“They’re unquestionably ready for the big time”: Malevolence break records (and a good few bodies) with weekend-stealing Bloodstock set

This is the third time that Malevolence have played Derbyshire’s Bloodstock festival: an early main-stage performance, a legendary set on the Sophie stage, and now this. In the words of frontman Alex Taylor, today’s is the “big boy” slot, subbing Saturday headliners Architects.

To say that Sheffield’s bruisers-in-chief seem excited at their elevation would be an understatement. There’s probably no band you’ll see all summer who are as visibly fired up as Malevolence are today. Alex might be a hulk of a man, with a roar reminiscent of a grizzly bear stubbing its toe on an anvil, but he spends the entirety of this set grinning like a toddler at Christmas. 

Part of this might be delight at playing such a prestigious slot, but the rest of it must come from the insane reaction to his band’s crushing, sludge-tinged hardcore. Because there are circle pits… and then there are Malevolence circle pits. From the minute this lot step onstage, the crowd opens up back to the sound desk and the good people of Bloodstock try and kill each other. The fact that Hatebreed played here 24 hours earlier and the chaos didn’t come close to that of Malevolence says it all.

“I didn’t fly 3,000 miles [from a current US tour with Mastodon and Lamb Of God] to see you standing here!” barks Alex. “Let’s make Bloodstock history!” Everyone does just that: the weekender’s crowd surfer record is broken, with an astonishing 901 bodies (plus a wheelie bin) flying over the barricade. Never in 23 years has the festival seen a moshpit as big as today’s, either.

Excitement and rabble-rousing behaviour help make a set memorable, but music legend is built by top-notch songs. And Malevolence have some unbelievable bangers. The suffocating but melodic likes of Karma, Serpent’s Chokehold and On Broken Glass sound like perfect metal festival fodder. One more album filled with songs of this quality and we could be looking at future Bloodstock headliners. In the live environment, Malevolence are unquestionably ready for the big time.

Malevolence setlist: Bloodstock Open Air, Derbyshire, UK – August 10, 2024

Malicious Intent
Life Sentence
Still Waters Run Deep
Waste of Myself
Remain Unbeaten
Slave To Satisfaction
Serpent’s Chokehold
Self Supremacy
Higher Place
Karma
Keep Your Distance
On Broken Glass