Download Festival 2009

Download 2009

A hot-hot-hot weekend in Donington marks the annual event that is the ever-so-rocking metal and rock fest that is Download 2009.

70,000 people have flocked here for three days of festival frenzy, fists of fury and metal madness. We start our choc-a-bloc schedule at 11am on Friday, armed with a pint of cider and some novelty sunglasses…

First up, a visit to the main stage for a crunk/metal combo, a sound that is bigger than Paris Hilton’s ego.  Dawning masks that will give Slipknot a run for their money, think said band with an injection of Eminem… sound crazy? Well we are pleasantly surprised! The tunes are catchy and the crowd get moving, arms in the air, a break from the norm for Download. An unexpected but welcome crowd pleaser, Hollywood Undead could be set to make waves over here even greater than those they have made over the pond.

If there is a band that will get the crowds going it is surely The Blackout, who feature second on the bill on main stage. These Welsh wonders explode onto the stage with more energy than a toddler on Red Bull, with some expert screamo lyrics whipping up the crowds into a frenzy. An all out metal vocal performance from front vocalists Sean Smith and Gavin Butler ensure that The Blackout leave their mark at this year’s festival and will not be forgotten. The six piece Welsh band dressed head to toe in black are feisty and boisterous, with highlights taken from their latest album including ‘Children Of The Night’ and ‘Top Of The World’. This band clearly demonstrates their ability in today’s scene of commercial rock. Just watching them leaves us exhausted…can we handle the pace of the next on our hit list for today?

We stick to the main stage area like glue for much of today, the bill is too good to miss.

Staind are in no way what we would call uplifting. Their sound and persona is murky, perhaps what we would even describe as nu-gloom, but there is something about them that keeps us interested, even if we cannot quite put our finger on it. We are disappointed that they miss out probably their most memorable hit to date ‘It’s Been A While’, and there appears to be a lack of connection with the crowd, there is no banter, and frontman Aaron Lewis just will not let his face slip. We cannot help but feel they take themselves far more seriously than anyone else here does.

Upping the pace are Billy Talent, who have since become one of our favourites, an awesome combination of upbeat punk, shout out loud lyrics and songs to throw your arms in the air to. Catchy single ‘Red Flag’ prompts a huge circle pit that sweeps fans off their feet causing mayhem and creating an electric atmosphere, the highlight of the day so far by far. ‘Falling Leaves’ is another great track that makes us really pay attention to Billy Talent, leaving us with anticipation as to what the new album will hold.

An extremely late addition to the festival line-up, Enter Shikari, liven up our afternoon with their post-hardcore metal and electro vibes in the Tuborg tent. The tent is packed out from side to side and beyond with people standing outside just to hear their energetic tunes. This band have gone from strength to strength over the last couple of years, and we are awaiting the anticipated release of their new album Common Dreads. Highlights today include ‘Sorry, You’re Not A Winner’ and ‘Juggernauts’ which sweep over the crowd with energy and originality.

The anticipated return of Limp Bizkit draws us back to the main stage, with classics such as ‘Rollin” and even a cover of George Michael’s ‘Faith’, with a nu-metal twist. The performance is welcomed in reminding us of some classic tracks from back in their successful era, but we are left feeling a little let down. ‘Rollin” is nowhere near as good live and Fred Durst comes across as somewhat obnoxious and full of himself. Their performance is not poor, but given the hype around them making a comeback we are feeling that there were bands far more deserving of a slot so far up the main stage line-up. The highlight of the set comes in the form of Durst selecting two fans from the audience who take to the stage to perform with him, and it has to be said they truly get the crowd going and give a remarkable performance! Perhaps the best performance of the whole of Limp Bizkit’s set?

Not being big fans of Faith No More, we do not know quite what to expect from them tonight. Their well publicised reform for the festival has had “Downloaders” talking for months, so we are surprised when we turn up at main stage to find the place nowhere near as packed out as we expected. In fact, as we go on to find out, this is the least busy it will be all festival for any of the headliners. A cover version of Lady Gaga’s ‘Poker Face’ is perhaps a little too bizarre to command any attention, and a further cover of Lionel Ritchie’s ‘Easy’ does not provoke our interest or seemingly much of the crowd either, with many sat on the grass watching from afar. A large number of people leave early tonight, truly not the typical spirit of Download. Maybe they are saving their energy for tomorrow…we hope so.

We kick off our Saturday morning with a pint of cider, a further indulgence in the free Muller Rice and a visit to the Red Bull Bedroom Jam stage for The Computers. Temperatures are in the high twenties again, the shade of the tent is welcome. This band are, in a word, loud! They take to the stage in matching white outfits (but not in your shameful Westlife style get-up, far too many tattoos and piercings for that, though even having breathed that word we could deservedly be kicked out of this festival!) The vocals touch on the tuneful screamo side, but this band keep us entertained from start to finish, with more energy than you can shake a stick at. Definitely ones to watch in the coming months.

Serpico follow, and we are pleased to finally get to see them. Having missed their set last year in Leeds supporting Aiden, Kill Hannah and Brigade we are keen to see what this friendly band have to offer and we are not disappointed. With a tshirt donned by frontman Mikey (with an unforgettable hairdo) that reads “Who the F*** Are Serpico?” we feel it will not be too long before this becomes a ridiculous question. This band are energetic and lively with some great tracks to offer, and do an awesome job of getting the crowd enthused. Stand out tracks ’We Own The Night’ and ‘Kultura’ get some well deserved crowd participation, leaving the crowd on a high.

