As ever, we’re going to try and cover every single Jäger, New Blood and SOPHIE stage band before Bloodstock kicks off on August 9th. 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!
Drudge – Hobgoblin New Blood Stage, Sunday
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
Drudge are from Whitehaven in desolate West Cumbria.
How long have you been playing together as a band?
We’ve been together as Drudge for a little over 2 years but have been jamming together and playing together on the local scene for 10 years.
Where does the name of the band come from?
It just seemed to fit the vibe of the band very well! People usually have a feel for how we’re going to sound by the name and logos which is really cool.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
The unique twin vocal harmony approach pays homage to the likes of Alice in Chains however the soul of this band lies in the Sabbath-esque riff worshipping. Drudge have been likened to Orange Goblin, Corrosion of Conformity and Clutch.
What’s your live show like? Why are people going to watch you instead of another band?
A high energy wall of decibels! Although we’re mainly described as stoner we’re certainly not downtempo so it’s the perfect soundtrack for drinking beers and mosh pits! Plus we guarantee at least one chorus will be stuck in your head for at least the rest of the festival!
Have you been to Bloodstock before? What did you think?
Yes! Our guitarist Andrew Fitzsimons played there last year with Seek Solace in Ruin and we have been attending since the early days of BOA in 2006. It sounds corny but it really is a dream come true to play here at this stage in our band career as we’ve watched the festival grow and develop into what it is today. The hospitality as an artist was unbelievable and the crew were fantastic. It is the best festival for atmosphere and line up. There is no greater feeling than sitting outside the Lemmy bar with the first beer of the day!
Did you enter M2TM thinking you could win it? Which region did you win, or did you come through other channels?
We won the Carlisle heat which served all of Cumbria and South Scotland. Even a band from Poland entered and flew over for the initial heat called N3rve. That is crazy dedication and really shows the desire for all participants to win! This is our second time on the final and we feel we are much stronger this year. We’re immensely proud of our music and I think the ion and drive to win really showed. So yes we did believe in ourselves.
What sort of setlist can we expect?
We’ve been very busy writing and we always keep things fresh but the fan favourite singalong “Last Orders” and “Cosmic Goddess” will, of course, be in there. It will be 30 minutes of our absolute best that’s for sure!
Which other bands do you most hope you’re not squished up next to so you can see them play?
Always look forward to hearing something new and becoming a new fan so we’ll be spending a good bit of time checking out the New Blood. It’s been good seeing who the winners are and checking them out online. Through that, I’m looking forward to checking out King Bison. Of course, we’ll be watching the big acts as well. Really looking forward to Judas Priest, Cannibal Corpse, Gojira and Limb are some of our highlights for the weekend. Our friends in Damaged Reich are also playing the Jager stage so we’ll be heckling them.
What are you working on at the moment?
We’ve just released the title track from our forthcoming EP Cosmic Goddess. This is available on Spotify, iTunes, Google Play etc. Listening to it will tell you what we’re all about! The rest will be released prior to Bloodstock.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
Wildest thing I’ve seen was someone crowd surfing in a dinghy to Alestorm. I’m hoping for a repeat at Bloodstock this year! Closely followed by Simon Hall’s facial expression when he had to catch 350+ people crowd surfing (me included) to Municipal Waste last year at BOA
Jager, Hobgoblin Ale, Red Bull, Kingstone Press Cider, Kaltenberg Beer or Bulleit Bourbon? And, yes, we’ll be counting all the votes!
You should really consume them all daily for your balanced festival diet rather than sticking to one thing. Number 1 for us is Hobgoblin as it’s ideal for drinking all day. We supplement with a few tactical Jagers throughout the day though.
Drudge: facebook | spotify | youtube
