Bloodywood Announce Debut Europe Tour

The year 2019 looks like Indian metal bands’ big leap towards international touring. New Delhi-based YouTube sensations Bloodywood, best known for their dhol-infused metal that includes rap and growls, will make their Europe debut this July, on their hilariously titled Raj Against the Machine tour. The announcement was made alongside their incendiary new single “Machi Bhasad (Expect a Riot).”

The band first hinted towards tour plans in March, when they announced their live lineup. Founder members Karan Katiyar and Jayant Bhadula are joined by rapper Raoul Kerr, bassist Roshan Roy, drummer Vishesh Singh and dhol player Sarthak Pahwa. Katiyar says about the personnel, “We’ve jammed with all of them in different acts and have been around each other long enough to know that we’ll survive each other’s ugly faces for months at a stretch without a frown.”

Bloodywood are slated to perform at Dong Open Air in Germany on July 13th to kick off the tour, but the biggest date is likely Wacken Open Air on August 1st. One of the largest metal gatherings in the world, Bloodywood become the third Indian band to be invited (after Mumbai extreme metallers Demonic Resurrection and Bengaluru heavy metallers Kryptos) to perform, excluding the annual Wacken Metal Battle India winners.

Katiyar adds, “In a way it has been in the works for more than two years. It was decided amongst us that if we go live, we go big. This involved saying no to a lot of offers, waiting for the right agency to find us – shout-out to [German firm] Solar Penguin Agency –  and finally locking in a tour that aligned with our vision and also made financial sense. The wait was worth it!” With 12 shows running until August 3rd – when Bloodywood plays Taman Festival in Russia – two additional shows are yet to be confirmed.

Poster for Bloodywood’s Raj Against the Machine Europe tour