I wote a review for Download for Pull To Hear Noise, chances of it actually going up are very slim so I'm posting it hear with more pictures than if it where to be posted on my friends site.
Download Festival, Donington Park, 10-12 June (or Goatboys adventures at castle Donington)
This review is written from my point of view as I experienced this festival, Gonzo Journalism style, baby[/Hunter S. Thompson].
We pick up the last of our group from Gravesend and after filling the boot and backseat of the car with our tents, bags and food we head of at about 8:30 pm, arriving at Donington at about 10:30, our tents are up before midnight, a personal best for us.
The next morning we take a walk into the town of Donington only to discover that there is hardly anything there, so we take an hours bus ride to Nottingham to check it out (tis cool).
Friday, the Indie day. The gates are half an hour late in opening, the pissed of campers start a bottle fight (the first of many we shall see over the weekend).
When the gates do open I make my way to the snickers stage to see Flogging Molly.
The comedian Al Murray (you know, the pub landlord off Time Gentlemen Please) once said What is it with American pretending to be Irish, as if being American isnt bad enough. That having said, the faux Irish folk/punkers are impossible not to like (you try listening to Drunken Lullabies and not find yourself singing along to the chorus by the end of it) and the one member of Flogging Molly who is actually Irish (Dave King) is possibly the most charismatic front man in contemporary Punk Rock. Later Dinosaur Jr hit the main stage to a less enthusiastic welcome than they deserve.
Dinosaur Jr are one of those bands that everyone has told me about but I was never really sure if I would like them, well their psychedelic approach to Indie Rock has swayed me, I may have to get some of their albums even if the only song I recognized was their whammy bar heavy cover of The Cures Just Like Heaven. I then catch the first half hour of Garbages set.
Im impressed they sound as heavy as they do and Im especially please that most of their songs are from the first album (and Shirley is looking incredibly fit today). I tear myself away from perving over Ms. Manson and fight my way to the front of Napstar stage Raging Speedhorn
, tonight featuring ex-members of Defenistration and Hard To Swallow. Bloody Kev does an adequate job of filling Frank Reagans shoes but only that, adequate. He cant quite pull off Franks ability to scream melodically, which makes the chorus of Scrapin The Resin sound flat just shouted (I wouldnt like to hear how he does Scaramanga or Heartbreaker), because he has only joined just a week ago (due to Frank leaving right before they embarked on their current tour) they only do the songs he know best, which means a lot from the first album, which is very cool. After Speedhorns set I find myself on the very front row (which I have never done at any festival) for Napalm Death set.
Im a little disappointed that most of the songs are culled from the last two album but it is nice to finally see these old men playing ridiculously fast music, I even find myself enjoying their bad cover of Dead Kennedys Nazi Punks Fuck Off, a pleasant end to the first day.
Saturday, Ozzfest day. I see the first two songs of Johnny Truants set
before dashing off to see Anthrax on the main stage.
This is a must see as the classic Among The Living-era line up have reformed, and you could have wrote the set list yourself, Among The Living, Got The Time, Caught In A Mosh, I Am The Law, Indians (during the break down Joey Belladonna dons an Indian head dress and runs around the stage, pointless yes but I can now say that I have seen it). Fanthrashingtastic. I miss the beginning of The Explosions set
as I started walking towards the wrong tent and didnt realize until it was too late. I hated this band when I first heard them but after a few more listens to their Rock n Roll based Pop Punk they began to seem charming, as is their live performance. Later is Hundred Reasons and A side project Lucky Nine.
They play Refused meets Quicksand style boundary pushing Emo-core, well it would be boundary pushing if they were trying to sound like those bands but they are entertaining enough. This is the big one now,
Black Sabbath have reformed for the umpteenth time but the main difference is that Im hear to see them another case of writing the set list yourself: N.I.B., War Pigs, Electric Funeral, The Wizard, Into The Void and even some unexpected songs like After Forever and Dirty Women. A couple of things that annoy me about their set is not playing some classic songs all the way through (they only play the intros to Symptom Of The Universe, Sweat Leaf and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath) and Ozzy feeling the need to tell everyone how much he loves them even during the songs (the song Black Sabbath definitely doesnt sound as evil and moody when it is interspersed with shouts of I LOVE YOU ALL). For an encore they play half of Sleeping Village before playing Children Of The Grave as their last song (this especially means a lot to me as its my favorite Sabbath song), I could cry by the time they finish.
