Bloodstock Open Air 2024 – A Festival For The Ages
I (Brendan) have been going to Bloodstock for a decent amount of years now having first visited the festival for just the one day in 2014 to surprise my brother (Carl) for his 30th birthday. That was a great day, but I had a two-year-old daughter at that time and so the next couple of years went by without me returning, feeling that I wasn’t quite ready to bring her, and wasn’t comfortable leaving such a young child as the responsibility of others. It was 2017 when I next came to Catton Hall, for the full weekend this time, and the infamous 2020 aside, I haven’t missed one since.
Now, as we approach the 2024 event in a few weeks’ time, my now 12-year-old daughter is coming to her first Bloodstock, and I find myself experiencing a whole raft of thoughts and emotions I hadn’t quite anticipated.
Before I get to that though, let me just touch briefly on why it has taken me until she reached 12 for me to bring my daughter to Bloodstock. Especially knowing that Bloodstock prides itself on being family friendly and having seen many a small family with very young children on site, all looking like they are having a great time. She likes rock and metal. Bloodstock likes kids. I like her. Why wouldn’t I bring her?
I spent a bit of time thinking about why and there are a couple of reasons, but the main one was probably selfishness. As a parent, you have a few different coats to wear depending on what you are doing, and who you are doing it with. I don the strict parent coat on occasion, the fun parent, the understanding parent and the loving one, all with a great deal of happiness and pride but there are also moments where you get to just remove the parent coat for a few days, let your hair down (figuratively) and not worry too much about responsibility.
That’s what Bloodstock is to me. A brief holiday from real life, a break from all real responsibility where I just listen to and watch a lot of bands, drink a lot of beer and revert back to my less responsible youth for just a bit.
As the years went by, and GBHBL started working press at Bloodstock, it also became a reason why I couldn’t bring my daughter. As much as my better half is certainly capable of looking after our little angel/devil on her own for 3 to 5 hours a day while I work the camera and Carl interviews bands, it just didn’t seem fair to bring her and then leave her for lengthy press duties every day. I also didn’t want her to be there, and then not be able to spend time with her and be part of the memory making.
The final reason – though a more minor one – was that as much as Bloodstock is genuinely a family affair, there are elements of any music festival that are always going to be questionable. Yes it is safe for kids, but you still might have to explain the man face down on the ground in a mankini with his testicles on display or try to safely navigate her through the sea of litter and chair campers in the evening or maybe keep her face away from that strong earthy cloud of smoke from that person’s funny looking cigarette.
But now, for 2024, the year has come where she finally gets to attend, having wanted to for at least a few years. So what has changed?
Well, a few things. Firstly, she has been bedded in a bit now as we have tested the waters to see whether she really does want to be there, or just thinks she does because we are there. She has attended many one day festivals, like the last few years at Slam Dunk, she has seen Devin Townsend play The Royal Albert Hall, Sabaton play the OVO Arena Wembley, Avatar and then Blind Guardian play the O2 Forum in Kentish Town and has tickets to see Zeal and Ardor in September. What became apparent at those shows was that she always had a genuinely great time, and sported a beaming smile throughout. She wears her merch from those gigs with pride.
So I know she genuinely likes the music and loves the live experience. That’s important – she won’t be bored. We are also handling press a bit differently this year, so I will be able to spend all of my time with her which makes me feel more comfortable, even if she would probably prefer me to let her go wandering off to do her own thing. Then also, she is a little older now, and in secondary school.
In short, that means that whether I like it or not, she is growing up, becoming more independent and will know more swear words than Cradle of Filth can imagine up for the back of a t-shirt (though she will never admit that) as well as probably having seen more aggression in the school lunch hall, or at the after-school bus stop, then she will in even a Raised by Owls stomping pit.
So that gives me confidence that this year is the right year for her to start making her own Bloodstock memories and that brings me back to how it makes me feel. Like I said earlier, I have a lot of different emotions ranging from anticipation to worry and everything in between.
I worry in case she doesn’t have a good time and then I worry that I won’t have a good time because I am worried about her having a good time. What if I drink too much and let her down in some way or fail in my responsibilities somehow? Maybe the weather will be crap and suck the enjoyment out of it for her or maybe I’ll struggle to get her in and out of toilets and showers due to queues and notoriously ineffective 12 year old girl bladders.
Then the other side of the coin and the excitement and anticipation, and a little pride, in that my little girl is (at least for now) into rock, metal and live music. That makes me so happy! I always justify it to those who don’t understand our music and see metal as violent in this way.
When Rose turns 17 or 18, would I prefer her to be going with friends to a gig or going to a nightclub dancing to “insert some currently relevant pop or R’n’B star here”. I know where I feel more comfortable with her being.
And for those who also bring their kids to the festival, either bringing them for the first time or have done for years, am I just a worrier or do you have, or have you ever had, similar concerns?
Not concerns with the festival – I genuinely believe Bloodstock organisers have done a wonderful job of making this event a safe, secure and welcoming place for all ages – just what I hope are normal and natural concerns a parent will have.
Here’s the thing though – I am aware that what I have are worries and emotions and not necessarily based in logic. What I truly believe (and hope) will happen is what gives me the greatest sense of excitement and that is her watching a lot of live music, finding bands she then goes on to love and follow, her meeting plenty of people who are friendly and welcoming while she is surrounded by family. I look forward to seeing her with a beaming smile, creating memories that will last a life time and being surrounded by plenty of strong female role models as well, both on stage and on site.
Drinks will flow (for the adults), there will be smiles, laughter and she will have to take her face out of her phone as there is always bugger all signal.
So if you see us at hanging around, watching bands, chilling in VIP or queuing for the toilets/showers again, come and say hello and be a part of the memories she forms on this long weekend that has become so important to so many of us and welcome a new Bloodstocker to the ranks as we look to make this a festival for the ages, for all ages.
