This may have been Downloads 21st year, but this was my first!
I've been to a lot of other festivals of various sizes but I've never been to Download! A fact that, as a huge rock and metal fan always surprises people who know me!
I was quite anxious about going to the festival, as although as I previously mentioned I've been to lots of different festivals. I've been mainly going to middle and smaller size festivals the last couple of years, so wasn't sure what to expect!
I needn't have worried! Download was wonderful!
When we arrived, it was well sign posted and easy to find. A pretty straight drive for us and surprisingly no traffic getting onto site! I am also aware this could be due to our only going for the day though!
We packed for light rain as this is what the multiple weather apps told us to prep for... Instead we were met with torrential rain, hailstones and thunderstorms! A slight deviation from the plan but nothing that the festival themselves can help!
If you've never been to Download before like me, it's got 2 outside main stages which are know as Apex (The main stage) and Opus (The second stage). The main two stages are within walking distance, which little legs like me greatly appreciated and the main stage also has speaker stacks with screens on! I'm reliably informed by Download veteran friends, that this is new and came about from Metallica bringing these last year! A great investment imo! Made it a lot easier to see what was happening and much more enjoyable! If you're short like me, you know the annoyance of hurting your neck trying to see in a big crowd of people!
The Download site took a little getting used to. As the site is split into different areas. Which isn't something I'm used to with other festivals!
The main arena has the two biggest stages and another two stages within tents which is one is known as the Dogtooth stage, which was the site of this year's secret set! Annoyingly this was on the Sunday! Such a shame, as I would've loved to have seen Parkway Drive!
We stuck to the main two biggest stages, as this seemed to be the site of the bands who had made me decide this was gonna be my year to get a ticket and make the drive!
The first band we saw after the torrential morning downpour (so torrential that I had to wring out my actual bag AND it's contents!) was The Hunna!
Having watched these guys come up from headlining small independent venues like The Joiners in Southampton all the way to main stage at Download was something special! They deserved a WAY bigger crowd, and unfortunately the weather meant a lot of people stayed in their tents till it cleared up (temporarily!) in the afternoon! Ryan is an unbelievably charismatic front man with a voice to rival singers of bands way higher up on the bill. Everyone around us seemed to thoroughly enjoy them despite the abysmal weather! Plus they seemed to be having fun, and were grateful for their first time on the main stage at Download!
Next up was Bleed from Within! Unless you've been living under a proverbial rock, you'll have seen these guys are on a stratospheric rise... And they bought a sizable crowd to reflect this! I was wondering what these guys are up to, having seen them posting a video with Romesh Ranganathan and Rob Beckett last week with #RobandRomeshvs tagged. Well! What happened definitely wasn't what I expected!
Unfortunately, their set got cut short quite dramatically due to a technical difficulty at the beginning. So everyone was stood waiting for them to come on and they then came onto stage 20 or so minutes late and could then only play 4 songs! This was then ended with an unexpected 5th song ... Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan coming out and doing a cover of Metallica Enter Sandman with the band! Although saddening that their set got cut short, I'll be interested to see how this plays out on the TV show!
Whilst exploring the site, we caught bits of a few sets on the two main stages including Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes (I hope he finds his necklace which was stolen!), and Baby Metal! Baby Metal unfortunately got evacuated off the main stage during their set due to the weather! Thunderstorms and hailstones halted their set but they still managed to perform a partial set with a promise they would return!
We had planned on catching some of Slaughter to Prevail, but didn't make it in the end! I have heard good things about their set though!
My main difficulty with the weather being the way it was, means I didn't feel I explored the site as much as I would've liked to! I looked up the map prior to our visit to get an idea of the site layout etc. But when you are faced with torrential rain and your feet sinking into mud it makes you rethink your decisions! Although I am fully appreciative of the fact that the weather cannot be helped, it did unfortunately make for less of a day than if the weather had been good! I feel like, if the weather had been better, I would've explored more of the site including the non music things that the arena and the village had to offer!
Tom Morello smashed out a great Saturday afternoon slot. He ran through the hits from his various creative outlets and had the entire field singing along to Killing in the name. As well as a beautiful tribute to the gone and not forgotten, Chris Cornell.
This was followed by the epic While She Sleeps! These guys headlined Ally Pally towards the end of last year, and having now seen them live... I can see why they sold it out! They are an incredible live band, their set up is tight and their stage presence is strong! They have an upcoming tour later this year and if you've never seen them before or you're on the fence about seeing them I would highly recommend you check them out!
They are as good live, if not better, than they are on record. Well worth catching live!
The last band that myself and my friends caught on the 2nd stage was Pantera! A band of legendary status, who have finally decided to do a reunion after far too many years and the untimely loss of the two brothers in Dime and Vinnie! In my opinion, this was the biggest crowd of the Saturday! The field was absolutely packed out with fans, despite the mud and the weather! Pantera are a band who I myself, and many other people have grown up with but never had a chance to see. Our entire friendship ground was incredibly excited for their set and they didn't disappoint. Phil's vocals are still incredibly crisp even after all these years, and beautiful tributes were made to the brothers throughout the set. They opened with A new level and finished with an encore of F***ing Hostile. A fantastic set which spanned their career and took in all of the best hits! A phenomenal set which was greatly appreciated by everyone there, even if we were sinking ankle deep in mud! It was so worth it!
The headline for the Saturday was Fallout Boy! A band who I've listened to for years, but never had the chance to see live! They bought a huge crowd and were absolutely great live! They rattled through the hits from across their career and made sure they played a big mix of older and newer songs. A set with songs for fans from all eras of the bands vast history!
Overall, having never been to Download before. I absolutely loved it! I feel like my first experience was hampered by the unfortunate British Summer weather, but the way that they dealt with it was swift and professional!
For all of the annoyance about the weather, the site was well set out. There was plenty of food vendors and merch stands to get what you wanted!
My only big gripe with this festival, is the parking. For a festival which has been going so long the parking situation was not ideal!
We were in guest parking and picked up some friends from the drop off and pick up. The drop up and pick up although well stewarded, was far too hectic. They have got the drop off/pick up in the same place as the taxi and coach pick up. This is something which in my opinion could be worked upon for the next festival to improve the logistics of leaving the site!
As someone who has never been to Download before, it's a great festival! A friendly and welcoming festival, where I never once felt out of place and felt welcomed by the alternative community!
I hope next time I come to Download the sun is shining so I can explore more of the site! A fantastic first Download festival and I look forward to seeing who they've got booked for next year as I will be returning!
