Festival Review: Download Festival 2022

Download 2022. After its Pilot 2021 edition, featuring Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, Enter Shikari, and Bullet For My Valentine as headliners, it was time for it to return in full force — and we were there for every surprisingly sun-drenched second.

After taking a few minutes to get our bearings at the Behemoth of a festival — sadly not playing, ruining an otherwise amazing pun — it was a quick trot to the newly named Opus stage for the fantastic Ayron Jones. With cries of ‘I’m supercharged’ buffeting the audience over the sharp squeal of classic rock-tinged guitars, Download had officially begun. Despite not necessarily knowing the songs, the crowd were already in full force, dancing and rocking under the June sun.

Yes, sun — and although a dry Download is rarer than a rainbow, 2022 was the year.

‘This song goes out to democracy, fuck Vladimir Putin’. The short and sweet intro quickly gave rise to the foreboding Mercy, the stirringly soulful and depressingly poignant voice of Ayron washing over everyone: “the flag is burning, the world is turning, lord have mercy”. But before any hope of a merciful breather, the four on stage broke into the equally fantastic Take Me Away to round out the set, owning the hell out of the Opus stage in the process. And ultimately, like a Roman Emperor of old, from the audience the horns were raised — the crowd damn well approved.

With the iconic Kiss make-up beginning to pop up on peoples’ faces as you walk around, it was time to prepare for the second band. The epic expanse of the Apex stage, flanked by two giant, Download/Hellion themed Tiki statues, would play home to some fantastic bands over the weekend: and first for us were The Canadian band, Theory of a Deadman. Coming on stage to the sound of some chaotically-clashing keys and harmonious synths, it was time. Bursting into the tongue-in-cheek I’m a lowlife, you just couldn’t help but smile as you shouted it along with Tyler Connolly, especially at the mainstay-yet-somehow-still-fringe festival. The ska-like Bitch Came Back was next, along with the whistling-and-acoustic-guitar filled Rx(Medicate), before the iconic Hate My Life, and a quick cover of Paradise City. Each and every song was an anthem; even if you didn’t know it, you pick up the words pretty quickly. A final song — after announcing they’d finished recording the eighth record two days prior —  of Bad Girlfriend, and that was that, to the despair of many. Let’s hope they come back soon.

A short break for some watering and it was time to delve back into Download, this time with the Kris Barras Band. Their classic rock riffs, complete with scratchy harmonies and the pounding of drums, seemed as classic Americana rock as you could get without a horse, saddle and spittoon. They perfectly suited the weather, conjuring dust roads (Dead Horses) and a blaze of glory Ignite(Light It Up)— despite being from Torquay.  With a crowd extending all the way to the sound tower, it’s obvious their three albums have netted them a hell of a following, showing in full force today — but all too soon it was time for the set to come to a close, with final tracks Who Needs Enemies and My Parade, a slow, building, headbanger of a song, complete with a crowd led refrain. A brilliant showing.

A race over to the Dogtooth stage set us up for LA based Dead Poet Society. Having just returned from the US after touring with Biffy Clyro, expectations were high. But the band had the crowd hyped even during sound check, singing along to Emily Sande and shouting for everything to be louder. And, as they broke into .georgia. things only escalated. Jack Underkofler’s falsetto cries of ‘I’m so numb’ led into a resounding crescendo which, as the tent began to feel rammed, set the crowd off into cheers. And that was just the start of it. The insidious, bass heavy Lo Air was next, before the band launched into the... also insidious and bass heavy .SALT. and the fantastic, bluesy, .burymewhole. Oozing rocky riffs and strutting around the too-small stage, the band flew through fan favourites of their debut album, -!-, sowing chaos in the meantime: “I know you guys don’t know the music, that’s why you’re just bopping your heads, but we need to go fucking apeshit”— cue the pits, this time for the unreleased Swarm, also seeing Jack held aloft by and crowd-surfing over the passionate fans. Still, it was nothing compared to the riotous reception of .intoodeep. or the final track .CoDA., both songs seeing the crowd let loose at the piercing falsetto and pounding drums alike. Dead Poet Society — no question as to where they’re going after the set. Up.

