Sophie Lancaster Stage, Sunday
I swear that walking into the Sophie stage on Sunday morning, the ground was still bouncing from an absolutely stellar set from Static-X the night before. Either that, or my old legs were simply coming to terms with day four of Bloodstock…
Anyway, another morning meant another early set to take in, this time from Apathy UK. This was a band I hadn’t managed to listen to prior to Bloodstock, so I was catching them entirely cold, with very few preconceptions about what to expect.
Two things stood out during their set. Firstly, the level of musicianship wasn’t just exceptional — it was truly exceptional for such a young band. They mentioned that their first appearance at Bloodstock was four years ago, when they were just 16 years old. If that means they’re all around the 20-year-old mark now, then the potential this band has is staggering.
Secondly, despite their age, there was a maturity in their songwriting and a willingness to avoid some of the more stagnant tropes that — in my opinion — reflect a certain laziness in modern metal songwriting. For example, on a couple of occasions when I thought they were going to opt for a fairly generic hardcore/metalcore breakdown, they instead added drum patterns, lead breaks, or vocal passages as extra musical layers, giving the songs more depth overall.
Coming to Apathy UK with fresh ears, my impression was of a band influenced by thrash, hardcore, groove, and death metal, with a hint of more modern variants such as metalcore. The crowd certainly lapped it up, with a pit breaking out that included flailing limbs, circle pits, and a bit of, erm, dust wrestling.
Somewhere in their range of influences lies a sweet spot that could define a sound entirely their own. If they can build on their obvious musicianship, further develop their already mature songwriting, and distil those influences down to that sweet spot, we could be hearing much more about Apathy UK in the years to come.
And if they make it to the Bloodstock main stage in the future and it’s raining, maybe the dust wrestlers can repeat their antics — but in the mud!
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All pics by Sean Larkin
