Our regular run-down of as many of the Bloodstock bands as we can get to talk to us! Hammer play the New Blood stage on the Friday…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
Dave, Adam & Keith (guitars and drums) grew up in Penicuik which is just South of Edinburgh. Piotr, our bassist, is from Poland and moved to Edinburgh in 2011 and now resides in Penicuik. Jim (vocals) moved to Scotland from the island of Jersey in 2022. Other than Adam, who lives in the city, we all are now in Penicuik.
How long have you been playing together as a band?
Dave, Adam, Keith and Piotr started Hammer in 2018 with vocalist Matt. After recording an album, Covid slowed things down a lot for the guys. Matt left in 2022 and I ed in early 2023.
Where does the name of the band come from?
We’d like to think Hammer describes the essence and vibes of the band. Just a big massive Hammer going CLANG!
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
We generally describe ourselves as Extreme Metal, and bring a mix of Death, Groove and Hardcore to the table. Adam is great at bringing out those techy, Black Dahlia Murder, like riffs and Dave is pretty great at rounding it off with some thick, classic groove. We’ve got a wealth of influences and work hard on forging our own chaotic and heavy sound.
What’s your live show like? Why are people going to watch you instead of another band?
If you want to see a great big bugger in dungarees stomp around the stage wailing and howling, then you’ve come the right place. We’ve had our shows described as ‘terrifying’, but we do love to have fun live. We bring the energy and give out as much as we can, regardless of what the crowd is up to. We’re here to have fun, and we’d love for you to have fun with us.
Have you been to Bloodstock before? What did you think?
Bloodstock is an incredible festival. It manages to maintain this great balance of being a decent enough size with a friendly atmosphere, whilst attracting some massive global talent at the absolute coalface of heavy genres. There is so much for grassroots metal too with the EMP and New Blood stages. There are so many incredible bands that I’ve seen there, and being a part of it is monumental for us.
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Which M2tM region did you win, or did you come through other channels?
We won the Scottish Metal to the Masses. This was a great experience and we’d encourage anyone to give it a shot.
Can you put into 10 words or fewer how it felt when you realised you were heading to Bloodstock?
This is going to be an absolute belter!
What sort of setlist can we expect?
If you’re a fan of our two new singles, then you will be pleased. We will also be bringing in some of the older material and some unreleased tracks too.
Stage times haven’t been announced yet, so which other band do you most hope you’re not clashing with so you can see them play?
Friday has some great bands – Burner, Green Lung, Igorrr, Death Collector and Clutch to name just a few. I don’t think we run the risk of clashing with Opeth, but that would be an absolute nightmare!
What are you working on at the moment?
We’re putting a lot of work into recording a good chunk of material which we will be looking to release next year. We’re also working on some plans for a mini-tour early next year across the UK with some great friends. We are keen to keep up the momentum we’ve built this year with some awesome gigs, single drops and of course this!
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
I saw the Dillinger Escape Plan at Koko in Camden in 2013 and Greg lobbed himself off the balcony into the crowd, that was pretty class. Also saw the dude from Airborne climb up the mainstage rigging at Hellfest years and years ago, that was mental. I don’t think he had a harness or anything on!
What drink do you throw back to get yourself fired up before going on stage?
Before I play? Loads of room temperature water – it is pretty good for the throat. Very boring, but need to keep hydrated so I can do my thing on stage! Party time will begin once we’ve wrapped up our set and press for the day!
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