And a quick tour of Europe, but that doesn’t sound as dramatic — check them out in the tiny venues while you’ve got the chance.

Rushing back to the Opus stage, we got there just in time to see Myles Kennedy break into World on Fire. A ridiculous number of people had flocked to see the Alterbridge and Slash legend play his mid-afternoon set; Myles, equipped with nothing but an electric guitar, an incredible set of lungs, and a dream, conducted the crowd effortlessly. He was all smiles, chuckling softly to himself as he led the crowd through its singing paces, even managing to drown out some of the planes flying overhead. “Thanks so much for coming and for humouring the three of us” he says at one point during final song In Stride— as humble a set as it was incendiary and entrancing in equal measures.

With the mesmerising A A Williams dropping out, it meant we had some free time to check out some of the other acts before our interview. There were the iconic Black Veil Brides; lit by sparklers and flame machines, blasting through hit after emo hit, ending on Fallen Angela and the iconic In The End, it was hard not to see what had drawn so many thousands to flock to their particular part of the field; the blue-suede-jacket touting Tempt, treating the Dogtooth crowd to the ‘80s reincarnation that is Living Dangerous, the red light drench Camouflage, and a cover of the anthemic We Will Rock You, providing some much-needed energy and over-the-top fun, every bit the consummate performer; finally, the Newport reggae-ska-metal heroes of Skindred; with Benji emerging on stage to a remixed Imperial March in a studded red suit and feathered cap, and the band rocking their way through Under Attack and a Skindred-metal cover of If You’re Happy. Benji, one of the most smiley, charismatic performers out there, always promises a good time — and Download 2022 was no different.

Walking past Skindred’s infamous Newport helicopter on the main stage, it was time for a quick trip back to the Avalanche stage for Normandie. Walking into the tent just as the Swedish band tore through recent album mainstays Thrown in the Gutter and the glorious Hostage, Download saw Philip Strand at his best — wearing a cravatte, his furious vocals trembled between enraged screams and harmonious falsetto over the pounding drums before the final track, White Flag. With white spotlights shining through the smoke, the wall of sound thrown out by the band was impeccable. The skyward glances seemed almost stunned by the reception from the crowd, and the applause that came after was almost rapturous.

A short while later saw the tent almost angrily heaving with the proportion of the festival crammed in: it was time for the enigmatic Sleep Token. Slowly, almost ritually walking on stage bedecked in the usual shadowy cloaks — no mean feat in and of itself given the heat — came the Vessels. The almost celestially voiced prog metal outfit have been unstoppable recently; a sold out headline tour into a gold-dust-ticketed Room Below show and a slot as the main support for Architects meant that the congregation which flocked in their thousands had a palpable sense of excitement, and the band had their work cut out for them. But from those opening notes of Alkaline, and the first pounded drums of Hypnotise, they needn’t have worried. Everyone was engrossed enough by the jerky, otherworldly movements of the shadowy frontman and the violent screeches ripped from his throat, let alone the songs. The hymnal screams and raised hands from the crowd showed just how big they’d gotten; the number of voices for Mine or Love You Want were comfortably in the thousands, and the rapturous applause that followed Vessel’s falsetto in the former just showed their appreciation.

Higher saw Vessel at his vitriolic best, The Offering saw vehemently angry pits open, spurred on by Vessel’s scorn; just a superb set all around.

