Bloodstock 2024 – Band Feature: Final Coil

Bloodstock Open Air 2024 is right around the corner. Taking place August 8th to August 11th, the UK’s premier metal festival has, once again, delivered a stellar line-up. Featuring four stages of music and a litany of bands from within the rock and metal world, alongside numerous other forms of entertainment (such as official bin jousting)! You don’t want to miss out, so get off that fence, and pick up your tickets now!

Buy Bloodstock Open Air 2024 tickets here.

There are a lot of bands on the bill, and some you may not be that familiar with, which is where we come in. As is our yearly custom, we will be running features on many of the bands playing, aiming to give you some insight into who they are, what they do, and why they are a must see at the festival.

Final Coil

Offering up a captivating and complex progressive rock style mixed with post elements, Final Coil have become one of the most consistently strong bands in the UK metal scene today. Having evolved over time into the proggy beast they are, all under the guiding hand of founding member Phil Stiles.

Their origins go back some way, with a trio of EP releases; Live with doubt, Somnambulant, and Closed to the Light firmly putting them on the map. The latter of which was the shift in style and sound that would lay the groundwork for who and what Final Coil would become. Hell, it was the latter EP that got the attention of Italian record label WormHoleDeath and they were signed.

This partnership resulted in the release of Final Coil’s incredible debut full-length album, Persistence of Memory in 2017 and their sophomore album The World We Left Behind for Others in 2019. All while playing countless shows and festivals around the country.

The immersion created by The World We Left Behind for Others (an album inspired by a collection of family letters discovered by Phil) left a lot of people amazed by what Final Coil could do, us included, and it was clear that little could stop them now. They continued to play bigger and bigger shows leading to the release of the Convicted of the Right EP and preparation for the next album chapter in their story.

Alas, along came COVID to put a big dent in Final Coil’s plans, yet that didn’t stop them working hard behind the scenes. Releasing both Somnambulant II and remix/remaster of Somnambulant I at the end of 2021. All while working towards the eventual release of their third album, The World We Inherited (via Sliptrick Records).

Released in January 2024, the trail of impressive releases that Final Coil had given us up to this point was long and storied, yet it all felt like it had been building to this release. Arguably their most creative and powerful work to date, and one that showcases the brilliance of their genre-bending ways.

They’ve not stopped since, and have sought to make 2024, their busiest year so far. Which brings us to Bloodstock 2024, and the exciting fact that Final Coil will play on the New Blood stage on the Friday of the festival. This is going to be special, but don’t take our word for it though. We spoke to Phil of Final Coil about what it means to play Bloodstock 2024, what the festival means overall, and what attendees can expect from the Final Coil show.

Honestly, it’s taken a while to sink in. Like so many bands, the pandemic took the wind out of our sails for a while, but I think we took a massive step forward this year with the release of our third album, The World We Inherited. To play Bloodstock really feels like the pinnacle of what we’ve achieved, and we’re so excited to be a part of it. The line up, of course is amazing, and the fact that we’re playing on the same day as Opeth is just unbelievable. What can I say? We’re just incredibly grateful to have this opportunity and we can’t wait.

Oh man, we’re regular Bloodstock attendees. My first BOA was 2008 (also headlined by Opeth, funnily enough), and it was just before Final Coil reformed. Honestly, I never in my wildest dreams thought we’d have a shot of playing there. I remember being blown away by the atmosphere, and it was so friendly, it just felt like home. Since then, we’ve been to more Bloodstocks than I can count, and I just can’t believe we’re going there to play this year.

Since we heard the news, I’ve been writing endless set lists in my head! We’re a very high energy band on stage but it’s also important for me to represent the different facets of the band, so attendees can expect tracks from all three of our studio albums, with a mix of heavier cuts and some of the more jammed out, proggy stuff. I’ve always been heavily influenced by the likes of Tool, Pink Floyd, and Katatonia and I love live sets that take the listener on a journey, so I really hope the audience enjoy the trip!

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