Sonisphere 2014 Review

So, no festivals in 2014 is going well so far.

Then Sonisphere announced they were returning with a full 3 day festival, with Metallica: By Request closing the weekend. Day ticket bought! Then BST (which I also reviewed here) announced Black Sabbath on that Friday – AEG & Kili used to host Soni but AEG had split and put on one of the greatest metal bands against their old allies who had The Prodigy headlining the Friday of Soni, sneaky move AEG! So, that left the Saturday with nothing to do……and my wallet very relieved. I started a new job at the end of April and in my first pay packet in May I received a little extra for the ‘work in hand’ I had done. Cue me joking to the friend who I was attending the day fests with that I would use the money to go to Sonisphere on the Saturday as well. After laughing it off as a no-go we ended up buying the Saturday tickets and sorting a hotel (seriously, I have no will power!). So the weekend was going ahead and would mean in 3 days I would see Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden (with an adjusted Maiden England set) and Metallica (playing songs chosen by the fans who would be seeing them). After the awesome-ness that was Friday in Hyde Park, it was up to Sonisphere to prove that returning after a 2 year hiatus was the right move and that Kili had the skills to pull it off without AEGs’ help.

Saturday

I stayed in London and took the train to Stevenage, then transferred onto the shuttle buses (which were very clearly signposted and so easy to find) to take me to the festival site. I had only one gripe about this and that was that the bus prices were advertised as £8 for a weekend wristband, when I arrived it was £10. Not a major difference but still wrongfully advertised. Getting to the site and, remembering from past day ticket attendances, I slowly recalled how to get around and eventually walked into the arena, just to be drenched in a short heavy shower that appeared out of nowhere.

All ratings out of 10. Stage key – Apollo/Main – A; Saturn/2^nd – S; Bohemia Tent – B; Jagermeister Tent – J; Satellite Tent – ST.

TesseracT – A – 6 – Some Prog metal to begin the day on the main stage with Tesseract, with lead singer Daniel Tomkins making his first appearance back with the band after 3 years away. It was a really enjoyable set from these guys, with only one oddity for me. They played 5 out of 6 songs from their debut EP and one from their first album. Personally I would’ve just played the last song from the EP and had a full ‘Concealing Fate’ set. 

Alestorm – S – 8 – PIRATE METAL!!!! Nothing beats a good heavy sea shanty about mead, wenches and the ocean blue. If the floaty djent style of TesseracT hadn’t woken people up, Alestorm certainly did (amid a few sound problems that seemed to be caused by the wind that had picked up, which is why they didn’t receive the best score). This is such a fun band to watch, simple lyrics to instantly sing along too with some heavy riffing that makes you look like a car bobblehead going over a hundred speed bumps. Second song ‘Drink’ from the forthcoming new album just epitomised the band, ‘We are here to drink your beer and steal your rum at the point of a gun’ followed by the chant of ‘drink, drink, drink’ etc had pint cups a-plenty raised aloft from the huge masses that had been drawn to the stage. Closer ‘Keelhauled’ gained a huge reaction from the crowd that had just witnessed a fantastic set from a bunch of Scottish pirates. Alestorm have announced a UK tour for later this year and I will definitely be partaking in lots of rum drinking before the gig!

Calling All Cars – B – 8 – For any reason to get away from the awful Babymetal, I headed into the big tent to watch these Australian rockers do their thing. And that thing was hugely enjoyable. Pure rock n’roll to bring in the afternoon and a band to keep an eye on in the future now they have relocated to the UK.

Chas & Dave – S – 7 – Yeah, so, ummmm, Chas & Dave played a set on 2^nd stage. It was very fun to see and sing songs that I’ve heard played in the past and totally forgotten about. ‘Snooker Loopy’, ‘Margate’, ‘Diddly Umma Day’ & ‘Rabbit’ were just ridiculous good fun. It was viewed as a rather odd booking for the festival but I think it worked amazingly well. Especially when the crowd reciprocated the fun times of the stage into circle pits and walls of death to the oldie pop rockers! Unfortunately, I apparently began to lose interest at the end, mainly when a random festival goer shouted ‘cheer the fuck up’ in my face which brought me out of the dazed, dreamlike state that I had apparently lapsed into! But it was still an experience to see them and carried on the fun festival vibe.

Ghost B.C. – A – 7 – A band I have been wanting to see for a long time and never had the chance too, meant I was really looking forward to this set. They didn’t disappoint me but they also didn’t amaze me as much as I was expecting. Superb start to the set with ‘Year Zero’ which the Nameless Ghouls pounded out from the stage as Papa Emeritus emerged to the crowds delight. The masks and iris-less contacts work by the band add to the eerie horror effect of the unknown the band produce. Papa Emeritus’s strange vocals also create an unholy sound with the thumping drums and ripping riffs from the Ghouls. This seemed to be completely undone when they played, “a cover as you call it” – Papa, ‘If You Have Ghosts’ which comes across as a rather pop-like choice of song for the Swedish metallers. Even the finish of ‘Ritual’ and ‘Monstrance Clock’ don’t really pull it back into the depths of gloomy heaviness and left me feeling a bit let down with the band.

The Winery Dogs – S – 5 – Needing a boost after Ghost I headed to see ex-Dream Theaters’ Mike Portnoy play with his new band. Instead of a pick-up, I ended up almost falling asleep, save for the rain keeping me alert. I’m not sure I even paid the band as much as 2 minutes of attention. It’s not that they aren’t good; in fact they are a very decent rock group with some great, well-built songs. It’s just that they get very boring, very quickly and, especially at a festival, that is never going to help through a set.

Anthrax – A – 9 – Now, some thrash metal from these guys was just what was needed to bring the afternoon back up to speed. The fact that they had played ‘Among The Living’ in full on the Friday meant I was expecting a slightly obscure set, and what they did play on the Saturday was just awesome. ‘I Am The Law’ and ‘Indians’ from the Among The Living album got a second airing in 2 days and the rest of the set filled with back catalogue belters before finishing with cover song ‘Antisocial’. It seemed that the massive audience weren’t fully prepared for some of the older songs meaning vocalist Joey Belladonna and guitarist Scott Ian had to double their efforts to get the crowd singing and moving. Their trying was hugely rewarded by the end of the set and it was a solid 45 minutes for the veterans.

Carcass – S – 8 – A band that I was originally disappointed about being announced to be playing the Saturday. Even though I’ll be seeing them at Wacken later this month (no festivals in 2014 – whoops). Extreme metal seemed a rather heavy and unusual choice for Sonisphere to book, but nevertheless Carcass brought the metal and the crowd lapped it up circle and mosh pits all over the show. The band played songs mostly from last years’ album ‘Surgical Steel’, which, it has to be said, is a superb offering from the Liverpool grindcore aficionados. It was nice to see ex-drummer Ken Owen invited out onto the stage to join the band for the final song. Ken suffered a brain haemorrhage in 1999 and has only played a few shows since the bands reformation in 2007 after a 12 year hiatus. After Anthrax and Carcass, Soni Saturday was really back in full swing and the next artist I saw would cement that fact.

Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls – A – 10 – Folk-punk on the main stage was just superb. Frank Turner is a fantastic frontman and songwriter and captivated the gigantic crowds he drew. Before taking the stage he was asked if he was nervous about playing a rock/metal festival with an acoustic guitar. “Of course not!” was the reply and it really showed. A setlist plucked from the last 4 of his albums contained something for everyone, gaining a massive reception for ‘Glory Hallelujah’. It’s not often that you will see festival goers performing star jumps in the late afternoon but Mr Turner just flashes his cheeky grin and sure enough the floor is rocking in no time. Being a massive Iron Maiden fan, crowned with a Mastermind victory with Maiden as his special topic, I think Frank was looking forward to the headliners more than anyone! Closing with the triple hit of fan favourites ‘Recovery’, ‘I Still Believe’ and ‘Four Simple Words’ meant that one of the sets of the weekend that I was looking forward to most left me with a gigantic smile on my face, and hugely impressed with how the band coped with their slot.

Stampin’ Ground – J – 6 – Popped along to the nearby Jager tent to catch the end of this set and had to stay outside due to it being rammed inside. It was a shame not to get in to see them as they sounded absolutely brutal. This was the band’s third show after an 8 year hiatus but it didn’t sound like they’d spent a minute apart. Guitars and drums were furious and complimented the growling vocals perfectly. 

Whilst stuffing my face with a burger I sat down and caught some of Hundred Reasons –A – 7 – set on the main stage. They were playing debut album ‘Ideas Above Our Station’ in full and sounded excellent. It was one set that I would’ve liked to see in full but there were other matters to attend to.

Strolling across to the smaller tent I ended up being there much earlier than anticipated and caught Lounge Kittens doing their cover of LimpBizkits’ ‘Rollin’. I do like what I’ve heard of the Lounge Kittens and it was cool to be able to see them, still find it odd to hear them swear though! But after that were two of the reasons I wanted to attend the festival on the Saturday.

Before Iron Maiden took to the stage for Download 2013 they had a Spitfire fly over the crowd. This time, Bruce Dickinson (himself a pilot) announced that there would be a World War 1 dogfight over the grounds of Sonisphere. And it was brilliant! Bruce and the guys from The Great War Display Team delivered 12 minutes of aero acrobatics and every face was facing the skies to watch the display commemorating 100 years since WW1, followed by rapturous applause and cheers as they flew over the arena at the end of the show.

Eureka Machines – ST – 10 – This band never disappoint to make me smile and enjoy every moment of their set. This time was no different, 10 out of 10 rating fully deserved for the Yorkshire pop-rockers who, I was glad to see, drew a sizeable crowd when up against the Deftones on main stage. Fitting in songs from all three of their albums and still managing to include some banter from the stage. I like how Eureka Machines don’t take themselves seriously and just enjoy being on stage and playing. This was 30 minutes of pure enjoyment, meaning I couldn’t stay still for a second and was left with a feeling of pure elation after they had finished.

Slayer – S – 8 – SLLLAAAAAAAAAAAYYYEEEERRRRRR!!!! Sorry, had to get that out of the system. This was my first time seeing the thrash masters and I was left well and truly awestruck. The band ripped through classics ‘War Ensemble’, ‘Raining Blood’ and ‘Angel Of Death’ with such tenacity that they could’ve been written the day before! Kerry King shreds his guitar so easily, he could have a picnic at the same time and Tom Arayas’ vocals were nigh-on perfection. I’ve heard that Slayer can be bad at times but this certainly wasn’t one of them. It was a great touch when they pulled down the Slayer backdrop to show off a Heineken beer curtain tailored as a tribute to band founder and former axe-man Jeff Hanneman, who passed away last year.

Iron Maiden – A – 10 – What is there to say about Iron Maiden? They are a truly superb band who can still play like they did 30 years ago. This was the final date of a 3 year long Maiden England setlist, which as Bruce said “means we’ve had 3 years to get this right”, and right is how they got it! A truly stunning end to the tour and I’m glad I was there to witness it. The set had been slightly changed from the one I saw at Download last year. By changed, I mean it was 1 song shorter and 2 had been swapped but the fact that the 2 new songs were ‘Revelations’ and ‘Sanctuary’, colour me immensely happy! The stage show is so impressive with changing backdrops, Eddie props, 12 foot Eddie robots and of course, Bruce waving the Union Jack like a madman. The amount of energy these guys have still shows and draws a response from the crowd with the appearance of a rolling ocean pouring away from the stage. There is a lot of talk about the mainstay headliners of today; Maiden, Metallica, Aerosmith etc. not having huge amounts of time left and where will the next ones come from. But for me, as long as Maiden can still put out a performance like this, I will still see them over and over again.

Sunday

And so we arrived at the final day of the festival. Entering the arena after strolling through the campsite (because that’s not a security issue) I placed myself in front of main stage. I say in front, it was a fair way back as security had a barrier set up by the midway speaker stacks blocking people getting to the stage. I could see that there were cherry pickers, diggers and the like buzzing around the front of the stage and wondered what on earth was going on. Turns out that Metallica had arrived and announced they wanted to add their iconic Snake Pit to the main stage. Cue a lot of running around from festival staff and consequently meaning the first band came on roughly 20 minutes late.

Gojira – A – 5 – I did wonder, with all the kerfuffle with the stage, if Gojira would be cancelled but they weren’t. And I’m glad of that as they are a band I have been meaning to see for a while and never managed it. They sounded really good and a great heavy start to the day. I didn’t stay long due to the delay but I will hopefully be able to see them do a full set in the future. The delay and the fact that it appeared Gojira were still getting their full half-hour meant missing the small part of Protest The Hero that I was hoping but I was already in an over-excited mood for the next band I’d be seeing.

The Hype Theory – ST – 10 – I discovered this band at Camden Rocks at the end of May and don’t think a day has gone by since, when I haven’t listened to them. Slight change in style after Gojira but this pop-punk outfit know how to have fun. Guitarist Sean ramps up the crowd by throwing his guitar around and never standing still. Lead singer Katy delivers clean vocals and urges the crowd to out sing her. Tom calmly delivers the riffs before hitting the keys for the immense ballad ‘Gone’. And Jack (bass) & Josh (drums) keep the frenetic pace going. They also played a new song which sounded awesome. The ending of the set was accompanied with inflatables being batted around by the crowd, including a signed beach ball which I unfortunately didn’t manage to get, d’oh! The only way this set would have been better for me is if it had been longer. A real fanboy 30 minutes and I can’t wait to catch them again later in the year.

