Download Festival (8-10th June 2018)
WORDS: Joanne Gray
Day 1: Friday
Avatar: Main Stage
The first band I rallied round to see for the weekend was the Swedish groove metal oddities, Avatar. Beginning their set with a video clip which alluded to their newest album and depicting guitarist Tim Öhrström as the King of 'Avatar Country', the band opened with 'A Statue of the King'. It was here that it became quite clear that Avatar's stage show would centre very much around the royal concept contained in their latest album. During the song, Öhrström was sat quite impressively on a throne which rose on a platform several feet above the stage, with his own face projecting onto the crowd. Vocalist Johannes Eckerström played the role of the band's theatrical preacher, sprinkling some dark, freakish humour to a character reminiscent of Heath Ledger's Joker. Eckerström growled and crooned his way through some of their biggest songs from their last few albums, and the combination of theatre and groove laden metal riffage seemed to resonate with the modestly sized early morning audience. Those who have seen Avatar before would probably agree that they are an enthralling band to watch at the best of times, but it was great to see this level of spectacle from a band who were so low on the bill. Great start to the day.
Dragonforce: Main Stage
Following this on the same stage were the power-metal legends Dragonforce. Favouring the spectacle of sound rather than visual aesthetic, this stage set up was pretty minimalist in comparison to what had came before them. I managed to watch around half of their set before having to move stages for Stray From The Path and for that, I was quite glad I had somewhere else to be. Sound issues plagued their set, with Herman Li's signature guitar leads being lost in the mix and actually cutting out at various points throughout. As someone who tends to enjoy Dragonforce more for the technical guitar parts than the overblown and cheesy vocals which are prominent in this style of music, the sound issues made the set an awkward and at times, cringeworthy set for myself. It would be hard not to feel sorry for the band though, who were planning to record this set for future publication. Unfortunately, any level of awe over the band's technical ability was lost due to these sound issues and negatively influenced a set I would have probably otherwise enjoyed. Friends who were there to watch the full set told me that these issues continued right up until the last song, which is such a shame for any band, let alone one of their magnitude.
Stray From The Path: Avalanche Stage
Over in the third stage however, sound issues were not a problem for Stray From The Path. I have been wanting to see this band live for a while now and they certainly didn't disappoint. Evoking elements of politically minded 'rap-rock' legends Rage Against The Machine's repertoire, the band were particularly energetic. Storming onto the stage with songs from Subminial Criminals, the band's energy was immediately engaging. It wasn't until they played songs from their latest album that the band became their most confrontational, however. The one-two punch of 'Let's Make A Deal' into 'Goodnight Alt-Right' had vocalist Drew York calling out Donald Trump and racism (practically within the same sentence), and the infectious bounce of the band encouraged the crowd to get involved. I expected that Stray From The Path would be great to watch as I have really liked their last few albums, but I was really pleasantly surprised by just how much heavier and faster the band play live. It's almost a shame that the band didn't get a slot on one of the bigger stages, as I feel they could have made a huge (if not controversial) impact to a bigger audience, with a humongous guitar tone to support it. Top notch.
Marmozets: Main Stage
Cutting out the last song of Stray From The Path's set to head back to the main stage, to see Marmozets; one of my favourite and most anticipated bands of the weekend. I admit that I was slightly apprehensive as to how a Download audience would receive them, particularly the more 'mainstream' sounding songs from their newest album. With the band deciding to open with two new songs, 'Play' and 'Meant To Be', it did initially seem like those concerns were justified. From where we were standing, there didn't seem to be much of a response from the crowd at all. After moving forward in the crowd and the band delving into songs from their heavier debut album however, I found a reasonably small but dedicated mosh pit had formed where the crowd was singing every word. As the set progressed, I felt that the crowd as a whole embraced the band more and more with each song. "They just keep getting weirder and weirder" were the words from a man standing close to me, and by the time Marmozets got to the prog madness of 'Vibetech', the band had the crowd in the palm of their hands (and the mosh pit in a state of frenzy to boot). 'Captivate You' highlighted the struggles of a band who have struggled with injury over the last few years, and it was hard not to be moved by vocalist Becca Macintyre, who seemed close to tears. By the end of the set, it seemed that Marmozets had won over a crowd who, although they were unfamiliar, were sizeable in numbers and seemed impressed by their vibrancy. I'm really hoping that this set can bring good things for this band in the near future, as they really do deserve it.
