It’s that time of year again, when in the run-up to Bloodstock we endeavour to interview every band gracing the Sophie Lancaster, New Blood and Jägermeister stages from 8th – 11th August 2019. This means you’ve got a chance to read up on all your favourite bands set to play over the weekend and decide which new ones you’ll want to check out.
As ever, we’re predicting some horrible clashes because, true to form, there are some great bands across all three stages so you should start planning who you want to see.
Our thanks to all the bands for taking the time out to answer our questions!
Crimson Tusk – Jagermeister stage, Sunday
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We all live in Oxford though Jake our drummer is from London and Josh our bass player is from Dumbarton, Scotland.
How long have you been playing together as a band?
Nearly three years now. We formed in late 2016 but took a hiatus for a year in 2018 while we replaced our original guitarist (Harrison Marchant).
Where does the name of the band come from?
Josh’s beard! It forks out from his chin like a boar’s tusks and he’s a redhead so it seemed natural (Ginger Tusk didn’t quite have the same ring to it).
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
DOOOOOOOM!!! We like it heavy, we like riffs and we try to keep it simple. If you like your metal tuned low and played slow then you’re going to enjoy our stuff!
What’s your live show like? Why are people going to watch you instead of another band?
I guess like our music we keep things kind of simple on stage but that’s not to say we just stand around and play. Our music is full of energy and it pours out of us when we play live. Four burly, hairy blokes thrashing their hair around in time to some huge licks! Plus we have a smoke breathing mammoth skull with glowing red eyes, what’s not to like?
Have you been to Bloodstock before? What did you think?
Our bass player Josh is the only one to have been before and he went religiously to Bloodstock from the ages of 15 to 21 and has been once or twice again since then. In his opinion it is the best open air festival Britain has to offer. The line-up is always good, very good, there’s always a band there you won’t get to see anywhere else and for a big festival it’s not too big! No thirty-minute walk from your tent to the main stage but it still keeps the sense of grandeur you want at a festival.
When/how did you find out you’d been selected to play at Bloodstock?
We were in the Metal to the Masses programme this year and made it to the final in Oxford. There was a bit of a technical issue (city wide power cut) and the two final bands of the night (us and The Hope Burden) didn’t get to play. To cut a long story short we and the other band went to another final later on the tour to play our set, both of us played probably the best set we had played up to that point and we were lucky enough that the judges thought so too. We got told then that both of us were going to Bloodstock and I think to begin with none us could believe it after such a trouble filled road up to that point!
What sort of setlist can we expect?
Loud, heavy and fun! Enough said.
Which other band do you most hope you’re not clashing with so you can see them play?
Children of Bodom! They aren’t a big influence on the band, but they are one of our favourites. It’s not often they play the UK and it’s always great to see them live.
What are you working on at the moment?
We are about to release our second EP and have started work on recording our third record. Unlike our first two releases this time we are doing things on our own from scratch, we are lucky enough that Jake our drummer is also a sound engineer so we are planning to self-produce this record which is very exciting for us getting to do things exactly how we want to and at our own pace.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
Our mate Lee going mental and starting a one man mosh pit that was too much for the rest of the crowd to handle apparently. The room went from a packed floor to everyone retreating to the safety of the bar in the matter of seconds, not too extreme but it was a hilarious sight!
What drink do you throw back to get yourself fired up before going on stage?
Desperados for Josh, Cider for Harry, anything alcoholic for Jake and an Irn-Bru for salty!