Devin Townsend Project – A – 7 – After the Hype Theory I was planning on catching the last 10 minutes or so of Devin’s set. Thanks to the earlier delay, I managed to see a fair amount more and was very impressed with the Canadian nutter. “I’m not a chest pounding metalhead” announces Devin before proceeding into a full bellied scream intro for the next song. You seem pretty metal to me Dev! A great frontman with some great songs and this was really enjoyable. Devin has already said he is bringing back his alien puppet compadre ‘Ziltoid’, and that he will be playing that show at the Royal Albert Hall next year; I anticipate that it is going to be excellent.

The Bots – ST – 4 – In the same stance as The Graveltones, this band are a two-piece who can make a damn good show. Except that I couldn’t have been more bored throughout what I saw. I don’t know if it was a lack of energy on my part or if they just weren’t good enough to keep my attention but it was a set that was instantly forgettable.

Krokodil – J – 6 – This was much better, even though I hadn’t heard a stitch of their music before the festival. They are a very lively band with pulsating riffs and heavy beats like nobody’s business. A couple of times the lead singer made a sort of screechy noise which reminded me of Cradle Of Filth, but other than that little mishap it was a good showing from the band. It was said that guitarist Lags had 10 minutes to get across the festival site to play with his other band. I really hoped he would make it as that was exactly where I was heading.

Gallows – B – 7 – After seeing them at BST on the Friday, I decided to go and catch them in a slightly bigger venue and it was a good call. They weren’t as good as BST but I think a lot of that was due to the sound. Still, the energy they created was just as ferocious and Lags, having made it across the arena, ended the set playing guitar whilst crowdsurfing which was a sight to see, even though it did look like he got dropped at one point. I’m hopeful that this band can release a couple more well received records and push on as a force in hardcore music.

Reel Big Fish – S – 8 – Just one of the most fun bands to see play live. Re-iterated by the headline show I saw in Portsmouth this last week, most fun ever! Arriving at the end of ‘I Want Your Girlfriend’ was cool and then they launched into ‘Imperial March’ as an intro to ‘Where Have You Been’, at the start of which the power just cut out completely. The band continued to play and I could still hear from where I was, just not as clearly. The power returned at the end of the song to a huge cheer and RBF finished off their set with the laughs and ska-punk fun-ness expected when seeing the band. The reaction to the partial cover of Offsprings’ ‘Self-Esteem’ shows that the punk rockers would be a welcome addition on future Soni line-ups.

Sweet Savage – J – 8 – These metalheads from Northern Ireland have been around since 1979 and still know how to have a good time. A decent set from these guys whilst I had a mid-afternoon sit down. I saw them at Wacken 2011 but didn’t really know much of their stuff so it was nice to enjoy what they did play. They didn’t draw too big of a crowd but I imagine that was due to Mastadon being on the main stage. They played ‘Killing Time’ which is a song of theirs Metallica have covered and finished the set with ‘(Irish) Whiskey In The Jar’, which was great to see for the first time that I would that day. As they left the stage they thanked Lars Ulrich, Metallica drummer, for inviting them to be on the bill which was a nice touch to show the family of metal.

Dropkick Murphys – S – 9 – First off, these guys are much heavier than I remember, especially for a band that utilise bagpipes, tin whistles and mandolins. But they definitely know how to put on a show and cause the ground to shake with the amount of bouncing the crowd inevitably can’t stop. The setlist couldn’t have been much better for me personally and I was so happy to see ‘Rose Tattoo’ live. They barely stopped to breathe as they smashed through their set and if it had lasted another hour I don’t think they would have slowed the pace. If you get the chance to catch Dropkicks I highly advise you do so.

The Bronx – B – 7 – Another band I hadn’t listened to much before the festival and one that I enjoyed a lot. A mix of hardcore and punk build a heavy sounding melody with vocals screamed in your face from frontman Matt Caughthran - who ended the set by crowdsurfing around the tent, and really controlling the audience with where to send him next. I wish I’d known more of their material as I feel they would’ve deserved a higher score but it was good enough to stand and watch the guys go crazy and the crowd loving it.

Raging Speedhorn – J – 8 – Playing just their 2nd show together since they hung up the mics back in 2008. And they were fantastic, both vocalists having no trouble growling to the crowd and telling them to step forward. One thing I’ve noticed at festivals this year is that bands have been told not to incite circle pits, walls of death etc., not that that will stop the fans from doing so. However, Speedhorn mentioned that new rule and just said ‘fuck it, we want this whole tent spinning’! Cue a giant circle pit opening and by-standers being told to step back (by the same guys who had just said step forward!) One thing I haven’t mentioned is the layout of the Jager tent, with a pillar directly front & centre of the stage. If that tent returns the organisers may want to rethink that! I had made the decision to leave Speedhorn early so as to get a spot at main, but what I did see of these guys was very enjoyable.

Metallica – A – 10 – And so it came to the final band of Sonisphere 2014 for me and I can’t think of another band that I would’ve preferred it to be. Metallica were absolutely superb and this was easily one of the tightest and best sets I’ve seen from them. Whether they were still riding the crest of the wave after smashing Glastonbury, happy to be back with their fami-leh, or just cranked it up a notch for Soni, I don’t know but it was flawless. Metallica by request was such a great idea to run with, giving the fans the chance to vote for what songs they wanted to hear. I was a little disappointed when more rare tracks weren’t chosen but then this is Metallica and at the end of the day, whatever they play will be awesome. Lars said in an interview that the fact that mostly staple songs are being chosen just means he is doing his job right when he normally chooses the songs to play. As soon as opener ‘Battery’ had finished it was obvious that Metallica were going to stake their claim for band of the weekend and I think they deserved that title. The new song ‘Lords Of Summer’ sounds excellent and then it came to what I was waiting for the most. The first song of the encore ‘Whiskey In The Jar’, I absolutely love this song and the way Metallica perform it so this was just a dream for me. After that they had the vote of the day between ‘Four Horseman’, ‘Wherever I May Roam’ and ‘..And Justice For All’, which And Justice won, that pleased me as it was the song I voted for. Whiskey into And Justice was just incredible and the band seemed so happy playing I doubt they would’ve stopped had there not been a curfew. 

And so ended Sonisphere festival 2014, I was meaning to keep this review shorter than most, so apologies for that.
As for the question of a triumphant return for Soni? I think it was a resounding yes. There wasn’t much that went wrong technically and no trouble that I witnessed. Although since the festival there have been a few stories that really make you wonder what the fuck is wrong with some “humans”.
I am really looking forward to seeing what Soni can pull off for next year, even though I won’t be going for the full weekend.
Seriously, no festivals in 2015! You have to help me with that, I think I have a problem!

Thanks for reading.

BST - Black Sabbath Time

Friday 4th July 2014, American Independence Day and the day Black Sabbath took over Hyde Park. For the purpose of this blog I will be concentrating fully on the gods of rock and metal.
The supporting bill included some other major names in heavy music and so the decision to get a ticket was simple. I just wish I had waited until someone accidentally posted the link to the friends and family tickets that only cost £2.50, but no matter.

