The Good, The Bad and The Ugly BOA 2022

August 11 - 14, Catton Park, Derbyshire
User avatar
JD_B3E5
Powermetal Child
Posts: 32
Joined: Thu May 25, 2017 11:14 am
Location: Southampton

Re: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly BOA 2022

Postby JD_B3E5 » Wed Aug 17, 2022 12:16 am

The Good

- The majority of the bands I planned to see/saw
- Seeing Chris Kontos having a good time in Lemmy’s Bar on the Thursday evening and being a down-to-earth dude
- That patch stall that had the 4 for a tenner offer with three big boxes choc-full of patches to rummage through
- Show-Sec security, they’re brilliant every year and deserve so much credit
- The lovely and cool RAM Gallery

The Bad

- The whole situation with only having two water refill stations in the arena was a bit shit
- The heat causing me to limit myself from seeing certain bands sometimes, I wanted to Gwar on the main stage after seeing all of Machine Head’s secret set in the Sophie tent but I needed to sit down and drink a litre of water to keep myself going as it must’ve been almost 40 degrees during MH
- The campsite seemed noisier than previous years as I’ve always camped in Ironwood since I’ve found it to be the perfect mixture of having a laugh with your mates and then getting a decent nights sleep. I ended up having to put ear plugs in sometime to be able to relax properly in bed.

The Ugly

- King 810 getting announced for next year, I’m glad they got booed when they came up on the screens
- The lead vocalist of Ill Nino getting constant (and very loud) feedback on his microphone
- The news I heard from the Valhalla camp that the coffee vendors selfishly cut off the whole camps water supply for over an hour when the sun was absolutely beaming so they could “refill their water tank” is truly disgusting
- Me being so sweaty during Vio-Lence that I could physically ring out my wristband :oops:

User avatar
SpecialForces
Powermetal Child
Posts: 46
Joined: Wed Mar 26, 2014 1:13 pm
Contact:

Re: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly BOA 2022

Postby SpecialForces » Wed Aug 17, 2022 9:23 am

metaldinosaur wrote:The Ugly:

Girls thinking its OK to get their breast out infront of young children. Some had tape (maybe that's OK after the last band, and all the kids have gone - it is a fest after all, I don't know, its on the line I guess) but some had them just out. Have some self-respect, and also have some empathy for how others feel. Look beyond your selfish bratty ego you silly children. Your not empowering, reclaiming or doing anything that actually benefits anyone, you doing it for selfish and conceited reasons. You don't get to set the standards for propriety at a family friendly festival, even if you think you do. Stop it, you bag of dicks.


If men can go topless then women should be able to as well, seriously, get the fuck over yourself.

doomydoomdoom
Lowly Peon
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Aug 17, 2022 9:03 am

Re: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly BOA 2022

Postby doomydoomdoom » Wed Aug 17, 2022 9:32 am

The Good

- Entrance opened up early
- Cattle Decapitation, Mercyful Fate, Hellfekted, Party Cannon and a few of the other bands I actually managed to see
- Ice at the supermarket
- Patch selection in the stalls
- Security & the welfare team, absolute stars
- The folk we were camping near in Midgard

The Bad
- The extra 'shade'
- The ice at the supermarket; took a while to limit it to one bag per person.
- Few water points in the arena leading to ridiculously long queues (though I noticed on Saturday security were letting us in with full bottles of water)
- That hated sphere the sun. Not being able to see several bands due to the heat; when trying to watch baest in the shade of the jager stage, we had to leave due to how hot it was; this happened a few times. Other times we didn't even bother, it was easier to stay in the custom built shade at our campsite.
- Next years line up. Though the line up is in it's infancy, I literally only care about Gatecreeper so far. Also - give someone else a chance as a headliner.

The Ugly
- Machine Head. Myself and the missus were stood at the back of the sophie stage to the left of the bar and about 10 minutes before they were due to start a stream of people decided to come in from under the tent, (like a fucking clown car). More often than not barging us out of the way, and just standing in front of us forcing us further to the back (we were already leaning on the canvas itself!). Why this was allowed to happen is beyond me. And, why Machine Head were put in a fucking tent is also beyond me - putting a previous RJD headliner on a limited capacity stage is serious poor planning. We had to leave the sophie stage as it was getting far far too full and we were genuinely concerned about our safety.
- Myself on the Thursday. Limits were not known.

