Mad About Rock

  How about a whole host of excellent BLOODSTOCK news that doesn’t announce a single band? BLOODSTOCKers, we know you’ve been asking, and HQ wants you to have pleeeenty of time to plan the most splendid FANCY DRESS outfits, so without further delay, here are the themes for 2026! On Thursday, we know it’s been done before, but with HEAVYSAURUS on the bill and it being SO MUCH FUN, it has to be DINOSAURS again. That costume you bought a couple years back is now excellent value for money, huh? On Friday, we embrace the dark, the macabre, and the creative… we want to see how you interpret TWISTED FAIRYTALES as a theme! Black widow bitten Miss Muffet? Malice in Wonderland? Goth fairies welcome! Saturday rolls back the clock to the 1980’s! Bring out your best ‘80’s fashion (mullets encouraged, neon leg warmers optional), or be a character from your fave ‘80s movie, TV show, or band! There is no such thing as too much leopard print. On Sunday, there’s a special treat in the RAM Gallery, a...

  After an unforgettable debut last year, BLOODSTOCK’S WINTER GATHERING storms back this winter, bringing the spirit of the UK’s premier metal festival indoors once again for a full day of festive heaviness. Returning to take over KK’s Steelmill, Wolverhampton, on Saturday 5th December 2026, this one-day celebration promises towering riffs, intimate chaos, and all the community magic that BLOODSTOCK is known for. Just a 20-minute walk from Wolverhampton station, with all-day parking nearby for a couple of quid, KK’s Steelmill is easy to get to. Alongside a stacked lineup of crushing bands, there’s a range of food available to help you keep up your energy for 8 hours of solid headbanging, plus a fully stocked bar serving drinks throughout the event, with cash, card, and contactless all accepted. And because December is definitely coat weather, there’s a cloakroom available too - drop off your big coat and warm up in the pit! Doors will open at 2pm, with bands performing from 3pm – 1...

  Canadian heavy music pioneers KITTIE have announced their return to the UK and Europe. Following an incredible 2025 that saw the band perform their first shows on this side of the world in over a decade, the heavy metal queens will be bringing their fierce brand of aggression to five lucky cities across the continent for some intense and explosive shows in August. Since making their long-awaited return to the live circuit, the band have sharpened their teeth all over the world with earth-shattering headline shows and stunning performances at renowned festivals including Sick New World, Welcome To Rockville, Sonic Temple, Louder Than Life, Hellfest, Download Festival and many more. KITTIE have re-established themselves as one of metal's finest live acts, and they're set to reinforce that claim this year. Speaking on the announcement, vocalist and guitarist Morgan Lander shares: “Having the opportunity to come back to the UK and Europe for headline shows this August means every...

  Fresh off BLOODSTOCK’s inaugural Winter Gathering, this holiday season BLOODSTOCK gifts metalheads something seriously heavy: five exclusive, newly released, pro-shot videos from GOJIRA’s earth-shaking 2025 headline performance, individually re-engineered with the band’s sound engineer to create the best and heaviest listening experience possible. Dropping across the holiday period, these live cuts capture the French titans at full power - a perfect festive binge for fans hungry for riffs. Your essential festive viewing includes “Stranded,” the groove-driven anthem from their 2016 released Magma opus, which airs first, blazing with the ferocity that made it a modern classic. “Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!),” which made waves after the band’s blistering performance during the Paris 2024 Olympic opening ceremony, drops next. “Only Pain” follows, also taken from Magma, and showcases GOJIRA’s signature blend of precision and emotional weight. Next, the band’s crushing take on “Under The Sun...

  Have you recovered from the last BLOODSTOCK announcement yet? Well hold onto your battle jacket, because your cries of delight over that news can only be matched by today’s reveal. BLOODSTOCK can now confirm that 2026’s stellar line-up will be further enriched by Bay Area thrash icons TESTAMENT , who have been ripping the UK a new one this month already. With more than 40 years of excellence and influence under their belt, miss their set on the Ronnie James Dio main stage before BLACK LABEL SOCIETY on Sunday at your peril. While you wait, they’ve just dropped their brand new album, Para Bellum, only yesterday via Nuclear Blast - check out its first single ‘Infanticide A.I.’ here . TESTAMENT will be joined by their thrash pals from further down the Californian coastline, LA based THROWN INTO EXILE . If you aren’t familiar with them yet, get your ears around clobbering new single ‘Eternal Nothingness’ here and if it makes you want more, grab their last EP, Passageways, too. They’...