(Scores out of 10)
Arriving at the festival site slightly later than planned meant missing Soulfly which is rather annoying as they are a band that I have never managed to see. Seems to be a conspiracy against me seeing them still!
So my opening band of the day was Motorhead (7), these guys can still rock with the best of them but it is clear that Lemmys' frailty is becoming an issue. Still, I don't think anyone telling him that will stop the guy taking the stage and blasting out the hits. A 45 minute set included all the stalwarts you'd expect to see, including an impressive drum solo from Mikkey Dee to allow Lemmy a breather backstage. A decent enough set from the guys but it may be time to start dialing back. After pulling out of their Wacken show after 30 minutes last year they are returning to Germany at the end of the month, it will be interesting to see how that works out this time round.

Following that, we had Faith No More (10), being my first time seeing them I couldn't have been happier. A superb setlist which the band blasted from the stage without a thought to slowing the pace. The band are so tightly knit it's amazing to think they had a ten year hiatus not so long ago, which has definitely been put into history. Mike Patton showed his incredible vocal range from quoting the Exorcists' "your mother sucks cocks in hell" (a quote he said a number of times!) through to a brilliant cover of The Commodores' 'Easy'. The band included the world premiere of two new songs in their set and it has to be said, they sounded bloody marvellous! Really looking forward to what these guys do in the future.

Before the next band on main stage I took a quick stroll around the site and caught part of the Blitz Kids (7) set on the Summer stage (or Little Bandstand as it would be better called), they sounded pretty good and I will look out for catching them again so that I can give them a proper listen.
Back on main and Soundgarden (8) took to the stage. I saw a bit of their set at Download 2012, funnily enough sub-headlining to Black Sabbath, and really didn't think much of them. In fact, when I saw they were subbing at BST, I was looking for any reason to not see them. The fact I gave them another go was a good call in the end. Chris Cornell started the set by telling the crowd that he wouldn't be chatting too much as it was 20 years ago that the album Superunknown was released and they were going to be playing it in its entirety. And it was awesome! They sounded great, Mike McCready joined them on-stage for title track 'Superunknown' and the band, much like FNM but with an additional 2 years, have really pushed on since their hiatus, including a new album, and seem to enjoy what they're doing again. I don't know if they will look to write and put out another new record or just carry on with more live shows, but either way, they were well worth the watch.

Cutting the Soundgarden set 4 songs short, I walked into the Village Hall tent to see another band that have eluded me until now (and a subsequent second time. But that's another story for another blog that may be out soon). Before I get into that, it has to be said that BST didn't seem to think this stage through, it was pitch black inside and everyone struggled to see when they walked in and tried to find a spot to stand. Maybe some house lights could help before the band start, just a suggestion. However, after finding a space, the stage erupted when Gallows (9) arrived on the scene. Nothing like a blast of hardcore punk after a day of rock'n'roll to blow the cobwebs away and keep your attention focused on the front and centre. Lead singer, Wade MacNeil was in the crowd as soon as guitarist Lags had played the first note. These guys are ferocious and punishing in delivering their hard hitting music and don't let up for a second until the final note is played. New song 'Chains' sounds amazing and the new album that Wade promised would be out in Autumn is looking like it'll be a belter! They ended the set with both Wade and Lags in the crowd and it was great to see, not only the appreciation from the fans, but the respect shown right back by the band. Many bands say thanks for the support but these guys know their roots and were happy to be right in the mix with their fellow music loving family.

Before the main event I stopped by the Summer Stage where Turbowolf (7) were delivering their brand of hard rock. They seem like a decent enough band, one to keep an eye on in the future. I didn't hang around long as I wanted to get a good spot for Sabbath but did see the Cuban Brothers (5) performing 'Ace Of Spades', which seemed good fun. Until I noticed the non-singing guy in the tight fitting onesie and so can only give a mid range score. Some things you just can't un-see!
But now it was time for what we had been waiting for, the mighty Black Sabbath (10) took to the Great Oak stage and made it their own. I thought they were superb at Download 2012, but I think this time they were even better. Ozzys' voice was near perfect. Tony Iommi slung his guitar through riffs and solos like there was nothing to it. Geezer Butler kept the low-toned bass driving throughout each song and long-term stand-in drummer Tommy Clufetos fits in nicely behind the skins (and isn't afraid to control the crowd with a frenetic solo whilst the other members have a quick break). The setlist,  including 2 songs from new album '13', could not have been much better. 'War Pigs' is a great opener to lure the crowd in straight away and once in their grasp there is no escaping Black Sabbath as they hurl their fused style of doom, prog metal (and in the latter stages of the show, buckets of water) at you. 'Children of the Grave' was belted out as if it was 1971 and the band had only just written it. The encore consisting solely of 'Paranoid' ended a fantastic Sabbath gig and Ozzy and his band mates thanked the crowd for the unwavering support throughout the years.
The huge fireworks finale signaled the last show of this tour and indeed it may well be the very last Sabbath show ever, depending on Iommis health and whether or not he and the others feel they want to continue. But if it was the final show, it was a hell of a send off! Sabbath Bloody Sabbath 'til the end.

Thanks for reading.

Download Festival 2014 Review

So, after saying I wouldn't be going to any festivals in 2014, I am actually attending 2 full weekends and 2 days of Sonisphere. Guess my willpower is next to non-existant, whoops. However, the decision to attend Download for the third year in a row has turned out to be one of the best decisions ever. It has been a superb weekend and I wish it hadn't had to come to an end.... although my feet, legs, arms, neck etc would hugely disagree with that statement!

As with last year I decided to just buy a weekend arena ticket and tuck myself away in Derby in a hotel. I drove up this time which saved lugging everything around on trains and coaches and made the journey far easier. After settling in, it was time for some sleep ready to hit Donington Park on the Friday.

Key: Stage names --- Stephen Sutton Main Stage – M; Zippo Encore Second Stage – Z; Pepsi Max tent – P; Red Bull tent – R; Jagermeister stage – J. All ratings out of ten.

Friday

Prior to the festival, summer had finally turned up in the UK and the weekend of Download was forecast to remain the same with hot sunshine and little rain. Friday certainly lived up to this and after getting the shuttle from Derby to Download, it was already roasting. Another batch of sun cream applied and it was off to the gates.
Unlike last year, when there was much to-ing and fro-ing, I now knew where to queue to get the ticket checked and wristband given. After getting into the arena and purchasing a cold bottle of water straight away, it was time for the music.

Tax The Heat – Z – 7 – A very enjoyable start to the festival. Great little rock and roll band to nod along to. Not much more to add to that really.

Caught the last song of Miss May I on the main stage, which is the same as I heard when I saw them at a Killswitch gig months earlier. Should try and catch a whole set at some point.

