With only a matter of days before Bloodstock 2021, the build is well underway, weekend tickets are sold out, and Kurokuma told MetalTalk they are ready to bring their “power, energy and an overwhelming live experience” to the festival.
Some tickets are available from the official resale website, while there are limited day tickets left. After the festival, 2022 tickets will go on sale. VAT remains at 5% on tickets, but only until September, so its might be a good idea to get in soon. Tickets will be available at at the ticket store.
It has been a torrid couple of years for the music industry, but “we’re definitely looking forward to making some noise on stage again,” Joe Allen from Kurokuma told MetalTalk.
“We’ve played a couple of live streams and a socially distanced gig since March 2020. We’ve also recorded an album, and these things are all great, but we’re hoping Bloodstock will feel like a return to the true live experience with nothing held back.”
COVID-19 hampered most bands, Kurokuma were set to tour the UK with Friendship from Japan, but that was cancelled at the last minute. “We ended up doing a live stream to raise some cash to cover the sunk costs of that,” Joe says. “We also had a tour of Scandinavia booked in and planned to play America. It turned from a very big year into a year of almost nothing. At least we still managed to record the album, even if it was a logistical challenge flying in producer Sanford Parker.”
New Blood Stage
With Kurokuma building up to play the New Blood Stage on Thursday, the band had not practised for a while as one member was in Bulgaria, but they are ramping up the rehearsals now. “Fortunately, we know these songs inside out,” Joe says.
It is always interesting to see how bands adjust their sets for a festival. “The set time isn’t long enough to play the new album, so we’re deciding to go for the most high energy tracks taken from across various releases,” Joe says. “I’m sure people will want to have a dance on the first night of Bloodstock. Basically, there will be one track from the new album with some fan favourite ones.”
Doom Metal, from Sheffield, is the band’s description, but there is a lot more to them than that. Electric Wizard and Conan influenced Joe, but “Kurokuma’s goal from the start was to bring in a more primal and exotic energy to the doom and sludge sound,” he tells us. “We’re into a lot of different folk music from around the world, and George is from Romania and a great percussionist, as well as bassist.”
Power and energy
A good reference point for the band is maybe someone like Sepultura. “There are definitely elements of their tribal style in what we do,” Joe says. “On the album and the songs we’ve written more recently, there is a lot of Latin style. Doom can be sombre and downbeat, but that’s not the case with what we do. It’s about power, energy and an overwhelming live experience.”
Kurokuma are a good match for Bloodstock, and with the beginnings of a return to normality, there are still plenty of challenges ahead. “The main priority is getting the album out,” Joe says. “It’s a challenging time to do that but we’re proud of it and want it to be done right, so look out for that in the coming months.”
As for the future, once the new album has been released, Joe says the band are still working on plans. “We have been offered tours abroad,” Joe says, “so let’s see if they become realistic.”
You can find out more about at their BandCamp page, kurokumauk.bandcamp.com
VIO-LENCE cannot play this year’s festival due to travel issues, so Wargasm and Malevolence have both landed last-minute slots on the main stage.
Finally, don’t forget to check out the list of festival traders, here.
