Our regular run-down of as many of the upcoming Bloodstock bands as we can get to talk to us! Uridium play the New Blood stage on the Friday…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
Hey, we’re from the fine city of Norwich in the East of England. Gary, the band’s founder, guitarist, and backing vocalist is a proud Geordie and has lived in Norwich for 15+ years now. The rest of us; Paul (guitar), Slug (bass and backing vocals), James (drums) and Cameron (vocals) are all Norfolk born and bred.
How long have you been playing together as a band?
This line-up has only been playing together as a band for a little over a year now, but Uridium has been around for 5-6 years. There have been a few line-up changes over that time we feel very settled now with this current group of misfits.
Where does the name of the band come from?
The name Uridium comes from an old Commodore 64 science fiction shoot ‘em up game. Within the game the last level is called Uridium and refers to a fictional metallic element. Not to be confused with the actual metal, Iridium!
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
As a band we’re heavily inspired by old-school heavyweights such as Megadeth, Iron Maiden, Anthrax, Metallica, Judas Priest etc. but as individuals we all have a wide-ranging base of inspiration that we draw from. I think this comes across in our music because although the old-school vibe is very apparent, we’re so much more than that! All our songs work together but they’ve all got their own identities, we like to think that keeps our sound fresh and interesting.
What’s your live show like? Why are people going to watch you instead of another band?
Our live show will be full of energy from the second the hi-hats ring out for the first count-in. The energy will continue to build throughout and will turn into full on party time brutality by the end. The pit animals out there should be fully pumped and ready to get dirty, but if that’s not your thing, have a drink in hand and be prepared to fully soak up the old-school fun time heavy metal party vibes we’re pushing out!
Have you been to Bloodstock before? What did you think?
Three out of the five of us have been before and only good things have ever been said about Bloodstock. We’re psyched to be attending as a band and having the incredible opportunity to play as well as check out some of the amazing acts on all stages.
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Which M2tM region did you win, or did you come through other channels?
We won the East Anglian M2TM, held in Norwich and our competition was super tough. We did work really hard to get to the grand final and our crowd was epic, so much love to all those crazy legends.
Can you put into 10 words or fewer how it felt when you realised you were heading to Bloodstock?
Surreal, relieved, ecstatic, emotional, exciting and adrenaline-fuelled.
What sort of setlist can we expect?
We will be playing a 30-minute, 7 song set list that includes the 5 tracks from this year’s EP release In For The Kill plus two absolute face melting belters that we’re hoping will blow people away. There will be little time for rest and lots of opportunity to thrash out some pent-up rage, or simple nod your head with drink in hand while watching the pit animals in front of you go wild.
Which other bands do you most hope you’re not squished up next to so you can see them play?
We’re playing on the Friday and really want to see Sacred Reich, Candlemass, In Flames and Killswitch Engage so hopefully there are no clashes there, but if there are that’s cool we’re just so happy to be playing. For the rest of the weekend highlights for us are Crowbar, Meshuggah, Helloween and of course the mighty Megadeth.
What are you working on at the moment?
We’re so focused on rehearsing for Bloodstock currently that there’s not so much in the way of new material. One of the songs towards the end of our Bloodstock set however is quite new so there is fresh material making its way through. We hope to start recording a full-length album later this year.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
This may seem pretty lame to some, but if you’re in a metal band you’ll probably get it. During our M2TM heat, semi and grand final Cameron got an insane wall of death going, which looked incredible from on stage. Bear in mind that we’re currently a band with just a good local following playing in an excellent, yet modestly sized venue in Norwich, and a wall of death is an achievement! I’m pretty sure we were the first band to ever successfully pull this off in this venue and we managed it at all three stages. It felt wild to us, believe me!
What drink do you throw back to get yourself fired up before going on stage?
Nothing too strong before the show as we’re insistent on being the best we can be and don’t want to do anything to jeopardise that. Maybe the odd beer or cider here and there. After the show things may get a little stronger however but to be fair, I really don’t think any of us are fussy; beer, cider, whiskey, rum… bring it on!
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Uridium: facebook | instagram | spotify | bandcamp | youtube
