Bloodstock Festival: A Triumph In Testing Times

Rewind the clocks to March last year. When the first national lockdown was imposed to combat the spread of the new COVID-19 virus, few would think that 18 months later we’re still in the grip of a pandemic. The situation is better, sure, but we’re not out of the woods just yet. However, by some miracle, largely due to the roaring success of the vaccination campaign, large scale events have made a much-needed return this summer after a year’s absence and for heavy music fans, the return of Bloodstock Festival has been heralded as much more than just a music festival. For Festival Director Vicky Hungerford, she explains to Distorted Sound that the return of the UK’s biggest metal festival might be possibly the iteration of the festival she is most proud of.

“Because of what we’ve had to deal with and because it’s like the comeback event, the resurgence of live music in the UK, I think so. The Download Pilot was great. But it was still a pilot, whereas this is the first major heavy metal event which has come back at full capacity and it has felt completely normal! I think like you say, because of the challenges it took to get here, for that reason alone, massively so.”

Walking across the grounds of Catton Hall, you’d be forgiven for forgetting that we’re still in a global pandemic. Once cleared through the festival’s COVID-19 security measures, the biggest worry in many a metalhead’s mind was making sure to be at the right stage for the right time for the hundreds of bands performing across the weekend. It resembled a snapshot of pre-pandemic life and it felt perfect. Behind the scenes though, tells somewhat a different story as the pandemic still had an impact which could have threatened to derail Bloodstock entirely. SYLOSIS, PARTY CANNON and LOATHE were just some of the bands to withdraw at the eleventh hour due to positive COVID results and as Vicky explains, the scrambling to find replacements was nothing short of a stress overload but the overall coming together from everyone involved highlights the importance of keeping the show going. “Although it was less than I thought it might be, it’s always worrying time because we are asking the bands for lateral flows. These bands don’t know beforehand. And I was surprised we’ve managed get replacements for some of them so close to the festival. But you know, everyone’s pulled together. So you’re in the bands that were last minute replacements who haven’t really played together until now have just said ‘look, we’ll work together. We know how important this is’. Bands need the music!”

Despite the overwhelming overload of emotions felt across the weekend, the road to Bloodstock has been bumpy to say the least. In the months prior, the UK government’s roadmap on the release of lockdown was critical as to whether Bloodstock could even go ahead. Essentially reliant on Step Four of the roadmap being enacted (“people were asking how close were we to postponing again, had that roadmap postponed to say the 26th of July, not the 19th, we would have postponed again!”), for Vicky and Bloodstock, they were at a crossroads. What makes matters all the more perilous was the inadequate support for music festivals. Due to a lack of COVID-cancellation insurance, which saw smaller niche events of our world like 2000trees and ArcTanGent postpone for a second year in the running, the festival was very much was hanging in the balance. “The frustrating thing is that we were championing this [the COVID-cancellation insurance] for so long, like heavily, and then they announce just before Bloodstock this year an indemnity insurance that starts in September. So all of these events from July all the way through to the end of August would not have been covered anyway! The government have literally sidelined this industry, they have such little respect for this industry bearing in mind we are the fifth biggest sector in this country. If we were football, we would have been treated in a completely different way. But, putting that aside, I always look to moving forward and this is the start of great things!”

Whilst the turmoil of the past 18 months and the lack of support from the government is hard to forget, if there is one enormous positive to take, let it be this; Bloodstock Festival returned. And it was glorious. Whilst the cancellations of international bands is disappointing, but an inevitability given the turbulence surrounding restrictive international travel, this year’s festival was a celebration of the best of British. From CONJURER to WHILE SHE SLEEPS, GREEN LUNG to MALEVOLENCE, JUDAS PRIEST to WINTERFYLLETH, the sheer depth and range of quality showcased across the festival’s three stages is astonishing. “I think we are spoilt in the UK and we don’t really appreciate it. So if Bloodstock has done anything this year, it has taught us how incredible the UK talent is because we are pretty much a UK lineup and we’ve got some of the best bands on the bill!”

As euphoric as it was to experience live music in a festival environment once more, for the bands themselves, this year’s event was of the utmost importance. Not only was it the first opportunity for bands aplenty to blow off the cobwebs and return to the live arena for the first time after the hibernation of lockdown, but by performing to a crowd ravenous to digest as much live music as possible, this is the biggest opportunity to really catapult their career to the next level. As a festival, Bloodstock has long celebrated the curated and nurtured development of bands throughout the years. From LAMB OF GOD‘s first UK festival headline show, helping establish SABATON as a bonafide arena worthy act or the promotion of bands to bigger stages, Vicky understands the importance of helping bands grow. “We try and get the bands through the ranks,” she says as we discuss Bloodstock‘s vital role in the development of band’s growth. “So if you play on unsigned, you’re then going to get to Sophie and then you’re going to get to the Ronnie James Dio Stage. And that is the whole concept of what we are trying to do, we will support those bands coming through and I don’t think a lot of other events do that.”

As the dust settles, one thing is clear. The return of Bloodstock has been monumental. For every involved in the industry, this magazine included, the bands and most importantly, the fans, no words will ever come close to describing just how incredible it felt to be back at a festival once more. Looking ahead, as attention now turns to 2022, the festival intends to keep the momentum rolling. LAMB OF GOD, KING DIAMOND, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, EXODUS and more mark the much-welcomed return of international artists next year, in a year that will hopefully be free of the grip of the pandemic.

“We brought a lot of bands back [due to cancelling from this year’s festival amidst the ongoing travel restrictions] and I think people have really missed those bands playing,” Vicky says as we discuss the first announcement for Bloodstock 2022. “For example, LAMB OF GOD headlining, it was 2013 when they last played and they broke the barrier! It was so disappointing when a lot of those bands pulled out, so to bring them back is really good. I think we’ll be a completely different place next year, I think COVID will still be a thing but I think with the vaccinations, the boosters, the drugs, international travel will resume. That is what has hit the world incredibly hard, by 2022 I think we’ll be back to what I’d class as nearly-normal.”

Through trials and the utmost of tribulations, Bloodstock has come out the other side with their heads held high. In the most trying of circumstances, through sheer determination and dedication, 2021’s return will be heralded for years to come. Back with a bang, live music is back, and we will never ever take it for granted again.

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