Cancer Bats: Avalanche Stage
Upon heading over to the Avalanche Stage to see Cancer Bats next, I managed to catch the last song of Andrew WK on the Zippo Stage (which was obviously 'Party Hard'). After counting down from 60 seconds to zero, the song ultimately didn't deliver in the end. Sound level issues on the stage, where it sounded like the volume dial had been drastically turned down sadly left the showstopper as sounding pretty weak, rather than the raucous anthem you'd expect from the master of parties. This unfortunately wasn't the only time that sound issues would plague this stage throughout the weekend...
Over in the tent, Cancer Bats sounded thunderous on the other hand, bringing a level of energetic fun which had been absent from Andrew WK's offering. Racing through a 12 song set, material from the newest album slotted seamlessly into the band's repertoire, with 'Brightest Day' and 'Gate Keeper' appealing to fans of their faster material and 'Winterpig' sounding humongous among their other stoner anthems. As anyone who has seen Cancer Bats live can attest to, the band always brings an energetic show which as as rip roaringly frantic as it is groove laden, and this was no exception. The party vibes were well and truly delivered when the band dropped their cover of Beastie Boys' classic 'Sabotage', with the whole crowd going pretty nuts. Set closer 'Bricks and Mortar' drove the point home that Cancer Bats are just one of the best bands to see live, and seeing them play such a short set had the welcome benefit of showcasing all their biggest songs in such quick succession.
Bullet For My Valentine: Main Stage
I then caught the last few songs from Volbeat over on the main stage before remaining there for the rest of the rest of the day. Needless to say, their set closer and notably biggest song 'Still Counting' is absolutely massive and had much of the audience bopping along to. Regardless of how well I'm sure Volbeat played for the rest of their set, it was hard not to feel that the rockabilly thrash sound was quite antiquated when following the likes of Marmozets on the same stage. This sentiment could likewise be applied to the next band on the stage, Bullet For My Valentine. After more muted responses to their last few albums, it could be quite strongly debated that Bullet were only so high up on the bill as they were playing before their contemporaries and stage headliners Avenged Sevenfold. As someone who used to hold Bullet as one of my favourite bands, I don't think I'm wrong in suggesting that the band were mostly playing to an audience of mostly 20-30 somethings who wanted to hear songs from their youth. Therefore, opening with two new songs, 'Don't Need You' and 'Over It', I felt that the band appeared weathered and that the songs didn't seem to particularly resonate with the audience either. It was not until 'Your Betrayal' that any sort of fire within the band and the crowd seemed to ignite. This pattern of energy rising and falling continued throughout the set, and the vibe of the field seemed to dip every time a new song was dug out. Fair play to the band for making the songs sound marginally better than their recorded equivalents, but I am totally not keen on the sound of their current direction. Suggestions from frontman Matt Tuck that the band could be headlining the festival in a few years contrasted severely with the crowd reaction to songs outwith of their first 3 albums. Overall, this cements a view that I've had for a while that the band is increasingly losing touch with what resonated with fans in the first place, and as a result, this set was less of a success of a maturing band but of an attachment to songs which still hold fuzzy feelings of nostalgia. Meh.
Avenged Sevenfold: Main Stage
Such criticisms of a band only appealing to crowd nostalgia could theoretically have been levelled towards headliners Avenged Sevenfold, who share many of the roots, sound and fanbase of Bullet. Opening with 'The Stage' from their newest album, the band seemed to get a decent reception from the crowd, and used space-themed imagery to decrease any levels of disinterest. They didn't stay in newer territory for too long however, storming into older classics 'Afterlife' and 'Welcome To The Family', where the crowd really came alive and 'Hail To The King' sounded massive as well. Taking cues from their musical heroes, there was plenty of pyro and the whole crowd seemed to sing along with the chorus. After returning briefly to The Stage with 'God Damn' (which it turns out is an excellent festival song), the band played several songs from Nightmare. These songs, and the set as a whole provided plenty of references to the loss of their drummer The Rev, from a cover of Pink Floyd's 'Wish You Were Here' to footage of the drummer on the screens between songs. After performing (apparently unexpected) fan favourites 'Eternal Rest' and 'M.I.A', another new song 'Higher' was accompanied with a massive floating astronaut a la Iron Maiden, which I thought was pretty cool. 'Bat Country' brought a hugely deserved and expected crowd singalong to close the main set, which left the encore in the safe hands of 'Sheppard of Fire', 'A Little Piece of Heaven' and 'Unholy Confessions', which sounded triumphant. I myself have always been someone who has listened to Avenged Sevenfold in passing but have tended to prefer the bands that have influenced them. However, it's hard not to feel like Avenged haven't successfully followed in the path of the likes of Metallica, Guns N' Roses and Iron Maiden. From Matt Shadows' sense of retro style to drummer Brooks Wackermann's ability to do something a bit different from The Rev but be just as capable behind the kit, this is a clearly a band who is full of ambition for the future, whilst still taking cues from those who have came before them. Although I will never be as involved with this band as others my age, I was pretty impressed with their set as a whole, and I now have a greater sense of respect for then than I did before.
Day 2: Saturday
Whiskey Myers: Main Stage
Whiskey Myers: Main Stage
Following on from this, Saturday morning was always going to be a more laid back affair. Whiskey Myers were the first band I saw over on the main stage, as I am quite a fan of that southern country rock sound and feel like they do it pretty well on record. I was quite surprised upon watching their set that I didn't seem to recognise anything they were playing. Rather than playing their biggest songs like 'Lonely East TX Nights' or 'Ballad Of A Southern Man', they instead performed a rather long instrumental section, only playing 3 of their own songs in total from their first and most recent album. I thought this was quite odd, but the section was one of the best and most interesting I've seen from a band of this ilk. What was particularly strange was the inclusion of a second drummer where the band only originally have one, and I'm still left wondering where the second drummer appeared from. I can only guess that they were there to bulk up the sound of the instrumental section which was the staple of the set, but it looked and sounded pretty cool regardless. What the band lack in originality in terms of their Skynyrd-esque southern rock sound, the free-form direction of the set and easy going nature of the music was a decent start to the day.
Anchor Lane: Dogtooth Stage
Following a somewhat similar musical style but performed by a demographically and geographically distinct group, I watched Anchor Lane in the Dogtooth stage. Taking influences from hard rock behemoths such as Black Stone Cherry and Alter Bridge, the Glasgow band have been creating a bit of a buzz around the local scene of late so I was keen to watch their set. I was instantly aware of how well attended the stage was for their size and there was clearly a sense of strong support for this UK based band. I thought they were pretty good, with some pretty big riffs and sing along sections for the songs, taken from their 4 track EP New Beginnings released last year. Although their sound itself is not particularly innovative as they take huge musical and vocal cues from their influences, it was quite refreshing to see a more youthful and localised take on that sound, which I have a soft spot for. I do feel like taking that localised approach a bit further by having a bit less of an American sort of sound, which tends to sound a bit odd coming from a bunch of Scots, would be beneficial for the band to stand out of the pack in the future. As it is however, Anchor Lane have enough of a certain cheekiness about them that is reminiscent of their home city, and that seemed to resonate with the crowd they attracted. They definitely feel like a spark within a scene that is often criticised for its staleness. I'll be keeping my eyes on this band for the future.
Corrosion of Conformity: Zippo Stage
Next up was the first of several bands on the Zippo stage, Corrosion of Conformity. I had only heard some of their songs before seeing them but of what I heard, I really liked the sound on record. This paled in comparison to the band's live sound however. The sound which came from this band was next level, with each beat played on one of the drum toms feeling like a sledgehammer to the chest which suited their sludge metal offering to a tee. The guitar and bass lines were wonderfully heavy as well and I caught myself mouthing 'Oooft' several times throughout their set as they hit deep grooves. With Pepper Keenan's commanding vocals and stage presence sounding absolutely colossal against this backdrop, songs like 'Albatross' and 'Cleaning My Wounds' were an absolute joy to watch. I went into their set as someone who was only vaguely aware of some their songs, and by the end, I was totally converted. This was definitely one of my surprise sets of the weekend. Mammoth sized riffs and a sound to match was a winner in my eyes and I've now bought a ticket to see then when they're next here. Wonderful.
