Download Festival 2017 - Day One Review

SOMETHING very weird has happened. Download Festival has had a whole day without rain. Not only that, but it was sunny - proper, fucking sunny.

'But what of the bands?' I hear you ask. Well I'll give you a spoiler alert - despite the sun and beer and quality music all around, the day all ended a bit flat. But we'll get to that.

Motionless In White - Picture by Paulo Gonçalves

For once I was at Donnington bright and early and ready when NORTHLANE kicked off on the main stage and the Aussie boys were cracking and followed by the very popular MOTIONLESS IN WHITE. Great stuff to get the juices flowing.

I moved about for a while, taking in bits of ASTROID BOYS, CODE ORANGE and MACHINE GUN KELLY. The latter of those bands I didn't quite get and their cover of Oasis' Wonderwall was appalling - even if it did get the crowd singing.

MASTODON were next on the main stage and they too were a little disappointing. Not the band, I must say. You could see they were working their socks off and giving it their all as always, but the beautiful intricacies of their musicianship were - oddly - blown away in the wind. The sound just didn't carry as best it could. I did still enjoy the set though.

And then came the double-whammy that really cranked things up for me. I love a bit of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH and they did not disappoint with a fierce set that included many of the favourites including Burn MF, Was It All Away, Bad Company and ended with The Bleeding. 

Five Finger Death Punch - Picture by Ben Gibson

They were followed by PROPHETS OF RAGE, who really rocked. Chuck D has such an amazing presence and the rest of the band were superb. Their set included a poignant tribute to Chris Cornell as they played a vocal-free version of Like A Stone. Beautiful.

SUM 41's return on the second stage was a welcome one. Frontman Deryck Whibley does look like he's been through the ringer, but there is still a power and angst there and some of the new songs are excellent. Alas, I missed the classics - Still Waiting, In Too Deep and Fat Lip - as I had to get to the main stage for the headliners.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN have a rightful place in rock and metal royalty. They are as original as they are brilliant in their music creation. I was excited to see how this translated to a live performance - a first for me. And it was a disappointment. For me, Serj Tankian's voice just didn't seem up to it and Daron Malakian seemed to have the hump with him.

And I don't think I've seen such a static headline act. Shavo Odadjian made something of a fist of it, but Serj and Daron were happy to remain behind their mic stand at all times. That meant the energy that their songs possess just didn't come across. It was OK. But you expect a lot more than OK from your headliners.

SOAD, Biffy and Aerosmith to headline Download 2017

DOWNLOAD Festival has announced its 2017 headliners - with System Of A Down, Biffy Clyro and Aerosmith topping the bill at Donington next summer. 

Photo credit:

 

Ross Silcocks

System Of A Down described the Download atmosphere as "electric", while Aerosmith's Joe Perry said: "Donington is like home to us. I have some great memories playing there and I can't wait to make some more."

Other bands joining the bill across the weekend of June 9-11 include Prophets of Rage, Five Finger Death Punch, AFI, Of Mice & Men, Fozzy, Rob Zombie and Slayer, among others.

You can look back at this year's festival with the RealSoundsOK reviews of Day One, Day Two and Day Three.

But for updates on the 2017 event, visit downloadfestival.co.uk

Download 2015 - Day One review

Slipknot - picture by Gobinder Jhitta/Download 2015

WHATEVER the metal purists say about Slipknot, they cannot deny they put on one hell of a show. 

They were the first headliner of Download Festival and probably my highlight of the weekend, but let's start at the beginning.

Sadly, my arrival at Donington was delayed and so I missed the first few bands I had hoped to see. But I picked things up (including a beer) with Lacuna Coil on the Main stage, the haunting gothic tones of Andrea Ferro and Cristina Scabbia easing me into the weekend.

Then came my first of many spells of stage-hopping as I took in Defeater and Beartooth on the Maverick stage, some Clutch on the Main and Allusondrugs on Jake's stage.

The latter were a bit of a disappointment, too much posturing at the front and not enough substance. Defeater and particularly Beartooth made more of an impression, while Clutch know exactly what they're doing and know how to work it.

And so we come to my first highlight of the weekend - Five Finger Death Punch. 

Ivan Moody leads Five Finger Death Punch
- picture by Scott Salt/Download 2015

I saw frontman Ivan Moody in the press area before hand and he was in a very jovial mood, which he carried on to the stage - kicking off with Under And Over It.

You know exactly what you get with FFDP and that's some hard rock with great vocals and Moody certainly knows how to whip up the crowd. His antics included pulling three young kids up on to the stage just before launching into the not-so-subtle Burn MF. And while the parent in me cringed every time he bellowed "motherfucker" into the mic, at least two of the kids were full-pelt moshing along.

Although they did perform Lift Me Up in their set, they were not joined on stage by Rob Halford, who provides guest vocals on the album version and whose Judas Priest were next on stage. It was one of several such collaborations that failed to be revived over the weekend. But more of that later.

I did catch some of Priest on the Main stage - mainly to say that I had seen them - but they are not really my thing and so I enjoyed a little reunion of my own.

I saw rap-metallers The One Hundred play in a near-empty tent at Sonisphere last summer and I was impressed. It seems in the interim many others have been too as the lads from Surrey packed out the larger Jake's stage tent and brought a performance to match.

The One Hundred - picture by Richard Johnson/Download 2015

It was only six songs, but they were intense and I'm still blown away by the sounds frontman Jacob Field emits from such a diminutive frame. Can't wait to see these guys mature even more in the next few years.

After The One Hundred, I did catch parts of Fightstar and Black Stone Cherry, but my eye was trained in on the main prize of the day - Slipknot. And they were epic.

There's the fire, the spinning percussionists going up and down, the imagery and, of course, the masks. But beyond that are bundles and bundles of great metal songs.

The Heretic Anthem, Psychosocial, The Devil In I, Vermilion, Wait And Bleed, new single Killpop, Before I Forget, Duality and Spit It Out were among the comprehensive setlist as well as an encore including (sic), People=Shit and Surfacing.

It's an incredible performance, whole-hearted, and Corey Taylor - like Moody earlier - knows that the connection with the fans is key to that. It's a show that (despite the huge amount of booze consumed) I won't forget in a hurry.

Muse the second headliner at Download 2015

Photo by Hans Peter

MUSE have been revealed as the second headliner for Download 2015.

It follows the announcement of Slipknot as Friday headliners yesterday.

Muse will be joined on Saturday's bill by Faith No More, Marilyn Manson and A Day To Remember.

The band said: "We're really looking forward to Download. We've never played the festival before so it's going to be really special."

Shock goth Manson is also looking forward to his return. He said: "It's been a few years since I've been at Download. The Pale Emperor will rise and I was born to cause chaos."

Other bands announced for the festival next June include Judas Priest, Black Stone Cherry and Five Finger Death Punch.

The final headliner will be announced tomorrow and for more details head to downloadfestival.co.uk

Slipknot to headline Download

SLIPKNOT have been announced as the first headliner of next year's Download Festival.

Joining them on the main stage on Friday will be Judas Priest, while Black Stone Cherry and Five Finger Death Punch have also been announced to play.

Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor said: "Being invited back to Download always feels like coming home. Headlining Download for the third time feels like the culmination of a life's dream.

"It's an honour, a privilege and we're all looking forward to it."

The festival takes place at Donington Park from June 12th to 14th.

More acts will be announced tomorrow. Visit downloadfestival.co.uk for more details.