Jokermunro
Lowly Peon
Posts: 17
Joined: Fri Jan 17, 2020 2:01 pm

Re: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly BOA 2022

Postby Jokermunro » Wed Aug 17, 2022 10:01 am

SpecialForces wrote:
metaldinosaur wrote:The Ugly:

Girls thinking its OK to get their breast out infront of young children. Some had tape (maybe that's OK after the last band, and all the kids have gone - it is a fest after all, I don't know, its on the line I guess) but some had them just out. Have some self-respect, and also have some empathy for how others feel. Look beyond your selfish bratty ego you silly children. Your not empowering, reclaiming or doing anything that actually benefits anyone, you doing it for selfish and conceited reasons. You don't get to set the standards for propriety at a family friendly festival, even if you think you do. Stop it, you bag of dicks.


If men can go topless then women should be able to as well, seriously, get the fuck over yourself.


^^ hear hear, it's perfectly within peoples rights to dress how they like, it's a metal festival not kids day out

User avatar
SpecialForces
Powermetal Child
Posts: 46
Joined: Wed Mar 26, 2014 1:13 pm
Contact:

Re: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly BOA 2022

Postby SpecialForces » Wed Aug 17, 2022 10:06 am

The Good

- Mercyful Fate, before this point I was struggling to get into it due to the heat but being front row was an incredible experience!
- Also really impressed by Dark Funeral
- The food (paella stand is a favourite)
- First time camping in Ironwood and was a great experience

The Bad

- I may sound old but I really don't think it was safe to have pyro in the Sophie tent for Belphagor. I was at the front and before the show started the ShowSec staff asked us to help catch any crowd surfers and ensure they didn't fly forward when coming over.

There was a couple of situations where ShowSec staff fell backwards a bit when catching a crowd surfer and then the pyro went off just a sec after; had they fell a bit further back or the pyro gone off sooner it could've ended badly.

Also I don't think the pyro tanks were secured so potentially they could've feel forward and set off in the audience or fell backwards and hit the band.

Have other bands used pyro in the tent before as I can't remember if it has happened?

- ShowSec guy at the front for Strigoi and Belphagor obviously on drugs; his eyes were rolling back in to his head at one point.

- Lack of shade in the area and camping sites, I read on social media there would be additional shade put up but I really didn't see any; spent a lot of time at the campsite sat under the shade near the fences just to avoid the sun.

The Ugly

- People not heeding the warnings about the temperature and going at is as they usually would

User avatar
SpecialForces
Powermetal Child
Posts: 46
Joined: Wed Mar 26, 2014 1:13 pm
Contact:

Re: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly BOA 2022

Postby SpecialForces » Wed Aug 17, 2022 10:08 am

Jokermunro wrote:
SpecialForces wrote:
metaldinosaur wrote:The Ugly:

Girls thinking its OK to get their breast out infront of young children. Some had tape (maybe that's OK after the last band, and all the kids have gone - it is a fest after all, I don't know, its on the line I guess) but some had them just out. Have some self-respect, and also have some empathy for how others feel. Look beyond your selfish bratty ego you silly children. Your not empowering, reclaiming or doing anything that actually benefits anyone, you doing it for selfish and conceited reasons. You don't get to set the standards for propriety at a family friendly festival, even if you think you do. Stop it, you bag of dicks.


If men can go topless then women should be able to as well, seriously, get the fuck over yourself.


^^ hear hear, it's perfectly within peoples rights to dress how they like, it's a metal festival not kids day out



Exactly, plus it's the mindset that breast are inherently sexual which is just ridiculous; I can only imagine how frustrating it is for women to be told what to do with their bodies while men have less restrictions.

I mean, they have the word 'Dinosaur' in their username so I guess maybe that explains their views.

