Bloodstock M2TM

TTBZ

Has anyone here done the Bloodstock M2TM heats before - if so what can we expect and any tips?? Looks like we should be getting into the Leicester heats. As a band that formed over lockdown we haven't actually done any gigs yet and this is our first one in the diary, hopefully we can get some warmup ones beforehand! Again due to how new we are we don't really have much of a following, so I'm not sure how well we'll do on the fan/audience votes, but any advice would be much appreciated

Dopesick

We’ve done them a few times in our area. Furthest we got was the semi finals but ignoring the competitive element (which I’ve never liked tbh) depending on your scene, we have always got good crowds every heat and at the end of the day, it’s a gig - you never know someone might be watching who will book you elsewhere. 

We weren’t gonna do it this year but my bandmates kept badgering me to give it a go so yeah, we’re in it for 2022.

digitalscream

Yes. We got to the final a couple of times, and got told by the head judge that we "...would have been heavy, in the 70s". Nice.

We did, however, get a load of new fans from it, and the shows themselves were great fun.

In terms of advice, I'd say...be absolutely as professional as you can be. Your setup and breakdown needs to be slick and fast, you need a soundcheck/line check song ready to go (verse and chorus), and you need to know exactly how you want your monitors set up. I've found that sending a stage plan in actually helps, at least in our region. These things don't matter so much in the first heat, but after that they do tend to factor it in to the judging decisions.

And, whatever you do, don't try to go over your 30 minutes

Vintage-T

I looked at it, decided we weren't heavy enough so passed on it. Also I'm potentially in America when the festival is on, so it'd be annoying if we did miraculously get a slot and I'd have to decide on that or a holiday

TTBZ

digitalscream said:

Yes. We got to the final a couple of times, and got told by the head judge that we "...would have been heavy, in the 70s". Nice.

I wonder if we might end up falling a bit foul of this too  we're probably classed more as stoner or heavy alternative rock than metal in the traditional sense.

Confirmed we'll be in the first Leicester heat so that's not bad as a first gig to get booked for the band, as you guys say if nothing else it'll be a good one to get us out there and on other bands' radars for support slots etc.