RAMzine Issue 1 - Feb. 2015 | Page 7

Festival preview Bloodstock Festival www.bloodstock.uk.com 6th-9th August 2015, Derbyshire I f you have ever looked at the Download line up and thought ‘yea, but where’s the really heavy stuff at? Where are Fleshgod Apocalypse?’ Then Bloodstock Open Air is probably the festival for you. It is a festival not afraid to get extreme and every year it just seems to grow that little big bigger. This year is no exception. You want a show? Here is Rob Zombie and Within Temptation, both of whom are headlining and damn will they give you a show. If that is not your bag and you are more into your thinking man’s metal, then you needn’t worry! Opeth are on hand to satisfy all your needs. While if what you really want is to sit in a field, punch the air and drink a beer, than Sabaton are there to complete the trifecta. It’s a line-up that literally covers all bases and if you can’t find something to enjoy, you are just not looking hard enough. One of the bigger stories from this year line- Ramblin’ Man Fair www.ramblinmanfair.com 25th - 26th July 2015, Maidstone T eam Rock and The Rock Collective have put their heads together to create the Ramblin’ Man Fair – A festival which celebrates everything in the world of rock ‘n’ roll, from classic rock and prog to country and blues. Organisers searched the perfect place to hold such an event and finally decided on Mote Park, Kent. Located in the Garden of England, just down the road from London. The 450 acres of land is the perfect settings for rock antics and festival fun. What would a rock festival be without amazing bands? Of course Ramblin’ Man is named after the classic Allman Brothers track of the same name. And who better to headline the festival than Greg Allman himself in a UK exclusive performance? Joining Allman are German rock legends Scorpions, who are also headlining the main stage. Across the site are power-ballad pioneers Marillion and iconic space- rockers Camel topping the bill of the Prog stage. And would you bloomin’ believe it that these are UK exclusives as well? up, sees Trivium stepping up into a headliner slot. The band who famously marked their entry into the heavy metal mainstream by absolutely destroying the main stage at Download in 2005, have had an up and down career since. The ho-hum reaction to Ascendancy, was followed by two solid efforts in Shogun and In Waves. However, 2013’s David Draiman produced Vengeance Falls, split opinion. All of this leads to an intriguing question, can Trivium step up to the plate? It’s hard to say, but we think it is pretty much a guarantee that you won’t want to miss it. All of this barely even touches on the supporting cast. Legends like Sepultura and Cannibal Corpse are sure to cause chaos. While British main stays Orange Goblin, never fail to knock the ball out of the park. It all comes together into one wonderful festival, which if you like things heavy, is one you can’t afford to miss this year. If that wasn’t enough main stage acts include NWOBHM icons Saxon, hard rock heroes Blue Oyster Cult, neo-prog metallers Dream Theater, and AOR VIPs- FM among many others. While the Prog stage also boasts multi-instrumentalist frontman Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, Scouse prog from Anthema, and hidden gems Pendragon. Meanwhile, the Outlaw Country Stage has rock-grass originators Hayseed Dixie, singer-songwriter Shooter Jennings, and homegrown country crew Jess and The Bandits. Pl