JPMC
Powermetal Child
Posts: 47
Joined: Sun Jul 27, 2014 6:59 pm

Re: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly BOA 2022

Postby JPMC » Wed Aug 17, 2022 10:40 am

I won't mention the weather, we all know and dealt with it (or didn't) in various ways.

THE GOOD
=========
Belphegor owning the festival. I knew they would be band of the weekend for me and didn't disappoint. I was thoroughly immersed.

The security again were great people. I only saw a couple of sour faces but they were really just checking wristbands going into VIP. I guess that was their concentrating faces so all good here.

The showers in VIP. As with all things, could do with a little improvement, but I'm so glad that they're there.

I also really enjoyed Dimmu Borgir. Other than the set being shorter than planned, I have no idea why people were bitching about it afterwards. I heard more than a couple of people slamming them. I guess DB are just one of those bands who can't do right for doing wrong for some. Personally, I loved it.

THE BAD
=======
Not much was bad, so I'll nitpick.

The stalls plain running out of gluten free options. I was lucky as I came well stocked but by sunday my option was pizza. And that's it. I only visited about four stalls and gave up after getting the nope signals. The pizza place opposite RJD sorted me out though so no issues.

The vocal issues at the beginning of Behemoth. It was quite funny hearing what Nergal would sound like if he was a faulty dalek but sort it out lads!

Those video screens! Towards the end of the headliner sets, they went full screen and they were excellent! Why then would they keep them small letterbox size with the flames animation on all the time? Keep it full screen for all the sets so even if you're taking a break at the back you can still see the action from where you are. This was nonsensical to me! And why flames? It was a damned heatwave, was someone taking the piss?

THE UGLY
========
Someone else mentioned the boobs on display thing. Personally I don't have a particular problem with it, I have my own views and all that but I'm not about to tell people what they can and can't do. I ain't your Daddy! The thing that concerned me was that at least two of the ladies walking around topless seemed to have no comprehension of sunblock and that walking around topless in that heat and unadulterated sunshine is really not a healthy thing to do. I like boobs as much as the next guy, but really covering those gals up is really much more advisable in that intense sun. Not that I'd tell anybody their business, we're all adults here and I'm sure they know best. I did see one of those ladies on the Sunday again and she looked in a real state basically baking her own chest all weekend. Not a good idea. Regardless of mine or anyone else's views, taking care of yourself when the sun is beating down like the fires of hell is really the point here. And exposing your boobs to the elements, well, it's your decision but I can only imagine sunburnt to hell boobs are not a fun thing to have to deal with!

As for the boobs thing making it less child friendly, I totally see that. I would add in the man-arse on display, though it was significantly lower this year, would also do the same. While I don't have kids yet, when my future lil uns are of age I do hope to take them to Bloodstock. While man-arse and boobs out would deter me, nothing deters me more than...

The drug use! It was so very abundant this year. I saw a good few people sniffing various powders and other things. I can ignore weed, I get it even if I'm not a user myself, I rarely expect trouble from someone who's stoned, it's their business and moreover I don't have to deal with it. But the harder drugs sure as hell is definitely getting more and more prevalent with every Bloodstock that passes. I had to deal with one coked up asshole at one point too, luckily he saw sense and left me alone, or rather his mates saw the sense and stopped him. I was about ready to bury him in a not good way given his completely unprovoked antics towards me. My only thought is that the drug users are coming with the influx of idiots given the rise in more mainstream (shit) bands. Take that crap back to Download I say. Bloodstock need to keep it extreme metal and stop chasing the $$$ with mainstream bands and overselling. My issue with these harder drugged up idiots is that with weed, they're going to get stoned and sleep most likely, with alcohol even if they do get aggy they go down easy. Someone up on coke or molly or whatever, no telling what's going to go down. And that to me is not a festival atmosphere, that's a stay the fuck away from me or I will deal with you sort of atmosphere and that's something I have no interest in. While I can handle myself, plenty people can't and cokehead going mad isn't something everyone can actually deal with. Frankly if security find someone with that shit, immediate removal, no questions asked. That's how I would see it anyway. I know at least one security guard saw what I saw, the lads by Sophie on Friday snorting something out of a packet. You don't need to be a genius to work out that it's not sodding Vicks Qlear Antihistamine! He looked, saw me, smiled and walked off. Nah dude, get over there, ask them what the hell, confiscate that shit and then turf their asses! How is that hard?


