In our latest Countdown to Bloodstock 2025 interview, Emily Castles speaks to Mantis Defeats Jaguar, winners of Metal to the Masses in their home city of Birmingham, prior to their appearance on the Timothy Taylor New Blood Stage at Catton Park next month.
How does it feel representing the ‘home of metal’ at Bloodstock– especially off the back of Black Sabbath’s recent ‘Back to the Beginning’ farewell concert?
It’s truly an honour! ‘Back to the Beginning’ brought the eyes of the world to Birmingham and to be playing Bloodstock and representing the local scene is not something we’re taking lightly. Let’s keep this party going.
What did you make of the M2TM process? What were the highlights?
It’s the most professional competition we have ever come across. CapsaArx were amazing hosts and we can’t recommend grassroots bands applying for M2TM enough. The competition was tough and we played with some incredible local bands, making new friends throughout the entire run. If you’re on the fence about applying next year, do it!
Tell us a bit about the origin of Mantis Defeats Jaguar – how long have you been playing together?
We kicked off MDJ back in 2009 and played extensively through to 2011. Life took us in different directions until we found ourselves back in our friend Simon’s studio in 2020, albeit with a couple of line-up changes. This reignited our love for our special brand of nonsense and it’s been all systems go since.
Have you been working on anything in the studio recently?
We’re currently putting the finishing touches to our next single which we hope to release before the summer’s out. We’ve also got four new tracks waiting in the wings for us to drop into the live shows throughout the rest of the year.
Have you been to Bloodstock before – are you fans?
Jim has been before and absolutely loves Bloodstock. Everyone is there to have a good time, rock out and look after each other. With no animosity or egos on show, the community comes together for one of, if not THE best weekend of the year.
And who are you looking forward to seeing over the weekend?
There’s so many incredible bands and we wish we could watch everyone, but to name a few, Gojira, Machine Head, Mastodon, Static-X, PHON and Symbyote.
Finally – what day/time are you playing, and what can Bloodstockers expect from your set?
We will be hitting the New Blood Stage on Saturday 9 August (time TBC). We are looking to host a party that everyone at Bloodstock is invited to. There will be boundless energy, bouncing, riffs, singalongs and smiles. Get out your pouch…
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