Our regular run-down of as many of the Bloodstock bands as we can get to talk to us! Phoenix Lake open the Sophie Lancaster stage on the Sunday…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
3 of us are from Nottingham, and Joe (Synnott, drums) is from Castleford.
How long have you been playing together as a band?
We’ve officially been a band for 7 years however we’ve had numerous line up changes along the way!
Where does the name of the band come from?
The name comes from Ash (Wilson, guitar)’s love of mythology and his favourite beast being the phoenix. There’s just something very majestic about the phoenix – it symbolises rebirth and strength, which you need in a band trying to hit the big time! The phoenix also represents the heavy side of us, whereas the lake symbolises the melodic and calm accents in our music.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Our music is very diverse. We like to try and experiment with different styles through our songs but that said, we feel our sound has grown, or is growing, into a combination of Parkway Drive mixed with symphonic metal bands (such as Within Temptation and Beyond the Black sort of sound), with elements of gothic rock. All this put together gives us a unique twist to our music.
What’s your live show like? Why are people going to watch you instead of another band?
Our show is very energetic, we’re very different to a lot of the bands playing over the weekend, which we hope makes us stand out. We have a very explosive sound, paired with soaring vocals, orchestras and compelling crowd engagement.
Have you played Bloodstock before? If so, when?
We’ve never played the festival before so this is a very exciting show, especially as it has been on our bucket list since the beginning!
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How/when did you find out that you’d be playing the SOPHIE stage?
A few weeks ago, we received the email from Planet Rock and Simon Hall that we’d won their competition to open the Sophie Lancaster stage. It was very surreal, a dream come true! We’re so very honoured that they have put their faith in us!
What sort of setlist can we expect?
It’s a mix between fast melodic riffs, soaring orchestras and thick choruses.
Which other band do you most hope you’re not clashing with so you can see them play?
Luckily, we’re not clashing with any bands we really want to see, however we’re really hoping we don’t clash with our fellow Notts bands Beyond Your Design and Those Once Loyal!
What are you working on at the moment?
At the moment, all our time has gone into promoting the release of our debut EP, Beyond The Flames, and getting our set ready for Bloodstock! However, we have been making arrangements and working on the follow up to the EP. New music is being written and may even make an appearance at the festival!
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
Probably has to be when we saw the singer of a punk band smash her own head in with the microphone, that was
pretty hardcore!
What drink do you throw back to get yourself fired up before going on stage?
Anything strong that calms the nerves! A favourite being Fireball!
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Phoenix Lake: facebook | instagram | spotify