The absolute mess that was the Sophie tent for Machine Head. The whole decision to put such a major band in the tent was sheer stupidity. Put it on the main stage and have done. And if Robb Flynn has a problem with that, teach him a lesson and stick him on the Jaeger stage with an acoustic guitar. I noped out after 5 minutes it was so hot, I could barely breathe and even had to drag another person with me who was obviously struggling badly. I just asked if they wanted out, he gave me a nod and then had to practically carry them out. I'd swear the lad was mere seconds away from going down. Given I'm seeing them in a few weeks anyway it didn't bother me, but it was still such a rubbish decision.

The stupid camo netting that was meant to serve as extra shade. Who was taking the piss there? I can only assume that they ordered the cheapest option and by the time it went up and the organisers saw it was a load of rubbish, it was too late to change it. But bloody hell, you may as well have not bothered. Next time be honest and say, "We tried to do extra shade, but it's shit. Just be so warned!"

I personally didn't see any more water points than usual. The queues in the VIP point were OK, inside the arena was crap.

The stalls upping the prices on their hats to £35! The sort of shlock you buy on Amazon for £7-£10 they upped to £35. In that heat. That and £2.80 for water that wasn't even cold. It was tepid at best.

Coming back to the stalls, the quality of merchandise this year was well down. There were a couple of the regular good stalls. The guy selling patches always has a decent selection, the jewellery place on the corner furthest from Sophie is always a good shout. The rest though, blimey. It was just a bit rubbish. The quality of things sold was just bad and the prices were just too high even if you did feel you wanted something in a whim or fancy. I didn't really want anything so the prices were immaterial. I was really disappointed to see the stall with the cool CDs and box sets was no longer there. I assume they were a casualty of the event that happened in January 2020 which is a shame, but ah well.

All in all, had a great festival and were super careful with the heat. I knew when to bide my time at camp and shade away from the sun.

User avatar
metaldinosaur
Leather Rebel
Posts: 1070
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2011 3:56 pm
Location: Leeds

Re: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly BOA 2022

Postby metaldinosaur » Wed Aug 17, 2022 11:15 am

Jokermunro wrote:
SpecialForces wrote:
metaldinosaur wrote:The Ugly:

Girls thinking its OK to get their breast out infront of young children. Some had tape (maybe that's OK after the last band, and all the kids have gone - it is a fest after all, I don't know, its on the line I guess) but some had them just out. Have some self-respect, and also have some empathy for how others feel. Look beyond your selfish bratty ego you silly children. Your not empowering, reclaiming or doing anything that actually benefits anyone, you doing it for selfish and conceited reasons. You don't get to set the standards for propriety at a family friendly festival, even if you think you do. Stop it, you bag of dicks.


If men can go topless then women should be able to as well, seriously, get the fuck over yourself.


^^ hear hear, it's perfectly within peoples rights to dress how they like, it's a metal festival not kids day out


But it is. The fest is promoted as family friendly and many children do attend. It's not appropriate to do that infront of children. Do you think sexual imagary should be put before 4 year olds? I fucking hope not.

Either the woman who do this stop or the fest should no longer promote itself as family friendly.
Welcome to a brave new world/ The future here or haven't you heard?

User avatar
metaldinosaur
Leather Rebel
Posts: 1070
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2011 3:56 pm
Location: Leeds

Re: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly BOA 2022

Postby metaldinosaur » Wed Aug 17, 2022 11:22 am

SpecialForces wrote:
Jokermunro wrote:
SpecialForces wrote:
If men can go topless then women should be able to as well, seriously, get the fuck over yourself.


^^ hear hear, it's perfectly within peoples rights to dress how they like, it's a metal festival not kids day out



Exactly, plus it's the mindset that breast are inherently sexual which is just ridiculous; I can only imagine how frustrating it is for women to be told what to do with their bodies while men have less restrictions.

I mean, they have the word 'Dinosaur' in their username so I guess maybe that explains their views.


