Sunday at Bloodstock.
The final battle. 😈🍺
By this point, your tent smells questionable, your phone battery is surviving purely through witchcraft, your neck has officially resigned, and the phrase “I’m definitely having an early night tonight” has been exposed as the absolute nonsense it always was.
Because Sunday 9th August at Bloodstock Open Air 2026 is absolutely stacked.
We’ve got Judas Priest, Body Count, Black Label Society, Testament, Kittie, Orbit Culture, Mushroomhead, 200 Stab Wounds, Carpenter Brut and another enormous crop of bands spread across Catton Park.
So locate whatever remains of your festival crew, acquire something suspiciously expensive containing bacon, hydrate like your life depends on it and get ready for one last massive day in the field.
Here’s The Riff Report’s full guide to Sunday at Bloodstock 2026! 🤘🔥
🔥 RONNIE JAMES DIO STAGE
Sunday’s main stage is basically Bloodstock saying:
“You wanted heavy metal? Right then. HAVE THE LOT.”
🤠 10:45 – 11:25 — BOOTYARD BANDITS
There are worse ways to start Sunday morning than cowboy metal.
Bootyard Bandits are exactly the sort of band required when you’ve had three hours’ sleep and breakfast consists of chips and regret.
Big choruses. Big laughs. Questionable Western behaviour.
Perfect. 😂🤠
💥 11:45 – 12:25 — GRAPHIC NATURE
Then somebody flicks the aggression switch.
Graphic Nature bring crushing modern heaviness to the main stage and should wake up anybody who somehow slept through the campsite screaming.
Coffee?
Nah.
Breakdowns.
🐀 12:45 – 13:25 — CASTLE RAT
One of Sunday’s most wonderfully strange bookings.
Sword-and-sorcery doom, theatrical costumes, massive riffs and enough fantasy energy to make the Ronnie James Dio Stage feel like somebody accidentally opened a portal to an enchanted kingdom.
Absolutely here for it.
🖤 13:45 – 14:30 — KITTIE
This could be one of THE moments of Sunday.
Kittie’s return has reminded everybody just how ferocious this band can be, and getting them onto Bloodstock’s main stage feels seriously special.
Expect nostalgia.
Expect heaviness.
Expect a massive crowd.
⚔️ 14:55 – 15:40 — ORBIT CULTURE
Ohhhhhhh yes.
If you’ve somehow managed to retain functioning neck muscles until Sunday afternoon, Orbit Culture are coming to finish them off.
Huge Swedish riffs.
Massive groove.
Absolute festival warfare.
This could get silly, mun.
☢️ 16:05 – 16:50 — TESTAMENT
THRASH TIME.
Testament have been annihilating stages for decades, and Sunday afternoon at Bloodstock feels like exactly the right environment for some Bay Area thrash carnage.
At 4pm on the final day of Bloodstock, there will undoubtedly be people who have been living almost exclusively on lager and noodles since Thursday suddenly discovering enough energy to start circle pits.
Metal is medicinal.
Probably.
🎸 17:15 – 18:15 — BLACK LABEL SOCIETY
ZAKK. BLOODY. WYLDE.
🤘🔥
Huge riffs.
Pinch harmonics flying through Derbyshire airspace.
Guitars approximately the size of wardrobes.
Black Label Society arriving late Sunday afternoon feels exactly right.
Stick your battle vest on.
Raise something cold.
Prepare for RIFFS.
🚨 18:55 – 20:10 — BODY COUNT
This is massive.
Ice-T. Body Count. Bloodstock.
Sunday evening at Catton Park is going to get seriously lively.
Expect absolute carnage.
This is one of those sets where people wander over saying:
“I’ll watch ten minutes…”
…and are still standing there an hour later yelling themselves hoarse.
⚡ 21:10 – 22:40 — JUDAS PRIEST
And then…
THE METAL GODS CLOSE BLOODSTOCK.
Judas Priest.
Sunday night.
Ronnie James Dio Stage.
Bloodstock’s 25th anniversary.
There really isn’t much more that needs saying.
🤘⚡🔥
Rob Halford standing beneath those lights while thousands of metalheads roar along is going to feel like the perfect ending to the weekend.
Leather.
Studs.
Twin guitars.
Possibly a motorbike.
Definitely Painkiller-level emotional damage.
When Priest finish at 22:40, Bloodstock 2026’s main-stage programme is officially done.
And somewhere in the crowd someone will immediately start discussing next year.
As is tradition.
🎸 Ronnie James Dio Stage — Sunday
Time
Band
10:45 – 11:25
Bootyard Bandits
11:45 – 12:25
Graphic Nature
12:45 – 13:25
Castle Rat
13:45 – 14:30
Kittie
14:55 – 15:40
Orbit Culture
16:05 – 16:50
Testament
17:15 – 18:15
Black Label Society
18:55 – 20:10
Body Count
21:10 – 22:40
JUDAS PRIEST
🖤 SOPHIE LANCASTER STAGE
Think the main stage has got Sunday sewn up?