Crossfaith – M – 7 – These guys are such a great live band. Given rise to their “electronicore” style of music they infuse electronic sounds with heavy riffs and mental drum solos. Their cover of ‘Omen’ going over very well with the bouncing masses in front of the stage. Frontman Koie Kenta was extremely grateful to their fans for their success over the years. And I can only see this band getting stronger.

Powerman 5000 – M – 5 – My first thought to this band being announced was “who?!” Transpires that I sing one of their tracks daily in my head, so I was quite looking forward to them. Unfortunately, they didn’t quite live up to expectations. I think they would’ve worked better on 2^nd or even in the larger tent and playing to a crowd of their fans. Main stage seemed a bit too much for them. And apart from big hitters ‘Bombshell’ and ‘When Worlds Collide’, which were saved until the end, the crowd just seemed completely uninterested. I did enjoy the set but it just felt quite flat for the most part.

Skindred – M – 10 – Ah, Skindred. What can you say about Skindred? Well, they are one of the most entertaining bands to watch at the moment. Benji Webbe is fast becoming one of the best frontmen of this generation, who else can get the Download crowd to do the Harlem Shake?! They played a great set including 2 off the new album, which isn’t the best in my opinion, and stalwarts ‘Pressure’, ‘Nobody’ and ‘Warning’ (with guest vocals from Crossfaiths Koie Kenta). Speaking to a fellow Downloader later in the weekend I suggested that Skindred could push themselves into a 2^nd stage headliner spot (and beyond) in years to come. They have the stage show and crowd work sorted, just need to produce a couple more well received albums to have the whole package.

Making my way back to 2^nd stage I managed to see the last couple of songs from The Answer. I really enjoy this band and would’ve seen them if not for Skindred playing on main.

The Temperance Movement – Z – 7 – I don’t think I have ever been this chilled out during a festival set before. A fantastic blues rock band that acted as superb background music whilst I was beginning to flag in the heat. I really hope I can see them again.

Within Temptation – M – 10 – I have to thank Andy C (festival booker) here for adding Rival Sons to the Zippo stage line-up. That stopped the clash of Within Temptation and Flogging Molly which was causing me some distress before the festival. I had to sell my ticket for Within Temptation in London and so, desperately wanted to see them at Download. And I’m extremely glad I did, they were amazing. As I have said in previous reviews, symphonic metal is one of my favourite genres of music and I was not disappointed with this set. Sharon den Adel is an amazing frontwoman and owned every track, if I can be that energetic and powerful a month before I turn 40 I’ll be very happy! For me, the setlist was near perfect. I would say it was a bit too ‘Hydra’ heavy, except that a) it’s the album they’ve been touring and b) it is an incredible album. The only thing that would’ve topped this set would’ve been Xzibit and/or Howard Jones coming on stage during the songs they feature in. But I cannot fault WT at all, one of the best bands of the weekend for sure.

Flogging Molly – Z – 10 – “And now for something completely different” said frontman Dave King, and he’s not wrong. But Flogging Molly are simply just an amazing, fun band to see live. They played a great folk-punk set with all the favourites packed in and you couldn’t help but bop along. Flogging Molly are that band that you can’t help but enjoy everything that is coming off the stage. I just wish they could’ve had a longer set. A plane flew over during their set and in Dave Kings words “it had to be a Ryanair didn’t it!” If you haven’t seen this band before I highly recommend you do so. Great entertainment with superb songs as an added bonus.

Bad Religion – Z – 9 – Full on punk rock blasted with ferocious tenacity was the order for the Friday sub headline set. Bad Religion opened with ‘Fuck You’ and didn’t let up until the final bars of set closer ‘Sorrow’. Managed to get front and centre for this and it was so much fun, I’ve wanted to see them for a long time and wasn’t disappointed. They played 3 songs from their newest album but also included a song from nearly every other album they have released since 1982. It’s amazing to see a band formed in 1979 still have that much enjoyment on stage, playing to their fans and hopefully they’ll be around for a while longer yet.

The Offspring – Z – 10 – Time for my first headliner of Download 2014 and I was slightly worried that they would disappoint me. I’d heard reviews that they are lacklustre and bored in their playing nowadays. The fact they were playing the album ‘Smash’ in full was something I was looking forward to and after 20 seconds of Nitro I knew that this was going to be The Offspring at their best. The whole band looked like they were enjoying it as much as the crowd. It started raining during the set (just a brief cooling shower) and unlike many previous years of Download, this was greeted by a huge cheer from the crowd. After playing through Smash it was time for the hits. I would’ve liked a couple of songs from ‘Conspiracy of One’ but can’t complain about the tunes that did get aired. It turned into a complete sing-a-long with ‘Pretty Fly’ and ‘Why Don’t You Get a Job’ being belted out by everyone around me. I can happily say I have now seen The Offspring and am delighted by that fact. It was a great way to end the first day of Download and now fully into the festival feel I couldn’t wait for day 2.

Band of the day – The Offspring, just too good to ignore as the highlight of the day.
Surprise of the day – Very difficult to pick as there were so many good bands on the Friday. I think it will have to go to Bad Religion, as I wasn't expecting them to still be that good.


Saturday

The forecast for Saturday was that it would be cooler with more cloud cover. And after the heat of Friday I was rather happy about this! It’s always easier getting into a festival once you have a wristband on and after a member of the security staff asked if he could give me a tug (and then explaining he meant the wristband and not that I’d be getting lucky) I was into the second day of the festival. This would start with the longest period of time I have spent at one stage for all of the festivals I have attended.

Dying Fetus – M – 9 – Now, death metal is a great style of music but there is a thin line for bands to be good or just sound like an awful racket. On record, Dying Fetus aren’t really my cup of tea. Live, however, they were absolutely fantastic. I was so surprised at how much I enjoyed their set that I didn’t want it to last just 30 minutes. It was such a shock to like them as much as I did. The reason Dying Fetus got booked to play was due to a Twitter campaign, #whynotdyingfetus, and vocalist John Gallagher paid tribute to the fans that got them on the line up. Phenomenal start to the day and it was only 11.30am.

Fozzy – M – 7 – I am a big fan of Fozzy, although not so much the last album. But this set left me a little disappointed. Something was lacking and it meant they didn’t score as highly as I was anticipating. That being said, they still sounded good and I did enjoy it. Chris Jericho is a great frontman and his time in WWE has helped that, during part of the set it sounded like he was cutting a promo on RAW. But whether the main stage was a step too far for them I don’t know. Chris also said that he had made an agreement with the higher powers that it wouldn’t rain, this was about 5 minutes before it did start raining, albeit barely a drizzle. They played 2 songs from their upcoming album and they were great so I have higher hopes for that record.