Bury Tomorrow: Zippo Stage
Following on from this storming set on the same stage was Bury Tomorrow. As one of the bands at the forefront of the currently thriving British metalcore scene, I was curious as to how they would sound on such a big stage. Unfortunately things were not made easy that day. As it had been far too warm for my tastes over the last few days, I only felt up to listening to their set from a distance rather than watch up close. As such, I felt that my reception of their set suffered, as the sound quality from where I was was patchy at best. Like with Andrew WK's set, the instruments and vocals were left to sound weak and thinner than what they should have, and this removed a lot of bite which is very much needed for this type of music. As a result, the set was pretty unmemorable, with the only notable thing I can remember was vocalist Dan Winter-Bates commenting on how early they were playing in the day due to Guns N' Roses being on so early. In all honesty though, I doubt them playing later on in the day would've improved on their set which I found to be quite unremarkable. As this is my only live experience of the band, I would tend to give them the benefit of the doubt, but I couldn't help but be a bit disappointed that one of the most respected bands in metalcore at the moment didn't make much of an impression on me personally.
L7: Zippo Stage
It could be easy to dismiss the sound issues as something which was due to the size of Bury Tomorrow or how far away I was from the stage, but California grunge band L7 proved that the problems went further than this. As a band I've been waiting to see for years now, I was disappointed that they suffered from poor sound quality during their set which was evident from a point closer to the stage. Opening with 'Andres', the band seemed to instantly notice the inadequate sound levels, gesturing over to their crew to increase the volume of the central microphone and guitars and appearing visibly irritated. The anger about this seemed to seep into the sound of their set however, with the vocal delivery of songs such as 'Shitlist' and 'Everglade' dripping with particularly strong venom. I was particularly impressed with just how much fire the band still have to this day. This is perhaps best summed up by the presence of drummer Demetra Plakas', who had broken her arm only a day or so beforehand, but still contributed backing vocals from the centre of the stage. Shout out to Adam Ant's drummer for filling in for the band at such late notice. Overall, I was pleased to finally see L7 but felt that the sound issues affected the sense of joy I had about their set, which was a real shame.
Thunder: Main Stage
Back over on the main stage, I managed to catch a bit of Thunder's set. Although there was much scepticism in the lead up to Download about the band's high placement on the bill, I thought they did a pretty good job at setting up for Black Stone Cherry. Even though I only really knew of their 3 biggest songs, I was quite impressed by the band who were reminiscent to the likes of Status Quo for their enthusiasm levels (and age...). As I was sat quite far back for their set, the crowd was pretty quiet until they played 'Love Walked In' where people around me seemed to be quite familiar with the chorus. From what I could see towards the front however, they seemed to draw quite a large audience who seemed pretty involved. Albeit, this level of interest was possibly related to Guns N' Roses playing later on in the day and people being camped on the main stage all day, but fair play to the band for giving a decent performance regardless. All in all, Thunder aren't really a band I would rush back to watch, and probably wouldn't choose to watch them do a headline set but for the 'dad rock' style of music they play, they were pretty decent.
Babymetal: Zippo Stage
For the last venture away from the main stage for the day, I caught some of Babymetal's set over on the Zippo stage. As one of the bands earlier on in the day had caused delays in that stage, it was only possible to catch a few songs before having to dart back over to the main stage. Sadly, this meant that I was stood quite far away from the stage, and as such, had difficulty seeing what was happening on the stage. From the screens, it was evident that Babymetal have something quite different going on with their stage setup as they have from the past, as backing dancer Yuimetal has since been replaced by two others. As the band have clarified that this lineup change will not be permanent, it can be assumed that this move has something to do with a new album which is currently in the works, only really hinted at by the band playing new song 'Distortion'. Unfortunately, any significance about this part of their performance, or indeed any of their performance at all, was lost due to having a poor view of the stage, and a bad sound from the stage which had been evident earlier on. It was clear that Babymetal were far too big for this stage as well, as the crowd was rammed in all directions of the stage, looking very claustrophobic towards the area where mosh pits were taking place at the front. I thought the band would've had a better time of it if they had been placed onto the main stage at a different point in the weekend. The combination of the hype for the band, the lateness of the stage running and the urge to return back to the main stage for the next bands significantly influenced the enjoyment of their set for myself, and I'm guessing many others who wanted to head back over to the main stage to get a decent spot for Guns N' Roses. Bizarre, really.
