Download Festival 2024

The Build-up to Download 2024

My 15th Download Festival, and probably the most needed. To say it’s been a tough year would be the biggest understatement I've ever made. I’ve had sciatica making it very difficult to do my job, and not able to play golf at all. Then in the last month, I moved house from somewhere that had been in my family since it was built 71 years ago (I’m not that old!), had serious family health issues that completely changed my ability to do anything but work and be at home.

So when I say I needed Download, I truly mean that! 5 days without any responsibility other than keeping myself alive.

I’ll get the obvious out of the way first…the weather was atrocious. It was as bad as 2012 and 2016 at times. We had a decent day on Wednesday but from Thursday onwards it was not a fun place to be if you hate the rain and mud. Luckily for me, I couldn’t care less and, if anything, I enjoyed it more than the ridiculous heat of last year!

Wednesday:

Wednesday involved the joyous journey up the M42 (including a brain fart moment where I was enjoying singing along to Rollin’ by Limp Bizkit so much that I accidentally went down the M40 for one junction!). After last year's transport fiasco, this year was relatively pain-free. It took 45 minutes to do the last mile but once that was navigated it was fairly easy to get in and get around to where my friends had saved my spot. I saw my spot, it was a space that was just about big enough to do a 420-point turn to get my car in followed by parking my tent next to the awning of their van. On this point, it feels like RIP is being oversold in the hope that some don’t turn up.

The rest of Wednesday was spent re-acquainting myself with fermented apples. I made it through over half my cool box of cider from the tent set up to the early evening wander. That early evening wander is one of many bonuses we get in RIP as we get extra bands on Wednesday and Thursday that they don’t get in the normal camping village. This year we saw a wonderful set from thecityisours, and a less-than-wonderful set from Palm Reader.

Thursday:

Thursday started with Chris and Ashley’s ‘world famous’ breakfast. One of the joys of Download for me is having a cooked breakfast every day, safe in the knowledge that the calories don’t count because I’m on holiday. The other bonus this year was that with only 3 days of music, we got an extra day to have a Chris-cooked evening meal. Whilst we had the same paella on Wednesday that we had last year, this year’s Thursday meal was a Chicken Jalfrezi with extra chilli. It was exceptional.

As for the rest of Thursday, it rained and then it rained and then it rained some more. This was an absolute godsend for me as it meant I didn’t have to do anything. I’ve been crying out for a day of nothingness for a while and all I did was sit, eat and drink. Heaven!

Friday:

After some more showers in the morning, we finally hit music day. And whilst Friday wasn’t particular a day full of bands that I would go out of my way to see, this turned out to be a much better day than initially thought. The day started with a great set from Those Damn Crows (7), who have been steadily building a fan base in South Wales after supporting many bigger bands and getting their name out there. They also brought the rain. I looked and felt delightful…

At this point I headed for the safety and dryness of 3rd Stage (now known as The Avalanche Stage). Here, I saw Aviva (7), who may be the only act I saw over the weekend that I hadn’t seen in any form before. It was a mix of pop-punk-metal that pleased my ears greatly and I will see her again if she appears on my radar.

But the main reason for being in there was Dream State (8), who followed her. This was my first time seeing Jessie on vocals with them after they moved on from CJ. CJ was a tough act to follow, having poured her heart and soul into every live performance, but Jessie went above and beyond! Her vocal range is exceptional and her scream goes straight through you. The other guys in the band all had a perfect day and it lead to a fantastic performance that showed they are a band to be reckoned with.

Friday then drifted along for a bit. A brief watch of Polyphia (5), and Escape The Fate (7), were filler before heading to the main stage for Black Stone Cherry (6). I’ve thought about this rating for a while and decided to stay with my original thought. It may be a little harsh but I just don’t feel like they have improved in the way that I had hoped. There are still singalong songs like ‘Soulcreek’ and ‘Like I Roll,’ but it's just not enough to make it a must-see event like it has been in the past. There is a reason they are moving down the list instead of up it.

Having left before the end of BSC, I headed back to 3rd for one of the bands I was most excited to see but also had much trepidation about, Bayside (9). I have no idea why I was so worried. They flew through a setlist that included old-school bangers like ‘Already Gone’ and perennial closer ‘Devotion and Desire’, but it was a rousing performance of ‘Sick, Sick, Sick’ that really got the crowd stirred with emotion as the entire tent belted out the title words into the chorus. The energy the band showed belittled their status as 24-year veterans of the scene. Let’s hope they return to this side of the Atlantic on a more regular basis.

Staying in the tent it was time for another bit of nostalgia. Wheatus (8) are seeing something of a revival, particularly in the UK. That being said, the reception they got throughout their set was incredible. You could see the excited, shocked glee written all over Brendan B. Brown’s face when the entire tent broke decibel counters for ‘A Little Respect’. As he said, not in his wildest dreams could he imagine leading a singalong of an Erasure cover in a tent at Download when he started this band. ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ takes it up another notch to close one of the most enjoyable sets of the weekend. They return in February, along with another band that will be mentioned later.

