As so eloquently put by the fantastic PR team, “What better to see the back of 387 days of chilly days of January than Bloodstock announcing the final Ronnie James Dio main stage and Sophie Lancaster stage bands joining the bill“. They aren’t wrong, last years Bloodstock brought the heat of a desert which feels a world away right now with these temperatures, so let’s hope the announcement here does the job of warming you until those days return.
Friday see’s Hampshire doom heroes Witchsorrow start the day in fantastic fashion on the RJD stage, slow and heavy, the trio are a superb way to clear the Thursday evenings hangovers. Also following on the RJD stage come Wytch Hazel with spin on rock/metal, and Polish blackened death metallers Hate.
Saturday gains two new additions to the Ronnie James Dio stage, Swedish rockers Royal Republic, and finally making their debut to the festival, Employed to Serve, vocalist Justine Jones shared her excitement; “We’re delighted to announce that we are playing Bloodstock for the very first time. We can’t wait to fly the flag for heavy metal along with the world’s finest talent on the main stage. See you in the pit!“.
Sunday has the welcome fusion of goth, black and death metal in the form of Swedish group Tribulation.
The Sophie Lancaster stage gets a great bolstering over the weekend also, sadly we lose Whitechapel who are unable to appear, but we receive the some doom of epic proportions in place with Candlemass, taking not just a headline position, but also making it a UK exclusive performance. Also taking positions on Fridays bill are death metal outfit Bloodyard, black metal/crust punk Wolfbastard, nu-metalcore Black Coast, Austrian ska-punk Russkaja, the extreme Gaerea from Portugal and lastly, from Canada, Striker.
A final Saturday slot on the Sophie Lancaster stage has been handed to Skin Failure to get your fix of all things thrash/hardcore.
As added entertainment goes, we’ve had medieval re-enactors and strongman competitions, in 2023 however, comes the invasion of the Vikings. One on one and team battles will commence all weekend to determine who takes the crown as victors of Bloodstock. Full on contact, with authentic armour and real weaponry, there will be no staging or choreographed action, this will see the use of all sorts of dark age weaponry including sword and shield, spears, axes, and the dreaded Dane axe. Aside from just battles, Bloodstock fans will have the luxury of meeting warriors of the Blodorn, Hrafn and Halda across the weekend for all your questions regarding weaponry, armour, and history of the Viking age, not to mention all the selfie opportunities.
The coming weeks will see the news of more onsite entertainment, and of course, the results and conclusions of the most superb Metal to the Masses providing us the greatest of deserve to be known bands with the Hobgoblin stage.
Festaff are accepting applications from February 1st, a fantastic opportunity to earn experience pulling a couple of shifts working at Bloodstock, with the rest of the weekend being free for you to enjoy. You can find more information along with the application (when open) here: https://www.festaff.co.uk/applications
For those that can only make a day, those that have never attended and looking to dip their toe in, or for those that aren’t quite sold on the full weekend. Limited day tickets will go on sale from 9am GMT February first in the ticket store. Adult day tickets will be available for £75, and for those with families, child tickets for £25, with those under 4 welcome for free (plus booking fees).
Standard tickets are currently still available, but both VIP and Camper van tickets of sold out. Those wanting to take advantage of the deposit scheme, you currently have three weeks left to sign up and spread the cost of tickets over six months. Final date for the initial deposit will be February 21st with the payment being taken upon sign up between now and then. With the sign up payment of £34.50 and five further payments after of £27.50 debited from your account on the dates 28th of March, 28th of April, 29th of May, 28th of June and a final payment on the 28th of July. You can view all ticket options and further details on the deposit scheme, as well as make your purchases here.
Bloodstock Open Air festival takes place at Catton Hall, Derbyshire on the 10th to 13th of August 2023. For all full information and FAQs, check out their official site: www.bloodstock.uk.com
