An annual pilgrimage, a field in deepest darkest Derbyshire and as much metal as you can physically absorb for four days must mean only one thing, it was time for Bloodstock 2024.
With the Thursday historically serving in recent years as an amuse-bouche, Bloodstock seems to have stepped it up a gear this year and served us an evening more akin to an entrée consisting of underground household names, which were enough to get the juices following of any self-respecting metal head. It was time to pack up your camping chair, grab a beer, make some new friends and bagsy yourself a spot in the Sophie Lancaster tent. The time had finally come for Bloodstock.
As I set foot on the hallowed turf of Catton Hall, I couldn’t help but take a minute and savour the moment. Catton Hall and all of its surroundings were looking good, and it felt amazing to be back, back at the place that so many of us now call ‘home’ and back at the best weekend of the year, especially now that you were greeted by a humongous bomber suspended high above the entrance to the festival in honour of Mr Lemmy Kilmister.
As the hands marched their way past the seventeenth hour, the house lights in the tent dimmed. We were hit with the Prog Thrash crossover of Belfast’s very own Acid Age and the first of a few bands who have stepped up from the infamous New Blood Stage to the grander and more impressive Sophie Lancaster Stage. The tent was absolutely rammed for the onslaught that followed, and the band used their allotted forty minutes to the absolute max, engaging with the crowd and pushing out riffs as if their lives depended on it, one after the other, almost stacking on top of each other each subliminally commanding the crowd to get wilder and wilder. A swirling circle pit pretty much took up residence for the whole of the set, and the response that was afforded from the floor to the stage was impressive, to say the least.
Next up were Tailgunner, and after a brief respite, we were plunged into darkness, illuminated only as shadows by the piercing lighting rig above the stage. As the band hit the stage it was impossible to not let the Heavy Metal envelop you and soak into your very being, Cairns stalked the stage, commanding it with obvious ease and dexterity while the flanks were well managed by the strings, each faction contributing to the catchy riffs and dominating bass lines. Hewson, the last man standing from the OG lineup, manipulated his thicker strings with passion and muscle while Salvini and Thompson controlled their fretboards with a flamboyant authority. Another successful set only added to the momentum that the evening was gaining, all of which intensified the emotion, which was definitely amping up on site.
Next up, it was time for some British Hard Rock courtesy of South of Salem, another band who have climbed the dizzy heights from the New Blood Stage in 2021 to the Sophie Stage today, and the response this horror crew received was nothing less than impressively imposing. The stage was set with coffins and cheerleaders, and the rockers propelled out of the wings with titanium intent, absolutely piercing our souls with their Punk-tinged brand of horror Rock. Each band member was dominating their ground with pride and passion, nailing every riff and chord with dynamite precision, working the crowd with a demanding influence and endearing charm. The hour long set absolutely flew by, and before we knew it, we were saying our fond farewells to the South Coast residents. I was left with the overarching and overwhelming feeling that I needed to research when and where I am logistically able to catch South of Salem in the live setting once again because they simply never disappoint.
One of my most anticipated bands of the weekend, Hellripper, were next, and I was not disappointed. From the moment the opening riff of ‘All Hail The Goat’ was laid upon us, McBain did not relent one iota. McBain et al absolutely pummelled us with their blackened Speed Metal and the gathered masses went absolutely crazy, the floor broke out into multiple pits throughout the set and this seemed to only inspire the band to go even faster and even harder with the intricate precision of their fretboards. The vocals from McBain were caustic and fierce; each word spat out with dominance and crushing potency, which was mesmeric and entrancing. A definite highlight for me was the absolutely behemothic and anthemic ‘Bastard Of Hades’; its construction was hypnotic and enchanting and captivated me with its muscular charisma and compulsive magnetism. A truly successful set and one which will undoubtedly go down in the history of Bloodstock as one to remember: absolute perfection
It was with a heavy heart that due to unavoidable logistics I had to call it a night and finish my first day there, I would have loved to have caught Evergrey but alas, which ever way I tried to work it I had to admit defeat. So, as I retreated from the site and simply reflected on an absolutely awe inspiring first day, I merely wished for nothing more than the earth to hurry up and rotate around its axis and bring on day two.
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