With yesterday’s musical feast still ringing in our ears, today has a lot to live up to and with the sun starting to break through the clouds the omens are looking good for another day of solid rock.
When we enter the arena Static Dress are taking to the Apex stage and I can’t think of a better way to kick off a Saturday morning. “It should be illegal to scream music before noon” says their vocalist by way of an introduction, that might be so but we’re sure glad they’re breaking the law because Static Dress are one of the UK’s most creative bands and are performing with the confidence of a group on an upward curve. Their set is given the ultimate seal of approval by the first pit of the day and they raise the bar exceptionally high for all who follow.
Lastelle are a post-hardcore band from Oxford and remind me a little of classic Glassjaw. Their songs are characterised by huge sonic shifts that lift the crowd up to impossible highs one moment then drop them the next. Despite the early hour they’ve drawn a big crowd into the Dogtooth tent and proceed to batter our ears with a richly textured sound that incorporates elements of post rock and metal, meaning that their songs really pack a punch. And with songs such as closer ‘Breathe Me In’ in their arsenal, they can’t fail but hit the mark.
There’s a strong wind beginning to blow the sound around but thankfully Loathe are powerful enough to plough straight through. And their sound is powerful; it’s genre-defying and is stitched together by its own eclecticism. Now in their tenth year, Loathe are the type of band who feed off the crowd’s energy, each inciting the other onto greater insanity and it doesn’t take long for waves of crowd surfers to crash over the barrier. There’s an unpredictability to the band’s modus operandi gives the impression that they could veer in any direction and that holds the crowd’s undivided attention over thirty glorious minutes.
Hailing from the States, Bastardane operate with a kind of take-no-prisoners attitude and hit the stage with unbridled aggression. It’s their final show of their UK jaunt and what better way to sign off than with a set at Download? With unorthodox time signatures and riffs that could crush a rhino, the band are firing on all cylinders and rocking a groove like a band who know they’re onto a good thing (and they certainly are). A pugnacious set that ensures they won’t be forgotten in a hurry.
The last time I encountered the musical juggernaut that is Hatebreed, they were rocking the Dogtooth stage a few years ago, this time they’ve graduated to the Apex and prove themselves worthy main stage material. As you’d expect from a band who’ve been in the game for 35 years, they deliver a series of knock out blows with ‘This Is Now’ being particularly punchy. A nice variation on the wall of death finds them releasing two inflatable globes into the crowd for the “ball of death” and shows a lighter, often unseen side of the band, but when it comes to music they’re all business and show why they remain leaders in their field.
As with Battlesnake yesterday, Zetra are a band with a strong visual image, with both band members adopting a black metal persona and making an arresting spectacle. Their sound is equally enchanting and they’ve pulled a big crowd into the Dogtooth and sweep us up with a musical tsunami. Having played at last year’s ArcTanGent festival and supported Health on their recent UK jaunt, this afternoon’s set suggests Zetra are more than ready to step up as headliners.
Our first visit to the Avalanche stage is rewarded with a set by Bristol’s finest, namely Split Chain. They’re a devilishly good quartet who turn in a set of songs that go straight for the jugular. With lyrical themes detailing the band member’s various struggles, Split Chain have a sound that’s just as heavy as their lyricism, and the two conspire like snakes fighting in a pit. It’s certainly not made for the weak of constitution, but we knew that on the way in.
Proving that heavy music is a truly global movement Underside are here to represent the Himalayas, and do so in some style. With cuts such as ‘Right To Hate’ pumping from the speakers they really can’t go wrong and proceed to lay the Dogtooth to waste. The crowd respond in kind and give the band their seal of approval with circle pits, surfing and some vigorous moshing. Parting shot, ‘Animals’, takes things off the Richter Scale and ensures that their righteous brand of metal will be welcomed back to Download anytime.
I often wonder how a band psyche themselves up for an afternoon set, it must require a different kind of approach, but whatever is the secret, The Funeral Portrait have it in spades. That’s really no surprise as they are the type of combo who thrive in the live arena and they hit the stage like a well-oiled machine. The energy they expend is highly contagious and ensures that songs such as ‘You’re So Ugly When You Cry’ are musical explosions that shatter and sends shards of sonics flying in all directions. ‘Holy Water’ goes down well, like a shot of gin, whilst closer ‘Suffocate City’ ensures they depart with all pistons pumping.
Anaal Nathrakh gain instant kudos by hailing from the same city that birthed Sabbath, Napalm Death and Godflesh, and are worthy to sit with such illustrious names. Their sound is born from the same kind of post-industrial bleakness and rolls black, death, electronica and traditional metal into one perfect package. Needless to say, it’s a full tent waiting for the band and when they arrive they’re akin to a runaway steamroller that’s crushing all in its path. There’s an unstoppable power behind tracks such as ‘Forward!’ that make them monoliths that block out any light. The penultimate ‘The Age Of Starlight Ends’ is a bruiser which throws its weight around like a heavyweight boxer and if anyone is still standing, they won’t be for long.
