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Akercocke set to no longer play Bloodstock

Posted in News with tags Akercocke, Bloodstock, Bloodstock 2016, Damnation, Extreme Metal, UK Festivals on 25th May 2016 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

In a bizarre turn of events, Akercocke, who recently reformed, have announced on their Facebook page that they will no longer be playing at this year’s Bloodstock Festival. The announcement reads:

Dear friends and fiends,

Owing to politics we neither understand nor participate in, we have been pulled from the Bloodstock 2016 line up.

Akercocke

Understandably some Akercocke fans have voiced their displeasure at this news, with some of them referring to the festival as being petty and a joke. While the exact reason is unknown to Akercocke being pulled from the billing, it appears that it has something to do with the organisers of Bloodstock trying to keep an illusion of exclusivity as the band have been confirmed to play Damnation in November and will be touring the UK later this year.

At the moment, Bloodstock have not made a statement to as why Akercocke are no longer on the bill.

***UPDATE***

Adam Gregory, one of the organisers of Bloodstock left the following comment on the band’s post:

As much as we would like to answer your questions with our reasons for being forced to cancel the bands appearance, out of respect for the band, we wont air our laundry in public, but rest assured Bloodstock was left without any option on this occasion.

Akercocke online:

http://facebook.com/akercockeofficial

Dakesis Confirmed As First Co-Headliner at Northern Symphony

Posted in News with tags A New Dawn, Bloodstock, Dakesis, Metal, Northern Symphony, Power Metal, Symphonic Metal, Thunderstone, UK Festivals, Valkyrian Festival on 8th May 2016 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Birmingham’s premier power metal quartet Dakesis have been announced as one of two co-headliners at Northern Symphony 2017, the UK’s premier festival for all things symphonic metal. With the release of A New Dawn and their recent tours last month in both Finland and the UK, Dakesis are set to reach new heights.

Dakesis are a four piece Progressive Power Metal band from Birmingham, UK. Formed in 2008, with the release of a limited edition four track E.P they soon followed on with their debut album Trial By Fire in 2011 to much critical acclaim. Following on from their success of this album and extensive touring and festival appearances throughout the UK, the band went on to record their second full length album The New Dawn which was released in March 2016.

Their latest release was recorded at Carbon Studios in Birmingham and mixed by Nino Laurenne at Sonic Pump Studios based in Finland (Ensiferum, Wintersun, Stratovarious and Firewind) and sees a marked change in the direction of the band. With more progressive influences and the addition of powerfully epic orchestral backing alongside new session keyboard player Jacob Underwood, Dakesis have sculpted a vast instrumental soundscape alongside the heavier metal influences.

The band have toured the UK extensively and have enjoyed prestigious support and festival slots including playing with Edguy, Thunderstone, Blaze Bayley and Pagan’s Mind and performing at Glastonbudget, Bloodstock Open Air 2012, Valkyrian Festival and headlining the Cackblabbath Stage at Wildfire Festival in 2015.

Northern Symphony will take place at The Venue in Selby on Saturday 15^th April 2017. Early bird tickets are set at the low price of £4 and are available from either Northern Wynter Music’s BigCartel store or Skiddle.com.

More bands are set to be announced in the coming months.