Absolutely not.
The Sophie Lancaster Stage has built one of the strangest, heaviest and most varied running orders of the entire weekend.
And it finishes with Carpenter Brut.
That’s dangerous territory. 😂
🔥 10:30 – 11:00 — ACID THRONE
Doomy riffs for breakfast.
Correct.
⚔️ 11:20 – 11:50 — FLAYED DISCIPLE
Sunday morning continues behaving entirely irresponsibly.
🌙 12:10 – 12:40 — ALUNAH
A little doom, psych and atmosphere before lunch.
Lovely stuff.
🔥 13:10 – 13:50 — TRIVAX
Things start turning properly ferocious here.
🎸 14:20 – 15:00 — NOISEPICKER
Heavy, filthy riffs.
Festival hangover removal service.
💀 15:40 – 16:20 — THROWN INTO EXILE
Los Angeles metal hits Bloodstock.
Expect considerable neck damage.
🐉 17:00 – 17:40 — DREAM STATE
WELSH REPRESENTATION!
YESS MUN. 🐉🤘🔥
Dream State stepping onto the Sophie Lancaster Stage gives us something particularly tasty to wave the Welsh flag about.
🎭 18:25 – 19:10 — MUSHROOMHEAD
Now things get weird.
Masks.
Industrial metal.
Percussion.
Chaos.
Mushroomhead inside the Sophie tent while Sunday evening descends feels like an absolutely cracking Bloodstock booking.
🩸 20:00 – 21:00 — 200 STAB WOUNDS
Subtle band name.
Very relaxing music.
Ideal Sunday evening entertainment for the entire family.
😂🤘
Expect one of the nastiest pits of the weekend.
🌃 22:40 – 23:55 — CARPENTER BRUT
Now THIS is how you finish Bloodstock.
Judas Priest finish and suddenly there’s one final mission:
GET TO THE SOPHIE STAGE.
🏃💨💨💨
Synthwave.
Metal.
Neon darkness.
80s horror-film energy.
People who have spent four days yelling about death metal suddenly dancing like they’re inside some terrifying cyberpunk nightclub.
🎧 00:00 – 02:00 — CLOSING PARTY
Because apparently going to bed would be sensible.
And Bloodstock has absolutely no interest in sensible.
🖤 Sophie Lancaster Stage — Sunday
Time
Band
10:30 – 11:00
Acid Throne
11:20 – 11:50
Flayed Disciple
12:10 – 12:40
Alunah
13:10 – 13:50
Trivax
14:20 – 15:00
Noisepicker
15:40 – 16:20
Thrown Into Exile
17:00 – 17:40
Dream State
18:25 – 19:10
Mushroomhead
20:00 – 21:00
200 Stab Wounds
22:40 – 23:55
CARPENTER BRUT
00:00 – 02:00
Closing Party
🩸 NEW BLOOD STAGE
And while the established names batter the bigger stages, Sunday provides another full day for discovering bands you’ll potentially be bragging about seeing “before they got massive.”
Metal hipster mode activated. 😎🤘
🔥 New Blood Stage — Sunday
Time
Band
10:30 – 11:00
Solatia
11:15 – 11:45
Ka’aper
12:00 – 12:30
Overpower
12:45 – 13:15
Chekhov’s Gun
13:30 – 14:00
Joakem
14:15 – 14:45
Technologist
15:00 – 15:30
Chug
15:45 – 16:15
Sunk
16:30 – 17:00
Moth
17:15 – 17:45
Return To Solace
18:00 – 18:30
Death Brigade
18:45 – 19:15
Groom The Giant
19:30 – 20:00
Arkdown
That is 13 bands crammed into the final day.
Thirteen opportunities to walk into the tent knowing absolutely nothing and emerge saying:
“RIGHT. WHY HAS NOBODY TOLD ME ABOUT THEM BEFORE?”
That’s exactly what the New Blood Stage is all about.
⚡ EMP STAGE
The EMP Stage continues quietly throwing out some absolute gems.
Sunday gives us another five bands to catch.
⚡ EMP Stage — Sunday
Time
Band
14:30 – 15:00
Stitched
15:40 – 16:10
WREX
16:50 – 17:20
Following The Signs
18:15 – 18:55
The Cartoon Cartel
20:10 – 20:55
Aethoria
If you’ve got a gap between your bigger-name must-sees, wander over.
That’s how festival discoveries happen.
You go looking for somewhere to sit down and somehow leave with three new bands followed on Spotify and a T-shirt you absolutely did not budget for.
😂💸
⚔️ THE BIG SUNDAY CLASHES
And now comes the bit every festival attendee hates.
CHOICES.
Because Bloodstock has absolutely zero sympathy for people trying to watch everything.
Around 15:40, you’re dealing with the end of Orbit Culture, Thrown Into Exile, Sunk and WREX all demanding your attention.
Later you’ve got Black Label Society, Dream State and New Blood action fighting for space in your increasingly battered festival schedule.
Then Sunday evening gets properly cruel.
