Bloodstock Festival Countdown : 24 Bands Not To Miss

So lets have our second entry in the bands our team at ROCKFLESH think you should see and lets give you the first of your FOUR main stage headliners (four count them daddy-o)

23. Saxon – Ronnie James Dio Stage, Friday Evening just after nine.

This feels right. As Bloodstock celebrates 25 illustrious years it is fitting that they do their piece of back to the beginning and give us the headliner that started it all, the mighty Saxon. The interesting thing is that the mighty Saxon are much, much mightier now than they were when they headlined the fledgeling festival at the Derby Assembly Halls way back in 2001. Back then Saxon were a throwback to a time gone by. They had little legitimacy or currency as the new century dawned. Even though it was only around 700 people that gathered to see them round off the evening’s entertainment, it was still significantly more than Saxon were attracting on their own volition. However as Bloodstock has grown into the Behemoth that it is now so has the legacy and pull of Saxon. As classic rock and metal has come back into vogue Saxon have been re-evaluated and their importance in the development of our music has been acknowledged. They are now firmly back in the applo's and Odeon’s that they haunted in the eighties and are back headlining festivals. So here we are with a healthy and dominant Saxon showing us just how you do it. This is metal as it should be, anthemic, poignant and brimming with power. They also have more sing along than you can shake your money maker at. Best start to they bloodstock weekend. Ever.