t’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. Taking on our questions are Fellowship who take on the New Blood stage on Sunday.
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We’re from the UK, mostly a small town called Harwich in Essex, and our singer is from just north of London.
How long have you been playing together as a band?
This is surprisingly tricky to answer. We’ve been a band since late 2019, but Bloodstock will actually be our first gig because of the pandemic!
Where does the name of the band come from?
Not Lord of the Rings! Our music is happy and wholesome and we wanted something that could reflect that; we write our music around the idea that it’s got to be really fun to sing at a live show so the audience really feel part of the music. To quote one of our unreleased songs: “Hold your hearts up and lift them high, live your life with a battlecry, sing with us ‘til the fires die and the Fellowship will grow!”
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Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Happy, melodic power metal with twinkly orchestration, kick-ass solos and a lot of heart. In of what makes us unique, our songs are a lot more self-worth and ambition than they are dragons and goblins (despite there being a full lore behind the album), so we tackle a lot of different themes and conjure a lot of different emotions than power metal typically approaches. “Feel-good music” in the most literal sense.
What’s your live show like? Why are people going to watch you instead of another band?
In a word – fun. Sing-along songs that you can pick up without really knowing them beforehand, big happy energy and not afraid to make fun of ourselves. Probably a bit less “metal” than a lot of the Bloodstock offering, but our musical chops are the real deal.
Have you been to Bloodstock before? What did you think?
Dan is a regular to Bloodstock and Brad has actually played at the festival with his previous band – it really is a unique event and unlike any other festival experience. There’s a proper sense of comion, room for family and a solid focus on good times! It has always been a place where anyone can feel safe and express themselves freely – a real credit to the honesty and friendliness of the metal community as a whole!
Which M2tM region did you win, or did you come through other channels?
We just sent an email inquiry, and got selected from there! I think Simon heard our tunes and hand-picked off of that.
Can you put into 10 words or fewer how it felt when you realised you were heading to Bloodstock?
Happier than a hospitalised metalhead (after a great mosh pit).
What sort of setlist can we expect?
Three songs we’ve released, two that we haven’t. If you know the EP and the latest single, you’ll be in good stead!
Which other bands do you most hope you’re not squished up next to so you can see them play?
*thud thud* GLORY *thud thud* HAMMER! YAAAAAAAAAA!
What are you working on at the moment?
The album! We’re super close to done with it, really just finishing the harmonies and figuring out distribution and representation.
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What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
I once watched a naked guy from the crowd get on stage to crowd surf, then stage dive into a whole bunch of people who didn’t want to touch his sweaty ass and smash head-first into the ground. He got back up, put his fist in the air and we all cheered. It was a moment.
What drink do you throw back to get yourself fired up before going on stage?
Matt will most likely have water, then milk after. Cal will probably have a Kopparberg mixed fruit, Sam will be on the water, Brad will have any beer that’s available.
Fellowship: facebook | instagram | youtube | spotify | bandcamp