Sunday, you could just call this the Metal day I suppose. The security have gotten wise to the fact that a lot of people are just pushing in rather than queuing so we are all made to wait as the doors to the gates of the arena are delayed by thirty minutes (just at the time when Henry Rollins is supposed to start). Thankfully they have delayed the Napstar stage in accordance with the late doors.
Henry goes on to do an hour long spoken word set (15 minutes more than he is supposed to do) telling us of his hatred of George Bush, entertaining troops in Iraq and Afghanistan (on his recent DVD he said he took the opportunity to do this as Im against the war but Im not against the troops) and how he got revenge on some American marines who came to one of his bands shows in Japan and started beating up all the Japanese kids. I then dash off to the Snickers stage to see Send More Paramedics, on the way I spy Matt Zane of Society 1 getting hooks put through his back for the suspension during his bands set. As I climb up the hill I hear strains of Cannibal.
I get in the tent to see the band in full Zombie make up (just like all their gigs) and even some people in the mosh pit too are dressed up as the undead, I even see one bald guy who has to keep pulling out an inhaler every few minutes (how hard would that suck to die and still have asthma). They play a good cross section of songs from both their albums and even the song Send More Paramedics from their demo tape days. I then go back to the main stage to catch the last two songs of Society 1s set.
Before the last song Zane informs us that this has made a new world record for the longest ever suspension, I winch every time he swings around the stage from the hooks in his back. I dont really like a lot of MTV Hardcore bands but there is something charming about As I Lay Dying.
I watch them play their set of belligerent Progressive Metalcore and have a sit down to save some energy, I was going to watch The Saints but I decide against it as they are play way over the other side of the arena and the Napstar stage is delayed because of earlier, so I just get some orange juice and sit at the back of the Snickers tent while shitty Caliban play. I get up to watch Helmet
(who play twice this weekend due to the fact that their set clashed with Black Sabbath and the organizers thought that was a mean thing to do to them), We played yesterday, were Velvet Revolver from Los Angeles jokes Page Hamilton before his band lunge into their own particular brand of Alternative music which falls between Grunge and Stoner Rock but not belonging to either camp. Next are Shadows Fall
, who are OK at best but lets face it, they sound like every other modern Thrash/Metalcore band around. There are the most insane circle pits I have ever seen during their set though (damn this digital camera Im carrying, I would be in there if it wasnt for the fear Id brake/lose you). When people say that such and such band is the future of Heavy Metal, well Mastodon are it
, playing a style so new no one knows what to call it. A lot of annoying Metal kiddies show up for their set and start a bottle fight before they go on (one girl standing next to me nearly had her eye taken out by an empty water bottle), ah well you cant expect to keep a band to yourself forever. I walk over to the main stage to see Slayer
, it may be that Im tired, ill, behind on sleep and the people around me are smoking but I cant get into their set until they play Blood Red, from then on I find myself singing along to every song. Back to the Snickers stage to catch the end of Funeral For A Friends set.
I dont mind missing most of their set as Ive seen them three times before and Im quite dazed from the day so far. I wake up for MC5
, who are great up until they bring out a guy who used to sing in an old Punk band called the dictators and looks like a really bad wrestler to sing some of their songs (he does bring some charm to the song High School, which Ive never seen them play and always hoped they would so Ill give him credit for that). The highlight of their set is definitely when Lemmy comes out to sing on their cover of Chuck Berrys Back In The USA.
And now those words we have been waiting to hear all day We are Motrhead, and we play Rock n Roll.
Their set is mostly derived from their classic albums Overkill, Ace Of Spades and Bomber (though curiously not the song Bomber). Lemmy keeps asking to have his bass turned up and by the end of their set it sounds so loud its frightening. After my ears have had a good hiding I walk down to the main stage to see the last hour of System Of A Down.
They play a load of songs from Toxicity in a row as well as a couple from their last album and three from the first. Id enjoy their set a lot more if I wasnt so ill and tired, early night for me.
We take our tents down (everyone else complaining that they have caught my cold). We take an hour and a half to get out of the car park (another personal best compared to the three hours it took to get out of the Reading car park last year). I get dropped off about three oclock, tired, sun burnt and my health forsaken, but totally worth it.
Download Festival, Donington Park, 10-12 June (or Goatboys adventures at castle Donington)
This review is written from my point of view as I experienced this festival, Gonzo Journalism style, baby[/Hunter S. Thompson].
