15:35 - NORTHLANE delivered their crushing,
djent-laden metalcore with impressive energy,
almost pulling the crown into the performance
with them. They were initially let down by staggeringly overpowering bass levels with the kick
drum in particular but this was toned down later
in the set. Seeing the photographer next to me
retreat after getting showered in Josh Smith’s
saliva, showed me that this band perform in
the moment, tapping that instinctive and deeprooted energy that only comes from engaging
fully in the ‘here and now’. Seeing them live will
have certainly cemented Marcus Bridge in his
role with the long term fans; of course, with the
exception of those who cling desperately to the
past - these naysayers are to be ignored. Northlane are as strong as ever.
blessed with a sound that is about as close to a
studio recording as it’s possible to get on this
scale. The legendary Mike Patton delivered a truly stunning performance, playfully interacting
with one of the security guards to the side of the
stage by borrowing his headset for a moment.
Sadly, with a job to be done, I had to walk away
to ‘Midlife Crisis’ to catch the next act on my list
and in doing so missed Mike Patton jumping off
stage to let a fan being escorted away on a stretcher finish ‘Easy’ (Commodores cover).
19:40 - BLACK VEIL BRIDES came on to an atmospheric intro; their sound was amazing from
the first chord struck on ‘Faithless’, a great opening track, and already I was was feeling a bit
better about having walked away from Faith No
More. The stage and impressive wall of Marshall
Amps, upon which the drummer seemed to sit.
The energy and showmanship, along with timed
pyrotechnics presenting an intermittent wall of
flames, made this a stonking performance, and
all this before they’d even finished the first song.
Their sound was so powerful, clean and tight
that my remorse for missing FNM had entirely
faded by the time they had finished‘Coffin’.
Northlane by Marcus Wheeler
16:35 - CROWN THE EMPIRE opened with ‘Bloodline’, once they got going, the gave it all they
had. Their energy and passion really came across
well.
16:55 - Originating from Derby, just 30 minutes
from Download’s venue, local indie rock outfit,
THE STRUTS, an incredibly natural and fun-loving group, delivered an incredible set that very
much deserved a bigger stage. With that said,
the intimacy of Jake’s stage added to the atmosphere of the performance, most notably when
frontman Luke Spiller jumped the barrier to join
the doting crowd during a fantastic cover of TRex’s ‘Get It On’; he hushed the crown and his
fellow band mates to orchestrate the finest moment of audience interaction I saw all weekend,
splitting the audience in two halves and having
them sing along in a well crafted breakdown.
The sense of fun and enjoyment from both the
band and the audience was palpable. Seeing
The Struts was one of the highlights of my time
at Download this year.
19:05 - The moment I’d been waiting for: FAITH
NO MORE. All dressed in white with hundreds
of flowers adorning the stage, it was one of
the most unique stage set-ups I’ve seen for a
rock show! I was so glad they were playing the
main stage; as I have mentioned, the sound quality from the main stage has been consistently
superb. The instruments were captured so well
and the levels so expertly balanced that we were
often struggle to sound as good as the recordings; here, Manson was sounding even better
than the recordings. Initially, in my mind and
on my notes, I slate the dull interludes between
songs and torturous screeching improvisation;
however, there is something unsettlingly raw
and authentic about Manson and his art, which
extends beyond the music. The truth is, I find
his screams uncomfortable, as much as I do the
silence between songs, all of which add power
to his performance. During ‘No Reflection’, he
breaks a glass bottle on stage - who allowed
that!? - and proceeds to twice nick his hand,
then wipe his face, smearing blood across his
cheek. How much is performance? Shock value?
It s