Bloodstock 2026 // The Sophie Lancaster Stage // Sunday 9th August
The weather is probably the worst it has been. The insufferable sun is beaming down this time, with only a slight reprieve from the heat. People are already filling up at the watering stations, and fans are on full blast. Despite the weather feeling like we’re in Scorched Earth, the buzz of the day is just beginning as our first band comes to the stage.
Acid Throne open up the stage for us on the last day. The band are still fairly recent, but they have a great confidence when commanding the stage. The doom band have had their fair share of immense stages, and this one clearly is a walk in the park for them. The crowd are… trying. I see some missing their heads before getting dizzy and having to stop, and others just vibing with their 32nd beer of the day in hand.
Flayed Disciple are on their ~3rd appearance at Bloodstock since their birth. The thrash band are definitely having fun on the stage. Between harsh vocals and raging riffs, the vocalist’s smile is beaming. He runs about the stage, interacting with the crowd below, and they clearly appreciate it.
Alunah bring a metal blend of various inspirations. There’s this doom influence in the music that meets with the modern vocals from the vocalist. The band deliver a great atmosphere that gets you interested and sets the tone for their set. It’d be great to see a bit more movement from the members to keep your attention on stage.
Trivax bring a lively vibe to the stage. The Iran-born band have definitely had their fair time on stage and command each corner. The members interact with the audience, hyping them up. The crowd is more lively now, absolutely eating up what Trivax are giving out. Again, I would love more movement from the members, making use of that space, but with all members playing an instrument, understandably, that’s quite hard to do. The songs they play pack a punch, and the riffs keep your ears perked.
Photography: Artur Tarczewski
Noisepicker started as an experiment, it seems. A project born of “why not?” that has seen the veteran vocalist and noisemaker off on various stages and gaining attention. The band give what almost feels like an interlude to the day. People seeking some shelter from the sun and some here to catch a glimpse of the man behind one of their favourite bands. The band hold their own on stage and manage to sustain the crowd’s attention.
Thrown Into Exile is definitely a highlight for me. The interaction and energy they brought, with their metal blends that pack a punch, are right up my street. It’s a shame the crowd wasn’t as packed as it is on other days, as people try to escape the heat or hide out at watering holes. The band still delivered an immense performance that has them on my list of bands to check out on tour, and I’m sure they’ve swayed the ones who managed to catch their set the same.
Dream State start their set and immediately draw in passersby with the vocalist’s insane harsh vocals and soft vocal switches. The crowd is gathering, and the band are giving us an amazing performance. The vocalist sounds so sweet as she thanks the audience for their time and then delivers us some vocals that sound like they’re straight from the pits of hell. The modern metal blends are exactly my cuppa tea.
Photos: Insta madeinerror.media
MushroomHead… I didn’t know your game. The band delivered a headliner-worthy set. The set design. Costumes. Crowd interaction. All of it works together to create a great set experience. The drummers bashing those water-covered drumheads give it a visual hook that works so well to get the crowd hyped. At one point, a vocalist stood ON the crowd, their hands and the plinths giving them a platform. Crowd surfers came in tenfold, manoeuvring through the side-spilling audience to crowd surf again. Then, at one point, it looked like another vocalist was knighting the crowd surfers with a plastic sword as they came over the barrier. A great entertaining set.
200 Stab Wounds provide us with another taste of deathcore. The heavy beats and harsh vocals encourage the crowd to get rowdy before the final headliner comes on. The crowd are hungry for it, and the barrier is lined with fans who have waited for this moment. There isn’t much movement on stage, not a surprise given the fact all of the members play an instrument, but the vocalist makes sure the crowd is involved and has decent crowd interaction.
Carpenter Brut close out the festival with their synth-metal blend. The stage lighting was completely blown out by the smoke, making it difficult to see from afar. For a band with no vocals, the music acted like a soundtrack to close off the weekend. People sat in their chairs with a beer in hand and just let the experiences wash over them. The band say no words to the audience, only using hand motions and grooving in place. It’s a chill way to end the day compared to past years, when the party kept going.
Photos: Insta madeinerror.media
There was a real contrast between the performances on the final day. From the doom and heavy atmosphere of Acid Throne and Alunah, through the harsher sounds of Flayed Disciple, Trivax and 200 Stab Wounds, to the modern metal of Thrown into Exile and Dream State, the day continued to show just how broad the Bloodstock lineup can be. Mushroomhead were arguably the biggest visual spectacle of the day, while Carpenter Brut brought the festival to a much more subdued close. Even with the heat clearly affecting the crowd, there were still plenty of bands capable of pulling people away from the shade and back towards the stages.
The 25th-anniversary Bloodstock event has come to an end, and with it, we all disperse for another year. This year has been a great showcase of heavier sounds, particularly the black and death metal blends that have featured throughout the weekend, while the 2027 lineup looks set to lean further into some of the modern metal fusions that have been steadily growing within the scene. Carpenter Brut continue to push their dark electronic and synthwave sound across international stages, while Mushroomhead continue to prove why their theatrical live performances have such longevity. Dream State have also continued to build their presence with their blend of metalcore and alternative influences, and 200 Stab Wounds have been taking their death metal sound to international festivals and tours. After a weekend of discovering new bands, watching old favourites and surviving what felt like an assault from the sun itself, Bloodstock 2026 has come to a close. Hopefully, next year brings us more great finds and a community event where we can all celebrate music.
27 BANDS REVEALED FOR BLOODSTOCK 2027
ALL RONNIE JAMES DIO AND SOPHIE LANCASTER STAGE HEADLINERS ANNOUNCED, PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
HOW TO GET TICKETS FOR 2027 – AND SAVE £34
|
|
|