Fightstar erupt onto stage mid afternoon with fire in their eyes for an energy fuelled performance. Right from the start the gargantuan riffs of ‘The English Way’ pull the crowds and create an electric atmosphere that Fightstar have become experts at creating. The highlight of the set is ‘War Machine’ from the latest album Be Human, which combines intricate string melodies with all out rocking riffs and choir vocals that send chills down your spine. This song is epic and pulls you in, encapsulating you with its sound and atmospheric structure, a truly successful live performance. ‘Mercury Summer’ creates a dance along vibe, whilst ‘Palahniuk’s Laughter’ and ‘Colours Bleed To Red’ create one of the biggest mosh pits of the festival thus far.  The band lap up the appreciation from the crowd to give an outstanding performance.

We catch the tail end of Dragonforce, who we are unexpectedly rather impressed with, in our patient yet excitable wait for Pendulum.

Pendulum wreak havoc as they take to the main stage for a set that gets the crowd moving like no other. ‘Propane Nightmares’ prompts running rockers from all directions into the midst of the pit at the front where we have already secured ourselves a spot.  Their performance is impressive and energetic, fusing their distinct blend of metal and electro beats that only The Prodigy will compete with. Our only pondering is to why they would place Pendulum between Dragonforce and Marilyn Manson? Surely the ideal place would have been before The Prodigy on second stage?  The crowd are hyped following Pendulum’s set, and unfortunately and unexpectedly, to our dismay, Manson manages to destroy the atmosphere and energy within the first two minutes of taking to the stage.

Four words… “what a let down”. Marilyn Manson was one of our most highly anticipated artists of the weekend. We were rather excited when he was added to the line-up, but how wrong we were. Clearly more concerned with his appearance than his performance, after every song he has an assistant take to the stage to towel him down and re-apply his makeup. Now call us predictable but we are at least expecting a performance of ‘Tainted Love’ and ‘Personal Jesus’. We get neither. We are truly gutted and feel robbed of the performance. The crowd is clearly none too impressed, with reactions and applause kept to the minimal. Surely he must know the drill?

Well now what we need is a band to shake things up and remind us of the vibe we have come to know Download Festival for. There is one band for the job: The Prodigy. Headlining the second stage they re-build the energy that Pendulum created earlier and set it alight. ‘Firestarter’ is a truly fitting track as they fuel the energy of the crowd tonight with one almighty performance. We are rocked to our foundations, with so many tracks that prompt us to pull out some moves that are normally not on the cards at Download Festival. Tracks like ‘Smack My Bitch Up’, ‘Your Law’ and ‘ Into Space’ inject so much energy into the crowd it will be a wonder if anyone sleeps tonight. They sound even better than on the albums and have such an ability to unite the crowds and create a vibe that pulls you in and makes you forget that you are stood in the middle of a field.

Slipknot headline the main stage tonight adorned in their trademark masks and boiler suits. Clearly a huge fan base has turned up to the festival to see this band as the main stage tonight is packed out more than we have seen it so far this festival. The sun is setting and darkness is drawing in as they rock the crowd from start to finish to a rapturous response and a great selection of songs from their back catalogue.

Sunday is the day of Old Skool Download, rocking back to days gone by with bands gone by. Journey are surprisingly entertaining! We find ourselves dancing down the front to some classics that we didn’t even realise were theirs!

ZZ Top are high on our list for excitement today. Having been inspired by my father to see them after him having played the video in my younger years, we are awaiting their performance with baited breath, and entertain they do! With furry guitars that spin (Yes that was furry!) and beards that would give Merlin a run for his money, they are a sight and sound that reminds us why we love old skool rockers. ‘Gimme All Your Lovin” is an absolute classic; on this hot afternoon we throw our arms (and ice creams!) in the air to sing along at the top of our voices. ‘Legs’ and ‘Sharp Dressed Man’ (judging by their outfits today rightly so!) are further hits with the Download crowd. Thanks Dad…

Attack!Attack! are making waves at the Red Bull Bedroom Jam Stage this weekend, a name that keeps cropping up everywhere at the moment. Having now got a track on the Guitar Hero game and doing numerous tour dates we imagine that we will be hearing more and more of this band over the coming year and beyond. They draw quite a significant crowd at the smallest of the four stages, probably a younger sector of the crowd for today, but a lively bunch at that. They bound onto the stage with energy and enthusiasm, treating our ears to a well put together set of songs from their debut self-titled album. This Welsh four-piece have a Fall Out Boy-esque vibe but could potentially kick the arses of their rivals out of the charts. Think Fall Out Boy but without the egos and some shit hot tunes like ‘Say It To Me’ and ‘You And Me’. They manage to create an admirable sized circle pit mid-set and command the attention and participation of the crowd throughout . They clearly have a loyal following already. Certainly one of our highlights of the festival, who knows what this band could do given a set on a bigger stage?

Def Leppard are the final night headliners that will bring Download 2009 to a close, and when they do it, they do it in style. ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me’ is one of the highlights of the festival with the crowd going crazy, and making us realise why this band have been selected to headline. As the sun sets over the main stage we reflect on the amazing weekend that we have had.

The weather has been perfect and we have seen so many bands that we would probably have never otherwise seen live. Highlights for us? The Prodigy, Billy Talent, Serpico, Attack!Attack! and the ones we still can’t get out of our heads, the outstanding Pendulum.

See you next year Donington!

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