Black Stone Cherry: Main Stage
My love for the next two bands on the main stage meant that in addition to missing half of Babymetal's set, I had to skip all of Parkway Drive as well. I'm pretty gutted about this as I've heard and seen only good things about their set this year. This does lead me to think that it's not outside of the realms of possibility for Parkway to end up maybe headlining Download in the future, so it could be worse. Similar talks about headliner status have been aimed towards Black Stone Cherry, who've made the jump from regular Zippo headliners to sub-headlining GnR after years of hard work plugging away on the touring circuit. Opening with new single 'Burnin'', the Kentucky quartet started the set on a joyous high, which they managed to maintain throughout the set by throwing out a selection of their biggest songs from their whole career. Accompanying these were a few covers ('Stir It Up' by The Wailer's and Jimi Hendrix' 'Foxy Lady'), which showed that the band were more than willing to have some fun on such a big slot. For those who aren't keen on the southern hard rock sound that Black Stone Cherry bring, this perhaps may not have been the most exciting set in the world, but judging by the crowd that the band attracted, there are plenty of people who enjoy them for what they are: the best in their sub-genre. With a set like this, suggestions that the band could be headlining Download in a few years don't seem too out of reach in this slightest.
Guns N' Roses: Main Stage
Topping off the Saturday bill was none other than the rock titans themselves, Guns N' Roses. It is fair to say that the booking of this band has ensured that their presence was a huge day ticket draw (with Saturday day tickets costing £20 more than any of the others). Many therefore wondered whether the band would live up to the hype (and price) of their booking. Opening with the double whammy of 'It's So Easy' and 'Mr Brownstone', such doubts were quickly eradicated, with band sounding on top form and the crowd erupting during the Appetite classics. Needless to say, the biggest crowd reactions came from these songs, which were strategically spread throughout their set, leaving room for the rest of their back catalogue (and a cover every now and then). Songs from Chinese Democracy also got a look in, with perhaps a slightly more dampened crowd reaction. Thankfully the selected songs 'Better', 'Chinese Democracy' and 'This I Love' were short enough and kept audience tiredness to a minimum (the first two of these are bangers anyway, in my opinion). The potential of lethargy is one which was discussed when the band confirmed that they were playing the full 3 and a half hour set that they had played across the world. In my opinion, the setlist was varied enough to keep up the crowd's interest, and Axl and co. smashed it sonically. Covers such as Misfits' 'Attitude' and The Who's 'The Seeker' showed a band which are still very much having fun on their touring circuit, while covers of Soundgarden ('Black Hole Sun'), Velvet Revolver ('Slither') and, for the second time this weekend, Pink Floyd ('Wish You Were Here') proved to be poignant and joyous in equal measure. It was clear however towards the end of the mammoth 3+ hour long set, packed to the brim with GnR's biggest songs from their entire discography, that the highlights from the set came from the band's debut. Main set closer 'Nightrain' and encore closer 'Paradise City' prompted envigorating mass singalongs and crowd activity, and 'Sweet Child O' Mine' was utterly undeniable. From the viewpoint of an avid Guns N' Roses fan who has seen them earlier in the touring cycle, it is hard to see the criticisms which have been directed towards the band for this set, as they put most modern bands to shame with their energy and songs over the length of 3+ hours. Who knows how long the band will be touring for either, so why not just enjoy it while it lasts? For me and thousands of others, this was one of those sets which will be special for Download for years to come. Truly life affirming.