  With Halloween around the corner, BLOODSTOCK has some early treats to share, by way of some fiendishly good bands to announce! No tricks here. Hot on the heels of the recent reveal of special guests BODY COUNT, today BLOODSTOCK can tell you another 10 bands who’ll be treading the boards at Catton Park next summer, and if you’re quick, you might just manage to snap up the last of the standard weekend tickets before the box office goblin swoops in with the giant sold out stamp. Striding onto the Ronnie James Dio main stage on Sunday, will be the mighty BLACK LABEL SOCIETY . Led by the inimitable, master storyteller Zakk Wylde, do they need any more introduction? Warm up your necks in advance headbangers, you’ll need it. Not ones to be intimidated by that hefty gut punch, Friday sees prime deathcore dealers FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY join the bill. The Sophie Lancaster stage is no slouch either. Thursday welcomes back Birmingham’s previous Metal 2 The Masses winners, boisterous lads MANTIS...

  It’s happening. After years of fans requesting it, BODY COUNT are finally set to tear up BLOODSTOCK in August 2026. The Grammy-winning crew led by Ice-T will make their long-overdue debut as special guests on the Ronnie James Dio main stage on the festival’s final day, Sunday 9th August, playing directly before headliner JUDAS PRIEST. No strangers to controversy or crushing riffs, BODY COUNT have been a rallying cry for raw, unapologetic heavy music since the early ‘90s. Born from Ice-T and guitarist Ernie C’s vision to fuse street grit with blistering metal, the band has built a reputation for leveling every stage they set foot on. With a Grammy win for Best Metal Performance (for ‘Bum-Rush’ off their Carnivore album) under their belt, they’re louder, harder, and more relevant than ever. Festival director Vicky Hungerford comments, “After 10 years of trying we FINALLY get Body Count to Bloodstock!!! This is going to be one of the most memorable shows the festival has ever seen...

  As plans for BLOODSTOCK’s 25th anniversary get underway, the festival has unveiled another 27 bands for 2026’s monumental event. With heavyweights, cult favourites, and rising stars joining the awesome bands already announced, this year’s line-up is shaping up to be one for the ages. And there are still plenty more names yet to come, with approximately 125 bands in total set to appear. Did you know? BLOODSTOCK is going to open the Ronnie James Dio main stage on Thursday now as well! Early bird, campervan, and VIP tickets are already sold out and weekend tickets are over 90% gone, so act quickly to get tickets if you don’t want to miss out! And so to the bands… THURSDAY – RONNIE JAMES DIO STAGE Headlining the opening night on the Ronnie James Dio main stage are none other than British heavy metal legends SAXON . With over four decades of anthems and an iron-clad reputation for blistering live shows, SAXON’s triumphant return to BLOODSTOCK will kick off the weekend in classic style...

  BLOODSTOCK is delighted to return to Catton Park in August 2026 to celebrate its 25th anniversary - will you be there to celebrate this momentous occasion with everyone? With 2025’s event fully underway with headliners TRIVIUM, MACHINE HEAD, and GOJIRA melting faces this weekend (alongside 120+ more bands), BLOODSTOCK cordially invites you to get excited for 2026 too, by revealing the first 25 bands set to make 2026 the festival’s best year yet. You can snap up tickets immediately at the on site box office at an early bird price, saving yourself the booking fee. More info on all ticket types and on sale dates is further below. BLOODSTOCK is overjoyed to welcome back titans of groove metal, the unmistakable LAMB OF GOD as Friday’s headliner on the Ronnie James Dio stage. Frontman D. Randall Blythe states, "We are thrilled to return to headline Bloodstock in 2026! The UK is one of our favourite countries in the world to play and Bloodstock is one of our favourite festivals. And...