Bloodstock 2023 – Saturday. Urne, in their current guise, are a London-based three-piece who are currently making significant waves in the Metal underground. With their second album, A Feast On Sorrow, being released the day before this performance, this was the perfect environment to share the good news with the faithful and to introduce themselves to a wider audience.
Bloodstock – Urne
With Seething Akira opening the day on the Main Stage with a storming set, it was down to Urne to build on that with their own form of Metal. Seething were a tough act to follow, but from the first guitar note, it was clear that Urne were more than up to the challenge.
Made up of Vocalist and Bass player Joe Nally, Guitarist Angus Neyraafter and Drummer Rich Harris, they form a fierce and dynamic band that came out with clear intent. If not quite world domination, it was certainly to win over Catton Park, and they did that with ease. 
With only forty minutes in which to play, they entertained us with a forceful and pointed seven-song set, balanced nicely between the two albums so far released. Opening with Serpent And Spirit, the title track from their first album, it seemed as though we were to be treated to a mainstream rock set, with its soaring guitar intro, which slowly got heavier before Joe’s raucous vocal brought the combined band together in a determined swirl of incredible Heavy Metal sounds and intense riffery and the audience into a thrashing pit of mayhem.
This is another band that it is best not to try to categorise as their music is wider than the limiting of labels. Having been compared previously with bands in arena’s such as Sludge, Tech-Metal, Doom, and Hardcore, my opinion is that they fall far outside of these limiting labels. If necessary, list it as Urne.
They have their own take on the music that they are writing, and though seemingly limited by the traditional drum, bass and guitar format, they are more than capable of widening the sound that they produce to ensure that it appears as though there are more musicians on stage than just the three. Hell, having three members never hurt Rush or Motörhead etc.
Following up with Becoming The Ocean from their latest opus, they brought a heavy groove mixed with some fiery fretwork. With Rich providing a 100mph driving beat through from the drums on which the song was hung, they were able to show to the crowd that they are a band with clear intent and ability.
This was the perfect opportunity to try out the new material in a live environment alongside the already fan-favourite pieces. Urne produced a strong, well-balanced and dynamic performance and were clearly a popular addition to the lineup, as the Bloodstock faithful hung on every riff and every growl.
With songs such as The Palace of Devils & Wolves [Serpent & Spirit] and The Flood Came Rushing In [A Feast on Sorrow], they proved there is plenty of detail and complexity built into these pieces and that they are not merely a run-of-the-mill sludge style band.
Certainly, on this showing, there is a great future out there for Urne, and the audience reaction certainly bore this out. With the number of Urne T-Shirts that were appearing during the day, it was clear that they had provided an impressive vibrant set to the extent that newfound fans were prepared to show off their latest discovery.
They were a great addition to the Bloodstock party, and on this performance, it is fair to say I can certainly see them being invited back for a slot further up the bill in the near future.
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.
Weekend early bird tickets for Bloodstock 2024 will be available to purchase at the box office on-site for £165. This is the cheapest way to buy a 2024 ticket, minus any online booking or admin fees.
Bloodstock 2022 can be relived at MetalTalk.net/tag/bloodstock-2022.