Day 3: Sunday
Turbonegro: Zippo Stage
Waking up a little bit sore and hungover from such extravagance from the night before, Download was finally visited by the full extent of the sun on the Sunday. Thankfully, this didn't stop Turbonegro from starting off the day on the right foot over on the Zippo Stage. With a set that was heavy on their new material, but dipping into some of their older classics, the Norwegians played their raucous blend of 'deathpunk' with a sense of dark humour that was more than a little contagious and attracted a bunch of people, varying from loyal diehard to casual bystander. Their odd sense of style and presence of 'All My Friends Are Dead' meant that Turbonegro were one of the funnest sets of the weekend for myself. The only gripes I had with them was that they weren't placed on the main stage instead of Ingorious, whose live personality pales in comparison to this underrated and wonderfully silly quintet. The cult band proved to be a solid choice to start off the final day of the festival, and I'm glad I finally got the chance to be impressed by them live.
Deadcross: Zippo Stage
Following this, I managed to catch sections of both Dead Cross on the Zippo stage and Hatebreed over on the main stage while getting a much needed milkshake. Featuring Mike Patton (Faith No More) on vocals, Mike Crain and Justin Pearson (Retox) on guitar and bass and Dave Lombardo (Slayer) on drums, the former hardcore supergroup were an interesting proposition on paper. Live, the band only partially lived up to this prospect, with Mike Patton's versatile vocals providing something unique for the otherwise standard hardcore band. With very little in the way of crowd interaction and unique stage presence, it was hard not to be a bit underwhelmed by Dead Cross as a live experience. Hatebreed, on the other hand, didn't seem to have this problem at all over on the main stage. In the few songs I managed to catch, they had attracted a huge amount of people, or which they had whipped large portions of the crowd into a frenzy due to the band's musical tightness and Jamey Jasta's charisma. As someone who only listens to Hatebreed in passing but has heard much of their reputable live performance, the few songs that I managed to hear have convinced me that I may have made the wrong choice of band to watch at the time.
In This Moment: Main Stage
I returned to the main stage to catch most of In This Moment's set. After about a 10 minute delay (no doubt due to tinkering with the elaborate stage setup that the band have become known for), the band opened with 'Blood', with enough twisted theatre to compete with any freak burlesque show. As has been the case for the last few albums, vocalist Maria Brink has become the showpiece of the band, with the other musicians mostly relegated to background positions. Other than a medley featuring songs such as Metallica's 'For Whom The Bell Tolls', this was very much Maria's show. Due to the lateness of the set, the band was only able to play 6 songs, leaving out songs like 'Sick Like Me', which I believed would close the set. Brink's vocals through her microphone tended to dip in and out of audibility throughout the set, which took away from the performance as a whole, but it is hard to argue that the band are a spectacle to watch. Often described as what would happen in Lady Gaga went fully metal, it is unlikely that people who dislike them as a concept will have been swayed by their set. I do however think it was a decent, if not perfect, set which displayed some of the musical and vocal capabilities of the band as well as their attention to aesthetics.
Body Count: Zippo Stage
Back over on the Zippo stage was rap metal Californians Body Count, who were one of my most anticipated bands of the weekend due to their limited number of appearances on this side of the Atlantic. Storming into their set with a cover of Slayer's 'Raining Blood/Postmortem', the band were quick to prove to any naysayers that they belonged at Download. The crowd watching Body Count certainly proved this as well, creating one of the most impressive mosh pits and volatile crowds I'd seen all weekend. Songs like 'Manslaughter', 'No Lives Matter' and 'There Goes The Neighbourhood' provided Ice-T with some furious but interesting (but not exactly PC) stage banter touching on topics like race, fatherhood and masculinity between songs. Jamey Jasta from Hatebreed's appearance on set closer 'Cop Killer' was an unexpected sight to behold. The band certainly lived up to the expectations I had from them, having only watched festival appearances from them in the past online. My only wish would be that they could have played a longer set later on in the day, as it was such a blast of a time. Catch this band if you ever get the chance to.
Thrice: Zippo Stage
Up next on the Zippo stage was Thrice, who've I've only recently started to really get into and was looking forward to seeing their set. It was at this point in the day that the sun really started to get too much for me though so I spent their set listening while trying to stop the rays from touching my skin. Sadly, earlier sound issues from the stage were also back in full force. Songs which had choruses as massive as those in 'Hurricane' and 'Black Honey' lost much of their power as result, with the songs sounding like they were played through a submerged speaker set. It was quite hard to see just how involved the crowd was as well from where I was located, but there were more than a few indifferent faces waiting around. Thankfully, it seemed like some of their earlier songs like 'The Artist In The Ambulance', and 'Blood On The Sand' from their newest album seemed to get a decent crowd response but overall I was quite disappointed with the outcome of their set. Here's hoping they play some headline shows in the near future so that they can live up to my expectations (and I can stay away from the bloody sun. Sincerely, a perpetually pale Scot).
