Bloodstock Open Air: 2009

[DFF]

The other festivals have a thread, so I thought 'why not?'.

This year'll be the first time I'm going. I've heard good things about it (one mate of mine, that does 10-12 festivals a year - no joke - said it's the friendliest of all the festivals he's been too), and the line-up seem pretty good.

Here's what we've got so far:

Friday

Arch Enemy

Carcass

Katatonia

Municipal Waste

Saxon

Battlelore

Die Apokalyptischen Reiter

Million Dollar Reload

Sabaton

Saturday

Apocalyptica

Candlemass

Enslaved

Kreator

Blind Guardian

Cradle of Filth

Girlschool

The Haunted

Beholder (Sophie Lancaster Stage)

Pythia (Sophie Lancaster Stage)

Sunday

Amon Amarth

Europe

Moonspell

Turisas

Equilibrium

GWAR

Satyricon

The Sunday looks pretty damn sweet - in particular Amon, Europe and Turisas. I'm also looking forward to seeing Blind Guardian, as well as seeing Saxon again.

So, thoughts? Anyone else going?

[K]

That does look really good actually.

[DFF]

Okay, a bit of a bump but they've since announced a fair few more bands. Though, admittedly, a lot are second stage fodder. Some bands have switched days (and stages) too.

New additions in bold.

Friday

Main Stage

Arch Enemy

Carcass

Insomnium

Katatonia

Municipal Waste

Saxon

Battlelore

Die Apokalyptischen Reiter

Million Dollar Reload

Bloodstock Unsigned Stage

Bisonhammer

Divine Chaos

Snakebite

Ventflow

Bloodshot Dawn

Gods of Hellfire

The Green River Project

Saturday

Main Stage

Apocalyptica

Candlemass

Enslaved

Kreator

Blind Guardian

Cradle of Filth

Girlschool

The Haunted

Wolf

Entombed

Sophie Lancaster Stage

Pythia

Celesty

Arthemis

Godsized

The Rotted

Tribe

Bloodstock Unsigned

Alternative Carpark

Internal Conflict

Primitive Graven Image

Switch Blade Scream

Vallenbrosa

Inner Eden

Nefarious

Solsikk

They Will Rise

Sunday

Amon Amarth

Europe

Moonspell

Turisas

Equilibrium

GWAR

Satyricon

Sabaton

Anathema

Bloodstock Unsigned

Biomortal

Sanctorum

Nya

I like how the main stages are filling out. Could still do with maybe one more decent sized name but, all-in-all, it's looking pretty sweet. Got plenty of bands to check out for the unsigned stages too - even if a lot on the Saturday have the worst band names ever.

[Dont Fear The Reaper]

Just bought my ticket for this, I need to sort out transport though which may be a hassle. Any EWB'ers going who fancy offering a lift?

[DFF]

Stage times have been announced!

