It’s that time of year where we set out to interview as many of the Sophie, New Blood, and Jager bands as we can in the lead-up to one of the most anticipated festivals of the year, Bloodstock. Answering our questions here are Grey Stag who play the New Blood Stage on Saturday.
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We’re from Ireland, with two of us hailing from the Wicklow Mountains and our drummer coming from the original bandit county, Monaghan.
How long have you been playing together as a band?
We’ve known each other since god was a boy but we started this band in 2018 as the realities of life started to hit quite hard as we ascended to that horrible age of 30 when all the terrible dread starts to set in.
Where does the name of the band come from?
Steve and Matt had endless suggestions that neither would agree on because they’re very stubborn. “Grey Stag” was one they both came up with at the same time, or so the story goes.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Grey Stag are a sociopathic groove tyrant with a penchant for dank riffage. We’re the missing link between full on prog, dank sludge and groove metal, and we will rock your body with nasty hooks.
What’s your live show like? Why are people going to watch you instead of another band?
A relentless non-stop stampede of intense riffs, sweet grooves and bombastic screaming.
Have you been to Bloodstock before? What did you think?
We have not! We’re insanely hyped to finally be going.
If you like what we do, consider ing us on Patreon for as little as £1 per month!
Which M2tM region did you win, or did you come through other channels?
We won the Dublin, Ireland M2tM. You know, technically, we won 2 years in a row…
Can you put into 10 words or fewer how it felt when you realised you were heading to Bloodstock?
We felt the dread lift and realised there was hope. Boom – ten words exactly.
What sort of setlist can we expect?
One that starts off with a bang and doesn’t let up. Songs from both our current EPs and two new ones, one of which will be released as a single in August!
Which other bands do you most hope you’re not squished up next to so you can see them play?
So we’re playing the Saturday and we hope we’re not clashing with Conjurer. Those lads are absolute heft monsters. Also our fellow countrymen Bailer. Seriously good hardcore metal with such an intense live show.
What are you working on at the moment?
As of writing this, our new single is currently in the mastering process. We’ve some other secret things cooking atm we can’t announce just yet and loads of plans for after our return from Bloodstock.
Don’t fancy Patreon? Buy us a one-off beverage!
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
The wildest thing we’ve done is not thinking of the inevitable void that is existence for those sweet 30 mins we play on stage.
What drink do you throw back to get yourself fired up before going on stage?
Appletini, easy on the tini. Also ibuprofen, neat.
Grey Stag: official | facebook | instagram | bandcamp | youtube
