How local goth-punks Bloodworm built their profile with live shows

You often hear stories of bands getting signed to their record label because representatives happened to be in the crowd, and Bloodworm’s first gig with Suede unfolded in a very similar way. "I got an Instagram direct message," Euan recalls. "It turns out Richard [Oakes], Suede's guitarist, was at a gig we did. After we did that London gig with them, we must have impressed them, because then they asked us to do the full tour." 

The upcoming run, which will take place from late January to late February next year, will take them to cities they’ve never visited before – including the band’s first trip to Scotland – where they’ll be playing to sold-out rooms up and down the country. "I've already started taking vitamins," Euan admits. "We need to get our bodies healthy!"

The band built their foundations through relentless live shows, cultivating a dedicated fanbase who discovered their songs onstage rather than online. Earlier this year, they released The Crown as a Bandcamp exclusive, leaning even further into their intentionally elusive online presence by holding off on a wider streaming release. "It's a weird song for us. It's less accessible," Euan says. "It's the first time in a while I went to George with a drum beat." 

The track was already woven into their live set, which mostly consists of unreleased material apart from Back of a Hand and Depths – which they often play first. "It means we've done something right," George says of the fact that they’ve built a dedicated fanbase this way. "It becomes a bit of a cult, people asking us when we're releasing things." Cemetery Dance has become a particular fan favourite, usually closing the set – it even sparked a mosh pit during their Halloween 2024 Bodega headline show, with Euan finding himself right in the midst of the action.

Though it would have been easy to stick to regular Nottingham gigs when they were starting out, Bloodworm were eager to push themselves further afield. "We started playing out of town very quickly, in places like Manchester," Chris reflects. "In our first four years, our focus has been gigging rather than releasing music." George adds, "We haven't done much TikTok or influencer stuff like a lot of bands have. We've done it just through playing gigs, which is the harder way of doing it, but it's helped us develop a unique sound."

These days, they make a point of playing Nottingham sparingly, so each appearance feels more special. This year, their hometown shows have mostly come through festival slots, including Dot to Dot and Splendour. "We did two sets at Splendour," Chris says, recalling how they went from the Bodega stage to the Confetti stage within 24 hours, due to another band dropping out. "It felt massive. At the time it was the biggest thing we'd played," George reflects.

There were a few hangovers involved – and even a wasp that relentlessly chased George around the stage, likely drawn to the neon hi-vis vest he chose to wear since he was actually working for the festival’s welfare team on the same day. "No one thought it was funny..." he admits. "When he said he was going to do it, I thought he was joking!" Chris laughs.

They’ll round off the year with one last festival: Paint by Numbers, a new two-day event taking place at Thekla in Bristol and The Bodega in Nottingham, on 6 and 7 December. Designed as a miniature Dot to Dot (hence the name), the event brings together rising acts from across the country. "You never have bad sound in The Bodega. You play there, and it's like a warm blanket," George says. Acts such as Porij, Sandhouse, My First Time, and Nottingham locals Marvin's Revenge, will also feature throughout the weekend. 

And Paint by Numbers isn’t their only festival announcement – they are already confirmed for Bearded Theory next May, and it’s safe to say they’re thrilled to share a bill with one band in particular: The Pixies, despite the fact they won’t be able to see the band perform as they have “other plans” (we wonder what those could be, given Dot to Dot takes place on the same weekend!).

It seems 2026 is already shaping up to be "the busiest year ever" for Bloodworm – but it’s clear they are more than ready to rise to the occasion.

Bloodworm will play Paint by Numbers at The Bodega on Sun 7 December 2025.

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