The last of our Bloodstock reviews and your chance to see how Europe fared as headliners of this year’s Bloodstock festival.

EUROPE
In the wake of the Cradle of Filth controversy, dark corners of the festival were rife with speculation about the fate which awaited the following evening’s headliners. Would the creators of one of the most annoying/catchy (delete where applicable) rock anthems of all time be driven from the stage like lepers? No chance. Despite the Bloodstock forum being awash with vitriol and stunned disbelief when Europe were announced as the festival’s closing act, their note-perfect, slickly-choreographed show pulls together all ages and tastes for a feel-good finale that smells like total victory. While the naysayers skulked in their tents, the rest of us rocked the night. Back of the net, boys!
GREG MOFFITT

APOCALYPTICA
Mainly steering clear of self-penned material in favour of a no-brainer selection of crown-pleasing Metallica numbers, Apocalyptica clearly know which side their bread is buttered on. After all, if it wasn’t for San Francisco’s finest, these guys wouldn’t even have a career, at least not in metal. For Whom The Bell Tolls, One and the ubiquitous Enter Sandman are amongst a slew of ‘Tallica tunes to get the cello treatment, and even if they manage to make the intro to Fight Fire With Fire sound like the theme to Fawlty Towers (check it out, it’s true!) at least half the crowd go batshit.
GREG MOFFITT