Racing over to the Opus stage, it was time for Frank Carter. Having headlined the Download 2021 pilot last year and aired some new material, it was time for Sticky to get its proper Donnington airing. Flying straight into the earworm Sticky and the Tom Morello-featuring Tyrant Lizard King, Frank in his infinite wisdom decided to go for a walk. On the crowd. Not a type-o — just a casual jaunt across the crowd, held aloft by everyone beneath, slowly tilting forward until he was holding a handstand. Not many bands can claim such an explosive start, and the Rattlesnakes were just starting. “Did I ask to fucking come back?”, he informs the crowd as he was being passed back to the stage; “it’s a lot easier if I stand on your shoulders”. The spine-wrenching Juggernaut was next, finally heading back to the stage as the Blossoms favourite reached its climax. “This is the time for 200 tiny fucking mosh pits. Are you ready? My job is to upstage Kiss — and you’re going to help us do it.” It’s hard not to love the guy as he stomped across the stage, tearing through track after track: but first, “a moment of silence for all those other bands we just murdered.”

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The safe space of Wild Flowers, Devil Inside Me, even suicide itself, his attempt at which is detailed in Angel Wings — nothing could stand before the passion and fury of the punky, spunky ginger spitfire. Even FaceTiming his mum from stage made one thing obvious: the stage was Frank and Co’s. After thanking the legendary Andy Copping for giving them the opportunity to headline the two festivals, it was time for a Distillers cover’, the band who’d had to drop out for their opportunity: Drain the Blood. A few more tracks — the fantastic Cupid’s Arrow; Lullaby, dedicated to his ‘future leader of the revolution’ daughter Mercy; the ‘special talent’ Kitty Sucker; the pure vitriol of I Hate You; and finally the screw-the-world anthem Crowbar.

“We’re headlining the second stage at Download”, Frank announced early in the set — “the only way left to go is up.” I can’t imagine they’ll be waiting long.

But Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes, as great as they are, pale in comparison to what came next: Kiss.

The ‘hottest band in the world’ descended on platforms from the sky, showered with sparks and flames, bordered by giant statues of themselves; you could barely see them given pretty much the entire populace in attendance were crammed as far forward as possible. Their outfits as superbly distinct as ever, first song Detroit Rock City instantly turned back time, the legends in the primes of their lives.

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Kiss are one of *those* bands. There are some bona fide legends, so iconic, so influential that even seeing them at a distance is a bucket list moment. Their set is filled with songs that you know and love, and songs that you don’t know that you know; have you ever seen countless thousands of hands raised to the sky in just let-loose happiness? Kiss have, pretty much every night for the past forty years. Just go and watch Shout It, or Deuce, or War Machine, or any of the other high-octane, pure rock and roll numbers they have in their catalogue.

Songs like Closing Time Again saw the band at their best, with that infamous outstretched tongue making an appearance here and there; UFOs died a death by guitar solo, in Cold Gin; a drum solo during Lick It Up saw Eric Singer lit up by lasers as if from the Heavens above before another drum solo saw him risen into the air while Gene showcased his expertise by windmilling and catching the mic; meanwhile Tears are Falling saw an almost vaudevillian set of shrugs from the band being unable to remember its release year, ironically followed immediately by Psycho Circus.

God of thunder saw Gene Simmons vomiting blood over his guitar, drenched in a haunting green light, before rising into the sky; I Was Made for Lovin’ You) saw Paul Stanley zip line across the crowd to the sound tower; the end of Black Diamond saw Catherine Wheel sparklers, explosions and full on fireworks light up the stage; Do You Love Me saw giant inflatable Kiss balls thrown onto the crowd. And the end? Tickers exploded over the crowd looked like fireflies during Rock N Roll All Nite, before Gene smashed his guitar. The set was pure rock and roll decadence.

Sure, there were moments where their age shined through. A little less vigour in their movements perhaps, compared to a few years ago, and a flaming torch held aloft by Gene Simmons seemed a little like passing it on — but the fact that it was quickly smothered says it all. No-one can take on their mantle. They’ve proven themselves a thousand times over. They practically invented glam-rock, or at least made it mainstream. The fact that they had pretty much the entirety of Download firmly in their iron grip, even just one last time, is all that matters.

With clips from their classic performances interspersed with live footage screened from the monitor behind them throughout the show, this felt as much a celebration as it did a triumphant goodbye — but time will tell whether Kiss will ever truly be able to give up the live rock and roll they helped start however long ago.

Our gloriously sunny Saturday started off with Dirty Honey’s first ever UK show. The California based quartet boasted a huge crowd for a stage opener, especially given it wasn’t even noon. Songs like The Wire, California Dreamin’ and the especially impressive When I’m Gone saw the band rock their way through their set, positively swimming in charisma, charm, and class with their classic rock sensibilities. Even their logo just screamed back to a groovier time. “What’s a rock and roll soul without a little soul”, lead singer Marc LaBelle asked us, before the chilled back Another Last Time.  The crowd didn’t seem to know, and if Dirty Honey have anything to say about it they’ll never have to.

Touring now with Wayward Sons, it was a hell of a debut UK show and a great way to kick off day two.

With the Kiss face paint being traded for the Iron Maiden spiked helmets and steampunk goggles as you walk around, it was time for Those Damn Crows. Racing to the main stage, we got there just in time to see the phenomenal Welsh fan favourites break into the soaring Blink of an Eye and Sin on Skin. And, as he raced along the front of the crowd, clapping and clasping peoples’ hands, the blatant smile on Shane Greenhall’s face just showed how much the whole band were enjoying it. “Oh, hello” he says, taken aback by a camera in his face — “come with me.” Taking the camera on a tour of the stage, the huge crowd rocking up for their set was beamed on the giant screens. “You got this, you beautiful fucking hallowed ground of Donnington”, he roared, flying into Go Get It.

With a lot of the crowd miming along to the set, it was obvious the band were fairly new to a lot of people — but the Crows will have gained a hell of a lot of fans after that set.

The crowd for Ice Nine Kills a little while later was intense. Spanning way past the sound tower, stretching to the sides to the point of the band being 2D, everyone was excited. And, as Opening Night... played straight into Welcome To Horrorwood, you could instantly see why. Amongst everything else, the set saw metal’s own Patrick Bateman conduct the crowd through the melodic metalcore Hip To Be Scared — complete with plastic raincoat and a grotesque, dripping head hanging from his grasp — before adorning a Michael Myers mask and a knife for Stabbing In The Dark, splitting the crowd in half like his namesake. There were actors racing on like the iconic Scream Queens of horror, masks, weapons and costumes galore — even a shower curtain for the Psycho-themed Shower Scene, and a Necronomicon for the Evil Dead Ex-Mørtis. It was a hell of a set, and a Hell of a show.

A short break took us right up to the start of Canadian grandson’s set. “Welcome to the grandson concert”, Jordan tells us — “you made it. We’re back together.”

The Canadian rocker, blasting straight into the fantastic, dubstep-esque 6:00 and the boot-stomping, heart-thumping Stigmata, was electrifying to watch. Racing, skulking, spinning  and otherwise flying across the stage, the Suicide Squad soundtrack-featured star made up for lost time by cramming as many songs as possible into the half an hour set, which also saw the oppressive We Did It and the acerbic Oh No! finally get their long-awaited UK debuts. The fantastic yet depressingly poignant WWIII also featured, before the vitriolic, accusatory Stick Up saw the Avalanche Stage leaping into the air; and the final, red-drenched Blood // Water saw phones raised into the air en-masse to capture the pandemonium as Jordan leaped onto the crowd and swam across. Other than a last minute announced show with Deftones on Monday (13th June), Download marks his only announced UK appearance — hopefully just for now.

Screaming into sight with The Saints of Violence and Innuendo, it was time for Shinedown. Strutting along the front of the stage, Brent Smith, boasting a tremendously powerful voice, instantly commanded as fiery a performance as the actual fire springing to life behind him. Every bit a performer as he was a frontman, songs seemed almost conspiratorial; Devil saw reverberating guitars become tolling bells; the choral backing track of Cut The Chord became a celebration that Download was even possible; Planet Zero seemed to become a Carpe Diem call to let loose.

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Elsewhere, Second Chance saw the acoustic guitars come out to grace the emotional power ballad, passionately serenading the sun-kissed (if they’re lucky) Saturday crowd.

A superb main stage mainstay — great to have them back.

The first UK airing of Ohms was always going to be a big one. With a backdrop of grasping, prismatic hands mirroring the countless thousands of hands raised in almost zealous devotion, the slow electronic warbling which gave way to the opening strums of Genesis started the applause and it never really seemed to stop. Chino’s signature, distinctly himscreams washing over the packed crowd created an ebbing and flowing wall of sound just constantly breaking against the Downloaders; you could almost physically see the impact each second of the set had. Deftones were here, inevitably, insurmountably, irreplaceably. Deftones are as iconic as they are influential — basically, they’re an experience. Each song seemed to just grow bigger than the last, the crowd swelling like a single living organism: the rage of My Own Summer (Shove It) gave way to the slower, more contemplative Tempest; the fantastic build of Sextape broke into the iconic Diamond Eyes. The band, known for their insane music prowess — including Stef Carpenter using his 8-string — made sure to cover all of their bases rhythmically as well as sonically.

The level of soft-spoken-ness displayed by Chino between songs, however, existed in an almost jarring contrast to both his superstar status and the wrenched escape of his vocals; it felt like he was genuinely humbled to be on stage as second headliner, rather than it just being one time of many.

A fantastic return to UK shores by one of the greatest to do it.

Leaving just before the end of the set, however, made sure we got to the Avalanche stage in time for Funeral For a Friend. With the crowd clinging desperately to the side of the Avalanche Stage, a clear sign that it’s way too small for what was to come, the Welsh legends fired quickly into the Download appropriate Rookie Of The Year and the anthemic She Drove Me To Daytime Television; the sound echoing and reverberating around the tent, somehow seeming bigger still every passing second. And Funeral For a Friend loved it. Roses For The Dead and Bullet Theory, anthems the lot, followed closely behind by personal favourite Monsters saw the set kick off in fantastic fashion before Matthew Davies-Kreye called out the real enemy of the weekend. “Hands up my fellow Hayfever sufferers... fuck. Dust, pollen, get the fuck out of here”

And, as people began to make their escape from the tent to join the throngs of people lining up for Iron Maiden, it was time for the final few tracks. The epic Oblivion,  perfectly befitting the band’s return to Download — “now that I’m coming home, will you be the same as when I saw you last?” — Juneau and All The Rage saw the tent roar from a cacophony of fans enjoying their hour to the fullest.

But before long it was time for Iron Maiden. Doctor Doctor by UFO signalled their entrance to the rural Japan miniature they’d made on the stage. And, as the song came to a close, and the cheering began, the smoke began to pour. Drummer Nicki McBrain was first to appear, his head peeking out from the facade, before the rest of the group emerged, tearing straight into new album opener Senjutsu. And, as a giant demonic samurai joined them, you can begin to see just what makes Iron Maiden such a legendary band. Stratego followed up next, Bruce Dickinson racing around the stage, belting out his tremblingly powerful voice and just generally *performing*. Theatrics blended with almost narratorial hand gestures, sliding storyboard backdrops, and beams of animated shorts from the screens alongside the stage: while Kiss brought with them just a sheer sense of fun, Maiden brought with them a burning desire to tell a story, be it the four cloaked figures riding their mechanical steeds across a devastated wasteland — Biblical reference here impossible to spot — during Writing On The Wall, or the hooded, fiery, acolyte-laden Sign of the Cross.

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There were some moments of joy; Dickinson’s cheeky ‘shall we move house for a minute’ as he span off stage, Japanese town replaced by devout cathedral, for instance, or his getting to live out his pole dancing fantasies with the mic stand during Blood Brothers.

But overall it was just two hours of high octane prog-enthused metal. Their show seemed a little less of a performance; both in terms of general showmanship, unable to match the Catherine Wheels or zip wire from the night before — the sudden bursts of sparks during Sign of the Cross looked incredible, and Dickinson’s full-on flamethrower in Flight of Icarus was an incredible surprise, but Kiss practically showered in fireworks — but also in just seeming a little more genuine. Perhaps it was from the British need to express just shit the past few years have been, how fucked up the world has been, rather than the consummate need to try and win the crowd over. Or perhaps it was the epic, 9 minute odysseys we got to embark on with them. Kiss were short and sweet, explosive bursts of songs; Iron Maiden had extensive, expansive journeys and dragged you along for the ride. There was Hallowed Be Thy Name, with a swinging noose almost inevitable; the shoot out between Bruce and the iconic Eddie during The Trooper; the part Phantom, part plague doctor, part gravedigger get up of Fear of the Dark, complete with sickly green lantern. Each song was very much its own. And, of course, the 90% sized replica of a Spitfire flying over the stage during Aces High. A well-known pilot himself, it’s almost a shame that Bruce wasn’t conducting the voyage himself — at least the aerial one. The auditory one was firmly under his control, as Iron Maiden drove home another fantastic Download headline shows.

All too soon it was time for the final day. Same Download, same crowd, same glorious sun, different day — so let’s get into it.

First bands of the day were Dead Posey on the Avalanche Stage and The Last Internationale on the Opus Stage.

Vocalist Danyell Souza, adorned in black and looking for the life of her that she hadn’t ever made the sun’s acquaintance, was up first. Her husky singing made for some nicely dark songs, Don’t Stop the Devil and Moonstruck Lunatics in particular, her big f*ck-off black boots stomping over the stage in time to the rocky numbers. Even an accidental moment of awkwardness — “who hear knows Blue Monday” met with total silence — was handled with a laugh and a smile, if also a slight sense of unease. But the set was fantastic, and it won’t be long before the ‘optimistic’ 50-50 split between knowing the band and not begins to slide upwards.

The bluesy New York troubadours, meanwhile, prowling on stage as if to taunt the captive audience, were a striking sight. With all in splashes of red and black, as per their logo, lead singer Delila Paz, dancing, sliding and just generally loving life, wasted no time by immediately jumping into the band’s bluesy rock numbers before eventually venturing into the crowd herself and serenading the star struck barrier. Hard Times saw the band reminisce about their home town, while the slowly ramping Wanted Man saw guitarist Edgey Pires pogo-ing around the stage before Delila went off-mic for a crowd-led refrain, and the final 1968 saw Delila collapse to the ground in a well-deserved show of exhaustion. A fantastic start to the day.

There were quite a few Kiss faces, a load of Iron Maiden helmets and goggles, but mind-bogglingly the most popular show of devotion over the weekend was for the next band. A mixture of ‘Pirate Metal Drinking Crew’ T-Shirts and jar-of-dirt pirate get-ups made up at least half of the Apex crowd as everyone prepared for the rowdy, raucous Scottish Pirate Metal band Alestorm. With a giant yellow rubber duck on stage — because why not — and a drum-skin that gave the appearance of Googly-eyes, it was time for those “loveable Larries”, the one and only Alestorm. Keytars and tinnies in hand, legs in kilts, the most frantic, frenzied, fun, tongue-in-cheek hour followed. “We’re only here to have fun, get drunk, make loads of money — nothing else matters”, the band sang early into the set during Treasure Chest Party Quest — and all three seemed pretty on point. With their long, ruffled hair flowing in the Western wind, they looked every bit the voyaging pirates they embody. Opener Keelhauled seemed specifically written just to get the pirate buzzwords in, while Mexico saw some bananas-in-pajamas happily moshing amidst the raised plastic swords of the crowd.

Meanwhile The Sunk’n Norwegian saw the band make a toast: “I want you all to raise your tankards off cheap imported lager into the sky. This is a drinking song”. An appreciated toast, if a slightly unnecessary one — with Alestorm every song’s a drinking song. Case in point, a cover of Taio Cruz’s “You’ve Got a Hangover” saw Luke “Beef Guy” Philp practically water boarding himself with a beer.

A final few tracks — Drink, Pirate Metal Drinking Crew, the infamous Fucked With An Anchor — saw the band finish up their set in true Scottish pirate fashion; slagging off everyone else with Shit Boat (No Fans). Just the most fun you’ll ever have.

An hour, a burrito, and a sit-down later it was time for Marianas Trench. The Vancouver four piece, swaggering on in style, immediately encountered some technical problems with the vocals as they broke into the upbeat Who Do You Love and Haven’t Had Enough. Download’s answer to a Boy Band handled it admirably though, jetting around the stage and getting the crowd leaping around with them until they eventually started to sort themselves out. And, as lead singer Josh Ramsay equipped a maple leaf-shaped guitar — “I told you we’re Canadian” — the set really started to kick off. Cross My Heart, Celebrity Status, Stutter, Desperate Measures; all flew by, with the not-necessarily-expansive but definitely passionate crowd singing along to every word, much to the band’s surprise and joy. Unfortunately, the issues with the vocals had come back by final track The Killing Kind, drowned out almost entirely by the instrumentals — although they couldn’t mask the fantastic harmonies put out by the foursome. A great set, yet one unfortunately plagued by forces beyond their control.

From light to heavy, from boy band to metal band — it was time for Spiritbox. Since releasing their debut album Eternal Blue last year, the Canadian band have been going from strength to strength. Having sold out both recently announced London shows at the O2 Academy Islington, this undeservedly short slot marked the only way to see the band without paying scalpers. And the tent, filled to the rafters, was ready.

Circle With Me was up first, the crowd circles already kicking up dust; jackets and hats thrown as the Canadians broke into their UK debut show. Courtney LaPlante’s voice, switching effortlessly between delicate emotion and wrenched screams, was everything you could hope from the melodic-ish metalcore group; the guttural Blessed Be and almost monstrous Hurt You saw crowd surfers, hands raised in exaltation, be thrust over the barrier, while hordes of Downloaders raced through the crowd, desperate to reach the massive pit that had opened up.

Personal favourite Yellowjacket saw Courtney take on Architects’ own Sam Carter’s vocals in the chorus, her own replaced by a vocal track, while the ferocious Holy Roller and the final, fantastically melodic title track, Eternal Blue saw off the end of the set. In their words, a superb “first date” between Spiritbox and the UK — and if Download have anything to say about it, there’ll be a second.

Texan quintet Fire From The Gods were up next. Described as bridging the gap between ‘hardcore metal fury and hip-hop consciousness’, you might expect a modernised nu-metal. You wouldn’t necessarily be wrong, either, with lead singer AJ Channer’s booming voice having a little of Jacoby Shaddox’s rasp in there. But Fire From The Gods are still very much their own band. There’s that hardcore vitriol for sure, the guttural metal roars pop up every now and then — see In Spite of Doubt — and there’s no doubt about the wholesome political conscience on display. But you don’t have to be a fan of either genre to fall in love with the passionate cries emanating from the stage, the humble adoration for the crowd mixed with a genuinely talented soul, or the pounding instrumentals behind them. The screams of SOS bleed with emotion, the cries for action during Right Now sound almost painfully sincere.

“We stand tall”, he roared, launching into Victory early into the set. He might have meant the song, but the band were very much victorious where this writer is concerned — and the at-least thousand strong tent seemed to agree. Just an incredible set.

Twin Temples, on a little while later, were an interesting sight on stage. Bedecked in bejewelled red and black, sequinned outfits, their first order of business was to anoint the tent for their Lord. Satan. “Lend us your powers of free will and individualism”, they called, organ music playing and an altar adorned with skulls and chalices behind them, before breaking into Sex Magick; lead singer Alexandra James, hair shaped akin to a witches hat, crooning soulfully to the tent before offering a Satanic Orgy (as per the band’s latest single) to the hundreds in the tent. Practicing satanists, their set very much revolves around inclusivity and a rancour for the religious zealousness and the various -isms that come with it. There’s a little bit of theatrics, a little Rocky Horror-esque campness. But the talent and their entrancing stage presence is very real. It’s hard not to be mesmerised by the group as they play through the handful of tracks. I’m Wicked in particular saw both a saxophone solo and a keys solo, almost decadent in their musical immersion.

The ritual concluded as most satanic ones presumably do; a goblet of blood being consumed before being blessed by an inverted crucifix and making out with the ‘priest’. What more could you want?

21:10 brought with it a very unfortunate clash: Download Headliner Biffy Clyro on the Apex stage versus an intimate, (allegedly) acoustic performance by Alterbridge legend Myles Kennedy on the tiny Dogtooth stage. Having played an incredible set on the Friday, we just didn’t have a choice but to go and see him again. Apparently we weren’t the only ones with that thought, with the tiny yellow-and-blue tent practically packed with half an hour to go. Yet, to the dual excitement and anguish of the crowd, the set was instead an excuse to see the musical legend rock close up.

His vocals were even more incredible in such an intimate setting; as Myles belted ‘why can’t we all just get along’ it felt like an irresistible command, especially to the famously communal Download family. Myles only had a forty minute set — but he sure did make the most of them, somehow managing to break two guitar strings. Haunted By Design saw Myles play to the crowd, traversing the edge of the stage and strumming to the audience in a guitar-led fall and response, while an acoustic version of the Alter Bridge classic All Ends Well seemed to make up for the dashed hopes of an Alter Bridge secret set over the weekend. A brilliant set — even if personally I would have preferred the initially billed acoustic set.

Then, the final band of the evening: Biffy fucking Clyro. Biffy Clyro as headliners have always had their work set out of them at Download. They’re always in the presence of such legendary, iconic bands: this year was obviously Kiss and Iron Maiden. How do you ever compare? Well, in the Scots’ case, pretty damn well. Emerging from the Dogtooth tent, we were immediately hit by the chaotic, neon-raindrop screen of Space, the three-piece and the Cairn String Quartet playing through the beautiful track before the manic fun of recent release Slurpy Slurpy Sleep Sleep. The deep blue lights gently shifted as the opening progressed, almost kaleidoscopic, before suddenly exploding into a cacophony of light and noise, with Simon just a grayscale ink drawing animated on the screen behind them. Biblical saw showers of sparks raining down from the Heavens, really living up to the song’s namesake, before they started to release a bit of that Scottish weather in the band’s honour, a few fat drops falling from the clouds; Living is a Problem Because Everything Dies saw beloved moments of shrieked hardcore, bringing back some of that old-school Simon Neil magic; Bubbles saw the countless thousands in the crowd screaming along. But all too soon it was coming to the end — that’s what you get for trying to make up for clashes — and it was just the encore left. But what an encore.

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Captain saw countless blasts of fire into the air, Simon and the twins gleefully manning the Download helm; the explosive Cop Syrup, with virtual paper butterflies fluttering around on the screen behind them saw those iconic festival fireworks launched into the air, the lighting from the stage seeming to go haywire from just how chaotic the song was. But the final Many Of Horror, the gentle crooned ballad, brought the quartet back on stage for those last bursts of emotion. With the lights shining from the stage gradually getting lighter and more positive as the song progressed, the explosion of confetti over the crowd seemed almost inevitable as the beautiful and anthemic song hit its stride. A fantastic end to to the fantastic final set of the weekend.

With announcements of a four day festival next year for the festival’s 20th anniversary — a terrifying prospect in terms of tiredness but an incredible one in every other way — there’s just one question left to answer: how can they top 2022?

Words by James O’Sullivan
Photography provided by LD Comms PR

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