So yesterday I ventured to Sonisphere Festival for the day. Still wishing I could've been there for the entire festival seeing as I hadn't been since I went on the Sunday in 2009. Myself, Hartley & Drew left on Saturday night and drove up to Hatfield services. We were going to park here for the night, get some sleep and then continue onto Soni in the morning. That was fine apart from the policeman that asked if he could search us. We agreed and then he just walked off! But never mind, we then bunked down for the night. I was lucky to get the whole backseat to myself, unfortunately the backseat of a KA isn't that big. But, after some re-positioning, I fell asleep.
Woke up and used the service station to have a wash and feel slightly more human after a cramped sleep. Then it was onto Soni, I was already bubbling with excitement and just couldn't wait to get there. Parked with ease and took the trek through the car park so my journeymen Hartley & Drew could pick up their tickets from the box office. It was whilst I was standing there waiting for them that I was looking out over the campsite and began to feel like a kid at Christmas. Once they had their tickets we strolled up to the arena, the hill between campsites seemed a lot steeper than before. Got into the arena and I don't know how I wasn't bouncing all over the place. Being back at Soni was such an amazing feeling and I was so happy to be there.
And then the first win of the day happened. As I said in my previous blog, I can't wait to see Volbeat, who were opening the main stage at 11am. As we were strolling to the Apollo (main) stage, we stopped by Saturn (2nd) stage to watch the crew setting up Bill Baileys gear, and the man himself was there. Hartley took a photo and then a guy down the railing from us shouted and asked Bill if he would come down. To which he replied 'yeah' and then did. He moved along the barrier, signing autographs, eating peoples chips and having photos taken, he also brought down his cameraman who filmed it all. Then he got to us and had a photo taken and signed my ticket. I think I could've gone home right then and been over the moon!
But I wasn't going anywhere except to the Apollo stage to see Volbeat.
(All ratings are out of 10 and based on sound, stage show/presence and how much I heard)
Volbeat (Apollo) - 10 - What a start to the day! Not only was I at Soni, not only had my ticket been signed by Bill Bailey, but I saw Volbeat! Finally! They were as awesome as I expected, and extremely good at prompting reponses from the crowd, since it was 11am and most festival goers are tired/hungover/waiting for the headliner at that sort of time. They played an additional 10 minutes which made me even happier and are just a fun band who know how to rock and entertain people. Really can't wait to see them at their on show later this year. I also met up with Mikey at this point which was handy as we were seeing the same bands during the day. Plus, he was extremely hungover which made for some laughs.
Black Tide (Saturn) - 3 - Mike told me that he didn't want to see Black Tide as he had heard they had shifted to Black Metal, and not done it well. I was fine with this plan as I had completely forgotten we were seeing them. But as we went to grab a drink I did hear them playing Hit the Lights which is the only song I cared about seeing anyway. It sounded good so I was going to give them a 5. Until I heard some of their new stuff, I say heard them, it could've been a cat being raped by a polar bear, either way they get a 3 and they can live with it.
Arch Enemy (Apollo) - 8 - I have seen Arch Enemy before and enjoyed their set, this time I still enjoyed them but found something lacking. They didn't seem to have the energy they had before, and Angela Gossows mic needed turning up. But they played We Will Rise and Nemesis so they still get a high score.
House of Pain (Saturn) - 6 - We sat on top of the hill for this one, the sun was beginning to beat down so a relaxing sitdown was very welcome. I only know that House of Pain did Jump Around and this was the only reason I was seeing them. They were quite enjoyable as background music whilst I caught up with Mike, Miller and Wilson and updated them with what was happening in the world as they were at Soni for the weekend. As the set went on however I found the songs were very similar in sound and got quite boring.
Parkway Drive (Apollo) - 4 - Awkwardly, these began playing on the main stage before House of Pain had finished. And being on top of the hill we could hear some of their stuff whilst HoP were quiet. They sounded pretty good, I dont know much of their music but quite liked what I heard. So the score isn't a poor reflection of the band just that I could only hear certain bits and only for about 3 songs.
