So Saturday of Download Festival is done and we caught a few bands in amongst any work at the festival. It was a lot of fun and we enjoyed all pretending to be young again.
Iceman Thesis – This Is Menace
So Iceman Thesis was an anagram for This Is Menace. If there’s ever been a time to prove that you should stay in school kids, this is it. They’re a fantastic band that I thought had disappeared for good. I’m glad they’re back with their unique style of having guest vocalists on every track. The band and vocalists perform with bags on their heads, so nobody knows who they were. But just 1 song on each stage if a nice taster of what’s to come. A new album on the way we hope.
Fozzy
They’re playing the main stage early but they pull a big crowd for their rand of melodic hard metal. It’s too early for anyone to really be drunk today, save for a few hangovers from those who are partied too hard on the first day. And although many rock with food and drink a plenty, Fozzy go down a treat, especially when Jericho climbs high on the scaffolding.
Bowling For Soup
Bowling For Soup are loud enough to hear from all around the festival. The crowd bounce energetically and really engage with the band as they play a host of hits. They end their set by posing for the crowd to take photos as ever. It’s crazy to see how big they have gotten.
Lonely the Brave
The crowd doesn’t seem too big at first. The band start and some people leave when they realise this isn’t for them but others quickly take their places as the music starts to filter outside the tent. Once Bowling For Soup have properly finished on the main stage, the crowd moves over to the 3rd stage. The band perform a polished set and prove why they’re so highly regarded.
Blessthefall
Blessthefall are playing in a small tent for them as the crowd seems to be spilling out again from the 3rd stage. The crowd energetically wave their arms, and there’s people up on shoulders inside the small place. The tent is going off as the guitarists headbang in synchronised fashion. A lively bunch.
Killswitch Engage
Killswitch Engage receive a friendly receptive crowd. Singer, Jesse mentioned they weren’t to encourage certain behaviour and told crowd to act responsibly and that’s when the huge pits opened up. The band played a good mix of songs, both old and new. Guitarist Adam was wearing a shirt with breasts on. The crowd found this very amusing. A funny set and a good time was had by all.
Bring Me The Horizon
The band to to the stage late, it seems the main stage had started running late after Killswitch had some guitar rig issues. They come on stage to a big crowd and the crowd seem to sing back when vocalist Oli Sykes demands of them. A mosh pit breaks out but Oli is unhappy with the size, he demands more of the crowd. They respond by spreading out two mosh pits on each side. He pits them against each other. He takes his swearing overboard however, he seems angry today but nobody is quite sure why. After all, the band are on main stage at Download, what’s not to be happy about?
Vamps
Vamps put on a lively show and well and truly bring Japan with them. The tent isn’t packed but everyone inside is having the party of a lifetime inside, bouncing along. The crowd sing back at the vocalist, despite it not being in English… it’s a strange site to see.
American Head Charge
The crowd receive American Head Charge well. The bands give off a great friends vibe onstage and keyboardist Justin makes sure to personally amuse everyone in the audience by pulling a series of amusing faces throughout. The sound is good in the tent and the set flows well. They play a couple of newer tracks as well as the old classics.
Fall Out Boy
Never has Download felt less metal than it does now, and never has anyone cared less. The field is full of people dancing and having a great time. The crowd sing every word back at the band as they play through a mountain of hits one after the other. It’s the perfect vibe for late in the day. If you’re tired, you could sit and sing along. If you’ve still got some energy left, you could just have a dance. Or you could do both at once like we did. A great set, fantastically clear sound and just amazingly good fun.
Linkin Park
The screens start with footage from the band’s old Frat Party At Pancake Festival DVD. I can’t believe how much I can remember word for word as it displays on the screen. The band take to the stage to begin playing Hybrid Theory in full. Mike Shinoda wears a spiky red wig to mimic the hair he had originally at the time, 15 years ago. It’s funny, but absolutely crazy to think that album was that long ago. With every single song, the crowd all go wild, singing and rapping along to absolutely EVERY single word. There’s not a person here who doesn’t know it all. It’s the most amazing moment ever as we all share in something great.
Once the band finish that album, they play through newer tracks. Some of the crowd leave, happy to have had that moment to revel in. Others stay and sing the new songs just as enthusiastically. Either way, it was a great show and a great time was had by all.