Bury Tomorrow – M – 9 – From going into the set thinking, ‘I’m not a huge fan of this band’ to coming out with the mindset of ‘wow, that was brilliant’, is a perfect example of why I love live music. A fantastic band that will only get bigger as time goes on. I do like metalcore and I really like how Bury Tomorrow have added more melodic elements into their structure as well. Bury Tomorrow commanded the main stage and kept the crowd entertained with a battle of the sexes, including a female only mosh pit, and adapting the crouch down to jump up into a lie down to jump up segment. Ending the set with the big hit of ‘Lionheart’ and asking for as many crowd surfers as possible was awesome (for the crowd at least, I think the security staff had a heart attack when they heard that)  They’re playing a small venue in Portsmouth later in the year which I wasn’t going to attend, I may reappraise that decision. – edit -  Since writing that I have indeed purchased a ticket.

Took a little wander after Bury Tomorrow to fill up the water bottle and stood outside the Red Bull tent listening to Colt 45 – R - 7 – Only caught a couple of songs but they seem like a decent rock band. If I remember correctly they were one I was going to check out at Camden Rocks or something similar. I will keep an eye out if these guys are playing somewhere close by.

While She Sleeps – M – 8 – Metalcore band from Sheffield who tore apart the main stage. Heavy riffs and screaming vocals a-plenty and they seemed really happy being there. This band are really on an upwards incline and it was easy to see why. After taking some time out in the early part of 2014 for lead singer Lawrence ‘Loz’ Taylor to undergo throat surgery, they made their return UK performance a memorable one. The crowd were really into them and there was a lot of movement at the front. At the end of the set, Loz climbed the sound desk/video camera tower in the middle of the arena and planted the WSS flag he had been holding. Unfortunately it was the other side to where I was standing so I couldn’t get a photo.

Bowling For Soup – M – 9 – Well, this was just super fun! And, somehow, the first time I have seen BFS. The banter from the group was brilliant and at times I thought I was at a comedy gig rather than music. The BFS photo opportunity was hilarious if not a little long winded; it was a music gig after all. The Queens’ knight killing a giant inflatable sheep got a lot of laughs, especially as it seemed to be a difficult task! And when they were actually playing, they were faultless. All the hits got an airing and the crowd were fully into it, ‘1985’ and ‘Punk Rock 101’ were definite highlights. The band doesn’t take themselves seriously and that helped with the good-natured, fun-loving feel of the set. Definitely a band to check out at their own shows.

Killswitch Engage – M – 8 – Saw these guys at their headline show earlier this year and they were fantastic, they were just as good at Download. Jesse Leach has slotted straight back into the band as if he never left, commanding the old and new records. I wasn’t sure if another metalcore band was going to prove too much for one day, or if by following Bowling For Soup they would seem out of place. But I was proven wrong by a band that knows what they’re doing and do it very well indeed, every song was pounded out with as much energy from start to finish. Apart from Adam Ds’ guitar breaking from which he eventually gave up with and went to party with the crowd.

During the set I went to watch some of Skyharbors’ set in the Red Bull tent (7) who sounded very good and I would’ve stayed longer had KSE not started playing Life To Lifeless, which is one of my favourite songs.
Just looking back at the setlist and I don’t think I would’ve changed a thing. KSE are great entertainment and now that Jesse is back I hope they will continue to get stronger bookings and move up the pile.

Monster Magnet – Z – 6 – After the heaviness of the metalcore Saturday had thrown out so far, stoner rock was the best place to head for a relaxing 40 minutes. They scored a mid-range 6 as I seemed to relax a bit too much and found myself drifting in and out of listening, but from what I did hear they played decent enough rock that went down well with those camped out in front of the stage.

The Wildhearts – Z – 10 – Saturday at Download was re-named on the Facebook Wildhearts page to The Wildhearts Day. And they did exactly what they always do; they owned the stage like it was their own gig. I managed to get front and centre for the set and had ridiculous good fun. The Wildhearts brand of pop-punk perfectly allows you to jump around, clap, sing and just have a damn good time with fellow minded fans. The setlist was pretty much as expected with only a 40 minute set (although the band cut it short themselves. Maybe, as last time they played Download their sound was turned off when they continued to play over their allotted time). But, for die-hard Wildhearts fans it just created a great sing-a-long and for new listeners it was the biggest songs that they could just enjoy. Random Jon Poole had taken place as bassist for this gig, replacing Scott Sorry from Aprils tour. You could tell how much fun the band has playing to their fans with the broad smiles that adorned their faces throughout the set. Ginger told the crowd to hang around for “the greatest frontman ever, Dee Snider”, however, I had other plans first.

Fall Out Boy – M – 10 – And so it came to the worst clash, and one of only a couple this year, of the festival - Fall Out Boy vs. Twisted Sister. In the end the only way to determine who to see was to see both and split the sets. Starting with FOB, I managed to stay for 8 songs and listened to ‘Sugar, We’re Going Down’ whilst walking off to 2^nd stage and they were absolutely brilliant. I wasn’t sure how they would go down at Download being a more “emo-scene” rock band but they definitely brought their A-game, and a lot of fire! As soon as opener ‘The Phoenix’ blasted out of the speakers it was clear that FOB were deserving of their sub-headline slot and they  never looked back after that. They went over really well with the sizeable crowd they drew and I wish I could’ve stayed for the entirety of their set. However, I couldn’t miss the opportunity of seeing Twisted Sister and so I headed off to catch the remainder of them.

Twisted Sister – Z – 10 – I arrived at second stage at the end of ‘You Can’t Stop Rock’n’Roll’ and managed to get into the front section. It seems that the festival was a lot quieter this year, not that I’m complaining! So my first full taste of Twisted Sister live was iconic ‘Shoot Em Down’, for a band that has existed since 1972 in varying lineups, these guys have so much energy and presence it puts some newer bands to shame. Guitarist Eddie Ojeda had the crowd in the palm of his hand when he spoke about the festival organisers putting them on the ‘lesser’ stage again. And that we had to be so loud, the people listening to FOB would realise their mistake at not seeing Twisted Sister. Enter the intro to ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’ and the crowd really did go mental for it. Dee led a sing-a-long throughout and it was crazy good fun. Into the opening bars of ‘Burn In Hell’ a DHL plane came into land at nearby East Midlands Airport. This stopped Dee in his tracks, “is that normal?! I’m having 9/11 flashbacks! They should put a sign up by the stage!” after much laughter Dee then had a lightbulb moment, “oh no! I have to sing Burn In Hell after talking about 9/11!” However, this small disturbance didn’t stop the band from tearing through the song with ferocious tenacity. This brought us to the final song of the set, rock anthem ‘I Wanna Rock’, to say this was fun would be understatement of the century! The entire crowd answered Dee's call with an almighty “ROCK!” The band then tested the reaction to “I Wanna Fuck”, to say the ground shook with the crowds response is not far off what happened! That had to be the loudest I have ever heard a crowd! As I left the 2^nd stage the band came back out to play a cover of Motorheads’ ‘Born To Raise Hell’ which would’ve been cool to stay and see but I’d already walked away.

Heading around towards the smaller stages I saw the last couple of songs from Malevolence – R – 7 – They sounded pretty good, will have to keep an eye out if they do their own shows around this way.