Kylesa (Bohemia) - 7 - We stood outside the tent whilst they were playing, just enjoying the breeze that had kicked up. I don't know much about this band either but they sounded quite good and heavy, which is always good. There was then a festival wide 2 minute silence in memory of Paul Grey, Slipknots bassist who died last year. As we were near a campsite entrance there wasn't a lot of silence apart from people who had been near the tent and heard the announcement. Although this was always planned if people hadnt noticed the time they can't be blamed for not adherring to it. I prefered Mikeys idea of 2 minutes applause or cheering as this would work better in a busy festival environment.
InMe (Bohemia) - 9 - I saw InMe in 2005 and I don't remember them being that heavy! It was an awesome set though and they had a much bigger crowd than I thought they would get. I forgot how good this band were and am really glad I went into the tent to watch them. They get a high score for 2 reasons, 1) I really like InMe and wish I could've seen a longer set. 2) They really were that good, especially combining screaming and clean vocals so well. Credit to Dave McPherson for mastering the art that so many can't.
Then it was time for the funnies. (All in the Bohemia tent).
Andrew O'Neill (MC) - 7 - Having a metalhead annoucing comedy acts at a metal festival was a fantastic idea. He got the crowd goin by havin a lot of sing alongs which were awesome.
Jason John Whitehead - 8 - Canadians are not known for their comedic value but this guy was awesome. He spoke a lot about the break up with his ex-girlfriend. And then proceeded to rip on women for most of his set. When he spoke about sex toys a member of the crowd got hers out and waved it around. He got her to throw it to him and then carried on with his set waving a plastic penis at the crowd. Until he decided if he held it any longer it would turn him gay.
John Rouse - 7 - This is one sick individual! Including his own sound effects. But it was a funny set that made me laugh and cringe at the same time. It would be interesting to see him do his own set, I think.
Brendan Burns - 8 - I was looking forward to seeing this guy as his stand up I have seen in the past has had me rolling on the floor crying. I fully expected him to score a 10 but something wasn't quite right. He was very funny, especially taking the piss out of America. But there were times that I was just straight faced because I didn't find the joke that funny. Nevertheless, he was good and I'm happy with the standard of comedy I saw.
Airbourne (Saturn) - 9 - Only heard a couple of songs and didn't see too much other than part of the screen. But what I heard has put me in a very excited mood for when I see them at Wacken. Joel O'Keefe apparently did his usual climbing up the highest bit of staging he can find to continue playing.
Motorhead (Apollo) - 10 - 'We are Motorhead and we play rock and roll', this was Lemmys opening line and how true it is. They have also set the world record for loudest band, which doesn't surprise me since the speakers sounded like they blew up around 5 times during the set. They announced that their previous guitarist Würzel (Michael Burston) had sadly passed away the morning of Friday 9th July 2011. And then proceeded to tear Sonisphere a new one. I sat for most of the set as my legs were telling me too but this is another band that I now cannot wait to see again at Wacken.
Opeth (Saturn) - 3 - I have seen this band on 3 occasions previous to yesterday (thanks for the correction Mike) and had no interest in seeing or hearing them again. I don't dislike them I just don't like them either. However, the parts I did hear impressed me. They sounded like they had it together and I was tempted to give them a 5 until Mike told me that they had a fail. I was expecting this to be a guitar fault or something similar, but no. Lars Mikael Akerfeldt, the lead singer, apparently asked the crowd 'are you still with us Donnington?'. Woops! I'm sure the crowd watching didn't care too much as they probably went to see Opeth for the reason that they like them. But to me, this is a schoolboy error. Especially not helped by the fact that your standing on a stage emblazoned on every side as Sonisphere. He didn't even need to say Knebworth. So, their score drops and so does my opinion of them, again.
Cancer Bats (Bohemia) - 8 - We went to go into the tent to see this band but there was very little chance that would happen. Security had already closed a few entrances as people streamed in to watch them. So we just sat outside and listened. I'm quite glad we didn't get inside because it sounded mental! They sounded extremely good and un-surprisingly drew the huge crowd. Even causing people to jump the barrier and run in. Unfortuneatly, it began to rain when we were outside, only spots though and rather cooling after the hot and muggy morning.
Alestorm (Bohemia) - 9 - Everyone needs Pirate Metal in their life. They are such a fun band and everyone was dancing, skanking, head-banging, just doing whatever they wanted and enjoying the songs. I was surprised they didn't play Leviathan but no matter. Captain Morgans Revenge was as good as usual, as well as Wolves of the Sea. I hope I can see them again soon, it's always such a fun time. The rain was swinging from non-existant to pretty heavy by now. But it didn't dampen my mood as I knew I still had a few hours left at Sonisphere and rain never hurt anyone.
