As we approached the second day, covered in mud with sore feet from wearing wellies for what felt like a lifetime, it was time to enjoy a second full day of epic music! Read our review of the Saturday of this year’s Download Festival below…
Page 44 – Zippo Stage – Reviewer: Steph Knight
Last year saw the best year of this four-piece’s career to date, as they won the Red Bull Bedroom Jam competition and toured the UK with one of Wales’ front running bands, The Blackout. 2012 seems to nearly top it as they opened the second stage of the Saturday of this year’s Download Festival. As you couldn’t exactly describe them as ‘metal’ you could feel the band’s nerves from the stage as many fans stood in front of them sporting their Metallica tees. As soon as they mounted the stage you could feel how much this did not phase the band.
They smashed straight into their hit single ‘Watch Me Fade’ fresh off their ‘Leave The Last Man Behind’ EP, with ‘Answers’ being our personal favourite of their set today. For being so early in the morning their crowd was impressive as was their sound. Anyone who thinks different needs their head testing: no other band that weekend got a crowd that large so early in the morning. Hats off to them! 9/10
Don Broco – Pepsi Max Stage – Reviewer: Steph Knight
Let’s be honest with you: when have Don Broco ever given a half hearted performance in their lives? You got it, never! Today was just another walk in the park for them as they hammered out every track they performed with utter perfection. The highlight of their set by a mile was new track ‘Priorities’; the walk is seriously the next big thing as the entire audience shout back to the band ‘I miss you pumpkin, I miss you babe’. As the day dawns for their debut album release, also titled ‘Priorities’, it is inevitable things are only going to get better for Team Broco. 10/10
My Passion – Pepsi Max Stage – Reviewer: Steph Knight
Having the pleasure of watching this band from side stage today we had the atmosphere from both angles. As the band launch themselves around the stage, the crowd go just as wild in front of them. The crowd scream the lyrics to every track they perform for us whilst lead vocalist Laurence Rene jumps up and down continuously while still slaying out a flawless vocal.
A seven month break seems to have made no changes to their live onslaught: yeah Tenacious D were playing main stage, yeah they have a new line up, but their enthusiasm in itself is still most definitely mouth watering. Bring on album three: we are more than ready for some more My Passion action! 8/10
Fearless Vampire Killers – Red Bull Stage – Reviewer: Louisa Smith
These boys were so sexy that everyone in the first three rows was carried away on stretchers as the overall power from these five rockers blew them off their feet. Well, not literally, but it looked that way! Their cover of Rage Against The Machine‘s ‘Killing In The Name Of..’ was welcomed by the crowd and the whole set was received with amazement and applause. For Download first timers, they were killing it tonight. 8/10
Steel Panther – Main Stage – Reviewer: Louisa Smith
If you weren’t watching Steel Panther this year, you sincerely missed out. Every time this band play they bring out the best of British sexiness as more titties were shown in this set than in a whole issue of Nuts magazine. Musically, they sound as raw and raunchy as they ever have, with their head banging riffs and anthemic, comical lyrics being sung by every person in the crowd. ‘Just Like Tiger Woods’ and ‘17 Girls In A Row’ were off the scale on the clapometer and when Corey Taylor came out to perform ‘Death To All But Metal’…priceless. 9/10
Halestorm – Zippo Encore Stage – Reviewer: Emily Carter
Fresh from the Kerrang! awards with her newly improved status as ‘Hottest Female in Rock’, Lzzy Hale and her Halestorm crew take to the stage with a real flair, blasting straight into ‘Love Bites (So Do I)’ and really brightening up our cold Saturday morning. Their infectious hard-rock goes down a treat, and Lzzy Hale’s fierce vocals are on fine form. Tracks like ‘I Get Off’ and ‘Freak Like Me’ are punchy and effective, and overall Halestorm deliver yet another memorable set. We cannot wait to see them again when they come back to the UK for their own headline tour later in the year. 8/10
Black Veil Brides – The Jim Marshall Stage – Reviewer: Emily Carter
Marmite rockers Black Veil Brides are up next, and before their set even starts, it is pretty inevitable that they are going to get a bottling. Their outlandish image and glam metal tunes have always caused a bit of a divide between rock fans, and it seems to be the case today that a small minority of the crowd love them, but the majority REALLY hate them. Andy Biersack and co. handle their cruel reception extremely well though, with Andy even encouraging the crowd to at least aim properly if they want to hit him. Black Veil Brides nobly endure the bottling and carry on playing regardless, and they play bloody well considering the circumstances. Whether you love or hate them, you can’t deny the catchiness of their music, and tracks like ‘The Legacy’ and ‘Rebel Love Song’ sound absolutely magnificent today. It’s not particularly graceful at times, but it is nevertheless a very successful set. 7/10
Trivium – The Jim Marshall Stage – Reviewer: Emily Carter
Playing a slot seven years on from a performance on the very stage which essentially made the band who they are today has meant that the hype surrounding Trivium’s set today is colossal. Nothing much seems to have changed since their main stage opener in 2005; they are still as hungry and passionate as before, although there is no doubt that this time around the band are far more experienced in annihilating crowds. Matt Heafy is an impressive frontman, and Trivium have the audience in the palm of their hands for a devastating duo of opening songs in the shape of ‘In Waves’ and ‘Pull Harder On The Strings Of Your Martyr‘. The band deliver a set list of pure metal, with record numbers of circle pits erupting all over the place. ‘A Gunshot To The Head Of Trepidation’ and ‘Thrones of Perdition‘ are both crushing numbers, but to find a particular highlight in this set is nigh-on impossible, as Trivium put on a mind-blowing show. There is no denying that they are one of the best metal bands around at the moment, and it is an absolute privilege to watch them live. 10/10