True there is a social construct around the idea of breast being sexual rather than mens chests. However, that construct is still strong enough to matter. Perhaps that will change in the future, but not now. Neither you not the girls that chose to behave in such a way can change that.

We are all told what to do, and bigger forces than any individual or even sizable groups cannot change that. We can act against it, but only time will define what is wrong or right in all such cases.

I will not be rude to you, so I ask you to not be rude to me. Thank you.
Welcome to a brave new world/ The future here or haven't you heard?

Jokermunro
Lowly Peon
Posts: 17
Joined: Fri Jan 17, 2020 2:01 pm

Re: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly BOA 2022

Postby Jokermunro » Wed Aug 17, 2022 11:29 am

metaldinosaur wrote:
Jokermunro wrote:
SpecialForces wrote:
If men can go topless then women should be able to as well, seriously, get the fuck over yourself.


^^ hear hear, it's perfectly within peoples rights to dress how they like, it's a metal festival not kids day out


But it is. The fest is promoted as family friendly and many children do attend. It's not appropriate to do that infront of children. Do you think sexual imagary should be put before 4 year olds? I fucking hope not.

Either the woman who do this stop or the fest should no longer promote itself as family friendly.


This is a metal music festival, from songs about murder, rape, war destruction with swearing and aggressive imagery, t-shirts with nun's sticking crosses up themselves, mutilated bodies, demons etc. if you think a woman that is wearing a see through top is too much for a child then don't take them, you'd have to think someone from this scene/style of music would be well aware and take action to either educate or protect their child from something that is a womans right to do as she please and not be subjected to scorn for someone ignoring the whole style of metal etc. and being up in arms about it.
Hopefully that comes across clearly, I respect your right to be offended by it but you don't also have a right to demand they get dressed.

User avatar
Ghost
Hell Bent for Leather
Posts: 2663
Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2007 2:09 pm

Re: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly BOA 2022

Postby Ghost » Wed Aug 17, 2022 11:39 am

metaldinosaur wrote:
But it is. The fest is promoted as family friendly and many children do attend. It's not appropriate to do that infront of children. Do you think sexual imagary should be put before 4 year olds? I fucking hope not.



The fest should never be promoted as family friendly. What exactly is there for kids to do there? Just get bored and get on their parents nerves because they're bored. Saw many tired and fed up parents dragging tired and fed up kids around. Not all, I did see some kids having fun but then keeping them out in that heat didn't seem healthy.
There's constant F this and F that from the stages by tough guy sweary people. That's all fine by me but I wouldn't expose my young kids to that.

I think women should be able to dress how they want (maybe not fannies out), they aren't at fault it's the silliness of the festival being advertised as family friendly that's the problem. Metal gigs generally have an age limit for good reason.
I see the bad moon arising.

JPMC
Powermetal Child
Posts: 47
Joined: Sun Jul 27, 2014 6:59 pm

Re: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly BOA 2022

Postby JPMC » Wed Aug 17, 2022 11:43 am

Not to throw petrol onto the bbq, but as a man if I decide to saunter around the festival schlong-out, is that acceptable? I would hope you would say it absolutely is not. It is not a nudist festival afterall.

I'm not about to tell any lady whether they can go topless or not. I don't believe I am entitled to order people about in that fashion, no sooner would I tell the guy wearing the inflatable cock and balls suit whether or not he should be doing that. I am however entitled to my reaction and own view about anything I see whether positively or negatively. That is, a person can act in any way they so desire but they don't get to police the judgement and/or reaction of others, humans will react to what they are presented with and they are entitled also to those reactions and judgements based upon that. Whether I personally thought positively or negatively about the women going around topless is for me to decide, but I certainly take on board points both parties are making here.

I do believe a good point is being raised about the festival putting forward a family friendly atmosphere and, boobs aside, this year I felt it was less family friendly (re the drug use). As someone said, if Bloodstock are presenting themselves as family friendly, I do believe there is a certain standard to uphold. It's great to see kids enjoying the festival and while nobody expects Disney levels of suppression of anything, I do believe there is a line somewhere. Of course, it's up to the individual whether or not they cross that line and if the ramifications are that the festival is no longer family friendly, then so be it. I would class that as very much now being a different festival to one we have enjoyed throughout this past decade and more.

