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!
Godthyrmm – Sophie Lancaster Stage, Friday
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We’re based in and around Leeds. We all live pretty close together in comparison to some bands I’ve been in. We’re all in the same country for starters.
How long have you been playing together as a band?
Well, myself (Hamish) and Shaun have been playing together in bands for over twenty years now; most notably in My Dying Bride for many years. We wanted to work together again, and we have been creating music together as Godthrymm for about a year now.
Where does the name of the band come from?
Our old rhythm guitarist came up with the name; it means divine might or divine majesty. The main thing was finding something that hadn’t been used before. That’s quite a challenge these days when you’re trying to find a one word name. I’m kind of getting used to people saying and spelling it wrong…
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
We play crushing, emotive, riff-based metal delivered by a power trio. We’ve got a long and varied history in our previous bands and as such we bring an interesting mix of hard, honest, no nonsense doom metal.
What’s your live show like? Why are people going to watch you instead of another band?
People may want to check us out if they’ve appreciated our past bodies of work within Vallenfyre, My Dying Bride amongst others. Hopefully, they’ll stay because they appreciate that this is a new band with a strong and focused identity combining crushing power and mournful melody. We played a festival in just this last weekend, and whilst we started off playing to a good crowd, we finished playing to a great crowd!
Have you played Bloodstock before? If so, when?
I played the last indoor event with My Dying Bride; we were the last ever band to play the indoor Bloodstock festival as we closed the last night. I’ve since been back on a main stage slot with Vallenfyre.
How/when did you find out that you’d be playing the SOPHIE stage?
Not long after I’d approached BOA about playing. It’s a massive honour, and we’re so pleased to be playing.
What sort of setlist can we expect?
A distilled set of pure power and glorious riffs played by huge guitar tones and pounding drums.
Which other band do you most hope you’re not clashing with so you can see them play?
My dear friends in Memoriam- I think it’s pretty close though. I can’t wait to see Suicidal and Emperor again too.
What are you working on at the moment?
We’re in the studio recording a couple of new songs from the new lineup which we’re using to secure the exact right deal for the debut full length. Alongside this we’re booking as many shows as we can.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
I’ve seen James Hetfield watch from the side of the stage whilst I was playing guitar with My Dying Bride. That blew my mind. Up was down, left was right, cats and dogs living together…
Jäger, Hobgoblin Ale, Red Bull, Kingstone Press Cider, Kaltenberg Beer or Bulleit Bourbon? And, yes, we’ll be counting all the votes!
Cider on a summer’s day, thank you very much!