After a brief viewing of Heilung (6), who are unlike anything I have ever seen at Download (and that’s saying something!), it was time for my Friday headliners, Funeral For A Friend (9.5). Whoever decided to reach out to Lucas Woodland from the FFAF camp, it was probably the most inspired decision in music for a decade. He has brought new life to the band and it's unlikely that this will be the last time we see them all together. The set is filled with hits such as ‘Juneau’, ‘Streetcar’, and ‘Into Oblivion’, plus an unexpected duet with Charlie Simpson (fresh from his set with Busted on 3rd stage) on ‘All The Rage’. By the time closer ‘Roses For The Dead’ comes along, the entire crowd seem confident they have seen the band of the day and one of the best sets they will see all weekend.

On the way back to the tent I walked past Queens of the Stone Age (5). I’ll admit that I’m not a huge fan, but I actually heard the 3 songs I know and it was still poor. The opener ‘Little Sister’ gave me hope for later, but the butchering of ‘Know One Knows’ showed why I didn’t bother to watch more than 3 songs in total.

Saturday:

I’ve seen some rain and storms during my 15 Download Festivals, but I don’t think I've ever seen or heard one like the one that early on Saturday afternoon. The rain was the size of golf balls, bouncing off cars and tents alike, and the thunder sounded like it was coming from my ears it was that close!

All of this meant that we decided to stay at the campsite for most of the daytime. Once again, for me, this was probably a good thing. We missed a few bands I would have seen but wasn’t desperate to see. This left me with 4 bands to watch for the rest of the day.

I headed for the tent of the Avalanche Stage for the majority of my afternoon/evening, and first up was Silverstein (8). The Canadians were on top form. ‘The Afterglow’ and ‘My Heroine’ were sung with passion by the large crowd that had gathered in the tent but the decision to throw in a cover of Linkin Park’s ‘One Step Closer’ was as smart as it was entertaining. More bands should make use of their moment to entertain at festivals in this way.

I stayed in the tent for Holding Absence (7), my second Lucas Woodland viewing in 2 days. Lucas’ voice felt like it probably hadn’t recovered properly from Friday night’s exertions, and probably the celebrations at what was a mesmeric set. But the rest of the band are on good form and this band is destined for greatness. They have fantastic beliefs and songs to back everything up. Their time will come.

I wasn’t worried about the performance levels from Billy Talent (10), but I was worried that my expectations were too high. They are in my top 3 bands of all time and probably number 1 in live bands. It was the major reason that I even left the campsite on Saturday. I don’t know what I expected but nothing could have measured up to what they produced. It was a set filled with songs from every era of their back catalogue, from their first single ‘Try Honesty’ through to the wonderful ‘I Beg To Differ (This Will Get Better)’.

The latter got me through a lot during lockdowns. This band has got me through a lot in general. And being on the barrier for this performance will be something that will stay with me for a very long time. 15 wonderfully crafted songs interspersed with a small amount of crowd interaction from nutcase lead singer, Ben Kowalewicz. Ian D’Sa’s mind-blowing skills on the guitar are complemented by the drastically underrated bass of Johnny Gallant, who was brilliant with his facial interactions with the crowd, making everyone at the front feel involved and included with the band.

Saturday finished with Fall Out Boy (8). If ever there was a set of two halves for me then this was it. The way they set out their setlist was excellent, and something I believe Taylor Swift does during her 3-hour offerings. They selected 3 or 4 songs from each album, set up the backdrop of the album behind them for each, and led everyone in a big singalong throughout.

The reason this turned into two halves for me is that I’m not a fan of their newer albums. The joy for me was that it meant I could return to camp just after the halfway point. The first half was 10/10 for me, though. Opening with a snippet of ‘Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes’ they bounced into the Take This To Your Grave album with the spellbinding ‘Chicago Is So Two Years Ago’ before Patrick Stump uttered the words “Where is your boy tonight, I hope he is a gentleman..”. The crowd bounced along to hits ‘Sugar, We’re Going Down’ and ‘Dance, Dance’ as they worked through the singles from From Under The Cork Tree and Infinity On High. By the time newer songs ‘The Phoenix and ‘My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark come along, my back is in pieces and it's time for me to depart. Whilst I am not a massive fan of the rest of the setlist, other than the closer, Saturday, which I heard from the campsite, this is a success for a band that probably didn’t think they would ever be a headliner of such a festival. It’s also a success for Andy Copping in booking them as, unlike the day before, the crowd is packed all the way back up the hill, and everyone seems to be enjoying themselves.

