24 June 2016 (gig)
12 July 2016
Drownlaod festival 2016 was a festival of beginnings and endings; beginnings such as: Frank Carters blossoming career since ‘Pure Love’ and ‘The Gallows’ into what is going to be an exciting adventure with the inventively named ‘Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes’, and endings such as: what the rain didn’t do.
So, we shall address the very soggy elephant in the room and get started with the conditions endured and downpour festival (I’m running low on word play for: it rained at download).
IT WAS WET.
In case you hadn’t deduced yet, from start to finish it was raining more often than it wasn’t. Being put to sleep slightly merry lets say, by the slight pitter-patter of rain drops atop your tent is a rather soothing way to drift off but being awoken by the ever so slight hammering of a tsunami like water load is not a motivating way to start your day. It was borderline ridiculous when the thunder and lightning started on the Friday but then it was fitting seeing as Motorhead were originally meant to perform that day. However, and it is a very big however, if there were ever a crowd to embrace torrential rain of biblical proportion then it is the rock and metal crowd. Aside from the genre-defining line-up, the people are what made this festival enjoyable rather than just bearable. Despite what outsiders of the genre might think the metal fans are a soft and warm-hearted bunch full of true fans and music lovers. There were topless guys fully accepting the fact that none of their clothes will ever be dry again and just as scantily clad ladies embracing the same fact, singing their hearts out to their favourite bands iconic songs which, for some, may be the last time heard live. It was inspiring to be a part of.
Speaking of inspiration, one highly engaging act stole the show at Download, who will go on to be a real juggernaut in the genre was ‘Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes’. Head to toe oozing with confidence and a swagger not seen on one of the smaller stages, Frank Carter burst onto the stage like a real punk rocker of a by gone era, exploding life into a subgenre that was stagnating and starting anew, performing the aptly named Blossom in its almost entirety. He had us all fixated, fully emotionally invested in what he was singing and how it was being performed. Standing on the crowd’s heads and shoulders by the second song is a great way to get some attention. It wasn’t all rock star clichés though; Frank knew when it was right to change the pace and did so perfectly with ‘I hate you” a wonderfully paradoxical song sung softly, melodically and incredibly invitingly about how much you hate someone’s complete existence and how you want to hit them as hard “as an asteroid from space”, a rather amusing, but an all too relatable song. This, along with beautiful death, a song about the loss of his step-father and the single ‘Juggernaut’, are great examples of his dynamism and a demonstration of how this music genre is about so much more than aggression.
The Friday night headliners were also a dynamic and rather eclectic bunch: Rammstein. Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden are legends within their own right and will of course be two of my favourite acts of the weekend but not considering their legendary status then I have to say it would have been Rammstein. My German isn’t all that great, so it was down to their performance to win me over and they did a fine job. Rammstein’s set was full of musical stories, drama and pyrotechnics you could feel warming your face from the very back of the crowd. An awe-inspiring show that I would recommend anyone regardless of your German fluency.
First wet sleep and into Saturday: a worthy mention would be Rival Sons, the support acts on Black Sabbaths ‘The End’ tour. Despite their talent and great big stage sound I can’t help but think they are an odd choice to support the creators of metal; their sound is very ‘The Black Keys’ with a bit of ‘Jack White’ and other artists of the same style and, don’t get me wrong, of the same calibre. None of which means they were by any stretch of the imagination bad, in fact quite the opposite, perfect for the time of day; mid-afternoon waking everybody up before the Big Guns in the evening, hugely enjoyable just an odd choice for a support act I feel, see if you agree, check out the single ‘Electric Man’.
An ever wetter sleep and finally into Sunday: a highlight of the day was the highly reputable Billy Talent. Performing quite late on a Sunday to a very wet crowd, who’s famed metal enthusiasm is now starting to wane; Billy Talent had their work cut out. They prevailed however and shone through the rain keeping crowd interaction at a high and keeping the crowd moving and warm with foot stomper after foot stomper. Highlight of the set was definitely ‘Rusted from the rain’, firstly because of its relevancy to this drenched crowd but secondly because of its massive bass and guitar riffs that work so well on a stage of the Encores size.
So, why no mention of the Legends of the weekend, why no Sabbath praise, or Maiden worship? These two heavyweights have created and defined a genre over years of tireless work, and need no more talking up on my part. Iron Maiden excited the crowd not only with their age and ability to still be running around and belting out songs but their almost pantomime show, constant costume changes From Bruce Dickinson and a gigantic stilt walking Eddie the Head trundling about on stage. Iron Maiden also excited the crowd by mentioning the fact that they will be coming back next year to tour the whole country, something Sabbath will not be doing. This is why this Sabbath show was so special, seeing the fathers of a genre that evidently means so much to thousands of people from different generations, wave goodbye to Donington park and, to most people attending, goodbye for good was a touching moment and something a lot of fans of all ages will be proud to say they were there for. A day that will be historic in the rock calendar and a day that should be envied by so many.
