SUNDAY
Moving away from the dad-rock vibe that rumbles through the ground of
Sunday’s line up, Grove Street Families are blowing up the Avalanche stage
with some serious hardcore vibes. It’s 12pm when they play, but looking at
the energy the crowd are giving you’d think this was Friday night.
UK Hardcore band Blood Youth were next up on the Avalanche Stage. It
is great to see that Download Festival have their ear to the ground with
good underground music, and Blood Youth owned the stage for such
an early slot. Blood Youth outdid themselves performance wise, with an
incredibly commanding, professional show.
Swedish ‘metalcore’ band In Flames were next on the main stage. It must
be difficult for a band to stay fresh when you go from defining a genre
in the early days, to modern times. In Flames struggled to maintain the
attention of the audience, as they played a set of mostly new material
(which isn’t particularly interesting anyway). This paired with frontman
Anders Friden complaining about their rider, and not getting enough
beer, was enough to turn even big fans of the band off them. By the
time it came to their staple Take This Life, the crowd was largely sparse.
The biggest audience for a support slot so far amassed at main stage
for a hugely anticipated Steel Panther set. Literally as far as the eye
could see, the vast majority of festival attendees, were given a flawlessly
performed set of classic rock, with a sexual edge. Crowd participation
was at a peak whilst the band played 17 Girls in a Row, with a huge stage
invasion. Steel Panther never fail to disappoint, and the stage banter in
between songs was on par with the best we have seen them.
It’s usually a bit of a tear jerker, when such an influential band announces
they are going their separate ways, but there was not a damp eye in sight
at The Dillinger Escape Plan. Not because people weren’t upset that they
are breaking up, but simply because their set was a celebration of what
they’ve achieved as a band. Quite fittingly, they covered each and every
one of their albums in what can only be described as the most chaotic
set of the festival. A fitting end for an amazing band, finishing with an
encore of Sunshine the Wearwolf and 43% burnt.
Over to main stage for another final UK festival appearance. Aerosmith
were the Sunday headliners, and there was a sense of respect from the
crowd. They might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but boy have they
been influential throughout their career. Their Download 2017 set was
everything you would want to see for a farewell show. Pulling out every
single one of their hits, interspersed with a few top-class Fleetwood
Mac covers, and finally showmanship that is second to none. Frontman
Steven Tyler, looking glam as ever, held focus, and pulled out one of the
best performances we have seen from him in the last decade. Aerosmith
might have been a regular headliner at Download, but we will sorely
miss their presence in years to come.
Words by Alice Hoddinott and Kris Aarre
www.eliteonlinemag.com
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