9. Architects - Ronnie James Dio Stage - Saturday, August 10th 2024

When I first started attending Bloodstock Open Air in the late noughties, its USP re headliners was to give us continental big hitters that, in any other circumstance would not command a large stage in this cottage. So we had Children of Bodom, Immortal, Behemoth (who were still a relatively small concern in those days) and Emperor bewitch us with headliner extravagances when their pulling power on rainy Tuesday in Stoke was no more than 500 people. This all changed at quarter to nine on Saturday 12th August 2017 when Ghost took the stage as the final Ronnie James Dio stage band of the day. At that exact point, Bloodstock took on a new prerogative, namely offering a dry run for the Download headliners of the future. Gojira in 2018, Sabaton and Parkway Drive in 2019 proved that Bloodstock is now the incubator for new goliaths, as opposed to a cul-de-sac destination for acts yet to truly crack this country.

The operating model continues this year with the much-vaunted appearance of Architects. Coming from a different sphere of metal doesn’t make the Brighton custodians any less deserving of the headline berth. In fact, their appearance single handedly broadens the reach of the festival and sticks two fingers up at the assumed elitism and gatekeeping..Architects deserve this honour because they have paid for it in blood and sweat. They also process a grounded mentality that speaks volumes. Headline slots are monumental when the act in question treats the occasion as special and there are no arguments about Architects making the appearance count. What only a few years ago would be viewed as controversial now feels like a natural and inevitable shift. Get ready for Architects to show why their next step is Stadiums.