On May 8, 2026, Bloodywood performed at House of Blues in Myrtle Beach, SC, with special guests ANKOR, Ladrones, and The Pretty Wild. The night was filled with high energy, new music that I instantly fell in love with, and emotionally driven artists who put on incredible performances. What’s the best way to end a horrible week at work? Go to a Bloodywood show and welcome the havoc that unfolded throughout the event.

Opening the night was the band ANKOR, which I had never listened to until that night. Once I stepped foot into the photo pit, the fans at the barricade radiated adrenaline, and some looked like they were about to combust with excitement. This band honestly took my breath away. They were so theatrical, but at the same time so anarchic and unpredictable, which made me feel like I was going to miss something if I blinked. Fito Barruz (guitarist) is the true definition of “adrenaline” because, throughout the whole set, he had a continued momentum that kept increasing after each song. Every time I locked my eyes on him, he was either running from one side of the stage to the other, engaging with myself or the crowd at the barricade, interacting with the vocalist, or falling on the ground but making the best out of it in the most energetic way. Watching him on stage felt like he was the guitar. He was the INSTRUMENT, and the real guitar was just a prop.

Keep up with ANKOR online: Website / Spotify

Next up was Ladrones. I had never heard of this band either, and honestly, their set blew me away. Latin music intertwined with rap, rock, and metal, their set felt like a complete spiral of never-ending energy that made me personally so exhausted because I was constantly moving out of the way so the fans at the barricade wouldn’t hit me while headbanging. A band mixing their culture into their music is showcasing that even fans who don’t understand the lyrics will enjoy the music. Ladrones had the best set of the night, in my opinion, and one of the best sets I’ve personally ever seen at a show. Did I know what they were singing? Nope. Did I enjoy every minute of it? Yes, I did. Zxmyr (vocals), during his set, took off his shirt and gave it to a child at the barricade, which was heartwarming. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many kids at the barricade before, and everyone was respectful to them. During the set, Zxmyr was the most energetic, doing jumps in the air, engaging with the crowd, and even jumping into the mosh pit to perform vocals. I believe they have a fill-in guitarist for this run, and he goes by Chamucomusico on social media. He assisted with translating to the crowd what Zxmyr was saying between songs due to English not being his first language.

Keep up with Ladrones online: Website / Instagram / Spotify

Next was The Pretty Wild, and their set had a darker tone to it. Between both vocalists on stage, I found out they are sisters, and their other sister is their merch person. Like with the rest of the bands, I had never listened to them before, so I was not expecting these women to be so celestial, but also so fierce. I honestly felt intimidated just by locking eyes with both of them. Their ethereal looks in no way, shape, or form matched the explosive vocals. When they performed “sLeepwALkeR,” which was their last song, and screamed, “Reaper fear me,” I realized that part of the song went viral on TikTok!

Keep up with The Pretty Wild online: Website / Tiktok / Instagram

Finally, it was time for Bloodywood, and the crowd ignited in excitement. I don’t think I had ever seen fans go absolutely feral for a band before, and people were crushing each other at the barricade to get closer to the stage. When the band went on stage, myself and the fans embraced the chaos that instantly erupted. The mosh pits were aggressive, yet gave a different vibe that night. It felt more like a community compared to most shows I go to, where everyone is targeted. You saw different generations in the mosh pits enjoying themselves, picking each other up from the ground, dancing, and embracing one another while screaming the lyrics. The second song the band played was “Nu Delhi,” and that’s the song that got me into this band. The band spoke about their home before performing the song. The song has the perfect balance of their culture’s instrumentation as well as nu-metal aggressiveness, and both vocalists adding their own style to the song enhanced the intensity that the band wanted to provide to the attendees. Raoul Kerr (vocalist/rapper) and Sarthak Pahwa (percussion) truly had my attention because Raoul had a defiant vibe to him that radiated into his vocals, which fed the crowd to mosh even more. Sarthak is the percussionist in the band, and with every impact to his drum, you felt the vibrations from the bottom of your feet to the top of your head. He was constantly headbanging while not only making the rhythm of the songs louder and more intense, but also never missing a beat.

Bloodywood also performed the song “Tadka,” which, before it started, Raoul and Jayant (vocalist) introduced with a speech about their culture’s delicacies, asking fans, “Who here has eaten Indian food before?” Everyone screamed instantly. When the song finally started, it had a lighter tone to it, but the lyricism and instrumentation gave us imagery of the band’s culture through music, giving it a culinary vibe. Listening to this song made me crave the curry dishes my dad makes for himself every day and reminded me of the stories he tells me about his managers at work who share their culture with him.

Keep up with Bloodywood online: Website / Instagram / Facebook