Words: Dan Barnes, Neil Bolton, Tim Finch, Paul Hutchings, Richard Oliver
Photos: Tim Finch
Let’s be honest here – there was more than a few people who didn’t imagine this event would take place. With the lack of any coherent information about what was and what was not permissible and who could go where, there seemed like little chance any outdoor festival would get the go-ahead.
However, some relief came with the success of the Download Pilot back in June and, other than the ever-changing bill, Bloodstock 2021 seemed like it was a goer. The team had promised an extra day, with the festivities beginning on Wednesday with a five-band bill in the S.O.P.H.I.E. tent, being headlined by UK veterans Onslaught and including the final show from Bloodstock luminaries, Beholder, Raised By Owls, Anakim and a return (almost) to the scene of the crime for Ward XVI, whose Saturday morning show on the New Blood stage in 2017 very nearly stole the festival from under Ghost and Megadeth’s noses.
I arrived on site and was shocked at how organised the COVID precautions were; NHS passports were being checked and wristbands issued in a speedy manner so, before you know it, you’re in the main arena, the phone charging point to the left and the dodgems off to the right. As the sun beat down you could feel a palpable sense of relief around the field, as a few thousand punters poked their proverbial noses out and sniffed the free air.
So how would an Alice Cooper type show go down on the hallowed heavy metal fields of Bloodstock? (Daft question really as the man himself has headlined and killed it and few years ago.)
Following on from Beholder’s final show might have caused a few bands to take a sharp intake of breath but Bristolians Onslaught have a history and discography to compete with anyone in the UK metal scene. Like many playing across the weekend, this was their first live appearance since February 2020 and the first opportunity to air some of the tracks from the stunning ‘Generation Antichrist’. They soon demonstrated why, when they are on form, they are formidable.
A set list comprising tracks from the new album and a spread from across the decades was thrash perfection with Dave Garnett in superb voice, bringing new life to the older classics like ‘Killing Peace’ and ‘The Sound of Violence’. It was Nige Rockett, a stalwart of the band since 1983 who wore the biggest smile, as days like these don’t come around too often. Onslaught were drilled, tight and ferocious. Backed by a pyro set straight from Old Nick’s lair, two screens either side of the stage and a lightshow that worked in harmony with the band’s music, this was a real flexing of metal muscles with recent members Wayne Dorman and James Perry now completely ensconced in the line-up. Dorman’s lead breaks were amongst the best of the weekend whilst Perry’s powerhouse drumming anchored everything with an iron grip.
There was no main stage activity for Thursday and, although there were full programmes on the S.O.P.H.I.E., the New Blood and the Jagermeister stages. Having reviewed Urne‘s debut record for this very publication a couple of months back I was interested to see how the band would translate into a live setting. As it turned out: very well.
Tortured Demon have been hanging around the Jäger stage for some time today. Family members and fans wish good luck and press take photos all the while the crowd begins to build and swell. The audience has been drooling for this set for quite some time and it is now reaching far beyond the boundary of the canopy long before the lads kick into their first number ‘Desperation’s Grip’ and they hit the Machine Head flavoured thrash head on.
A lot has already been said concerning the young nature of these three performers so I have no need, apart from to say if you were in ear shot but not eye shot of the stage you would be none the wiser, their age is not apparent in their music.
Word trickled through on Wednesday that Bristol’s Mother Vulture had been another forced to withdraw due to positive tests. Last minute replacements Fury were already onsite to deliver their Friday night Heavy Duty set in the VIP bar, so it was a delight to discover that they moved into the opening slot on the Sophie Stage on Thursday morning.
Asking a band to step in at the last minute to a festival appearance is a risk. Saying yes to that request is also a risk. Not actually having a fully functioning band at the time of the performance makes saying ‘yes’ even more of a risk. With a stand-in guitar player and a drum machine, Elimination take on the Jäger stage with ease. Break neck thrash with graceful duelling guitar solos is consumed eagerly by the head banging onlookers. Faces of delight are worn upon existing fans and a look of “wow this is good” is adorned upon the uninitiated. Let me tell you, this band have no issue playing fast and a stand-in guitar player isn’t noticeable. Obviously a drum machine is not the ideal band member, but the seething wheelchair crowd surfing masses do not care one jot.
Another musician to release a lockdown album was Josh McMorran, leader of UK technical death metal outfit Bloodshot Dawn. McMorran’s solo project is called Forlorn World. Having released ‘Umbra’ last year, this was his debut show, and he enlisted some high-quality musicians to deliver it live. Last year when I spoke to Josh he was reserved about his clean vocals, having focused on strident death metal roaring for most of his recording career. His fears were certainly overstated, as he delivered the cleans well, the occasional wobble hardly noticed. I’m sure he’d be the first to admit that this is an area outside his comfort zone so kudos to him. Having seen Bloodshot Dawn several times in the past, it was strange to see Josh with only a microphone in hand, and at times, this new role appeared a little alien to him. But these are minor points, because the band he assembled around him pulled the set together with style.
The second night of Bloodstock and the second night that a thrash band took top billing. Lawnmower Deth sit in a different camp to Onslaught, but they hold a warm and fuzzy place in older thrashers hearts, and previous Bloodstock performances are now the stuff of legend. With over an hour to fill, this was a chaotic, anarchic but thoroughly absorbing set with old favourites mixed with four new tracks from the threatened new album. There was a positive response to all four new tracks, with frontman Pete Lee (Qualcast Mutilator) demanding thumbs up or down for each song.
Wednesday/Thursday Review [here]Friday Review [here]
Saturday Review [here]
Sunday Review [here]
Bloodstock Photo Gallery [here]
Band Interviews [here]
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