Our regular run-down of as many of the Bloodstock bands as we can get to talk to us! Torchbearer play the New Blood stage on the Friday…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
Ollie Gould: Torchbearer was founded in Newport where Mo and I are from. It’s where we first met as teenagers, when Mo auditioned to my very first band, and where he lives to this day.
Where does the name of the band come from?
Ollie: I always wanted it to be agentive. I love active band names like Bolt Thrower, Priest Crippler, etc. Mansell suggested Torchbearer in a Weatherspoons band meeting about the name a very long time ago…and the rest is history.
Andy Mansell: We wanted a name that sounded heavy without drawing on the usual metal clichés. Torchbearer worked because it gave us that, as well as a concept that fit in with the optimistic lyrics I was writing. The “light in darkness” theme is something I’m still drawing on even in our most recent record.
How long have you been playing together as a band?
Ollie: For, Mansell, Mo and I, it’s been eight years. But Sol ed at the start of this year, just in time for our first Metal 2 The Masses show.
Mansell: We’ve been through a few drummers in recent years, even losing one part-way through recording our new EP Warrior. Sol swept in, learned all the parts and laid them down in the studio in a matter of weeks.
Solomon Radley: I’ve been in other hardcore bands before and have a separate post-rock project I do with a friend in Orkney. But what’s different about being in Torchbearer is the work ethic. Everyone’s happy to roll their sleeves up and get stuff done – and it’s great to see that all the hard work starting to bear fruit.
Which M2tM region did you win?
Ollie: We won the M2TM South Wales contest. It was our second year trying, having made it to the final previously in 2022. This year, we came back with new material and a new drummer and that seems to have made all the difference.
Mansell: We can’t talk about M2TM South Wales without mentioning Alyn, Tim and Will, who do an amazing job of putting it on and attracting the best talent the region has to offer. I have it on good authority that next year’s edition will be the biggest yet.
Sol: Keep an eye on Helldown in 2024, if they enter again. They could go all the way!
Can you put into 10 words or fewer how it felt when you realised you were heading to Bloodstock?
Ollie: Sheer excitement of finally getting Torchbearer on to a huge stage.
Sol: I think we were all gobsmacked, really! I running about Fuel like a man whooping and hugging everyone in sight.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Ollie: High energy, groovy riffs, vicious vocals, thundering bass. Chuck in some vocal melody and add a frenzy of drums and you’ll have something that sounds like Torchbearer.
Mansell: One thing I like about Torchbearer is that there are no “vibe police”. Ollie isn’t afraid to draw from a range of different schools of metal when crafting his riffs, so there’s a variety of influences in our music – ranging from straight-up hardcore to stoner rock, 00s metalcore and beyond.
Sol: The 15-year-old in me is especially excited by the thrashier elements in our newest material. Songs like Warrior Spirit and Vindication are a blast to play live, and some of the demos that will hopefully make up our next EP almost have an “early Metallica” vibe to them.
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What’s your live show like? Why are people going to watch you instead of another band?
Ollie: People always talk to us after our shows about our live energy. Fans jump off shit, mosh out hard and bang their heads at our shows. The music makes us want to go crazy and we let it. Thoughts Words Actions is a zine that recently said, “You won’t find a better metal vocalist’.” Which is nice!
Mansell: We feed off a live audience and the response we’ve been getting to our new songs has been great to see.
Sol: Torchbearer is a “plug in and go” kind of outfit. There’s no click, no backing track, or anything like that. If you’re bored of the over-polished, slightly soulless production a lot of bands have these days and want something more old school and chaotic, get down to the New Blood at 3.45pm to catch us in action!
Have you been to Bloodstock before? What did you think?
Ollie: I’ve always wanted to but never made it down. So, I’m looking forward to checking it out.
Sol: The closest I’ve come to attending Bloodstock before now is playing The Hairy Dog! I did grow up in Reading, though. So, it will be interesting to see how Bloodstock compares to that.
What sort of setlist can we expect?
Ollie: The vast majority of our new EP Warrior is on the setlist, alongside a few fan favourites from our back-catalogue.
Which other bands do you most hope you’re not squished up next to so you can see them play?
Ollie: I have been praying hard over the last few weeks that we don’t clash with Fit For an Autopsy and Gatecreeper who occupy 90 minutes on the main stage on the Friday late afternoon and we are on the New Blood Stage at 1545 slap bang in between them! We’re literally playing during their changeover.
Zetra are on the Sophie stage while we play, but they finish halfway through our set. We clash with Wild Heat on the Jager stage, too, which is a shame because I’m diggin’ on their cock rock energy.
What are you working on at the moment?
Ollie: Promoting and touring the hell out of our new EP Warrior! We have a bunch of shows in the runup to Bloodstock (check our socials for details.) so we’ll be a well-oiled machine on the big day.
We’ve got another tour booked for October, too. But after that, we want to record a follow up EP – Warrior Part 2, maybe – and press the whole lot onto vinyl. So, I’ll be filling the Google Drive with riffs over the next few months.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
Ollie: A fan asked Mo if she could lick him at The Black Prince in Northampton. He allowed it and she did from naval to chin. As long as everyone’s having fun and no one is hurting anyone on purpose, then it’s all good man.
Sol: Mo hasn’t let me lick him yet, but I haven’t given up hope.
What drink do you throw back to get yourself fired up before going on stage?
Mansell: I think we’re all getting a bit old for that, aren’t w-
Ollie: Fireball. I’m into a little Dutch courage just before I go on and it’s like 85% sugar, so it gets you hyped up lol.
Sol: I once played a gig in Newcastle where the house drink was something called a “Bucky Bomb”. Necking that thing before I went on was a mistake, let me tell you! These days, I stick to water and a stage pint.
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