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!
Criminal – Sophie Lancaster Stage, Sunday
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
The band is originally from Chile, but nowadays it’s UK-based, and the line-up is half Chilean and half British.
How long have you been playing together as a band?
The band first got together in late 1991, but the first time we played live was in April 1992, opening for Kreator. I know, a long time ago!
Where does the name of the band come from?
When we started we wanted a name that sounded aggressive and perhaps unconsciously we were looking for something that sounded similar to Slayer or one of their songs, but it was also important to us that it was the same in English and Spanish.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
I think we strike a perfect balance between thrash, hardcore and death metal. Nowadays everyone is trying to be “deep” and “artsy”, so I guess the fact that we have stuck to our guns makes us unique.
What’s your live show like? Why are people going to watch you instead of another band?
It’s just full on. Someone once described it as “being punched in the face really hard”. We don’t have any gimmicks, it’s just us and the music.
Have you played Bloodstock before? If so, when?
Yes, we played a few years ago and it was a great experience. It’s a very cool festival and pretty much the perfect size – not too big and not too small. I before we played, Tomas from At The Gates gave us a shoutout so that was pretty cool and probably sent a few people our way.
How/when did you find out that you’d be playing the SOPHIE stage?
Just a couple weeks ago. It’s cool, we played there the last time as well and it’s great.
What sort of setlist can we expect?
We will be playing songs from our most recent album Fear Itself obviously, but we’ll also go far back in time and do some stuff from the first couple of albums, stuff that most people don’t know but I think they’ll appreciate it.
Which main stage band do you most hope you’re not clashing with so you can see them play?
I always like to watch Obituary. I’ve seen them a bunch of times, but it’s always cool to see them again. Redneck death metal!
What are you working on at the moment?
At the moment I’m on vacation to be honest, so just working on a beer bottle, ha!
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done on tour?
Wow, the wildest thing I can’t tell, that’s for sure. Let’s just say we don’t shy away from a good party, hahaha!
Jäger, Hobgoblin Ale, Kraken, Kingstone Press Cider, Kaltenberg Beer or Bulleit Bourbon? And, yes, we’ll be counting all the votes!
I try to stay away from strong liquor these days, so it would probably have to be Hobgoblin for me!
