From small-town gigs to the towering stages of Bloodstock Festival 2025, Northumberland’s Ruled By Raptors have beaten the odds – and dozens of acts – to earn a coveted Sunday slot alongside metal giants Gojira, Trivium, and Machine Head. Lee Allcock caught up with the band to find out more.
Ruled By Raptors have rapidly grown from playing local gigs to being announced on the Sunday line-up at Bloodstock Festival 2025. How does it feel to be sharing a stage with bands like Gojira and Trivium?
Most of us grew up listening to bands like Gojira, Trivium, Machine Head and Mastodon, so it’s surreal to know that people are going to be watching absolute legends of the metal community – and also us. It’s an incredible opportunity that we’re all unbelievably excited about and truly grateful for.
Your music sits at the intersection of post-hardcore, punk, and metal, with melodic moments. How do you balance these different influences when creating your sound?
We’ve been playing together for nearly ten years now, so we’ve had a lot of experience writing collaboratively and understanding how we each like to work. We’ve found we get the best results when we’re all in the same room – there’s something about bouncing ideas around in person that brings out the best in us. None of us are particularly drawn to writing anything we consider too predictable. Our tastes are quite eclectic, so combining genres feels natural. Chris usually takes care of the lyrics – he’s brilliant at picking a theme or hook and developing it into something meaningful. Ultimately, we aim to create music that excites and challenges us. If it keeps us engaged, we know it’ll resonate with others too.
You’ve beaten dozens of acts in a regional competition to get where you are now. What do you think sets Ruled By Raptors apart and helped you succeed in that competition?
Honestly, we were stunned when we won. You’ve got to believe in yourself, but we weren’t expecting to take the top spot – we knew we’d have to work hard for it. One of the judges mentioned that we’re quite original and difficult to pin down to a single genre, which may have worked in our favour. One of our favourite comparisons is “Biffy Clyro meets Dillinger Escape Plan” – two completely different ends of the spectrum, but we’ll take it! We were also told our live performance gave us a real edge. We don’t like to stand still on stage – things often get chaotic. Nick, Matt and Chris have all ended up in the crowd more than once, usually with a few bruises to show for it. Every round was incredibly close and the judges had some tough decisions to make.
How has the support from your local Northumberland community shaped your journey and motivated you as a band?
We’re all from working-class pit towns and we’ve grown up knowing that you have to fight hard to get anywhere in life. That upbringing has definitely shaped our attitude and our work ethic. We see every show as a chance to entertain and we give it our all every time we step on stage. But it also means we know we have to put in the time to tour regularly, build connections, and stay committed to something we all love doing. The support from our local community means everything – it’s been a huge part of what’s kept us going.
Looking ahead to Bloodstock Festival and beyond, what are your hopes and plans for Ruled By Raptors’ future?
We’re currently finishing work on a new EP or mini-album, which we recorded at the end of 2023 in Lincoln with Sam Cook. Unfortunately, Chris’ mam fell seriously ill just as we went into the studio, so we took some time away from the band to support his family. Then Chris got married over the summer, which added to the pause. When we came back to the project months later, it was difficult to work remotely, so Sam kindly sent us all the raw recordings. We’ve been working on them ourselves around our schedules, and Matt is just finalising the mixes now. We’re hoping to move to mastering in September, with a plan to release in early 2026.
For further information about Ruled By Raptors and their upcoming dates, head to facebook.com/RuledByRaptors.
