As ever, we’re going to try and cover every single Jäger, New Blood and SOPHIE stage band before Bloodstock kicks off on August 10th. Your chance to check them out and start planning which bands to get there early for!
Trust us when we tell you that this is bound to result in some frustrating clashes because, as ever, there are some great bands on these three stages.
Our thanks to all the bands for taking the time out to answer our questions!
Blind River – Sophie Lancaster Stage, Saturday
Simple things first – Where are you guys from?
We’re dotted around the south counties of England. Some by choice, some by birth. Mostly because the pubs are prone to all night lock-ins.
How long have you guys been playing together?
Must be getting on for a year now. We’re pretty new to the scene, but have been around in various projects since time began. We’ve all spent many years ing each other at venues across the planet, and finally someone suggested we do something together. So here we are!
Where does the band name come from?
Legend has it, there’s a village in Kent that suffered an outbreak of glaucoma in the 15th century. It was considered an affliction from God upon sinners. The local vicar decided that the only cure for this was death by drowning in the river that flowed past the village church. Apparently he led each of the blind to their demise, “cleansing” the village of it’s godless kin. He eventually hung himself from the church belfry, unable to deal with his guilt. Or so the story goes!
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Classic rock. Blues rock. Heavy rock. All that makes rock n’ roll music good. Its uniqueness comes from its heart. Foot-stamping riffs and driving rhythms that offer up a pure, old school rock n’ roll energy.
What’s your live show like? Why are people going to watch you instead of another band?
Looks like we’re on early, so I guess it’s more of a case of “why are people going to watch us instead of sleeping off their hangovers”?! I can only say we’ll guarantee you a good show that will blow those broken, beer drenched brain cells out of your ears and set you up perfectly for the rest of your Bloodstock experience. It’s likely we’ll be just as hungover. us!
Have you played Bloodstock before? If so, when? And tell us about the experience.
Not as Blind River, but we’ve all played the festival in other bands such as Pig Iron, Head On, Earls of Mars, Godsized and Alzir. Looking forward to playing with this band!
How/when did you find out that you’d be playing the SOPHIE stage at Bloodstock?
By text message from our guitarist Chris! We’re stoked beyond belief. It’s such an honour for us to open that stage, with everything that it stands for. Especially as we seem to be the only band on the bill that has yet to release any recordings, albums, EP’s… not even a demo. The Bloodstock organizers have put a lot of faith in the little that they’ve heard from us, and we intend to repay them in blood, sweat and RIFFS!
What sort of setlist can we expect?
We’ve yet to be given the stage times, but you’ll get a minimum of thirty minutes of grooves and guitars that will get your feet tapping, heads nodding and faces grinning. We’ll wake you up with a wide vibe smile!
Which main stage band do you most hope you’re not clashing with so you can see them play?
You know what? I’m really looking forward to seeing Municipal Waste! Every time they play over here I keep missing them due to clashes or being out of town. This time I’m there… assuming there is no clash this time!
What are you working on at the moment?
More. Always more. We’re mainly focusing on getting our first official release ready. At the moment we’re unsure if that will be an EP or a full album. Kinda depends on cash flow. Buy a t-shirt, help us get it out sooner!
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done on tour?
That involves a certain Blind River guitar player, a backstage freeloader and a totem pole. I may disclose the rest of that story during our set at Bloodstock. The medium of print is too libellous for such a tale.
And finally, if you had to pick one drink, which would it be: Jager, Hobgoblin Ale, Kingstone Press Cider, Kaltenberg Beer, or Bulleit Bourbon? And yes, we will be counting all of the votes!
Bite the Bulleit. Bourbon for me, and if the others disagree, I’ll drink theirs for them!
Blind River: official | facebook | youtube
