar panel so I can camp, so I’m trying that this year.
Nick: I am extremely excited that my first time going is also to play it. Given the amazing reputation of Bloodstock I think we’ll be a great fit.
Matt: We’re all so excited, we’ve never camped together before either, so that’s gonna be a learning curve for us all…
Which M2tM region did you win, or did you come through other channels?
Matt: We came out swinging from Newcastle on the 2nd time of asking, both competitions were so fierce, we feel so privileged to be here.
Nick: We won the Newcastle region of M2tM. We got to the final last year, with LN funnily enough, but Kraken Waker were the winner for that one. This year we’re stoked to see LN on the New Blood Stage with us!
Can you put into 10 words or fewer how it felt when you realised you were heading to Bloodstock?
Matt: Jesus Christ who or what just rugby tackled me? AAAAAAAAAA.
Chris: I can narrow it to one, Shock. I genuinely thought we’d lose out to Redscar, they were phenomenal. Definitely my tip for playing Bloodstock next year!
What sort of setlist can we expect?
Nick: Big shouty rah-rah music with some big chords, important messages filled with political lyrics!
Chris: We’re an eclectic band, we’re not afraid to go heavy or play a gentle tune, to straddle the line of metal or punk or even emo, we’ve even got tunes that get close to bands like Hot Mulligan and Free Throw and then at the other end of the spectrum, songs like Waves which when we recorded with Romesh Dodangoda, he likened it to Deftones.
Will: We can’t be giving secrets away but we’re not going to be messing around. We have a lot to say and not that long to say it.
Chris: I think the best description I’ve heard recently was Joe from Kilonova described us as being Biffy Clyro meets Dillinger Escape Plan which I really liked. We’re definitely heavier than Biffy Clyro, maybes somewhere between Biffy and Empire State Bastard, but we play how we feel at the time. We’re mostly planning our heavier stuff for Bloodstock though.
Stage times haven’t been announced yet, so which other band do you most hope you’re not clashing with so you can see them play?
Chris: Matt might miss our set if we’re on at the same time as The Black Dahlia Murder! Fortunately for me, a lot of the bands that we’d risk clashing with are on the Friday and Saturday such as Waterlines, Machine Head and Heriot. I don’t think there’s a big risk of us clashing with Gojira and Mastodon, but I do fancy seeing August Burns Red, so hopefully we don’t clash with them.
Nick: Personally I’d have to say ‘thrown’ I discovered them last year and I genuinely hope I can catch them.
Matt: On the Sunday? Black Dahlia Murder, Mastodon & Gojira for sure. I’m hoping to catch Heriot, Kublai Khan TX & Emperor too.
Will: For me personally, Gojira are a one not to miss but there’s loads I want to see and soak in.
What are you working on at the moment?
Nick: Well currently we have a new longer EP/mini album that we have finished recording we’re just making some adjustments to the mixes.
Chris: Yeah we actually recorded them about a year and a half ago in a studio in Lincoln with Sam Cook, but my mam took ill and I got married last year… Actually my first year anniversary falls on the Bloodstock weekend… So it became difficult to mix it over a distance, so we asked Sam if we could take the mixes away to mix ourselves in our own time and he was happy to let us.
Matt: I’m deep in the trenches of mixing our new record, we don’t want to rush anything out. Our standards are ludicrous, it has to be perfect.
Chris: Hopefully, we’ll have it ready to release for the end of this year, beginning of next. Finances allowing.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
Nick: I don’t think I’m legally allowed to disclose that.
Chris: For me I think it’s watching the singer of The 900 jump from the stage of The Hairy Dog in Derby into the audience. It was absolutely nuts and to be honest, it wasn’t a sold out gig or anything so it was absolutely nuts to do. Genuinely thought he was going to die.
Matt: I’ve climbed my fair share of speaker cabs, stage supports, I’ve ended up in venue bathrooms, smoking areas or up fire escapes. I’m a little fidgety.
Will: Hanging from a lighting rig or stage scaffold is always dope!
What drink do you throw back to get yourself fired up before going on stage?
Chris: I’m the designated driver for our van; I drink when I get back to the hotel generally. That’s usually a single malt – Ablerlour or Tamnavulin Red Wine Cask edition or a cold Coors.
Nick: Honestly? Something icy cold. If I feel like I need a really big kick I’ll ask for a Jäger bomb, but I like to have a few drinks after I’ve been on stage.
Matt: Now a days? One-ish Guinness & a load of water. Post show tequila on the other hand…
Will: Mostly a red bull or Pepsi max, unless it’s my birthday then it’s a Newcastle Brown Ale
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