Live Review: Bloodstock Open Air 2021

The return of Bloodstock has come and gone, and the 20th anniversary of the festival was certainly one to remember. For the first time ever, the event was five full days of non stop music. From up and coming bands to metal giants, the festival was always going to be one full of excitement. The largest metal festival this year in the UK was one we at TheRockFix were not going to miss and here’s what went down!

Arriving in Catton Hill on Wednesday was a surreal experience. Seeing thousands of fans eagerly awaiting the festival to open is something you wouldn’t expect to miss as much as we did. Once the gates opened and everyone was set up, it was time for some music! Anakim opened the Sophie Lancaster stage and it was as if the whole pandemic didn’t exist. Stand out performances from Ward XVI and headliners Onslaught saw the first Wednesday in Bloodstock history turn into a memorable one.

Thursday saw the Hobgoblin, New Blood, and Jagermeister Stages open up, with the Jager stage still being its tiny little self. Mother Vulture was the first band of the day and did a good job of getting the crowd ready for a day of heavy metal music. Lunas Call put on a stellar performance despite being a member down due to covid and Casket Feeder rocked the New Blood stage unlike anyone else had before them. The weekend had a lot of last-minute changes due to Covid and the first one of note was fan favourites Hacktivist having to pull out at the last minute. It wasn’t all doom and gloom however, as Punk Rock Factory showed up to fill in the gap. Their collection of punk renditions of TV and film songs went down surprisingly well with the Metalheads that had flocked into the Sophie Lancaster stage that evening. The night was topped off by Lawnmower Death, who always put on a fun and enjoyable show to send the fans back to their tents happily.

Friday was the day the festival really picked up. Foetal Juice opened up the Ronnie James Dio Stage strong while Svalbard, Venom Prison and Skindred all put in extremely memorable sets for the Bloodstock hoards. Higher Power was a last-minute replacement for Loathe and they did not go down well at all. Their blend of hardcore and pop-punk esc vocals did not sit well with the metal crowd which quickly grew bored of what was on display. Haxen were the final band to grace the Jagermeister Stage, and they managed to rock it unlike anyone else could the entire weekend. It was truly wonderful to see it unfold. Mainstage Headliner Devin Townsend brought the weird and wonderful to Catton Park, from Farting ballsacks to an elephant that won the crowds hearts, his by request set was a fitting end to the Ronnie James Dio Stage for the night. Napalm Death graced the Sophie Lancaster set to close out the night however they sounded rough and uninspiring. A weak performance to close out the day.

Our Saturday kicked off with Borstal’s first-ever performance. The UK Hardcore band drew a decent crowd for 10:45 in the morning which only grew bigger as their high-intensity set went on. Malevolence tore the Ronnie James Dio Stage apart with crowd surfers galore before While She Sleeps brought their heavy dose of metalcore to the masses of Bloodstock. Lowen brought their operatic melodies to the Jager stage to a mixed reception before Cradle Of Filth put on a polarising performance that left fans split on whether it worked or not. I’m personally leaning towards the not side. German Thrash giants Kreator closed out the Dio Stage and it was intense as hell! Fans bellowing Satan Is Real will stick with me forever and the mass amount of fire used by the band only added to their aggressive performance. Closing the Sophie Lancaster stage was Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons who delivered a mixture of original work and Motorhead classics with the highlight obviously being Ace Of Spades. A solid end to an eventful day.

The fifth and final day started off with the atmospheric rituals of Seidrboot, before Bloodshot Dawn brought the heaviness back. Bleed From Within brought their high intensity and fire to the crowd around midday and managed to draw a huge crowd for the time. Next for us was the exciting Vexed on the Sophie Lancaster stage who tore the tent down. Generating an absurdly big pit to match their brutal hardcore aesthetic saw them be one of my personal highlights of the weekend. The Injester delivered a solid performance from the New Blood stage before Gloryhammer threw their power metal prowess at the crowd who went wild for it. Saxon garnered a big crowd and delivered a set worth watching, while Gemma Fox tore down the Jagermeister stage in her own, unique way. Finally it was time from Judas Priest to take to. The stage. Celebrating 50 years of Priest, the band extended their set to a 2-hour affair and it worked well. From deep cuts to the hits, fans lost their shit throughout the entirety of the set. Creating a steelworks factory stage set to go with their aesthetic just added to the buzz they generated and they closed the Dio Stage in a monumental way. Closing the Sophie Lancaster stage was the eccentric Evil Scarecrow who delivered a strange and somewhat all over the place set. It wasn’t my kind of thing but I have to admit that the crowd loved every moment of it.

And that was that. Bloodstock had come to a close once again and I have to admit, despite the constant changes due to covid, the Bloodstock crew really outdid themselves this time. The festival was full of high points and I can say with certainty that this show completely outdid the Download Pilot event back in June. With the lineup for next year’s bloodstock already looking immense, you best believe we’ll see you their Merciful Fate and Lamb Of God but until then, we will just have to live with the memories from this outstanding event!