And before you put words in my mouth, don't try to tell me I'm saying that womens' boobs are destroying bloodstock or whatever nonsense rhyme you want to peddle. What I am saying is actions have consequences. Personally I believe the drug use a far more important thing to deal with than the handful of women who decided to burn their poor boobies to a crisp, but I do see the points both sides are making here.

User avatar
metaldinosaur
Leather Rebel
Posts: 1070
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2011 3:56 pm
Location: Leeds

Re: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly BOA 2022

Postby metaldinosaur » Wed Aug 17, 2022 11:46 am

Jokermunro wrote:
metaldinosaur wrote:
Jokermunro wrote:
^^ hear hear, it's perfectly within peoples rights to dress how they like, it's a metal festival not kids day out


But it is. The fest is promoted as family friendly and many children do attend. It's not appropriate to do that infront of children. Do you think sexual imagary should be put before 4 year olds? I fucking hope not.

Either the woman who do this stop or the fest should no longer promote itself as family friendly.


This is a metal music festival, from songs about murder, rape, war destruction with swearing and aggressive imagery, t-shirts with nun's sticking crosses up themselves, mutilated bodies, demons etc. if you think a woman that is wearing a see through top is too much for a child then don't take them, you'd have to think someone from this scene/style of music would be well aware and take action to either educate or protect their child from something that is a womans right to do as she please and not be subjected to scorn for someone ignoring the whole style of metal etc. and being up in arms about it.
Hopefully that comes across clearly, I respect your right to be offended by it but you don't also have a right to demand they get dressed.


Disclaimer: I'm a relatively new dad, so my take on this is probably reflective of that new situation.

I do take your point regarding the festivals nature, and indeed the nature of festivals themselves. And that a parent attending the festival should be the primary manager of their child's wellbeing. Perhaps then the answer is I simply never take my boy to bloodstock?

However, could that right to bring my boy be set equal (or even above - a child's new experience is kinda amazing to see, I'm finding out) to a women's right to push socio-sexual boundaries at a festival (even a fest thats remit is to push boundaries)? It's a tough one. But I know which right feels the most unencumbered with selfishness and ego. Who's experience should be more freely had?
Welcome to a brave new world/ The future here or haven't you heard?

User avatar
metaldinosaur
Leather Rebel
Posts: 1070
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2011 3:56 pm
Location: Leeds

Re: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly BOA 2022

Postby metaldinosaur » Wed Aug 17, 2022 11:47 am

Ghost wrote:
metaldinosaur wrote:
But it is. The fest is promoted as family friendly and many children do attend. It's not appropriate to do that infront of children. Do you think sexual imagary should be put before 4 year olds? I fucking hope not.



The fest should never be promoted as family friendly. What exactly is there for kids to do there? Just get bored and get on their parents nerves because they're bored. Saw many tired and fed up parents dragging tired and fed up kids around. Not all, I did see some kids having fun but then keeping them out in that heat didn't seem healthy.
There's constant F this and F that from the stages by tough guy sweary people. That's all fine by me but I wouldn't expose my young kids to that.

I think women should be able to dress how they want (maybe not fannies out), they aren't at fault it's the silliness of the festival being advertised as family friendly that's the problem. Metal gigs generally have an age limit for good reason.


Maybe so.
Welcome to a brave new world/ The future here or haven't you heard?

User avatar
Ghost
Hell Bent for Leather
Posts: 2663
Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2007 2:09 pm

Re: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly BOA 2022

Postby Ghost » Wed Aug 17, 2022 11:58 am

metaldinosaur wrote:
Disclaimer: I'm a relatively new dad, so my take on this is probably reflective of that new situation.

I


Congrats. In my opinion don't take your child to Bloodstock. At least not the whole weekend anyway. There's no need to expose a child to all that at a young age. No young child regardless of music genre wants to sit and watch bands all day. There's plenty of children's fests you could take them to. When they get to ten and if they actually like metal then take them but just wait.
I see the bad moon arising.