Every year, thousands of rock fans from across the globe make the pilgrimage to Donington Park, only half an hour from Nottingham city centre. This year, LeftLion joined them for an epic weekend at the 2024 edition of Download, perhaps our country's most legendary rock and metal music festival. Here's what happened on day one...
A nice sunny morning as I headed from Nottingham along the A453 to Castle Donington and the legendary Download Festival. Little give away for what we were going to experience. Driving to the site, I thought about the line up and the online ‘conversation’. It seems many fans are disappointed at the selection of acts this year and the lack of ‘heavyweight’ metal bands headlining. But this was my first taste at the well, and I was excited to see what it was all about. Considering the terrible traffic issues last years that caused significant delays at East Midlands Airport, I was surprised how efficiently the roads were managed this year. The organisers had obviously taken note and made significant changes.
This year, we were restricted to photographing bands on the lower two stages, Avalanche and Dogtooth, but of course, could check out any band on any stage. Having checked in in the media centre, grabbed my accreditation and said hello to a few friends, I headed over to the Avalanche stage for the first set.
That’s not to say this year's festival hasn’t had it’s share of controversy, with a number of bands pulling out at the last minute over a sponsorship deal involving Barclays, following pressure from artists including Tom Morello, which must have caused a few headaches sourcing replacements and amending sets/times.
The sun was still shining, the grass lush green. First up on stage was Storm from Norway, with his genre-defying sound. Influenced by the likes of Falling in Reverse, Storm merges hardcore, punk and rap to create a powerful and unique sound.
As if egged on by the opener, the skies were beginning to grey over and a freshness hit the air as TX2 took over, bringing an unmatched and incredible intensity in his music, with powerful raw lyrics and explosive performances. Forming the ‘X Movement’ TX2 is a vocal advocate of mental health, and the set has a great energy to it.
As the set ended, and I headed out to get to Dogtooth stage, the first rains began, and I just made it to the media centre, before all hell let loose! The skies just opened, and didn’t seem to stop for hours. I suddenly felt extremely lucky to be covering the two tent shows...
Local Leicestershire band Mouth Culture are up next with a set again crossing genre boundaries, taking influence from bands like The 1975, Harry Styles, Bring me the Horizon and Biffy Clyro, with a clear R&B influence on the vocal parts.
Next up, we had a real treat, and a band I’ve wanted to see for a long time, Urne. The Doom / Metal band have made a huge impact on the UK metal scene since the release of their excellent album A Feast of Sorrow. The three piece deliver up a monster of a set opening with Becoming the Ocean. The intensity was off the scale and they showed why they are such a hot property right now. The album's title track was a personal highlight.
A venture out into the very slippy fields again I stopped to catch part of the Polyphia set on the main Apex stage. If you’ve not come across
Polyphia, they are well worth checking out. An incredibly talented group of musicians led by Tim Henson and Scott LePage who deliver a virtuoso prog rock performance, with complex, key changing, intricate mind blowing guitar work that has a delicacy and fluidity to it. Well worth a pause in the rain!
Finally reaching Avalanche stage just in time to catch Scottish rockers Vukovi. I’d seen them before, supporting Baby Metal in Wolverhampton and they were brilliant. Singer Janine Shilstone brought the energy as they got the big Avalanche crowd rocking.
They were followed by US alt-indie / punk rockers Bayside (from the
Bayside area of NY) who delivered a cracking set with tracks like Sick Sick Sick, Blame it on Bad Luck and Go to Hell. Full of energy, it got the whole tent bouncing.
A quick trip out to the Opus stage to hear some of the Mr Bungle set. A rock/metal super group consisting of the likes of Scott Ian (Anthrax) Mike Patton (Faith No More) and Dave Lombardo (Slayer). A stunning set of raw power and energy, with a very unusual ending as Mike delivered a ‘unique’ version of the Celine Dion classic hit All By Myself. Yup – classic Mike!
A band I wouldn’t have expected to see on the Download roster was next, as Wheatus hit the Avalanche stage. As usual, Brendan B Brown and the gang all stood round the edge of the stage with Brendan stage left, no one person taking the spotlight, as he introduced themselves to the packed tent and complained they were warming up for Busted "yet again!" They opened the set with their second UK hit, A Little Respect, a cover of the Erasure hit which had everyone squelching as they danced in the mud.
I have to say, it was a thoroughly enjoyable set with highlights including Fourteen and Lemonade, but of course they had to end with their iconic 2000’s pop-punk classic Teenage Dirtbag. The place erupted, and if anyone was in any doubt if they belonged at Download, here’s the proof why they do. Everyone sang along at the top of their voices and Brendan paused and allowed the crowd to carry the song for him. A brilliant sight.
Back on the Opus stage I caught the first part of the set from Heilung, a staggering visual experience. A Scandinavian ethnic folk music troupe led by German Kai Uwe Faust, Dane Christopher Juul and Norwegian Maria Franz. The performance is more spiritual earth ritual with warriors and shield maidens joining them on stage.
The highlight of the set was a stunning deliver of Alfadhirhaiti from the Ofnir album, a stunningly beautiful chanted piece about Odin's Wolves Geri and Freki. The opening has perhaps the most stunning vocal performance I’ve heard, transitioning from wolf howls into intense traditional throat singing. Simply stunning.
Returning to the dry of my tent and the pace is just rammed now, partly because of the conditions, but also because of the imminent arrival on stage of Busted. That’s right….pop legends Busted. And I have to say….. they were brilliant. With a real rock edge to their sound they delivered hit after hit including Air Hostess, Thunderbirds Are Go and Year 3000. Not to mention a brilliant cover of MMMBop by Hanson...
My final shoot was back over at Dogtooth, and the walking was now hard work. The lush green of earlier in the day had gone, to be replaced by thick gloopy mud, but the trek was worth it to experience Brooklyn NY hardcore punk legends Biohazard led by the enigmatic Billy ‘Biohazard’ Graziadei and Scott Roberts. Age doesn’t seem to affect Billy as he marches round the stage, taking every opportunity to jump from the monitors and step down onto the barrier to interact with the crowd. Its raw and full of punk energy with tracks like Takes from the Hard Side and Punishment.
As I stepped out into the cool night air, I stood for a while to catch the second half of the main stage headliners Queens Of The Stone Age. Josh Homme and co were raising hell with a blistering set. Josh is the consummate showman and invites the crowd to join him for "a night you’ll never remember" (lol). QOTSA could hold their own against any headliners anywhere, as they belt out hit after hit, the crowd loving every second of Go with the Flow, No One Knows and Song for the Dead. Despite the conditions today, QOTSA hold the crowd's attention right to the end, before we all wade our way back to our tents and cars.
Exhausted, it’s been an incredible day.
Main stage photo credits: James Bride (courtesy of Download Festival)
Main stages performance of the day: A hard choice between the technical, virtuoso and mesmerising skills from Polyphia, or the stunningly beautiful spiritual experience of Heilung – a narrow win for the Nordic throat singers.
Lower stages performance of the day: No question Urne, pure and simple. A band with a huge future ahead of them.
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