My time at Download 2013
I have been a total of 5 times over the last 6 (Missed 2011). Download festival is always the highlight of my year. We as metal heads come together as a group and find a place to fit in and have fun. We’re all there for the same reason. Once the festival ends the realisation of walking in a shop and shouting ‘Spartans assemble’ with no replies makes you realise just how great of a festival it is.
Wednesday and Thursday
These days are more for the atmosphere around the camp site. Wednesday morning is tent up and beer down. We usually drink in campsite but for the last 2 years we have headed to the doghouse. On Wednesday the pits were really good and the place was buzzing for the Download mood. On the Thursday, it wasn’t as packed but it did have a live band playing. I’m not sure if it wasn’t packed because of the previous night being so good.
Also I just want to mention someone passed out in the smoking area and had to be given CPR. Emergency team were really good but unable to save him so RIP. Around 15 people stood with their arms linked to stop anyone from going out and getting in the way of the emergency team so all of you as well pat yourselves on the back for the kindness of helping.
The review below will be on bands I saw over the weekend and a stand out moment they had. I’ll also rate them out of 10. Anyway here is a quick review hope you enjoy it.
Friday
Architects
7/10
– Even though the rain was coming down everyone was pitting, getting on their knees and chanting their name. They did brilliantly.
Patent Pending
7/10
– We ended up inside the 3rd stage because of the rain. Went into the tent expecting nothing and came out loving them. Not my sort of music but with the Justin Bieber dance and As I lay Dying’s Crawl of Death,they was funny and different.
Papa Roach
4/10
– They didn’t sound as good as they have done in the past and the biggest cheer they got was when Jacoby slipped in the mud. I give them a below average gig even though I sung every song. I’m a big fan but the gig was forgettable.
The Sword
6/10
– They sounded very good. Freya was the highlight of the set and the crowd seemed to really get going. From playing a great set supporting Metallica to playing at donnington they’re living all their dreams.
Korn
9/10
– The sound on the main stage this year was incredible and Korn capitalised on it. Incredible sound and one of their best performances I’ve seen over the last few years. ‘Blind’ and ‘Get up’ made the crowd go mad.
3 Doors Down
7/10
– I sang every single word to every song. The times they got the crowd moving the most was with their cover of ‘Symphony of destruction’ by Megadeth and the obvious choice of Kryptonite. Nice to see them over in the UK and I hope they visit more.
Gogol Bordello
5/10
– Great musicians. Went over there with friends and had great fun. ‘Start wearing purple’ is the only song I know so came away wanting to try more from them.
Slipknot
10/10
– Anyone remember when these guys headlined in 2009?. Well this year was even more crazy. The crowd broke the barrier twice. Twice. Never been to a gig with the barrier breaking once let alone twice. The pits were great and I felt this one performance every morning after. They absolutely killed it.
Saturday
Woke up late after the hectic Slipknot gig and so only arrived at main stage being dragged, for Mastodon.
Mastodon
5/10
– They sounded good and I enjoyed them but my friend who is a huge Mastodon fan said he was disappointed because they only played tracks from the hunter and he wanted some crack the skies.
Alice In Chains
8/10
– Every song was head banged to and every hit was sang. Big pat on the back to the guy dressed up as a Rooster, crowd surfing just before they played ‘The Roster’. ‘Stone’ sounded great and so did ‘Man in a box’. Great set from a strong on going band.
Bury Tomorrow
Jimmy Eats World
Enter Shikari
I missed the above bands because I was helping a girl onto a stretcher. She was laying face in puke and was near death. The medical team was again great but because of so many people around the site being in need of help it took them a little while to come. I hope that girl is okay. We’re all there for the same reason and the music stops being priority when a life is in trouble.
Iron Maiden
10/10
– From start to finish they were amazing. They had spitfires fly over the stage and the crowd at the start. The music, the eddies and the band were all really great and they once again proved why they are one of the best if not the best bands in the world.
Sunday
I missed Sacred Mother Tongue due to a hangover but I would love to know how they did. Could hear them from my tent and they sounded really good.
Cancer Bats
6/10
– On a day when everyone is running on low and it hasn’t even reached mid day they did such a good job opening up the can of mental that download offers. The cover of ‘Sabotage’ really got the crowd in the mood and ‘Hail Destroyer’ closed their set.
Coal Chamber
6/10
– Crowd chanting their name, the beautiful bassist gazing into the crowd and before we know it ,here starts ‘loco’. The pit was huge as expected. ‘Dark days’ and ‘The roof is on fire’ made the pit go mental.
Five Finger Death Punch
5/10
– I’ve seen them a bunch of times and the sound seemed off for this performance. Either way they played all the hit songs. Ivan Moody did his best to try and disguise the crowd surfing calling (They did it in 2010 which led to the plug being pulled) People flooded forward this year and no plug was pulled.
Hacktivist
7/10
– Never seen this band before live but I have heard some of their songs. Holy shit. They pumped up the crowd, won over new fans and looked emotionally happy. They put a guy with a camera on his head in the pit for a new video who got destroyed (I did get him a few times). Once ‘Niggas In Paris’ cover came on the pits went wild. Really good up and coming band. Be on the look out.
Although I didn’t see Parkway Drive I heard they brought a kangaroo on stage. That’s a first. Also friends there said they tore up the main stage.
Stone Sour
7/10
– For a second set for both Corey and Jim, they seemed fresh. I know Corey was watching Maiden the night before so they must have been there the whole weekend. The cover of ‘Nutshell’ and ‘Children of the grave’ were spot on and they closed with 3030/150. The sound was good and Corey doing his solo ‘Bother’ had the crowd loving the set.
A Day To Remember
8/10
– The stage set looked really cool. It’s a shame their T-Shirts on sale weren’t as nice. The sound was really great and the lead singer’s voice between singing and screams was spot on. ‘2nd sucks’ had one of the biggest pits of the weekend. They also tried a new crowd surfing called the surfboard. It was amazing how many people were standing on top of crowd surfers pretending to surf. Great sight.
I wanted to see Modestep at 3rd stage. Were they good? Please do tell me as I’m sure they killed it.
Limp Bizkit
9/10
– They knew they clashed with Rammstein so how did they open?…with ‘Rollin’. I sung my heart out and even had a line of people doing the rolling dance. Fred was a great frontman. They did a cover of ‘Killing in the name’ and their more known cover of ‘faith’. Limp Bizkit played ‘Behind blue eyes’ and Fred didn’t even need to sing once. The crowd was fantastic and so was the band. They kept saying thank you for being with them and that it was a party. It certainly felt like one.
Rammstein
10/10
– I didn’t watch all of Rammstein but I still got to see a good hour of their set. The flamethrowers. The raised stage for the lead singer to fuck the slave. The lights, the flaming Rammstein logo and the firework guns. Setting themselves on fire. The list goes on with stage presence. That’s without the music to go with it. ‘Sonne’, ‘Ich Will’ and ‘Du Hast’ were unbelievable. That riff for ‘Sonne’ will always make me tingle. They then played ‘Pussy’ and the lead singer got onto the giant cock and shot foam all over the crowd. They really was outstanding and I hope they come back soon.
Kiefer Outram
Relive The Music 