Posts in Fleshtivals
Live Review : Firevolt Festival on August 10th 2025 - Scandi Sunday!

Sunday morning also starts with Jack's Jam, with Jack J Hutchinson inviting festival-goers and the odd musician (Hi again Matt from Ransom!) onto his little stage. This time there’s a definite slant towards the music of Ozzy Osbourne, and a rollicking good time is had by all again. This is helped along by the fact that the festival management were obviously taking feedback on board and although the bar in the barn remained resolutely shut due to licencing restrictions, the bar by the main stage was very much open for business. Niggle put to bed in under 24 hours, kudos Firevolt! 

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Live Review : Firevolt Festival on August 9th 2025

Saturday starts with Jack J Hutchinson in the barn having a bit of a jam session. He’s not on the proper stage so it’s semi-acoustic and although he starts with his own band doing his usual bluesy stuff he soon gets people up from the crowd to strut through some well-known covers. Names have been picked beforehand and there’s a couple of ringers (looking at you Matt from Ransom!) and it turned out to be a happy, hum-along session.

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The Prologue : Firevolt Festival on August 7th 2025

In these days of smaller, independent festivals going to the wall due to lack of interest and advance sales, it’s heartening to meet Firevolt and see how well they are doing. 

Since its inception in 2022 it has grown like a virus, attracting bands and punters alike and building itself a solid reputation year-on-year. As the date clashes with that bastion of All Things Metal that is Bloodstock, 2025 is the first year that Rockflesh have been able to attend and what we found was truly delightful. 

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Super Mega Big Review : Bloodstock Festival on August 10th 2025

With that is Sunday, the weekend has flown past and we are in the final furlong. But what fantastic final furlong it is. Apathy UK are anything but apathetic. They are incredibly young, vigilantly angry and astonishingly well versed in their instruments. They boil with righteous indignity, and they prove to be highly competent in screaming at the injustices of this world.

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Super Mega Big Review : Bloodstock Festival on August 9th 2025

With Thursday's freak rainstorm now just a distant memory, Saturday dawns with more blue skies and sunny patches. It also brings us some rather tasty metalcore/prog crossover in the shape of Leeds’ very own Ireosis. The vocals regularly switch from barked to melodic wails, and the guitarist does really interesting things with his instrument, contorting out angular riffs and then following them with deep, intricate passages. There are so many ideas at play, especially for 10.30 in the morning.

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Super Mega Big Review : Bloodstock Festival on August 8th 2025

This weekend is blessed by the Norse gods of weather and crowd size. Because of the sold-out nature of the event, no bands play to poor attendance. Ofnus kick off in the Sophie Lancaster at the very un-rock and roll time of 10.30 and attract an impressively vocal bunch of inquisitive souls. They trade in atmospheric black metal, and there it is all very cinematic and anthemic.

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Super Mega Big Review : Bloodstock Festival on August 7th 2025

The unprecedented and extraordinary early sell-out left Bloodstock 2025 with a rather interesting quandary. How does it accommodate thousands of new punters whilst simultaneously preserving the unique communal feel that has been its backbone for the last two decades? In the main the festival manages to pull it off. There are some hiccups: chairgate rumbles on and queuing to get in and out of the arena seemed habitual, but despite all that Bloodstock ’25 remains quintessentially the Bloodstock we know and love. Just with a lot more people.

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Bloodstock Festival Countdown : 30 Bands Not To Miss

And we reach numero uno. Our final must-watch. This one is special. This one is different. This one is personal. For the first time ever we have got real skin in the game. Yes, we have had bands that ROCKFLESH have championed play Bloodstock before, but this is the first time we have had a band we are intrinsically connected with play the festival and we cannot contain our excitement.

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Bloodstock Festival Countdown : 30 Bands Not To Miss

I am going to get personal here. It was on these very fields of Bloodstock that I first discovered and heard Gojira. It was back in 2010 and my second visit to Catton Hall. Sunday was awash with riches, including the gruesome delights of GWAR and the death metal supergroup that is Bloodbath. I was devouring it all and becoming one with the metal.

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Bloodstock Festival Countdown : 30 Bands Not To Miss

Whilst it may seem to many that Kublai Khan TX have appeared from nowhere, their overnight success story has actually been rather a slow burner. Last year's breakthrough record “Exhibition of Prowess” is album number five in their discography, and they have spent 16 years diligently learning their craft and painstakingly crawling up bills.

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Bloodstock Festival Countdown : 30 Bands Not To Miss

Machine “fuckin” head. The real frikin deal. A reliable constant that reminds us the metal is a rallying cry for the indisposed and unfranchised. Machine Head are the people’s champion. They are so entwined with modern metal that you can align the genre’s development over the last three decades with the evolution of Robb Flynn’s crew.

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