Thursday 13th August

SOPHIE LANCASTER STAGE

12.00 - 19.25 4 DJ’s of the Apocalypse

19.30 - 19.55 LOU SAFFIRE Comedian

19.55 - 20.35 DOC INSANE

20.35 - 21.30 4DJ’S OF THE APOCALYPSE

21.30 - 21.50 LOU SAFFIRE - COMEDIAN

21.50 - 22.30 FUEL GIRLS

22.30 - 02.00 4DJ’S OF THE APOCALYPSE

Friday 14th August

Main Stage

11.00 - 11.30 MILLION DOLLAR RELOAD

12.00 - 12.30 BLITZKRIEG

12.55 - 13.35 INSOMNIUM

14.00 - 14.40 DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER

15.05 - 15.50 MUNICIPAL WASTE

16.20 - 17.05 KATATONIA

17.35 - 18.20 SODOM

18.50 - 19.50 SAXON

20.25 - 21.40 ARCH ENEMY

22.15 - 23.30 CARCASS

BLOODSTOCK UNSIGNED STAGE

11.30 - 12.00 VENTFLOW

12.15 - 12.45 BISON HAMMER

13.00 - 13.30 BLOODSHOT DAWN

13.45 - 14.15 LEFT TO BLEED

14.30 - 15.00 DIVINE CHAOS

15.15 - 15.45 SNAKEBITE

16.00 - 16.30 ALTERNATIVE CARPARK

16.45 - 17.15 BLINDFOLDS ASIDE

17.30 - 18.00 GODS OF HELLFIRE

18.15 - 18.45 GREEN RIVER PROJECT

19.00 - 19.30 VALLENBROSA

SOPHIE LANCASTER STAGE

11.00 - 16.00 GUITAR HERO FREEPLAY

16.05 - 18.00 4 DJ’S OF THE APOCALYPSE

18.00 - 18.40 GODSIZED

19.00 - 19.40 XERATH

20.00 - 20.40 MALEFICE

21.00 - 21.40 PYTHIA

22.00 - 23.30 4 DJ’S OF THE APOCALYPSE plus guest DJ’s

23.30 - 01.30 BLOODSTOCK KARAOKE

Saturday 15th August

Main Stage

10.30 - 10.50 UNCLE ROTTER

11.10 - 11.40 BATTLELORE

12.00 - 12.30 WOLF

12.50 - 13.30 THE HAUNTED

13.55 - 14.35 ENTOMBED

15.00 - 15.45 CANDLEMASS

16.15 - 17.00 ENSLAVED

17.30 - 18.15 KREATOR

18.45 - 19.45 APOCALYPTICA

20.20 - 21.35 BLIND GUARDIAN

22.10 - 23.25 CRADLE OF FILTH

BLOODSTOCK UNSIGNED STAGE

11.30 - 12.00 THEY WILL RISE

12.15 - 12.45 NEFARIOUS

13.00 - 13.30 NIYAH SKY

13.45 - 14.15 SWITCHBLADE SCREAM

14.30 - 15.00 INTERNAL CONFLICT

15.15 - 15.45 SANCTORUM

16.00 - 16.30 INNER EDEN

16.45 - 17.15 OMT

17.30 - 18.00 SOLSIKK

18.15 - 18.45 THE HUNTED

19.00 - 19.30 SEVERED HEAVEN

19.30 ANNOUNCE WINNER OF M2TM’S WACKEN SLOT

SOPHIE LANCASTER STAGE

11.00 - 16.00 GUITAR HERO FINALS

16.05 - 17.55 4 DJ’s of The Apocalypse

18.00 - 18.40 CELESTY

19.00 - 19.40 ARTHEMIS

20.00 - 20.40 ABGOTT

21.00 - 21.40 THE ROTTED

21.40 - 23.30 4 DJs of the Apocalypse Plus special guest DJs*

23.30 - 01.30 Bloodstock Karaoke

01.30 - 02.00 4 DJs of the Apocalypse

Sunday 16th August

Main Stage

11.00 - 11.30 BEHOLDER

11.55 - 12.25 SABATON

12.50 - 13.30 GIRLSCHOOL

13.55 - 14.35 EQUILIBRIUM

15.05 - 15.50 ANATHEMA

16.20 - 17.05 TURISAS

17.35 - 18.20 MOONSPELL

18.50 - 19.50 AMON AMARTH

20.20 - 21.20 SATYRICON

22.00 - 23.30 EUROPE

BLOODSTOCK UNSIGNED STAGE

11.30 - 12.00 EIBON LA FURIES

12.15 - 12.45 AGONYST

13.00 - 13.30 ANNWN

13.45 - 14.15 TRIAXIS

14.30 - 15.00 LONG TIME DEAD

15.15 - 15.45 PRIMITIVE GRAVEN IMAGE

16.00 - 16.30 SOWER

16.45 - 17.15 BIOMORTAL

17.30 - 18.00 NIGHTMARE WORLD

18.15 - 18.45 INTO THE WOODS

19.00 - 19.30 NYA

SOPHIE LANCASTER STAGE

11.00 - 16.00 GUITAR HERO FREEPLAY

16.05 - 17.55 4 DJ’s of the Apocalypse

18.00 - 18.40 ANTERIOR

19.00 - 19.40 DARKNESS DYNAMITE

20.00 - 20.40 TRIBE

21.00 - 21.40 EDEN'S CURSE

22.10 - 23.30 4 DJs of the Apocalypse

23.30 - 01.30 Bloodstock Karaoke

01.30 - 02.00 4 DJs of the Apocalypse</div>

from: http://www.bloodstock.uk.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=18450&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

I'm surprised at how little time Battlelore have been given and am disappointed that Satyricon has been given the subheadliner slot on the Sunday over Amon Amarth. Oh, and Moonspell higher than Turisas!?!

