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!
Ethyrfield – Hobgoblin New Blood Stage, Sunday
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We are all from the South West, Newton Abbot in Devon.
How long have you been playing together as a band?
Zach and Ben have been playing together for quite a few years before they were introduced to Dan in 2014 and this is when the band was formed. They formed the band to be original and not a covers band, so have been writing songs ever since they formed, plus songs they’d written prior to forming the band.
Where does the name of the band come from?
The name of the band was thought of by Zach, there is no meaning behind it, they just thought it sounded cool.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Their music encomes different genres based on the bands they listen to, progressive rock, grunge and metal. Zach says he likes to think of our music as blending of different styles. Like Soundgarden, Alice in Chains and, especially Ben, Dream Theater.
What’s your live show like? Why are people going to watch you instead of another band?
On their live shows, all of the band are full of energy and this helps them engage with the audience. Having split time signatures gives their music a different slant, but still maintaining a melodic tune with harmonies.
Have you been to Bloodstock before? What did you think?
They have never been to Bloodstock but heard great things from other musicians they know who have played there.
Did you enter M2TM thinking you could win it? Which region did you win, or did you come through other channels?
They entered Metal 2 The Masses not thinking they were going to win and were treating it as another gig. The other bands were brilliant and all worthy of Bloodstock. When they won, they were gobsmacked and extremely pleased to be playing at Bloodstock. Zach says he didn’t think they would win due to the competition of the other bands.
What sort of setlist can we expect?
Their set list consists of their own material that has been written over the last 18 months. These will include two from their current EP – “Show Me God” and “Bag of Bones” – plus other tunes like “Taurus” with complicated split time signatures but still with the metal genre clearly being heard.
Which other bands do you most hope you’re not squished up next to so you can see them play?
Gojira, Judas Priest, Nightwish, Mr Big as they are pretty special. We have also heard a lot of good things about the New Zealand band Alien Weaponry and hope to get to meet them.
What are you working on at the moment?
They are working on new material at the moment and hoping to get another EP out soon.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
They cannot answer that one yet, but sure they’ll have some stories to tell a little later on.