We pick up the last of our group from Gravesend and after filling the boot and backseat of the car with our tents, bags and food we head of at about 8:30 pm, arriving at Donington at about 10:30, our tents are up before midnight, a personal best for us.
The next morning we take a walk into the town of Donington only to discover that there is hardly anything there, so we take an hours bus ride to Nottingham to check it out (tis cool).
Friday, the Indie day. The gates are half an hour late in opening, the pissed of campers start a bottle fight (the first of many we shall see over the weekend).
When the gates do open I make my way to the snickers stage to see Flogging Molly. The comedian Al Murray (you know, the pub landlord off Time Gentlemen Please) once said What is it with American pretending to be Irish, as if being American isnt bad enough. That having said, the faux Irish folk/punkers are impossible not to like (you try listening to Drunken Lullabies and not find yourself singing along to the chorus by the end of it) and the one member of Flogging Molly who is actually Irish (Dave King) is possibly the most charismatic front man in contemporary Punk Rock. Later Dinosaur Jr hit the main stage to a less enthusiastic welcome than they deserve. Dinosaur Jr are one of those bands that everyone has told me about but I was never really sure if I would like them, well their psychedelic approach to Indie Rock has swayed me, I may have to get some of their albums even if the only song I recognized was their whammy bar heavy cover of The Cures Just Like Heaven. I then catch the first half hour of Garbages set. Im impressed they sound as heavy as they do and Im especially please that most of their songs are from the first album (and Shirley is looking incredibly fit today). I tear myself away from perving over Ms. Manson and fight my way to the front of Napstar stage Raging Speedhorn, tonight featuring ex-members of Defenistration and Hard To Swallow. Bloody Kev does an adequate job of filling Frank Reagans shoes but only that, adequate. He cant quite pull off Franks ability to scream melodically, which makes the chorus of Scrapin The Resin sound flat just shouted (I wouldnt like to hear how he does Scaramanga or Heartbreaker), because he has only joined just a week ago (due to Frank leaving right before they embarked on their current tour) they only do the songs he know best, which means a lot from the first album, which is very cool. After Speedhorns set I find myself on the very front row (which I have never done at any festival) for Napalm Death set. Im a little disappointed that most of the songs are culled from the last two album but it is nice to finally see these old men playing ridiculously fast music, I even find myself enjoying their bad cover of Dead Kennedys Nazi Punks Fuck Off, a pleasant end to the first day.
Saturday, Ozzfest day. I see the first two songs of Johnny Truants set
before dashing off to see Anthrax on the main stage. This is a must see as the classic Among The Living-era line up have reformed, and you could have wrote the set list yourself, Among The Living, Got The Time, Caught In A Mosh, I Am The Law, Indians (during the break down Joey Belladonna dons an Indian head dress and runs around the stage, pointless yes but I can now say that I have seen it). Fanthrashingtastic. I miss the beginning of The Explosions set as I started walking towards the wrong tent and didnt realize until it was too late. I hated this band when I first heard them but after a few more listens to their Rock n Roll based Pop Punk they began to seem charming, as is their live performance. Later is Hundred Reasons and A side project Lucky Nine. They play Refused meets Quicksand style boundary pushing Emo-core, well it would be boundary pushing if they were trying to sound like those bands but they are entertaining enough. This is the big one now, Black Sabbath have reformed for the umpteenth time but the main difference is that Im hear to see them another case of writing the set list yourself: N.I.B., War Pigs, Electric Funeral, The Wizard, Into The Void and even some unexpected songs like After Forever and Dirty Women. A couple of things that annoy me about their set is not playing some classic songs all the way through (they only play the intros to Symptom Of The Universe, Sweat Leaf and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath) and Ozzy feeling the need to tell everyone how much he loves them even during the songs (the song Black Sabbath definitely doesnt sound as evil and moody when it is interspersed with shouts of I LOVE YOU ALL). For an encore they play half of Sleeping Village before playing Children Of The Grave as their last song (this especially means a lot to me as its my favorite Sabbath song), I could cry by the time they finish.
Sunday, you could just call this the Metal day I suppose. The security have gotten wise to the fact that a lot of people are just pushing in rather than queuing so we are all made to wait as the doors to the gates of the arena are delayed by thirty minutes (just at the time when Henry Rollins is supposed to start). Thankfully they have delayed the Napstar stage in accordance with the late doors.
