Bloodstock started off as a Symphonic Metal haven, when no one else in this country would book bands like Nightwish. However, there has been a shift over the years towards the heavier and the more extreme ends of genre which means, when Within Temptation were announced as headliners for 2015, there was a real backlash from festival die-hards. Ingeniously, organisers decided to compensate (but also slightly troll) all the moaners by having Italian Symphonic Death pioneers, Fleshgod Apocalypse play the Sophie tent at exactly the same time as Sharon et al struttered their stuff on the Ronnie James Dio Stage. Cue an unheard of situation where there were more punters at (and spilling out of) the second stage then were at the main. Fleshgod Apocalypse, of course rose to the occasion and put on one hell of a performance, bathing in the opportunity to play to a crowd, the size of they could only usually dream of. So Fleshgood Apocalypse get their berth for the never to be repeated, perfect storm of a second stage headliners, pulling a bigger crowd than the main stage headliners.

By Stewart Lucas