Photo: Scott Salt / Andrew Whitton / Download
Last weekend, Donington Park was awash with rockers, moshpits, beer, bands and yes - medieval jousting. It was, of course, Download Festival.
Our writer Amy Gravelle was in the middle of chaos. Having sobered up and dusted herself off - these were the 10 best things that happened to her at Download 2014...
1. Avenged Sevenfold played the set list we’d all been waiting for
Avenged Sevenfold were given the opportunity to play their first ever headline slot at Download Festival, and we weren’t disappointed.
But after receiving a backlash from older fans accusing A7X of sounding like a cheap Metallica rip off with latest album offering ‘Hail To The King’, we did wonder how the Orange County hailing crew could ever pull this off successfully.
The set list was pure excellence however, mixing in just the right amount of new tracks such as ‘Nightmare’ and ‘Hail To The King’ with older classics.
“Last time we came to the UK we received a lot of whining, because we didn’t play this next track,” said lead singer M Shadows before. Sure enough the band treated us to ‘Beast And The Harlot’, with Sinister Gates and Zacky Vengeance uniting in harmony for epic guitar solos.
Taking the time to remember their deceased drummer Jimmy (The Rev) Sullivan, they dedicated the emotional track ‘So Far Away’ to the man who they said would be “looking down on them with pride tonight.” Weirdly, after a day of scorching sunshine, this was the only time the heavens opened.
Leaving fans blown away by their epic performance, Avenged Sevenfold proved they have what it takes to take the festival headliner gauntlet.
2. Things got creepy for the Zombie Apocalypse
Festival dress up is always a thing, but usually the theme is something happy-go-lucky like pirate or sailor fancy dress. But this this is Download and things (of course) got a little weird…
Friday night looked like a scene from The Walking Dead, with the Zombie Apocalypse out in full swing for Rob Zombie’s main stage evening set. Festival-goers descended on Donington Park in slutty bloodstained nurses outfits, red contact lenses and dirty false teeth.
The scariest part was walking back to your tent in the middle of the night, to find you’re being followed by hundreds of Zombies. Scary as hell.
3. Linkin Park played Hybrid Theory in full
Let’s be honest for a second, Linkin Park’s Hybrid Theory album was probably one of the best things to come out in the early 2000’s. So when they agreed to play it in full at Download and a few other festivals in Europe this year we knew we had to be there.
Opening track ‘Paper Cut’ quite literally felt like we’d been flung back to years past, bringing back fond memories of teenage rebellion. Hearing a band playing such a momentous album in full for the first ever time was pretty special indeed and it wasn’t just the fans that knew it. Singers Mike Shinoda and Chester Bennington couldn’t stop grinning from ear-to-ear, as they realised they were creating an extraordinary moment in history.
The band played through hits like ‘One Step Closer’, ‘Crawling’ and ‘In The End’ to thunderous applause from the crowd, with Shinoda thanking the crowd: “This is the best Download Festival we’ve ever played, so thank you for sharing and making history with us.”
Shortly after ending the set, the majority of the crowd left before giving the band the chance to play new material from their upcoming album ‘The Hunting Party.’
But even those who left early knew that they had just witnessed a magical moment, even if the new material doesn’t quite live up to everyone’s expectations.
4. Newcomers steal the show
Festivals are great to not only watch your favourite bands, but to also stumble upon new ones as well.
The Pepsi Max was perfect for hosting those acts that are on the verge of very big things indeed. Highlights included The Marmozets, with their killer set a fully-charged experience of crowd surfing, heavy beat downs and plenty of headbanging. Lead singer Becca Macintyre has a voice that even Hayley Williams would be terrified of, as she memerised the crowd with bellowing screams and hauntingly clear vocal runs.
Royal Blood also dropped in for some slicke- back rock riffs, with the duo making it look all too easy to have thousands of people eating out of the palm of their hands. Their sound is explosive, with the commanding yet mainstream nature of Muse, this band are going to be huge.
Radkey are three brothers from Missouri who play stripped back punk, which is delightfully reminiscent to the Danzig-Misfits-era. Their best track, ‘Romance Dawn’, is a crescendoing breakout of dark raucous noise that hint at the possibility of a new breed of punk-rock noise.
5. Secret set from Black Stone Cherry
Black Stone Cherry hinted at a secret set, tweeting on the day: “In England a day early...hmmm...wonder what we can do today…;)”
Sure enough the bearded rockers packed out the Pepsi Max stage on Sunday, treating fans to a set comprising of tuneful hits and plenty of mosh-pit making opportunities during ‘Blind Man’ and sing-along hit ‘Blame It On The Boom Boom.’
6. Crazy Town played the cringeiest set of the weekend
Remember that track by Crazy Town called ‘Butterfly?’ Yeh, that one track, which turned them into a one-hit-wonder. Well, not much has changed, as the gangster looking thugs played a set full of dull new material, as fans waited to dance along to that one important track.
But, after a boring set filled with clichéd lyrics and immature references, even their 1999 hit couldn’t save them.
7. Medieval fighting squads re-enacted battle scenes
You can always count on Download to appeal to the geeks, as punters throughout the weekend dressed up as their favourite characters from shows and movies, such as Game Of Thrones and Star Wars. So, naturally, it made sense to hold a medieval fighting ring in the middle of the arena…
Crowds gathered as explosive bouts of historic violence were bought back to life by tournament combats throughout the day.
Onlookers were treated to sword and shield smashes, as the soldiers battled it out to ensure they were the last one standing. And here we were thinking the music was the most brutal experience at Download...
8. Everyone was left asking, who the hell are Iceman Thesis?
After a weekend of weird shenanigans a band making an appearance on stage under the name of Iceman Thesis and completing a set wearing balaclava’s seemed fairly normal in the light of things.
However, after playing one single song of complete and utter mayhem, and with whisperings of a new super group, things suddenly got a little more interesting.
The band also threw masks into the crowd, which had a mystery VHS tape inside. The video has now made an appearance online, but we’re still damn confused - Just who the hell are Iceman Thesis?
Those vocals sound somewhat like Liam Cormier’s from The Cancer Bats though…hmm…
9. Climbing up stage rigging is now a thing
Now it’s just not enough for bands to sing onstage anymore, they have to make like clowns and climb up the side of the stage too.
Various bands tried to do the all-important (and perhaps a little stupid) crowd shocker this weekend, with Letlive’s Jason Butler climbing up the side of the stage with a broken leg.
Not to be outdone by the action, monkeying around was brought over to the mainstage, with While She Sleeps hoisting a flag onto the sound desk in the middle of the arena.
But when will these tomfooleries turn from impressive to just plain stupid?
10. Aerosmith covered Beatles’ ‘Come Together’
To end a festival is always a tough gig, but legendary rockers Aerosmith lived up to the challenge by performing a set filled with ageless sing-along anthems.
Steven Tyler is a joy to watch as he parades around on stage in elaborate costumes, whilst pouting and flicking his hair through songs. Singing high-pitched lyrics to opener ‘Train Kept A Rollin’, the band don’t let their old age faze them as they consistently set the bar incredibly high.
Covering The Beatles’ ‘Come Together’ is a particular highlight, as the crowd is huddled together for a song that impassions well-known lyrics and good vibes. Emotions were also running high as the band played ‘Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing,’ with Tyler announcing it was his “favourite ever Aerosmith song…well, one of them”.
The band whizz through a two-hour set, jam-packed with hit after hit, where you realise just how much of a slick music machine Aerosmith really are. But boy, what an amazing one they are at that.
Below: the beautiful people of Download Festival, 2014