On the flip side I'm glad Saxon have a nice length set and the line-up overall isn't bad.

Edited August 11, 2009 by DFF/WFS

[Timmoru Suzuki]

Europe have an hour and a half to play The Final Countdown? >_>

Joking aside, some nice bands there. Have fun!

Edited August 3, 2009 by Hiroshi Timmihashi

[lanky316]

I'm hoping to go, my brother screwed up his work schedule and is having hell getting the dat off, which means I may get lucky. Hope so since it looks like another good lineup.

[Dont Fear The Reaper]

4 days to go! Oh, whats the policy of bringing alcohol at BOA?

[Bron Yr Aur]

Saxon? Really? I had no idea they were still kickin'. 1976 seems so far away, afterall.

The Saturday show looks pretty fucking epic. Cradle, Entombed, Enslaved, and Kreator? Bollocks to Blind Guardian, personally.

Sunday would be awesome... GWAR and Satyricon. Fuck around.

[DFF]

Saxon? Really? I had no idea they were still kickin'. 1976 seems so far away, afterall.

The Saturday show looks pretty fucking epic. Cradle, Entombed, Enslaved, and Kreator? Bollocks to Blind Guardian, personally.

Sunday would be awesome... GWAR and Satyricon. Fuck around.

GWAR have since pulled out. I think the reasoning was something to do with the fact they've go a new album out shortly.

[DFF]

4 days to go! Oh, whats the policy of bringing alcohol at BOA?

I believe it's one crate (of beer/lager) per person - I don't know bout spirits, etc.

[DFF]

Okay guys, I'm setting off in a couple of hours. If anyone wants an EWB meet up then drop me a PM. Otherwise, enjoy the festival

[GA!]

When you see this DFF, do you know what happened with Cradle of Filth? I heard they cut their set short as one of the members got KO'ed with an object from the crowd.

[DFF]

When you see this DFF, do you know what happened with Cradle of Filth? I heard they cut their set short as one of the members got KO'ed with an object from the crowd.

Aye, I saw the incident in question (and have since found out the full story).

Basically someone threw one of those giant cricket ball sized gobstoppers on stage. It hit one of the guitarists in the small of the back. He immediately arched it and did look hurt a bit. He walked off and was - I've since been informed - taken to hospital as a precaution (he's fine - just bad bruising). This was mid-song. Cradle finished up the song and walked off and the PA guy announced that for security reasons that the night was over. For the record, despite the hostility that Cradle got from some people, most seemed to agree with the decision.

I'll put a review of the bands I saw up in a bit.

[DFF]

Here's what I put up on my Facebook Notes:

2009 signalled my first ventured to Catton Hall in southern Derbyshire for the Bloodstock Open Air Festival. I've got to say, my initial impressions of how the weekend went are leading me to believe that it *may* be better than Download. It's certainly both more relaxed and has a friendlier atmosphere.

As usual with all things festivaly, here are my thoughts on the bands I caught:

Friday

Blitzkrieg - A really, really good choice to open the festival. For those who don't know, they are an oldschool heavy metal band from the NWOBHM-era. From a solid opening, they went from strength to strength the more they played.

Million $ Reload - Only caught maybe 1 song by them. A bit crap tbh, too worried about posing and not enough concentrating on playing... or song writing...

Bison Hammer - We went to see these on the unsigned stage simply because they have a cool name. Not bad from what we caught. They are kind of like a Pantera-y, Lamb of God-y, shout-y, angry-y, metal hybrid - from Ireland. Good at what they did if not to our particular taste and they could be big a few years.

Insomnium - I wasn't massively keen on these and they came across a tad one dimensional. Not awful, mind.

Blitzkrieg (acoustic) - To call the Jagermeister truck an acoustic 'stage' would be somewhat of a misrepresentation. It's more like a bar crossed with a market stall - then made smaller. Still, that didn't deter Blitzkrieg who basically played 3/4 of their set from earlier and were once again bloody good.

Katatonia - Only caught the last two songs due to the above acoustic set, but they seemed decen, if unspectacular.

Gods of Hellfire - OTT vocalist that thought he was a bit better than he actually was spoilt what was otherwise a decent effort from an average band.