Meshuggah: Zippo Stage
Staying on the same stage, Meshuggah were next up to wrestle with the sound system. Luckily their brand of low-end prog metal fared better than some of the others on this stage. There was occasional moments where the sound would dip in and out of clarity but overall, this was a blistering set from the band who I've been desperate to see for some time. Frontman Jens Kidman was excellent at commanding the stage, prowling, growling and leering in equal measure throughout the set. The rest of the band sounded equally as thunderous for the most part, with the stomach shakingly heavy guitar tones seemingly rattling the whole field. Even though there were times that the volume of the sound dipped noticeably, this thankfully didn't tend to last for very long, meaning that the band could generally give those songs that extra punch that the live environment favours. The fact that Meshuggah didn't play their biggest song 'Bleed' didn't negatively impact their set in any way whatsoever is testament to how strong the rest of their catalogue is. The audience was totally on board throughout as well, as a large mosh pit was noticeable throughout the full set and even casual bystanders were banging heads throughout. Excellent.
Zeal & Ardor: Dogtooth Stage
It was then over to the Dogtooth stage for the last time of the weekend for arguably the most unique and exciting band of the weekend: Zeal & Ardor. Thankful to get some relief from the sun for a while, there was a decent crowd of people waiting outside the tent in the shade alongside me. I managed to hear a little bit of Myrkur while I was waiting, and was pretty impressed with the broodingly heavy ethereal sound that was coming from the tent which helped to build up anticipation for the band I was about to see. Prior to Zeal & Ardor coming on stage, the soundcheck was the first sign that something special was going to happen when Manuel Gagneux's vocals came rushing from the tent. In isolation, the soundcheck highlighted the raw and soulful nature of the singer, who tested out a combination of sung, screamed and chanted portions of the songs they were about to play. On to the actual set, the band looked like an impressive proposition on that small stage, with all of the members hooded and solemn, building a slightly eerie feeling. Musically the band was just as spectacular. The unique blend of black metal, gospel and soul blasted throughout the tent prompting mass singalongs for songs from the band's first and newest albums (which had only been released a few days prior). Gagneux and the two backing vocals Wagner and Obrist gave truly stunning performances, which were somehow heart warming and intimidating at the same time. Accompanying this, the rest of the band was equally as impactful, with the unique sound of the band sounding both natural and powerful in the live environment. Particular highlights for me were the renditions of 'Blood In The River' and 'Don't You Dare', which sounded simultaneously threatening and beautiful. Overall the vibe of the set from all members of the band was contagious, and the whole tent felt in unison with this one performance with such an electric feeling. It's safe to say that this band are onto something very special and if fortune is in their favour, it should be the last time Zeal & Ardor will be playing in such a small tent. Make sure you catch them the next time they're here. Truly breathtaking.
Marilyn Manson: Main Stage
And talking of breathtaking... I proceeded to watch the remainder of Marilyn Manson's set over on the main stage. There was much debate as to whether Manson would 'show up' for his sub headline slot at Download, as he has been notoriously patchy for the last few years (or 10...). Walking into his set while he was playing 'Kill4Me', it wasn't immediately clear which version of Manson was on show here due to the slow paced nature of some of the new material. Then he proceeded to drop the microphone in an unbothered sort of way and walked off to the side after a few songs, leaving a completely empty stage. For a brief minute or two each time I would think that he had just decided to walk out of his show, only for him and the band to reappear 5 minutes later with the frontman in a different costume. This continued for the rest of his set and it appeared like he'd been doing this all the way throughout, as the people around us seemed to be completely nonplussed by this behaviour. It eventually became clear that Manson was giving the ultimate definition of a lackluster performance and there was no sense of urgency about his performance at all. When he started to roll aimlessly around on the ground, and warble throughout some of his biggest songs, it was also clear that the man was also off his face on something. This was perhaps best shown when he decided to point the microphone in the direction of the crowd for large chunks of songs rather than bothering to make any effort with it himself. After trudging through the rest of his set, tackling the songs with as much grace as your typical drunk uncle at a karaoke, he got to 'The Beautiful People' before swiftly leaving stage again. After wrongly thinking he may have finished his set, Manson came back on to play a cover of Gerard McMann's 'Cry Little Sister' before finally ending with 'Coma White' from Mechanical Animals. Instead of appearing like cool little additions to the set, which was probably the intention, this bloated performance just made the additions seem unnecessary and odd. It was quite sad to see Manson like this, noting just how stirring and exciting his set could have been if he would have capitalised on such turbulent times as now. I'm very much hoping that he takes some time out to get himself sorted out, cause the guy clearly needs to.
