Since forming in 2013, Acid Age have been on a crusade: to educate the world about the power of thrash.
Although initially derided due to their sense of humour (calling their third album ‘Like a Runaway Combine Harvester in a Field of Crippled Rabbits’) and missing the thrash revival by a few years, their resilience, constant gigging (as well as various members having stints in the likes of Hellbastard and The Dangerfields) and various releases have seen them be rewarded with UK tours and slots at Bloodstock Open Air festival.
Now, with the release of a live album and being given the opportunity to play Bloodstock again this year, it was time to speak to singer/guitarist Jude McIlwaine about these developments.
You guys have been going for over a decade now and this is your first live album. Whose decision was it to record a live album?
It was my suggestion as we’d been having a string of awesome gigs recently. Plus, we’re all fans of live records. Last year we were enjoying the Power Trip live release. Anyone who’s into hard rock or any of its offshoots has a variety of classic live albums to enjoy such as Unleashed in the East, Strangers in the Night etc. On top of that, we listen to a lot of jazz fusion which is live centric, and the improvisational qualities are on full display on any live album.
I believe the show you recorded was the last show you play in 2023, in the Limelight 2.
Yes, that was a great show with Survivalist headlining and Frayed Ends playing. Although it was the 30th December, we knew there would be a good audience with a great sound. And you can tell that as the audience were spilling into the stage mics!
Who was responsible for the cover?
An artist who can be found on Instagram under the name chainsaw torture. Our bassist Jake (Martin) contacted him, and he agreed to do it. We wanted it to be like a Voivod style cover. I was more than happy when I saw the final result as the art was done by hand and so it took a bit of time to complete but I love it. Apparently, the hardest part was drawing the band due to getting the personality of the band members correct.
Will this get a physical release?
Digital for the first while and then we’ll see where it goes. The idea is to push it on all the major streaming platforms to coincide with our appearance at Bloodstock Open Air festival. It’ll be released on Friday 31st May and, to celebrate it, we’ll be playing live in Belfast with Mortal Backlash, Talking Knives and The Scuntz.
Tell us how the Bloodstock slot came about.
At the start of the year, I decided to do a social media detox. In the middle of it, Jake gets in touch with my missus and asks her to check my phone. There was a message asking if I wanted to play Bloodstock this year, to which I immediately said yes. Then James Loveday (The Distortion Project) called and told me that Simon Hall, who organises the festival, had asked for us specifically. So that was the end of the social media detox!
It’s a brilliant festival with a great selection of bands so it’s an incredible honour to play it and hang out in the VIP area where we gave everyone from Shane Embury (Napalm Death) to Dani Filth (Cradle of Filth) a specially curated Acid Age CD (with QR code that takes you to all the social media pages).
Finally, with the band now having a decade under your collective belts, you’ve become veterans of the NI scene and being in a position where you can play a major festival like Bloodstock twice demonstrates that you’re here for the long haul. When the band started, did you think this would happen or would you have just been happy still being together next year?
I would say that I always sought longevity. Being a part of Acid Age is a key part of my personality and I can certainly see myself in 20 years’ time pushing for gigs and festival slots. I admire bands who have never split up and have kept recording and touring while in the doldrums so we have no excuse.