Pythia (acoustic) - Back to the Jager stand for some more acousticy stuff. I thought they were okay, and had a bit of potential, but came off quite amateurish on he whole. Gordy wasn't impressed.

Saxon - IMMENSE. These guys showed how you do old school metal and the crowd lapped up every second. A strong contender for band of the weekend.

Arch Enemy - Never used to be much of a fan, but by damn they were tight. Played good versions of Dead Eyes See No Future, Nemesis and We Will Rise, amongst others.

Carcass - The epitome of bland. The vocalist had no real range and was very samey structurally. The rest of the band were okay on the fleeting moments that they were allowed to show off a little. In all honesty, they should have been switched with Saxon placement wise going both on quality and crowd reaction.

Saturday

Battlelore - LOTR inspired band. The male singer (read: growler) was both decent and making an effort. Unfortunately the female lead was simple average and/or not trying. An okay opener.

Wolf - Pretty good with some catchy songs, including a great effort with 'Voodoo'.

Candlemass - Really, really, really good once they got going. I've never been much of a doom fan, but these guys brought their A-game and their slow, Sabbath style chugs went down well.

Celesty - Brilliant power metal band that sound like a cross between Blind Guardian and Sonata Arctica. Packed out the Sophie Lancaster Stage (tent) and would not have been out of place had they been on the main stage. Definitely a must if you like power/melodic metal.

Apocalyptica - I was worried that they would be too much of a novelty act, but the worries were unfounded after the Fins turned in a solid, entertaining performance. A band should try and see once at some point.

Blind Guardian - Took the musicianship to another level. A very slick performance from a very popular band.

Cradle of Filth - Not my kind of thing usually, but I have to say I quite enjoyed them (whilst they were on). Unfortunately had to curtail their set after one of the guitarists was injured by a missile from the crowd. Seriously, some people are just morons.

Sunday

Beholder - A decent opening band. They've got potential but, at places, tried to stretch themselves too far/try too much. Still, with a bit of polish they could be a good band. A diamond in the rough.

Sabaton - Another contender for band of the weekend. Placed criminally low in their slot, the Swedes drew a pretty big crowd (much bigger than other bands at a similar point in the day over the weekend). Placed their set out with great professionalism and pomp and were a massive crowd favourite - should have been 3 or 4 slots higher.

Girlschool - Didn't start with many watching, but ended up with a fair few by the end. A solid, if a tad nostalgic, was their performance. Did themselves credit after the flak the band received after being announced.

Equilibrium - A folky, deathy, blacky kind of party band. Vocalist's mic was a bit quiet, but that ended up helping bring to the forefront their ultra melodic backing. Went down well with the crowd who had a few pits going for them at times.

Anathema - Can't really comment as I only saw the last song. Was okay.

Turisas - A shit hot performance from the viking metallers and a brilliant way to close their Varangian Way tour which they have been on for 2 years now. Miklagard Overture was the perfect set closer and was a great indicator of what you get with Turisas - clean and growly vocals with a helluva lot of epic-ness. :-D

Moonspell - Saw 2 or 3 songs. They were okay, but I'd have preferred Wintersun to still be playing the festival instead of them. Still, not bad.

Amon Amarth - Very good performance from the melodic death metallers from Sweden. In a touching moment, the lead singer lead the crowd in a rendition of happy birthday for a fan.

Europe - Answered the critics and shut up the haters with a good performance, including a blinding rendition of the Final Countdown to close. The song even managed to get a massive circle pit!

All in all it was a great weekend. I could have seen more bands if I wanted to, but what I saw was enough to convince me that - line ups aside - Bloodstock is probably a fair whack *nicer* than Download. For me, personally, the line-up was awesome too.

Bands of the weekend: Blitzkrieg, Saxon, Arch Enemy, Celesty, Blind Guardian, Equilibrium, Turisas, Sabaton.

Honourable mentions to: Candlemass, Apocalyptica, Amon Amarth, Europe.

Overall I'd probably have to say that Saxon, Sabaton and Turisas kicked the most arse.

\\m// ( (><) ) \\m//

[Dont Fear The Reaper]

It was a fucking fantastic weekend. Thoroughly enjoyed myself and ill definately be back next year.

Oh, if you saw a guy in a pink wig, tutu and fluffy leg warmers and a Jack Daniels cutoff tee. That was me >.<