13. Clutch - Ronnie James Dio Stage - Friday, August 9th 2024

There are those who say the number 13 is unlucky, well it ain't here as it's giving you the eventual appearance of the much touted Clutch. They have sat at the top of the Bloodstock wish list for over a decade. It might have taken a while to get them onto the site but believe me it will be worth it. Clutch play maximum volume dirty rock 'n' roll. They are Status Quo with street credibility. There is something vivacious and vibrant about the music they play. It manages to be accessible in its catchiness but absolutely soul-wrenching in its heaviness.

Clutch are such unbelievable manipulators of the riffage, that 33 years down the road they still seem unable to put a foot wrong. Born from the blues, but bathed in the molten lava of metal there is something primal and extraordinarily organic about what they do. You do not need to know the songs in advance, they are designed to make your foot tap and they will wheedle their way into your brain like some toxic earworm. So make sure you're in the field because you'll definitely want to know what all the fuss is about.