Henry goes on to do an hour long spoken word set (15 minutes more than he is supposed to do) telling us of his hatred of George Bush, entertaining troops in Iraq and Afghanistan (on his recent DVD he said he took the opportunity to do this as Im against the war but Im not against the troops) and how he got revenge on some American marines who came to one of his bands shows in Japan and started beating up all the Japanese kids. I then dash off to the Snickers stage to see Send More Paramedics, on the way I spy Matt Zane of Society 1 getting hooks put through his back for the suspension during his bands set. As I climb up the hill I hear strains of Cannibal. I get in the tent to see the band in full Zombie make up (just like all their gigs) and even some people in the mosh pit too are dressed up as the undead, I even see one bald guy who has to keep pulling out an inhaler every few minutes (how hard would that suck to die and still have asthma). They play a good cross section of songs from both their albums and even the song Send More Paramedics from their demo tape days. I then go back to the main stage to catch the last two songs of Society 1s set. Before the last song Zane informs us that this has made a new world record for the longest ever suspension, I winch every time he swings around the stage from the hooks in his back. I dont really like a lot of MTV Hardcore bands but there is something charming about As I Lay Dying. I watch them play their set of belligerent Progressive Metalcore and have a sit down to save some energy, I was going to watch The Saints but I decide against it as they are play way over the other side of the arena and the Napstar stage is delayed because of earlier, so I just get some orange juice and sit at the back of the Snickers tent while shitty Caliban play. I get up to watch Helmet (who play twice this weekend due to the fact that their set clashed with Black Sabbath and the organizers thought that was a mean thing to do to them), We played yesterday, were Velvet Revolver from Los Angeles jokes Page Hamilton before his band lunge into their own particular brand of Alternative music which falls between Grunge and Stoner Rock but not belonging to either camp. Next are Shadows Fall, who are OK at best but lets face it, they sound like every other modern Thrash/Metalcore band around. There are the most insane circle pits I have ever seen during their set though (damn this digital camera Im carrying, I would be in there if it wasnt for the fear Id brake/lose you). When people say that such and such band is the future of Heavy Metal, well Mastodon are it, playing a style so new no one knows what to call it. A lot of annoying Metal kiddies show up for their set and start a bottle fight before they go on (one girl standing next to me nearly had her eye taken out by an empty water bottle), ah well you cant expect to keep a band to yourself forever. I walk over to the main stage to see Slayer, it may be that Im tired, ill, behind on sleep and the people around me are smoking but I cant get into their set until they play Blood Red, from then on I find myself singing along to every song. Back to the Snickers stage to catch the end of Funeral For A Friends set. I dont mind missing most of their set as Ive seen them three times before and Im quite dazed from the day so far. I wake up for MC5, who are great up until they bring out a guy who used to sing in an old Punk band called the dictators and looks like a really bad wrestler to sing some of their songs (he does bring some charm to the song High School, which Ive never seen them play and always hoped they would so Ill give him credit for that). The highlight of their set is definitely when Lemmy comes out to sing on their cover of Chuck Berrys Back In The USA. And now those words we have been waiting to hear all day We are Motrhead, and we play Rock n Roll. Their set is mostly derived from their classic albums Overkill, Ace Of Spades and Bomber (though curiously not the song Bomber). Lemmy keeps asking to have his bass turned up and by the end of their set it sounds so loud its frightening. After my ears have had a good hiding I walk down to the main stage to see the last hour of System Of A Down. They play a load of songs from Toxicity in a row as well as a couple from their last album and three from the first. Id enjoy their set a lot more if I wasnt so ill and tired, early night for me.
We take our tents down (everyone else complaining that they have caught my cold). We take an hour and a half to get out of the car park (another personal best compared to the three hours it took to get out of the Reading car park last year). I get dropped off about three oclock, tired, sun burnt and my health forsaken, but totally worth it.
VIEW 3 of 3 COMMENTS
sky:
no probs 
nightgoat:
just be thankful you didn't have to queue for the shuttle bus then!... 2 and a fucking half hours it took us... 
nice review, you seem to have seen pretty much the same bands i did by and large... motrhead were easily the best band of the whole weekend i thought...
nice review, you seem to have seen pretty much the same bands i did by and large... motrhead were easily the best band of the whole weekend i thought...