Lower Than Atlantis – Zippo Encore Stage – Reviewer: Emily Carter
Watford-based melodic hardcore crew Lower Than Atlantis have gained a mighty high spot on the Zippo Encore Stage this year, and Mike Duce and the gang demonstrate why this is the case with their performance today. They’re certainly not one of the heaviest bands on the bill, but their catchy punk tunes seem to tie in nicely with the sun making a rare appearance on this Saturday afternoon. The band are tight, and an exclusive performance of new song ‘Changing Tune’ sounds faultless. We cannot wait for their new album, and their own headline tour later on in the year. 7/10
Sylosis – Pepsi Max Stage – Reviewer: Emily Carter
Pure unadulterated metal seems to be the general theme of Sylosis’ set over on the Pepsi Max Stage this evening. They are loud, aggressive, and (as always) devastating live. It is nothing out of the ordinary for a Sylosis show, and although the speakers fail to live up to Sylosis’ thrashing guitars and pounding drums which is a little disappointing, the band themselves never fault. They’re always a reliable booking, so let’s hope they’ll be back again next year! 8/10
Corey Taylor – Pepsi Max Stage – Reviewer: Emily Carter
In Download Festival’s 10 magnificent years of running, there have only been two years where metal God Corey Taylor hasn’t played in some way, shape or form. This is why it is absolutely no surprise to see the Pepsi Max tent full to the brim of his loyal fans tonight. Opening with Stone Sour classics ‘Bother’ and ‘Through Glass’ gets the audience’s vocals suitably warmed up, ready for a spine-tingling version of Slipknot’s ‘Snuff’, and a hilarious acoustic take on ‘Spit It Out’. “When I say, hop on one leg, what are you gonna do?” Corey shouts, as the entire tent promptly obeys his ridiculous command and starts a synchronised hopping session. It’s obviously not quite as powerful as if you were at a Slipknot show, but it’s certainly effective in a more comical way. Once Corey gets his own songs out of the way, he plays a number of covers, including the likes of Alice In Chains, Nine Inch Nails and AC/DC, with Halestorm frontwoman Lzzy Hale joining him on stage for a fantastic rendition of ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’. Delivering arguably the greatest set of the entire weekend has left us questioning why Corey wasn’t headlining tonight, but as he goes on to explain that he was offered a later set but wanted to watch Metallica instead, all is forgiven. Fingers crossed he will be back again in 2013, though next time as rightful headliner. 10/10
Biffy Clyro – Main Stage – Reviewer: Steph Knight
Scottish-grown Biffy Clyro are known for their exceptional live performances and Download Festival was set to be another one of those days for the band. As they smashed out their well known anthems today, it was blatant to see how loved this band have become over the years.
Standout tracks of their set today were without a doubt ‘That Golden Rule’, ‘Who’s Got A Match’, ‘Bubbles’ and set closer ‘The Captain’; a finely picked set from the band’s epic discography. Every single person in the whole vicinity knew at least one Biffy song and the view from the top of the famous Download dip today was a spectacle to witness. The sea of swaying bodies and lights coming from the stage was breathtaking. This band were no doubt a festival highlight of the weekend, as expected. 10/10
You Me At Six – Zippo Encore Stage – Reviewer: Emily Carter
After You Me At Six’s successful rise to the top of the mainstream modern-day rock hierarchy, it seems they have yet to conquer the world of metal, as tonight’s poor turnout would suggest. Going up against the legendary Metallica at the world’s biggest metal festival meant that You Me At Six would never fully get their chance to convert any potential new fans anyway, but they certainly give it their best shot with what they’ve got. With crowd-surfers, shirt whirling and pyro galore, the Surrey quintet deliver a proper bad-ass rock show, with outstanding tracks like ‘The Swarm’ and ‘Underdog’ sounding as triumphant as ever. A world exclusive in the shape of Oli Sykes joining the band on stage for a mind-blowing ‘Bite My Tongue’ means that it is a genuine shame that there aren’t more people here to enjoy the spectacle, but if there is a next time (which we’re sure there will be) then let’s hope the turnout will be the kind You Me At Six deserve. 9/10
Metallica – The Jim Marshall Stage – Reviewer: Emily Carter
To see Metallica playing one of the greatest albums of all time in the metal world’s holy land has been one of the biggest attractions of making the journey to Download this year. ‘The Black Album’ is a record which has been around longer than some of us have even been alive, and sold a mindboggling number of copies, so to hear it in full tonight really is an absolute honour. Classics like ‘Don’t Tread On Me’, ‘Wherever I May Roam’ and ‘Sad But True’ sound positively beastly alongside other renowned tracks like ‘Master of Puppets’ and ‘One’. Although it was always inevitable that Metallica were going to own the stage tonight, they truly are on magnificent form. The only let down, it has to be said, is a two minute (yes, we timed it) singalong right in the middle of ‘Enter Sandman’, where James Hetfield embarrassingly yells things like “Can you feel me?” and “I can feel you!” Despite this mega cringey call-out, Metallica sound explosive, and the fireworks that erupt behind them at the end of the set are perfectly fitting. Is there any band in the world who are more of a joy to watch than Metallica? The answer, of course, is no. 9/10
Reviewers: Emily Carter, Steph Knight & Louisa Smith