Sunday:

Day 5, and my back is now wishing it hadn’t rained quite so much that mud is covering my entire feet in my wellies. My brain, however, is so looking forward to this day. Whilst I know that there will have to be a few difficult decisions on which bands to see and which bands to miss, I hadn’t had a day with this much potential at Download for a very long time. 10/12 band days don’t have as much quality as the 6 I was about to see and hear.

Firstly, I had to take all of my stuff down and pack the car so that I could make a quick exit later. It took me all of 15 minutes, thanks to the easiest tent in the world to take down. I can’t recommend the Vango Banshee Pro 300 enough if you want something that will withstand almost any weather and is easy to set up and take down.

And so, after a brief delay due to the weather, it was time for music. And first up was Creeper (10). Anyone who knows me knows my obsession with this band, and while this set might not be one for the old-school Creeper fans who weren’t enamoured with Sanguivore, it hits every note I want from a Creeper gig. The opening, with dancers emerging before the band and then bursting into ‘Cry To Heaven,’ is as theatrical as it is musically wonderful.

Ian Miles' guitar playing is another that can be filed under the massively underrated banner as he goes from solo to solo. Sean, in a black tank top and bare midriff, while playing bass, is probably most at home at Download, given his love of metal. The additions of Lawrie and Jake on guitar and drums over the last few years have solidified the band. But it’s the vocals of Will Ghould and Hannah Greenwood that make this band stand out musically from all others in their genre. Wembley awaits in October.

Parkway Drive (8) are the least secret of secret bands by the time Saturday evening has come around, and by the time they unleash into ‘Glitch’, not only is the tent of 4th stage heaving but it's 25/30 people deep all around the outside. It could have been a dangerous thing to do and could have caused mayhem, but thankfully, it stayed just on the right side of manic. Whilst I only stayed for the following hits, ‘Prey’ and ‘Vice Grip’, it's clear that this is a triumphant visit. I will just be happy when I can actually see them again, as well as hear them.

And so I headed back down the hill to watch the self-proclaimed ‘greatest band in the world’, Bowling For Soup (9). They are missing Chris Burnie after a medical problem meant that he ended up in a hospital in Europe and had to fly home to a hospital in the USA. Most bands would put a backing track over the top to maintain the same sound. BFS doesn’t do that. Everything they do musically is live. And so Jaret picks up the slack and plays whichever of lead and rhythm is needed.

It’s a brilliant performance that is perfect for a warm Sunday afternoon at a festival. There are singalongs, there’s laughter, there are guest appearances from members of Zebrahead and Branden from Wheatus, who they play a small snippet of Teenage Dirtbag with to announce their joint tour in February. It’s Bowling For Soup doing what they always do but with the addition of 50,000 people.

This is Sum 41’s (8) last UK festival appearance. There’s a hint to at least one more show before they finish (probably at Wembley) but if this was to be their last then they went out in style. I could listen to, and watch, Dave Baksh play guitar every day and not get bored. The guy is a genius. And this is a set full of songs that are sung back at them from an ever-increasing crowd who are all getting ready for what is to come next.

And that is Limp Bizkit (10). I’m going to say it…there isn’t a better frontman than Fred Durst. There are better singers, there are more athletic performers, but there’s nobody who can do what Durst does. The ability to have the crowd at his fingertips for an hour, while being the epitome of cool without even trying, is remarkable. The guy is standing on stage in chinos, a Japanese baseball-style top, and a bucket hat, and yet everyone takes what he says as golden.

They’ve had to make changes as they have gotten older. DJ Lethal plays random songs between each live song, mainly to give the band a break. But Durst uses these as an opportunity to get the crowd involved. Not many can get 80,000 rock/metalheads to sing Careless Whisper before launching into a chaotic cover of George Michael’s ‘Faith’. There’s nobody like Bizkit, and they really show that at Festivals by going through their surprisingly large catalogue of huge hits.

Super Sunday finishes with the 3rd Headline slot of Avenged Sevenfold’s (7) Download career. And whilst this is probably my least favourite of the 3, they still show enough to suggest that they are now becoming the old guard, along with Slipknot, that will take over from the likes of Sabbath and Maiden as the go-to guys for the legends spot.

Hits such as ‘Afterlife’ and ‘Bat Country’ will always be worthy of the top slot and the new songs, whilst not my can of cider (I don’t do tea), seem to go down well with the fans. They definitely won the t-shirt battle on Sunday! All that was left was for me to have a last little sit-down in the guest area, and I was delighted that I did, because it allowed me to meet the wonderful Will Ghould after Creeper’s excellent set earlier in the day.

Conclusion:

All in all, this will probably go down as one of my favourite Downloads and certainly my favourite of the new post-COVID era. As usual, my ticket was secured for next year before most people got home on Monday. Bring on 2025!!