Ginger Wildheart (acoustic) – J – 9 – My sub-headliner for the Saturday was an acoustic set from The Wildhearts frontman Ginger. Really enjoyed this and wanted to give it a 10 but something just wasn’t there to make it a perfect set. When I saw him play acoustic at Camden Rocks the set was filled with Wildhearts songs which had already been played an hour previous at Download and so I was expecting it to be more Ginger solo orientated, seeing as he now has 5 albums from which to choose from. But instead he just played a different selection of Wildhearts songs, which I was fine with. Chris Catalyst (of Eureka Machines) accompanied him on acoustic, although sat out of the first song when he broke his guitar after the first verse! And Random Jon Poole added his acoustic bass to the show. Some great banter from the enigmatic frontman helped this fun and lively set turn into a mass sing-a-long from the sizeable crowd he drew. I always enjoy watching Ginger, solo or with The Wildhearts, and am really looking forward to his Birthday Bash later in the year.

Before taking a spot for the day’s headliner, The Howling – R – 8 – started playing in the tent and so I was able to stand and catch the first 2 songs they played. After seeing them support Volbeat earlier this year I was surprised at how much better they sounded. Everything seemed cleaner and more mature in musical terms as well as the band's stage presence. These guys could well start making a big name for themselves.

Linkin Park – M – 10 – Hybrid Theory was the first real alternative album I ever bought and so is a major part of the reason I am now a metalhead/rock fan/grunger or whatever terms people nowadays use. So when it was announced that half of this set would be that album in full I was delighted, just hoping that the band would be on form. They started with a video saying how excited they were to be playing the album which included the intro to ‘Papercut’ (first song on the album.) I really thought they would then kick into the song as a great way to begin and was a bit annoyed when the video continued. When the band finally did take the stage they blew me away. They were absolutely fantastic and I think that is the first time I have sung along with every word of every song. Having listened to the album a few times before the festival I still forgot that every track is an absolute belter, some of which haven’t been played live since the early 2000s and a full debut of ‘Cure For The Itch’. Mike Shinoda and Chester Benningtons’ vocal were nigh on perfect and they looked extremely happy and comfortable on stage. Shinoda adorned a bright red wig for ’Papercut’ as that was the colour of his hair when the single was released. At the end of the album play-through Mike Shinoda said, ‘if this was 2001 we’d be done, we’d have nothing else.’ I had decided before the festival to leave after Hybrid Theory as, other than Meteora, I’m not a huge fan of their other work, so this was my cue to leave. Looking back on the setlist I’m happy with that decision. It was a great way to end the Saturday and I’m glad that Linkin Park were so good for the first time seeing a band that helped shape my musical tastes.

Band of the day – Linkin Park, no contest. Great fun and even now I can’t stop smiling thinking about great a time I had.

Surprise of the day – Dying Fetus, a Twitter campaign that gained motion and got them booked and they were really good. Well played Dying Fetus.


Sunday

And so we reached the final day of Download 2014, this would be a day with a lot of moving between stages and catching half sets here and there.

Red Dragon Cartel – M – 7 – A decent start to the day with some classic rock. Being an ex-guitarist for Ozzy Osborne, Jake E Lee and his new band threw in a couple of cover songs, closing with Bark At The Moon which was pretty cool.

Kill Devil Hill – Z – 6 – Wasn’t really sure what to expect from Vinny Appices’ supergroup but they were pretty good. It had started to drizzle during the set and my mind was torn between listening to the band and wondering how heavy the rain was going to get (turns out, not very) So I found myself not paying attention at times, hence the lower score. I’m also annoyed with myself as, after leaving the set early, Phil Anselmo came on stage to perform a cover of Panteras ‘Mouth For War’ which would’ve been ace to see.

Heading across the arena I stopped to see the end of Winger – M – 5 – expecting them to close on ‘Seventeen’, when they didn’t they got an average score of 5 seeing as they weren’t bad and I only saw 2 and a bit songs.

The Graveltones – P - 8 – It had taken 2 and a half days for me to venture to the right side of the arena and into the Pepsi Max tent but my first taste of it in 2014 was a good one. In 2013, the sound in the tent was ridiculously loud and therefore I spent most of my time there listening from outside which takes away from the performance. Immediately when arriving at the stage it was obvious that these issues had been sorted and the sound was excellent inside the tent. As were The Graveltones, it’s amazing how much noise can be made by just two people but it was extremely enjoyable and makes up for missing them at Camden Rocks.

Buckcherry – M – 7 – Good band, good songs, good atmosphere. The band has since stated that it wasn’t their best performance but I certainly enjoyed it. The partial cover of AC/DCs ‘Big Balls’ was dedicated to Father’s Day, seeing as that coincided with the Sunday of Download. Set closer ‘Crazy Bitch’ went over as well as it always does.

Thy Art Is Murder – P – 3 – Went back to the Pepsi Max tent and sat outside whilst TAIM finished their set. In hindsight I wish I’d been anywhere else. It sounded terrible. Apparently I am not a fan of the ‘deathcore’ genre! And after looking through a list of bands noted as deathcore, that opinion hasn’t changed. Fair play to them but it’s just not for me.

Feed The Rhino – P – 9 – What an incredible set from these guys, furious energy pounding out some fantastic tunes. They seemed to draw a bigger crowd than they expected but it didn’t faze them at all. Lead singer Lee Tobin spent as much time in the crowd and the pits as he did bouncing around the stage in total control of his audience. This is a band that could become huge very easily and I expect to see them on larger stages in the not too distant future.

Nipping out of the tent to fill up the water bottle I caught Richie Sambora playing ‘Wanted Dead Or Alive’ on main stage. Purely for seeing this song live he scores a 7.

The Treatment – P – 10 – Tremendous set from a band that had impressed me when they supported Airbourne early this year. Powerful rock’n’roll erupted from the stage and didn’t let up for the entire 30 minute slot. The one thing I would’ve changed with their set list would’ve been swapping the last 2 songs around and closing with ‘I Bleed Rock’n’Roll’ so as to put a stamp on the set. But that’s just me and I’m not in the band so never mind.

Sepultura – Z – 6 - Having seen Sepultura before, I was looking forward to this set and was left rather disappointed. I think with the fact they only had a half hour set I was expecting them to run out all the major songs, only getting ‘Roots Bloody Roots’ to finish with just seemed a bit of a let-down personally. The band, as always, were good at what they do and Derrick Greens’ voice was flawless as usual. I really do think that I had built an expectation of the set and then felt bored when it didn’t turn out how I was expecting. Derrick introduced a song by saying “there are a lot of people out there who only talk shit, we are Sepultura”, I was wondering where he was going with the statement until they broke into ‘Propaganda’, then everything made more sense. I had the same giggle as I always do during ‘Rattamahatta’……hehe rattamahatta. I did think they would say something about the World Cup currently taking place in Brazil (the band's birthplace) and the protests surrounding it but I guess that may just have been me.

