Following a heavy Friday, the sun rose over Catton Park for the weekend proper. Bloodstock Open Air 2025 has been a belter so far, and with the temperature rising, the action on the stages was heating up just as much. With so many bands across the Ronnie James Dio (Main), Sophie Lancaster, New Blood, EMP, and VIP stages, it’s impossible to catch every single note, but we gave it a good go. Here’s what went down on Saturday.
The Saturday morning cobwebs were blown away early on the Sophie stage by Ireosis. To be honest, it was a bit of a blur that early in the day, but they certainly woke everyone up. Over on the main stage, Cage Fight proved why they are one of the most talked-about bands in the scene. Singer Rachel produces noises that I think some unfamiliar with the band might be genuinely surprised by; she is an incredibly engaging presence. Watching from the crowd, she looked like a delicate but tattooed porcelain doll that could rip your face off. The boys were sporting matching black t-shirts that looked like they’d been bleached with a paintbrush – a very cool look, and if they don’t sell those as merch yet, they should get on it.
The New Blood stage, always a goldmine for unsigned talent, saw Adfeilion draping the monitors in ivy for a bit of atmosphere, while Prodigal delivered some impressive screams. Back in the Sophie tent, Ba’al took to the stage. I’ll admit I enjoyed them more for their musical than vocal style, but that’s easily offset by their recent album appearing on pretty much all of our published “best of 2025” lists, so they’re clearly doing something right.
Peng Shui brought the fun to the Sophie stage; not my usual thing musically, but you can’t deny the energy. It was great to see Warbringer on the main stage, a cracking addition to the lineup and good to see them again after their Glasgow show earlier in the year. Following them, Heriot overcame some initial technical gremlins to play a blistering set. There were even punters dressed as “Siege Lords” in tinfoil knight armour in the pit! Debbie is simply incredible on vocals – I bet a fair few people uninitiated with the band were shocked by what came out of her mouth.
One of the best live bands going right now, Waterlines, brought high energy to the Sophie tent. The singer was a nightmare to shoot, constantly moving and keeping the mic in his face, but the performance was full of fun. We just need more new music from them! Meanwhile, Creeper divided opinion slightly on the main stage. Our photographer Katie noted they didn’t sound quite how she expected, but enjoyed Will’s deep, creepy vocals and the theatrical outfits. Having seen them in Glasgow recently, I knew what to expect – they were as good on a festival stage as they are on their own headline tour.
Phoenix Lake brought a massive show to the Sophie stage. They had some fire dancers that really added to the spectacle – a great show with plenty of heat. Passing through the VIP stage, Aethoria seemed decent from the half-song we caught.
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There was a lot of buzz around Kublai Khan on the main stage, and they truly kicked arse. A quick word of warning though: watch out for the “crowd killer” wankers if you go to see them. I have absolutely no apologies for the one I flattened after he almost smashed someone in the face twice. Prick. Behave yourselves in the pit, folks.
Back on the New Blood stage, Fortune Teller brought some Viking vibes, while Undeath brought the death metal heavy to the Sophie tent. Tiberius were good fun on the EMP stage, throwing inflatable beach balls into the crowd, which is always a laugh. We briefly caught Unnatural Order on New Blood, but the real story of that stage was Fight The Champ.
Drama struck just before their set when their guitarist suffered a panic attack. Being the last band of the day, the whole New Blood stage crew soldiered on to set up in the hope they could play. He ended up playing on a chair off-stage, but it was a highly emotional performance and his bandmates kept the energy up brilliantly. Massive respect to them.
Over on the tiny EMP stage, Crown Solace – presumably Scottish given the kilts – delivered a mix of growls and incredibly high operatic singing. The bassist kept hitting his head on the tent roof because that stage is frankly ridiculously small. Static-X closed out the Sophie stage with impressive masks and a bassist with a lovely beard and a friendly face. I do wish the singer had decanted his drink into a vessel more in keeping with their industrial look, though!
Finally, the Saturday headliners. Fear Factory drew a massive crowd and an active pit that didn’t seem to care about any sound issues. The new singer does a good job channelling Burton C. Bell for the older material, though you have to wonder if they missed a chance to stamp a new identity on the lineup. However, the night belonged to Machine Head. Obviously, I’m biased having been a fan since the first album, but they were the best band of the weekend. It was a very emotional set, especially the pause to recognise Michelle Kerr who passed away in 2024. She was the band’s publicist and someone we worked closely with – “Darkness Within” was devoted to her. The crowd singing along was tear-jerking, goose-bump-inducing stuff. I’ve seen them countless times, and this was arguably the best performance I’ve ever seen from them. So glad they’ve returned to festival shows.
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Photos by Katie Frost and Sean Larkin