LimpBizkit (Apollo) - 5 - Heard a little bit when we were inside the tent but once we left they decided to play Rollin' which made me very happy. Rollin' was one of the songs that really shifted my musical preference into a more alternative one and so I always enjoy hearing whether on cd, radio or live. It's just a fun song and a mainstream one that everyone knows. As we were the complete other end of the site it did sound like they were having technical difficulties though. I found out from Hartley later that Wes Borlands guitar broke and he had a hissy fit and walked off about 30 seconds before the end of Rollin'. So that could've been what was heard. But I wasn't going over to see them.
There is a band I have heard good things about but never had the chance to see them, it was a shame they were clashing with Bill Bailey but after lengthy discussions, myself and Mike decided to see half and half.
So, to a stage and band that I have never seen before.
Fozzy (Jagermeister) - 9 - Chris Jericho (WWE wrestler) is an awesome frontman and the rest of his band are amazing! 'Fuck the rain and get moving' was Jerichos shout and so they did. They had a lot of energy and the heavy riffs were greatly complimented by Jerichos vocals. We only stayed for 3 or 4 songs, but they are a really good band and I'm really tempted to go and see them at their own show later this year.
Bill Bailey (Saturn) - 10 - Only saw him do 2 songs but I was already jigging and laughing just with that. The Hokey Pokey in German is fantastic. He also announced that another record had been broken as it was the biggest crowd at a comedy gig ever in the world. I like being part of new records. It was a shame I couldn't see more of Bill, but after meeting him in the morning I was quite happy. He then said that he would be finishing with a video which is the same as at the end of his DVD so Mike & I moved off to get a decent spot for the main event.
Slipknot
(Apollo)
Infinite is the only rating I can give Slipknot for their performance last night.
When I saw them at Hammersmith in 2008 I think it would've been the same rating but yesterday they were just amazingly awesome, incredibly brilliant and completely phenomenal.
They played an awesome setlist and the crowd loved every second of it. Corey Taylor said how much they love coming to the UK and how special it was last night as their honoured their deceased brother Paul Grey. The entire crowd clapped and cheered when Corey was talking about it being a celebration and that there would be no negativity and they certainly responded by going nuts with every song. I was extremely happy to hear them play Left Behind, which is one of my favourite Slipknot songs. Corey thanked us for bringing some typical English weather since the rain was not going to cease through the whole set. By that point I didn't care if it snowed. Slipknot owned Sonisphere yesterday and the tribute to Paul Grey at the end was very touching. Standing his old boilersuit and guitar at the front of the stage and saluting the backdrop which was a giant number 2, Pauls number. They used a lot of pyro which must've been interesting to the planes passing overhead. A few people decided to leave when the band left the stage before the encore which they really shouldn't have because if Slipknot had been giving 100% throughout, then when they returned to stage they cranked it up even further. Surfacing closed the incredible set and whilst they completed their tribute, 'Til We Die played over the sound system and just heightened the feeling of family and togetherness.
After that I headed back to the car, very difficult to find someone elses car in the dark by the way. But, soon enough we were on the road. We thought it would take a while to get out of the car park but by some luck we were parked next to the main route to exit the car park. We got home around 2am after continuing to rock out to Slipknot and just revel in what an awesome day had been had by all.
Sonisphere is a brilliant festival and has delivered exceptionally once again. Hopefully I'll be able to attend for the whole weekend next year but it will, as always, depend on line-up and personal funds.
Tickets go on sale on Wednesday at 9am, and it will be held 6th-9th July 2012
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On a small sidenote. Why do people go to festivals and spend all that money just to continue spending money and getting so drunk they don't know whats going on? Answers on a postcard please.
As I was walking to the car park one guy was saying how amazing Slipknot were. But when asked about Metallica he said 'I don't know, was so obliterated I don't even remember being there'. What was the point then sir? I'm all for having a good time at a festival, drinking included. But I would do it at my campsite in the evening/early morning, then grab a few hours sleep and if I have a hangover, go watch bands and deal with it (like Mike did). Not waste the day getting so drunk I can't even walk. If you've paid all that money you may as well make it worthwhile. Or give the money to me and I'll go.
