Friday really was something special at Bloodstock with that secret set, and finally acclimatising to the increasing temperatures meant that I could actually get some work done and enjoy a few bands on the Saturday. Thanks to our photographer Sean Larkin for ensuring I didn’t die overnight! Note for next year: Jagerbombs are not “fluids” in the same way that water is…
Saturday was again another busy day for us in the press area, and I had to play catch-up as Sean M and Shells had carried the can a fair bit on Friday so that I could go an play human ping pong in the moshpit. I still had a chance to wander around and check out of the great bands on all four stages. Lost Society blew me away on the main stage with their early morning energy. Finns are mad. If they’re not driving cars at insane speeds in the snow then they’re going mental in under the hottest sun Derbyshire has ever seen, and getting a crowd going while they’re at it.
Sister Shotgun opened the Sophie stage and I caught far too little of their own energetic set due to press tent commitments. I’m glad I saw the tiny smidgen I did, though. Definitely a band I’ll be looking out for in future. Over at the New Blood Stage, I managed to see a handful of acts again, and as ever there was not one disappointment. I namechecked many of them in the previous article, but repeated mentions to Prolapse AD, Novacrow, Draconian Reign, and Fyresky. Oh, and Portrayal of Ruinn were heavy. Like, really heavy. Oh, and I managed to see about half of Cast In Tephra‘s set as well, which was one half too little. Next time, guys.
If you like what we do, consider joining us on Patreon for as little as £1 per month!
I confess that this year I didn’t spend as much time as I’d have liked at the Jager stage, but I did whizz past while Boz, Solar Sons and Master Charger were playing and all sounded good! Note for 2023: more time under the orange awning.
As the day progressed and the interviews petered out, I spent a very enjoyable early evening in the VIP tent sampling the beverages before being taken to the Sophie tent to see Ferocious Dog, a band I’d not heard of but should have as we’d been sent their album to review earlier in the year. Ross was impressed by them opening for The Wildhearts some time ago, and I was at least as impressed today. A fantastic blend of folk and punk which puts them in the same obvious bracket as Dropkick Murphys but with very much a sound of their own. Bouncy, tuneful, catchy as all hell and still angry, the focus on their sound is very much the “punk” part. After their hugely enjoyable set, we ended up talking to a couple who actually live 5 minutes walk from where I work. Small world!
I’m going to get some shit for the next but, but I’m sorry… Mercyful Fate were awful. OK, I’m a teacher and we’re encouraged to give positive feedback: two stars and a wish. Well, my two stars are the guitarists and my wish is that King Diamond stops trying to be Rob Halford on helium and realises that it’s OK to sing 12 octaves lower now and again. Sorry, I know he’s a huge figure in metal, and I know he’s a lovely guy by all reports. But… no. Not for me.
Don’t fancy Patreon? Buy us a one-off beverage!
Rounding off the night I finally gave that Jager stage the attention it deserved. One of my “to see” bands of the weekend were The Kunts, featuring the disgusting potty mouth of frontman Kunt And The Gang and acoustic backing. This was their first Bloodstock performance after Kunt himself had played Download a few times in the past. The crowd around the stage was very deep by the time I got there, but I managed to squeeze in fairly close to the front as the crowd chanted his name and the late night festivities kicked off with “Lonely Wank In A Travelodge”.
The set absolutely blasted past. My ribs and throat were aching by the end, and I genuinely couldn’t believe it when the show came to a close. I looked at my phone and, yes, a whole hour had passed in the blink of an eye. Completely inappropriate, rude, tasteless, borderline legal and the funniest thing I’ve seen at Bloodstock since… Mercyful Fate. (#sorrynotsorry)
As the temperatures dropped to something approaching what they should have been around midday, we headed back to Sean’s (via McD’s) to try and recover for the final day.
Header image by Sean Larkin Photography
wpDiscuz