Did we just see Mastodon play their best ever festival show? Yes, yes we did

Back in 2016, Atlanta’s finest sludge-prog metal exports Mastodon headlined Bloodstock. That evening they were thoroughly upstaged by the band on immediately before them - tonight's headliners, Gojira.

Nearly a decade down the line, Mastodon seem to be out for revenge, as the tables have turned and they are the ones setting an insane bar for Gojira to live up to.

It’s no exaggeration to say that, having regularly flattered to deceive at outdoor shows ranging from Download to Sonisphere to supporting Metallica in a stadium, this is Mastodon’s finest ever open-air performance on UK soil.

Why so? Well, firstly there’s the sound - sonically speaking, it’s been a little hit and miss at Bloodstock all weekend, but Mastodon sound absolutely wonderful. Those signature intricacies - a Brann Dailor drum fill here, an ingenious piece of sparkling guitar work there - have often been lost to a muddy mix in fields in the past.

Not today. Every riff is crushing, every vocal is soaring. Then there’s the setlist. Mastodon have been proper contrarians over the years, stubbornly refusing to play big hits in arenas where they work most keenly, but when The Motherload is dropped as the second song to a rapturous reception, it’s clear they are here to please.

We get Crystal Skull, Black Tongue, Mother Puncher, All the Heavy Lifting, Ember City and many more; it’s as close to a perfect Mastodon festival setlist as one could conceive of (I could have done with Curl of the Burl to really seal the deal, chaps, but let's not split hairs here).

Finally, and maybe most importantly of all, this is a band that feel utterly rejuvenated by their recent lineup change. New guitarist Nick Johnson is a right shredder, but it’s the good vibes he seems to have inspired in the rest of Mastodon that makes this show so special.

Troy Sanders spends time talking about how much the band are delighted to be here, and it really feels like he means it. Dailor can barely suppress his smile as he attacks his kit with Octopus-limbed gusto and guitarist Bill Kelliher, usually the most subdued member, is high kicking and throwing his guitar about throughout.

At one point, he and Johnson play rock paper scissors between riffing at the lip of the stage, shit-eating grins on the pair of them.

If it wasn’t already inspiring enough, a closing one-two punch of Blood and Thunder and an absolutely stunning cover of Sabbath’s Supernaut, with Mastodon leading an “Ozzy” chant as they leave the stage, cements this set's classic status. Good luck following that, Gojira! (Oh wait, they did...).

Mastodon Bloodstock setlist

Tread Lightly
The Motherload
Pushing The Tides
Crystal Skull
Black Tongue
Megalodon
Ember City
More Than I Could Chew
All The Heavy Lifting
Mother Puncher
Steambreather
Blood And Thunder
Supernaut