Bloodstock celebrates Halloween with a monster lineup announcement for the 2024 Festival edition. Grand Magus, Whitechapel, Deicide and Desert Storm are new main stage additions. The Vintage Caravan, Exist Immortal, Eternal Champion, Mimi Barks and Grove Street will appear on the Sophie Lancaster stage.
£13,903 was raised in donations from Bloodstock 2023 for the festival’s two official charities for 2023, The Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Rutland Air Ambulance (DLRAA) (£5,492) and The Sophie Lancaster Foundation (£8,411).
“We are so grateful to Bloodstock and their amazing staff and supporters for their incredible donation of £8,411,” Alison Vincent, Chief Executive of The Sophie Lancaster Foundation, said. “This is a huge amount of money for us and will be used to fund more work to support the alternative community and also deliver more sessions in schools about tolerance and respect for others. Thanks to Bloodstock for making us so welcome and for doing all they could to make Bloodstock 2023 the best ever!”
The Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Rutland Air Ambulance were equally appreciative by the help from Heavy Metal fans. “We would like to say a big thank you to everyone at Bloodstock Open Air who donated funds to support our lifesaving missions,” Tracey Jones, Community Fundraising Executive for Derbyshire, said. “A special thank you goes to Rachael and Adam for choosing us as one of two charities to support at their festival this year. We rely on generous fundraising and funding to remain operational, and without the support of the local community just like this, the lifesaving missions in Derbyshire and further afield wouldn’t be possible.”
Bloodstock 2024
Swedish metal legends Grand Magus land a Friday slot on the Ronnie James Dio main stage. The band have their tenth album coming in 2024 and make a first appearance at Bloodstock since 2019.
Whitechapel, who recently served up a hefty slab of Deathcore on tour in the UK, will appear on Saturday’s main stage. The bad had to pull out of 2023’s event, so their return will be very welcome.
Florida Death Metal icons Deicide also join for a main stage Saturday spot in a UK festival exclusive. The band have just signed a new record deal with Reigning Phoenix Music and are putting the finishing touches on their upcoming 13th full-length album, Banished By Sin. This new album features new guitarist Taylor Nordberg.
Oxford-based riff beasts Desert Storm roll in to wake you up on Friday morning, opening the main stage. Their latest album, Death Battle, dropped via APF in March. They will bring an intoxicating mix of stoner doom and Prog Metal to proceedings.
Five more bands will grace the Sophie Lancaster stage. Icelandic psych rock squad, The Vintage Caravan, have a Friday slot. The Led Zep fans are currently cranking out their classic rock/prog-infused sounds across mainland Europe, promoting The Monuments Tour (Live).
Londoners Exist Immortal also bring their Metal maelstrom to the Friday lineup. Joining them on Friday are Eternal Champion from Texas, who marked their tenth anniversary this year.
Mimi Barks, one of alt. music’s hottest rising stars, will appear on Saturday’s Sophie bill. Grove Street rampage onto Sunday’s roster. The band have been causing a massive stir in hardcore circles. Last month they released a new album, The Path To Righteousness.
Timothy Taylor and their Hopical Storm ale have partnered with the 2024 Metal 2 The Masses programme. The 2024 M2TM season is now underway. Bands around the country will compete to win a slot on the newly named Hopical Storm New Blood Stage. If you’re in an unsigned or developing band and would like to throw your hat in the ring, go to the M2TM page on the Bloodstock website.
Standard weekend tickets to BLOODSTOCK, priced at £185 (+ bkg fee), are available now in the 2024 ticket store. Early Bird, VIP and campervan tickets are already sold out.
The popular Deposit Scheme will also be available to sign up for from 9 AM on Tuesday, 21st November.
Bloodstock Festival 2023 is held over the weekend of 10-13 August 2023. MetalTalk’s Paul Hutchings and Adrian Stonley report from Catton Park.
All Photography: John Inglis and Paul Hutchings
All MetalTalk Bloodstock Festival 2023 coverage can be found at MetalTalk.net/tag/bloodstock-2023.