When The Darkness burst onto the scene in the early 2000’s they were like a breath of fresh air; rock was at its lowest ebb and the guys brought the scene back from the brink of extinction. I first saw them supporting Deep Purple and they blew the headliners away with their sheer effervescence and I’m pleased to report that time hasn’t blunted their power. The cheer which greets Justin & Co when they hit the stage is comparable to the aeroplanes that have been flying over Donington all day and when the band launch into ‘Get Your Hands Of My Woman’…well, life doesn’t get much better. In terms of putting on a show, nobody can really touch this crew and the handstands and vocal gymnastics from Justin Hawkins are worth the admission price alone and with cuts such as ‘Growing On Me’ delivered with the vim and vigour they deserve makes their set a definite highlight.
When Kittie went on an indefinite hiatus it was a real loss to the heavy scene and they left a huge void in their wake which no one could fill. Thankfully, they made a triumphant return and make their first appearance in the UK for 15 years, and what better way to make a return than with a set at Download. It’s standing room only inside the Dogtooth and the excited chatter as we await the band becomes an ocean’s roar when they arrive and prove that good things do indeed come to those who wait. Sinking their claws into the crowd and drawing blood, Kittie show how a band should make a return and judging by the welcome they’ve received I’m sure we won’t have to wait another 15 years before we see them again.
Vocalists are often the focal point for a band and an iconic crooner can be hard to replace, so when it was announced that the Sex Pistols were returning with Frank Carter at the helm it filled as many people with trepidation as it did with anticipation. However, it soon became apparent that the two were a good fit and if proof were ever needed then it can be found this evening on the Opus stage. Frank invades the crowd during ‘Pretty Vacant’ for some crowd surfing and things get so rowdy that the show has to stop due to the heavy downpour that turns the ground into a quagmire. But, hey, this is a punk show…what did you expect? With plenty of classics to draw upon the band really can’t go wrong and for many people present this’ll be the first time hearing songs such as ‘Bodies’ played live by the axis of Paul Cook, Steve Jones and Glen Matlock, and that’s why this project remains relevant.
Some bands are very much the product of their environment and that’s the case with quartet Dayseeker. The melting pot of Southern California has given them a world of sounds which to draw upon and this evening finds the band mixing hard rock, indie pop and alternative R&B into a unique brew. The band are bang on point, preferring to deliver a succession of songs with rapidity rather than filling time with mindless between song banter. As such, there’s a dynamism to their set that many of their peers lack and that makes this set one unforgettable experience.
Cradle Of Filth are undoubtedly a legendary band on the UK scene and one of our finest exports, but don’t expect them to be honoured as such. For some reason we don’t respect our musical offspring here, but this crew are proof that we definitely should and like the flight of the Valkyries they swoop into Download for what promises to be an enchanting night. Experiencing the band live is a markedly different vibe than simply listening to their records and one thing that comes to the fore is the band’s sense of humour. Through Dani Filth’s between song banter, he tells some of the world’s worst jokes which, in turn, creates a nice foil for the band’s deliciously dark sound. In fact, their set reminds me of a musical version that 1969 Czech film, The Cremator; it is dark, oppressive but darkly fun, too. Dani takes time out to propose to his fiance (thankfully she said yes!) but mostly the band deliver a set that proves them masters of gothic metal, and that’s something of which we should all be thankful.
With their strong desire for anonymity Sleep Token are something of an enigma. With only one interview granted and no talking on stage, there’s a strong focus placed on music and there’s been an anticipation for their gig building all day. That means the elongated intro stretches things to unbearable lengths, the howling wind blasting from the speakers only heightens our desire to see what hides beyond the jet black curtain that covers the stage. However, the introduction acts like a kind of mass hypnosis and places the crowd in an altered state and means that when the curtain drops at the three-and-a-half minute mark of opening track ‘Look To Windward’ we are greeted by a cornucopia of colour as blue and pink lights flash and send the crowd delirious with ecstasy. The stage set is a gothic ruin and looks like something Maiden would have had in the 1980’s, yet the sound is all theirs and totally contemporary. It’s a fluid sound that flows like a river and in just a few sections we switch from an opulent, baroque pop to the heaviest djent, and the band’s genius lies in making this transition silky smooth. Over the next 90+ minutes the band take us on a tour de force of their discography, stopping at all points with an evocative ‘Caramel’ from their latest album Even In Arcadia and then taking us back to their genesis with Thread The Needle from their debut EP One. Closer ‘Take Me Back To Eden’ makes for an ominous finale, but now I know why Sleep Token are headliners; no one could follow them.
Download Festival – Friday review
Download Festival – Sunday review
Photography by Philip Piskor.
