Bloodstock Festival 2024 – Thursday. Bringing some good old-fashioned British steel, Tailgunner have no issue in jumping in the DeLorean and setting the clock for 1981, their take on a classic Heavy Metal having the same visceral thrill as when the emerging Iron Maiden, Saxon et al. were conquering the world.
Bloodstock Festival 2024
Catton Park, Derbyshire – Thursday 8 August 2024
Tailgunner
Taking their cues from those halcyon days, they have the riffs, moves and hair to win over even the most partisan audience. But with a packed Sophie tent up for some high-voltage rock ‘n’ roll, this was going to be a surefire win for the young quintet.
Taking things for granted never seems to be the route the band are capable of, and with a determination to cover every inch of the stage, they are here to reach every person in the rammed tent.
Tearing into opener Guns For Hire, the outfit grabs the afternoon crowd and proceeds to burn up the stage, the fretwork of Zach Salvini and Rhea Thompson slicing and dicing as frontman Craig Cairns turns into a Heavy Metal ringmaster, his every command seeing the audience sing and punch the air.
With the thunderous rhythm section of Thomas Hewson and Jani Pasonen charging like an enraged rhino, numbers like Revolution Scream and Crashdive punch like heavyweights. Playing up to the crowd, a series of switching solos by Salvini and Thompson turn up the heat, and whilst this seemed a luxury when another song could have been squeezed in, it is all a very entertaining spectacle.
Similarly, closing the set with a ferocious cover of Priest’s Painkiller was a gamble, but the band has never been shy of wearing their influences on their sleeves. The incendiary track ensured everyone left with a smile.
Building up their own legend, Tailgunner show that great Metal never dies, it just gets louder.
Bloodstock 2024 will be held over the long weekend of 8-11 August 2024. MetalTalk’s Paul Hutchings, Adrian Stonley, Paul Monkhouse and Keith Conlin will be reporting from Catton Park.
Take Part: Are you at Bloodstock this year? Who are you looking forward to seeing? Want to get in touch and tell us how it’s going? Email MetalTalk Editor Steve Ritchie to tell us how it’s going for you. Bloodstock@MetalTalk.net
#boa24. For more information, visit bloodstock.uk.com. You can view a map of Bloodstock at bloodstock.uk.com/bloodstock_map.jpg
MetalTalk Bloodstock 2024 coverage is at https://www.metaltalk.net/tag/bloodstock-2024.
You can read all the MetalTalk Bloodstock 2023 coverage at https://www.metaltalk.net/tag/bloodstock-2023.
You can read all the MetalTalk Bloodstock 2022 coverage at metaltalk.net/tag/bloodstock-2022.
Weekend early bird tickets (Thu-Sun) for Bloodstock 2025 are available to purchase at the box office on-site for £175. Child weekend early bird’s are £45 (ages 4 -11). Mini moshers under age four can come for free.
Wednesday early access is also available for those who want to max out their Bloodstock experience – an early bird adult Wed-Sun ticket costs £200. There is no additional cost for children under 4, or aged 4-11, to arrive with a parent on Wednesday.
Bloodstock 2025 tickets can be purchased online from the official Bloodstock website.
