RAMzine Issue 4 - July 2015 | Page 5

Festival Review 20:05 - FIGHTSTAR played a good set, five days after Charlie Simpson’s birthday. Dan Haigh, on bass brought a lot of energy to the show and the group had the crowd singing along. 20:45 - I arrived at the Zippo Encore stage having purchased a poncho but already wet and trying to keep dry. I found BLACK STONE CHERRY well into their set, playing to a huge crowd that was packed right back to the vendors. Standing about on my own, it was not long before I was accosted by an eccentric fella called Sam, AKA The Jiggy Fiddler, who took great pleasure in feeding me cider and licking it off my face when he spilt it down me; one of those it-only-happens-at-festivals moments! 21:20 - SLIPKNOT. The crowd chanted for Corey, who addressed the crowd with conviction and sincerity, dubbing the festival ‘Downpour Festival’. I had spoken to several people in the run up, who told me they were most looking forward to seeing Slipknot, describing previous shows they’d been to. From this I was expecting something spectacular, and they certainly delivered. The stage show was staggering - the pyrotechnics and lighting were astounding. The band gave it their all - I spotted the Clown’s drum come off its stand so often that I now believe there is someone employed for the sole purpose of replacing it. Slipknot were a fantastic finish to the first day of the festival; Corey Taylor’s ability to work the crowd is something to behold. He really got the crowd going when introducing requested track ‘AOV’. They were fantastic. One of the remarkable things I noted, which I heard through an interview with Corey that was played a number of times over the screens between sets; Taylor explained that they mix up their live sets rather than sticking to a single prescribed set list in order to keep things fresh and keep the band on their toes rather than just going through the motions of a performance; that freshness certainly comes across in their performances and serves as a great example of the professionalism of the band and the regard they have for their fans. Aside from the weather taking an unexpected turn, it was a great start to the festival. Day 2: Saturday, June 13th 09:05 - Once again, team RAM headed to the press area for the charging and preparation ritual. 10:55 - It was still raining as I arrived at the Zippo Encore stage to watch THE LOUNGE KITTENS; nothing like a trio of sultry, hip-wiggling sirens to take the blues away! Acknowledging the hundreds that are stood in the rain to see them, they beckoned their Croissant Technician, who proceeded, after a bit of encouragement, to throw croissants into the crowd. They performed what they themselves described as the happiest version of Metallica’s ‘Sad But True’ and gave us all a laugh when they had the crowd do a ‘T-rexi