Saturday 13/06/09 Download Festival 2009, Day Two @ Donington Park, Derby

Second day and though the sunshine is relentless there's still more room for rock. But a sneaky listen to Fightstar isn't a bad way to start. Those who still write this band off  as boyband spin-off simply haven't followed what they've been doing. This time around 'Palanukiuv's Laughter' and ‘War Machine’ particularly stand out before ‘Death Camp’ gets perhaps a little too dramatic for a Saturday morning.

Back to the Main stage and its time for Down. And cranked up stoner metal doesn't come much better than this. Phil Anselmo has more than stepped into his own right with this band since Pantera but Down more than nod towards that direction. Slamming guitar parts and heavy riffery abound, augmented by a cheeky introduction to 'Bury Me in Smoke'.  “This is to all the dope smokers Anselmo growls, “I've been on this earth 41 fucking years, and I still smoke.” A cloud of smoke promptly erupts from the crowd.

So from thundering slow riffs to probably the fastest act of the weekend. Dragonforce are so fast and technically skilled with their power rock that its almost a joke. Yet somehow the siren vocals  and the simply unbelievable epic guitar widdling of songs like 'Reasons to Live' only entertain for so long when every song sounds formulaic – two minutes of song to five minutes of soloing. So despite a technically brilliant set list the only song anyone really needed to hear comes right at the end - a roaring near-CD quality rendition of 'Through the Fire and the Flames'.

Now set your feet to dance! The drum n bass sounds of Pendulum aren't the type of band that you'd perhaps expect on a largely metal band line up. Yet they get one of the best responses of the weekend from a crowd only too happy to get their groove on. From the reggae-ish bounce of 'Fasten to Your Seatbelt', to the faster intense sounds of 'Propane Nightmares' all proceed in excellent form, alongside a cheeky cover of 'Voodoo People' hinting at the later appearance of The Prodigy. Paying tribute to absent friends, Pendulum's special take on ‘Master of Puppets’ is forthcoming which blends seamlessly into ‘Slam’ before a fantastic final bouncing number ‘Granite’.

From such a high note comes the biggest disappointment of the weekend. Possibly under the influence, possibly bored, Marilyn Manson's stage performance was the most lacking its ever been. Delivering a set list dominated by new material from forthcoming album High End Of The Low, most new songs simply lack the imagination or extravagance of former material. And even when old gems of 'Dope Show', 'Beautiful People' and 'Sweet Dreams' do appear, they include big gaps between songs as Manson apparently forces make-up and costume changes. Certainly the idiosyncratic performer that we all know, Manson simply and sadly failed to entertain.

So it's the evening again and perhaps the most annoying clash of the festival. The decision between Slipknot on the main stage and The Prodigy on the second is not an easy decision. Yet with the Prodge having such a brilliant year they tip the balance. And with some overlap in scheduling between the two bands many other people think they're worth a look too. Indeed such is the crowd that they can barely hear the stage speakers and when the band finally emerge even Keith Flint looks a little shocked at the amount of people in front of him. Though this dwindles when Slipknot arrive on the other stage this is more personal preference and nothing against the awesome performance that The Prodigy give. Raiding a huge back catalogue they keep everyone moving the whole way through the set, whether it’s with new material like Omen, classics such as Breathe or rarer numbers like ‘Diesel Power’. Flint and vocal partner Maxim Reality stand on stage jeering the crowd on, encouraging them like some twisted Mr Motivator work out video. They may sound a little clichéd at times (“fuck the fucking law”) yet the whole experience is great fun and no one looks like they're having more fun than the band themselves, rounding the night up with ‘Smack My Bitch Up' and 'Out of Space’. A tough choice of bands, but one arguably well made.

Day Two in photos: