Review: Download Festival 2013

Friday 14th to Sunday 16th June 2013 – Download Festival @ Donington Park, Leicestershire Words: Michael Glynn

With arguably the best headliners in the event’s esteemed history, it’s Download Festival time, where 90,000 rock fans cram into muddy fields to drink expensive beer and watch a tonne of earth-shattering bands. We’ve been waiting fervently since the final note of ‘Paranoid’ brought the mighty Black Sabbath’s set to a close last year and finally it’s here. Hell yes!

After last year’s washout caused Rise To Remain’s set to be culled, the young metallers kick off the weekend with a set that was more than worth the wait. They’re followed by Architects who once again demonstrate why they’re one of the UK’s most exciting live bands, tunes like ‘These Colours Don’t Run’ and ‘Alpha Omega’ sound as huge as the stage they’re played from.

!As the rain starts to pour down we take refuge in the Pepsi Max tent where Patent Pending are instigating what must surely be the only ‘crawl of death’ of the weekend. Their brand of vivacious pop punk is a far cry from Asking Alexandria who are playing at the same time, but it’s impossible to stand and watch them without grinning like a goon.

“Papa Roach has been a band for twenty years this year!” frontman Jacoby Shaddix exclaims as he rolls around in the mud like a toddler. But this is a group who know exactly what they’re doing - banging hits out left, right and centre and when they drop ‘Last Resort’ it’s clear there’s an early contender for biggest sing-along of the weekend. Fellow nu metal heroes Korn pick up where Papa Roach left off and while their latest album Path of Totality divided fans when Jonathan Davies commands the massive crowd to ‘Get Up’ they don’t need telling twice.

While a noticeable amount of people leave the Main Stage when Bullet For My Valentine rock up they do their best to deliver a set that leaves little doubt in anyone’s mind that in a few short years they’ll be headlining this very festival.

But tonight that honour goes to Slipknot who deliver nothing short of perfection as they close out the day in deliciously brutal style. Their pyro is no match for Sunday’s headliners Rammstein but they do a damn good job of coming close with a healthy dose of fire accompanying each track during their blistering two-hour set.

The chaos that comes with a Slipknot show becomes obvious when they have to stop the show on two separate occasions because of a broken security barrier. As they wrap up their set with a devastating one-two of ‘People = Sh*t’ and ‘Surfacing’, Corey Taylor teases that “We'll be seeing all of you again, much sooner than you think..." and you’ll be hard pressed to find anyone here that thinks that day can’t come soon enough.

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I Divide get the Saturday started with an energetic set that manages to pull in a respectable crowd despite the ungodly early start and the debilitating hangovers that everyone is obviously nursing. With their debut album finally released, Heaven’s Basement have quickly become one of the UK’s most hyped young bands and the mass of bodies that they manage to pull in before midday only further cements this, tracks like ‘Fire Fire’ and ‘Executioners Day’ sound purpose built for a stage this big.

The band formerly known as Thin Lizzy, Black Star Riders sadly prove to be the biggest let down of the day with their new tracks merely watered down versions of the anthems that they’re well known for. Even when they break out ‘The Boys are Back in Town’ it all just feels a bit tired.

!Mastodon choose to let their music speak for them with barely a word being muttered between songs but when they can cram a set with bangers like ‘Curl of the Burl’ and ‘Oblivion’ it’s better that they don’t waste a second with inane banter. Despite clashing with the legendary Motorhead, inside the Pepsi Max tent Bury Tomorrow tear the overflowing canvas a new backside with their downright heavy set, it’d be a crime to miss them when they hit up the UK later this year.

With festival slots sometimes proving all too tempting to break out the new material it’s great to see Jimmy Eat World sticking to a largely greatest hits filled set, they might not be as popular as they used to be but everyone still knows the words to ‘The Middle’ at least.

It’s a testament to their crossover ability that Enter Shikari, during their spot headlining Second Stage, can incite both mosh pits and mass raves. With the band spending just as much time at the barrier as on stage they burn through tracks like ‘Sorry You’re Not a Winner’ and ‘Sssnakebite’ breathlessly. The Prodigy headlined last year, surely it’s not off the cards for Enter Shikari to take the top slot a few years down the line?!

As a spitfire roars overhead you can be sure of one thing... Iron Maiden are coming and they’re going to be as gloriously over-the-top as ever. Few bands playing this weekend can argue that they have even half the number of hits that Iron Maiden do and they seem to fire them out like fun, for every ‘Run To The Hills’ there’s an ‘Aces High’ and for every ‘Number of The Beast’ there’s ‘The Trooper’. It’s astounding to believe that these men are in their fifties as Bruce Dickinson and co bound across the stage with the energy of twenty somethings for the duration of their epic performance. As they draw the night to a close with a triumphant ‘Running Free’ there’s no disputing that decades on Iron Maiden are still one of the greatest live bands around.

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Sunday brings with it a fresh wave of bleary-eyed revellers and it’s becoming increasingly difficult for us to lug ourselves between stages and watch bands. A hot bath truly beckons. But first Cancer Bats are ready for their own main stage debut after the rain ruined it for them last year, as always the Canadian hardcore heroes kill it and begin the morning with a healthy number of circle pits. Sorry, what hangover?!

Similarly cursed with bad luck at Download Festival are Five Finger Death Punch who had to pull out last year and had their previous set cut short, this year they manage to remain on stage for their allotted time and even bring a bunch of children on stage that were being crushed in the crowd, nice guys eh? Flying in all the way from Australia, the brilliant Parkway Drive show no signs of jetlag as they utterly destroy the Main Stage, even when they finish on a ‘slow song’ it’s still suitably punishing. More please!

!As if headlining the main stage on Friday wasn’t enough for Slipknot alumni Corey Taylor and Jim Root, they also deliver a solid set today as part of Stone Sour. While their sound is considerably less heavy than that of Slipknot it means that there’s more chance for the crowd to have a sing along to the anthemic ‘Through Glass’ and haunting ‘Bother’.

Hard rock is a dish best served ear bleedingly loud which is why it’s a shame that Airbourne seem to be playing at 7 rather than 11 and at times it’s hard to hear vocalist Joel O’Keefe leaving belters like ‘Ready to Rock’ and ‘Running Wild’ landing flat. Still they look like they’re having fun on stage.

Having 30 Seconds To Mars open for Rammstein ranks up there with one of the most bizarre choices in Download Festival history (Chase & Status anyone?) and despite a valiant effort they struggle to convert any of the stubborn metal heads in the crowd who stand with middle fingers raised towards Jared Leto. With the band playing with their own videos behind them and when they stop mid song for a clearly planned routine it all feels a bit self indulgent and manufactured. Musically the band sound better than they have in years and recent single ‘Conquistador’ is an absolute beast live. While they fail to appeal to the masses they leave the stage urine free and alive, better than nothing right?

Think of the best live band you’ve ever seen… go on.... Rammstein are better. At least they are tonight. When a band can set fire to their keyboardist, wear flamethrowers on their faces, boast of having a massive foaming penis cannon and still have plenty of tricks left in the bag you know you’re onto something special. It’s not just the effects though, despite the fact that they sing almost entirely in German they still manage to get everyone moving to hits including ‘Feuer Frei’, ‘Sonne’ and of course ‘Du Hast’. As Till Lindemann mounts the foaming phallus during a ‘Pussy’ to round off yet another Download Festival, it’s painfully obvious just who the best band of the weekend are.

As we pack up our tents, buy one last depressing burger and make our way for the coach home we bid a sad farewell to a cracking Download Festival for the all too long wait for next year’s.

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GALLERY: Download Festival 2013 – The Bands!

GALLERY: Download Festival 2013 – The Fans!

Photos: Andrew Whitton, Giles Smith, Derek Bremner.