The Spotlight: BOA Interview With Midnight Prophecy (Paul H)

Liverpool M2TM winners were Midnight Prophecy. A story of determination and pure effort, the band’s bassist Peter grabbed five minutes to answer our questions.

Paul: Let’s start with a brief history of the band ;

MP: We’re mainly based in Liverpool, UK. Well Sam, Pete, Danny & Chris are, our singer Craig comes from Stoke-On-Trent. We have been the same line-up since the start, which was around July/August 2015, in which our 1st live show/gig was in November 2015. So essentially around 4 years we’ve been playing together. Peter, Christopher & Danny had been writing songs together for a few months, then we noticed Sam was a drummer through Facebook - so we invited him down for a practice & with Craig - we put up an advert for a singer on 'Joinmyband' and he replied to us - we liked what we heard & similar story in that we invited him for a practice & it's been the 5 of us since.

Paul: Who is the current line up?

MP: The lineup has been the same since we started in 2015. We have:-

Craig Cairns - Singer/Vocalist & Lyricist
Christopher Dixon - Rhythm / Lead Guitar
Danny Quayle - Rhythm / Lead Guitar
Peter Mansfield - Bassist
Sam Caldwell - Drummer

Paul: Describe the band’s sound and influences?


MP: Our main influences, would be derived of metal bands from the 80's of the NWOBHM era - with bands like: Iron Maiden, Judas Priest etc. We all love bands from that time. We are melodic, and progressive and used our influences to bring that NWOBHM sound into the modern era.

Paul: Prior to Bloodstock, what are some of the highlights for the band so far?

MP: Personally, for us as a band - our highlights would have to include supporting Anvil (which was just unreal), playing SOS Festival 2018 & being asked to play Amplified 2019 on the VMA stage (which sadly got cancelled). Also writing & releasing our own self-titled debut album last year along with recording the music video for one of our album singles Obsidian'.

Paul: Let’s move on to Bloodstock and your road to the festival. Please tell us about your journey?

MP: As a band, we had competed in both the Liverpool (Merseyside) and Manchester M2TM in previous years but never progressed far enough. However, that didn't deter our determination - and we took it upon ourselves to enter the Merseyside M2TM this year. We played against both Riptide Messiah & Sixth Circle in our heat - and won to progress to the Grand Final. Going up against: MARW, Forlorn Hope & Anatamir - we were thinking it could be anyone's night to win. The venue was packed with so many people - it made the night have a fantastic atmosphere. We put everything we had into our set - although we sadly didn't strictly 'win' the Final (that was MARW), Simon Hall announced we would be playing as his 'special guests', which were we honoured by & also made us realise we made an impression on the night.

Paul: Tell us about the build up to your final and how you handled it.

MP: It was a fantastic feeling to know we had reached the Grand Final of the M2TM. In all honesty, we knew the seriousness of the show; given that the prize was playing Bloodstock. We promoted the show through our social media sites, in the hopes of bringing people down - which worked out very well on the night. Besides that, we treated the show like any other gig we would play - in which we always put the crowd first & try to implement crowd participation where we can.

Paul: What about when you were announced as winners? What were the emotions like?

MP: We've all wanted to play Bloodstock for years, so it was a mix of feelings; mainly: surreal, disbelief and incredibly excited. However, also proud, to see our hard work & dedication pay off.

Paul: So, moving on to the festival itself, what can we expect from you?

MP: We’ve started to write a 2nd album, so exciting times ahead. We have tested out a few new songs recently, and one new song will be entering our set at Bloodstock. We're also working on improving our live show and performance & expanding our merch line.

Paul: Which bands are you looking forward to seeing there?

MP: There's lots of talented & fantastic acts playing throughout the whole festival, for us in particular though; we're looking forward to seeing: Sabaton, Powerwolf, Metal Church, Control the Storm, Tomorrow Is Lost, Scorpions, Queensryche, Dee Snider, Witch Tripper, Evil Scarecrow, Raging Speedhorn & Anthrax. Plus, we recently saw Fury will be playing in the VIP Bar on the Friday, so hopefully we'll be able to catch them too!

Paul: Have you been to Bloodstock before?

MP: Only Sam in the band has been to Bloodstock before, in which he holds it in high regard as one of, if not 'the' best alternative festival in the UK. For the rest of us, we're really looking forward to experiencing Bloodstock for the first time, and even more excited to say we'll be playing it as one of the artists.

Paul: If yes, describe the three best things about the festival?

MP: From what Sam told us - " This year will be my 4th now and I have to say I’m dead excited to be there this year! The bin jousting, the line-ups are always insane! The party tree & Midguard is always a madhouse. Bloodstock is by far my favourite festival and will always choose it over other festivals in the country. I absolutely love what they do there, always organised, perfect time of the year and the perfect variety of bands."

Paul: And finally, tell us a guilty pleasure about each member of the band!

MP: Sadly, not all band members present to answer this question...

Craig - "I sometimes have the tendency of wanting to belt out Robbie Williams songs."

Pete - "Whilst I'm not guilty/ashamed of anything I listen to - people may not expect I own several Nickelback albums, makes for good driving music."

Sam - "I don't believe in guilty pleasures; I love everything I listen to and will never feel guilty about it. You like what you like."

Thanks to Peter and the band for their answers. The band play the Friday at BOA on the NEW Blood Stage. If you like your metal done the old way, they should be well worth checking out.