Sabaton – Z – 7 – I’d been quite fortunate with clashes this year, Sabaton vs. Volbeat was a nasty one though. Add to that the fact that the (not so) secret band in the tent had been confirmed as Black Stone Cherry and it offered up a nasty 3-way clash. I had decided that I wouldn’t be seeing BSC (or whoever was the secret band, wink wink nudge) before the festival as I saw them in a small venue in February and will be seeing them again in November. This left the original Sabaton or Volbeat decision, Sabaton were in the lead being as I’d never seen them but Volbeat are one of my favourites. Cue the usual flurry of tour announcements as festival season kicks in, and Volbeat were announced to play Portsmouth before the festival started. So the decision was simple, I’d be seeing Sabaton at Download. Unfortunately, Volbeat started on the main stage whilst I was waiting at 2^nd and it just planted that seed in the mind that I could be seeing Volbeat right now. I stuck with the Sabaton decision and was glad I did. They came on stage and blasted through the superb ‘Ghost Division’ and ‘To Hell And Back’, which were two songs that I particularly wanted to see. The crowd really got into them and a sea of horns were relentlessly being thrown towards the stage throughout both tracks. It was then that my subconscious took over and I left 2^nd to walk to main and the draw of Volbeat. I’m glad I have seen Sabaton and would gladly do so again, preferably when there isn’t somewhere else I’d also like to be. It wouldn’t surprise me to see them in higher positions at future festivals on these shores.

Volbeat – M – 9 – Heading round to Volbeat during the set meant taking a spot further back from the stage than I would’ve liked and I think this is what took something away from the set. Musically, they sounded brilliant and I can’t fault Michael Poulsens’ vocals, but it wasn’t quite enough to be able to give them the top score.  The other annoying thing about arriving late was that I turned up just after they had played ‘Lola Montez’ which is a personal favourite of mine. I liked the stage they had brought with them; it seemed simple but effective and gave the eye something else to take in. When they headlined Wacken in 2012 they proved that they are more than capable of making that spot their own, hopefully they will continue to get bigger in this country and carry on their rise up the line-up. I have now bought a ticket for their local show and am ridiculously excited about that.

Memphis May Fire – P – 5 – Back at the Pepsi Max tent and took a seat outside whilst these guys played out their set. They didn’t sound bad and had I been inside I reckon I would’ve enjoyed it, but it did enough to just sit down and listen to.

Against Me! – P – 10 – Wow! What an absolutely incredible set from this band. They drew a sizeable crowd and didn’t disappoint. This was punk rock as it should be; fast, bouncey and in your face. There wasn’t a lot of crowd interaction between songs but for this set that didn’t matter. Against Me! smashed through their songs and managed to fit 10 into the small half hour set, which certainly gave a good account of the calibre of their music. I left the tent wanting more, which I suppose is the desire of musicians and bands and hope that they will come back and tour over here.

Once again making the trek across the arena I had the unfortunate opportunity to see Steel Panther who were still on main at the time and getting 3 girls to make out on stage, because that’s just what they do. I saw their set closer ‘Death To All But Metal’ however, this year they didn’t bring out Corey Taylor for his vocals so they will get a mid-range 5. I really do see them going from strength to strength very quickly and shooting up festival line-ups, they are possible future headliners if the joke doesn’t wear off before then (it wore off for me about a month after their first album), but we shall see.

Seether – Z – 7 – Having seen Seether before and being disappointed with them, I gave them a chance to prove that I saw them on a bad day. Catching the last few songs at Download did prove that, they sounded really good and it would’ve been great to have been able to see more of them. ‘Fake It’ and ‘Remedy’ are two classic songs and seemed to get a great reaction from the crowd at the front of the stage.

The Pretty Reckless – Z – 5 – I was totally disappointed in this set and band. One of the bands I was looking forward to seeing before the festival and it was absolutely dreadful. The only reason they get a 5 is because I managed to see ‘Heaven Knows’, but I certainly won’t be rushing to see them again. At times it was like watching a Black Label Society show with how long and drawn out the guitar solos were. Taylor Momsens’ mic was too loud. And it was utterly boring. I was always going to be leaving early to head over to the tent, I just wish I’d done so earlier and been able to watch some of Alter Bridges’ sub-headline set.

The Used – P – 9 – Well, this was awesome, I really wasn’t expecting them to be as good as they were. I wasn’t sure if the large crowd was partly because Dillinger Escape Plan were headlining the tent, but it appeared that they loved every minute of The Used regardless. Apart from two songs showcasing the new album they didn’t play anything post-2007, which was when I was really into them, so that helped my enjoyment. In saying that, the new songs sounded damn good, ‘Revolution’ especially. The band were so appreciative of the fans and especially with how vocal they were.  Their style of hardcore-alt rock was a great way to begin the end of the festival and I would happily have had them as my final headliner. Except there was one more band to go before bidding farewell to Download 2014.

Aerosmith – M – 10 – One of those classic rock bands that adorn so many 'must see' band lists is Aerosmith. I did have trepidations before they started in the fact that a band that has been going for 44 years always carries the possibility of being poor live; Can a 66 year old hit every note like he could back in the day? Can the drummer keep the pace? Will the guitarists still be able to shred through solos like they’re taking a stroll through the park? Aerosmith answered those questions and more with a resounding hell yeah we can! So much so, I think I would have to say that they are the best band I have seen at Download over the last 3 years I have attended. Not to take anything away from the others, Aerosmith were just that damn good. The whole set was completely perfect in every sense. The setlist was incredible with all the big hitters there, lacking ‘Back In The Saddle’ but that can be my only gripe which is smothered by how much amazingness was included. The entire crowd singing along to ‘I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing’, which has been one of my favourite songs since the film Armageddon was released, was a pure highlight for me. Seeing Joe Perry sing ‘Freedom Fighter’ was awesome and showed how much depth this band still has. After making my way to the back of the arena during the intermission I saw the encore of ‘Dream On’ &‘Sweet Emotion’ before leaving the festival site, and since learning that they also played ‘Mama Kin’. But I think I had definitely seen enough by this point to be stupidly happy on the way home.

Band of the day – Aerosmith, it had to be. Nothing compared to them across the whole festival.

Surprise of the day – Against Me!, full on, heart racing punk rock at it’s best.


And so we came to the end of this years’ festival and I have to say it may have been the best time I’ve had at a festival so far. Whether it was the decent weather, how well it was organised this year, the fact that it was quieter and so seemed more accessible, I don’t know. But Download 2014 will always be remembered for the ace time that was had.

I said at the end of last years’ review that I wouldn’t be attending any festivals in 2014, a quote that didn’t hold well. However, next year is all about the rugby world cup in England and attending as many games as possible so I may do some day tickets if the line up really calls to me but won’t be attending any full weekend festivals in 2015.
Many thanks for reading; I’m sorry you can’t get that time back.