Body Count are an obvious must-see, but the Sophie and New Blood stages aren’t exactly taking the evening off.
Then at 20:00, you’ve got 200 Stab Wounds unleashing carnage while everyone starts preparing for Judas Priest.
And finally…
Judas Priest finish at 22:40.
Carpenter Brut start at 22:40.
🏃💨💨💨
You KNOW half the field is going to attempt that sprint.
✍️ SUNDAY SIGNING SESSIONS
Sunday isn’t just about watching the bands — you’ve also got another batch of artists heading into the signing sessions.
Keep an eye out for:
🤠 Bootyard Bandits
🎸 Black Label Society
🐀 Castle Rat
🖤 Kittie
💀 200 Stab Wounds
😈 S’tan
☢️ Testament
And remember — signing queues can get very busy, particularly for the bigger names.
If there’s somebody you’re desperate to meet, don’t wander over thirty seconds before the session starts holding four vinyl records, six CDs, a battle jacket and your nan’s toaster hoping they’ll sign everything.
Get there early. 😂
🔥 THE RIFF REPORT’S SUNDAY MUST-SEE RUN
If we were constructing a Sunday itinerary while attempting to preserve even a microscopic amount of sanity, we’d be circling:
Castle Rat
⬇️
Kittie
⬇️
Orbit Culture
⬇️
Testament
⬇️
Black Label Society
⬇️
Body Count
⬇️
Judas Priest
⬇️
Carpenter Brut
That is absolutely disgusting.
And we mean that as the highest possible compliment.
🤘😂🔥
🤘 ONE FINAL DAY AT CATTON PARK
Sunday at a festival always feels different.
There’s that strange mixture of exhaustion and determination.
Everyone looks slightly destroyed.
Nobody knows where Thursday went.
The campsite is beginning to resemble the aftermath of a military operation.
Your clean T-shirts disappeared sometime around Friday lunchtime.
But nobody wants it to end.
So when Judas Priest hit that stage Sunday night, look around for a second.
The battle jackets.
The flags.
The inflatable nonsense.
The friends who arrived together.
The complete strangers who’ve somehow become campsite mates.
The thousands of people screaming lyrics together.
That’s Bloodstock.
For four days, Catton Park becomes its own wonderfully ridiculous metal universe.
And Sunday is our final chance to enjoy it.
So grab a pint.
Protect your ears.
Drink some bloody water.
Help somebody up if they fall in the pit.
Discover a band you’ve never heard before.
And when Judas Priest finally bring Bloodstock 2026’s Ronnie James Dio Stage to an end…
MAKE SOME BLOODY NOISE. 🤘🔥🔥🔥
🎸 BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2026
📅 Sunday 9th August 2026
📍 Catton Park, Derbyshire
🎤 Four stages
⚡ Main Stage Headliner: Judas Priest
🌃 Sophie Lancaster Headliner: Carpenter Brut
🍺 Festival energy remaining: approximately 3%
🤘 Metal remaining: UNLIMITED
Set times can change during a live festival weekend, so give the official Bloodstock app one last check before heading between stages.
Proudly Welsh. Proudly Loud. 🤘🐉🔥
#Bloodstock2026 #BloodstockFestival #JudasPriest #HeavyMetal #TheRiffReport
Michael is the founder, editor, and chief riff wrangler behind The Riff Report, an independent Welsh rock and metal publication built by fans, for fans. With a lifelong passion for loud guitars, unforgettable live shows, and the incredible community that surrounds rock and metal, he created The Riff Report to celebrate everything that makes the scene special—from legendary headline acts and grassroots venues to rising bands that deserve to be heard.
A familiar face at festivals across the UK, Michael spends much of the year covering events including Download Festival, Bloodstock Open Air, Steelhouse Festival, Firevolt, Plumpton Revival, and many more. Whether he’s battling the Welsh weather on a mountainside, surviving a weekend in a muddy campsite, or squeezed against the front barrier with thousands of fellow fans, he’s always searching for the next great story to share.
As editor of The Riff Report, Michael writes festival guides, breaking news, album reviews, gig reviews, interviews, opinion pieces, nostalgia features, and behind-the-scenes stories from across the rock and metal world. His writing combines honest opinions, humour, and a genuine love for live music, bringing readers closer to the bands, festivals, venues, and people that keep the scene alive.
Michael is particularly passionate about supporting independent artists, local venues, charities, and the wider UK rock and metal community. He believes every band deserves a chance to be discovered and every festival has a story worth telling. Through The Riff Report, he aims to shine a spotlight on both the biggest names in rock and the future stars waiting to break through.
When he’s not writing or interviewing artists, you’ll probably find him exploring festival campsites, photographing live shows, chatting with fellow fans over a pint, or planning the next road trip in search of more riffs, bigger crowds, and unforgettable moments.
Above all, Michael believes rock and metal are about more than music—they’re about community, friendship, and creating memories that last a lifetime. That’s exactly what The Riff Report exists to celebrate.
Proudly Welsh. Proudly Loud. Always chasing the next great riff. 🤘
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