Ozzy Osbourne: Main Stage
It's safe to say that I had similar concerns about the last headliner of the weekend: Ozzy Osbourne. After some rough shows from the Black Sabbath frontman of late, there was a lot of cynicism about how well he would perform for his first (and probably last) headline solo stint at Download. Nevertheless, the field was packed with people who wanted to see out the rock legend regardless. Hyping up proceedings with Carl Off's 'O Fortuna', Ozzy and co. received rapturous applause when they fired into 'Bark At The Moon', and it was immediately clear that Osbourne had a sense of enthusiasm which has been vacant for a little while on the Black Sabbath circuit. By the time the second song 'Mr Crawley' revved up, it was clear that this was going to be a successful outing from the band, with Ozzy exerting commendable energy for his years and looking more healthy than he has for a good while. This is perhaps due to the efforts of his bandmates, with Zakk Wylde particularly giving a new sense of life to such classic songs with a hulked up guitar tone. There has been jokes since the festival that Wylde will still be playing his solos until the racing starts back up again at Donington at the end of the month. These extended musical aspects, including a pretty impressive drum solo from Tommy Clufetos meant that Ozzy got a decent break in between songs and sounded refreshed all the way through. The set, which included a few Black Sabbath covers ('Fairies Wear Boots' and 'War Pigs') and most of Osbourne's biggest hits from his early catalogue ('No More Tears', 'Shot In The Dark', 'I Don't Know' and a fragment of 'Perry Mason' being particular highlights) certainly got the crowd pumped up as well. Standing pretty close to the front meant that we were pretty much bombarded with crowd surfers towards the end of the set, which was really surprising but heartwarming as it felt like the band really had the goodwill of the crowd. It all got a bit much after getting kicked in the head a few too many times, so I ended up watching the last few songs from the far side of the stage. Main set closer 'Crazy Train' still sounded great from this more sedentary position and it was nice to hear the whole crowd singing along. 'Mama I'm Coming Home' and a cover of 'Paranoid' left the set on a high, which was so much better than a lot of people were perhaps expecting. Although it can be debated whether this will be Ozzy's last outing as a band (the tour itself being ironically called 'No More Tours 2'), if he and the rest of his band keep up this level of quality for the rest of the tour, it'll be a killer way of signing off for one of rock's greatest heroes.
And that was my experience of Download Festival this year. Besides from the sound issues which arose several times throughout the weekend and some odd stage placements at times, I was pretty chuffed with most of the bands I saw. It's good that the festival is moving more towards putting some more newer bands on the higher stages, but it seems that there is further work needed to give some bands that leg up for maximum exposure. Shout out to both Guns N' Roses and Zeal & Ardor for stealing the weekend but I had a blast watching all of the others (even watching Manson was a bit of a laugh) and I'll no doubt be back next year. Would be nice if they got a different sound engineer on the Zippo Stage before then though... 😅
Great review. Glad you enjoyed Ozzy and didn't love Manson's lazy effort.
ReplyDeleteYou missed out on Parkway bad though. Get tickets for their next show near you!
Missing PD was definitely the thing I wish I didn’t have to do but I couldn’t miss being so closer to the front for GnR! Sadly they aren’t playing a date in Scotland. Maybe one day!
DeleteI went to Download Festival 2018 too.
ReplyDeletehttps://kingcrimsonprog.wordpress.com/2018/06/11/i-went-to-download-festival-2018/