Mum to join son's heavy metal band on festival stage

Sam Strachan, from the band Raised by Owls, and his mum Barbara Frayn

The mother of a member of a heavy metal rock group is to join them on stage as a special guest at a music festival.

Barbara Frayn - who is in her early 70s - has become known for starring in promotional videos for Raised by Owls.

Her son Sam Strachan, the group's vocalist, says he thought her live appearance would go down well with fans.

She is due to join them at Bloodstock at Catton Park, Walton-on-Trent, Derbyshire, on Sunday.

Raised by Owls are due to open the main stage at Bloodstock on Sunday

Speaking to BBC Radio Derby, Mr Strachan, 31, from Ashbourne in Derbyshire, said: "I am bringing her out on stage, and it will be a bit of a free-for-all."

Mr Strachan has made videos for the band's social media for several years, and during the pandemic, began roping in his mum.

"A lot of them did well," he said. "She is the most popular member of the band by far. She's going to completely overshadow us."

Mrs Frayn, who used to perform as a dancer, said she was looking forward to her forthcoming appearance, despite not being a big fan of extreme heavy metal.

She said: "The first time I heard Sam doing his screaming, or growling, in his bedroom, I thought the boiler was blowing up!"

A young Mr Strachan with his mum

Mr Strachan added: "Maybe we'll get her to do a dance while I do some screaming."

Mrs Frayn added: "I might do some crowd surfing! I'm really proud of him."

Bloodstock organiser Simon Hall said: "We can’t wait for Raised by Owls and the appearance of Sam’s mum. I think they're the first band to bring their mum on stage at Bloodstock.

"We love their humour and tongue-in-cheek videos they've been posting online, as well as their new album. It'll certainly be a fun way to open Sunday morning."

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