Word filtered round on Friday afternoon that a portion of Lemmy Kilmister's ashes had arrived at Download. As part of the ongoing Lemmy Forever initiative, a miniature of his custom urn had been enshrined inside a classic fruit machine in the onsite Lemmy's Lounge, with Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan on hand to mark the occasion after stepping in at the last minute following the death of Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell earlier this year. Only at Download, really. The past and the present are always part of the same conversation here, and this 23rd edition spent three days proving it.
With Glastonbury on a fallow year and 95,000 people at Donington Park, there were more eyes on Download this year. Friday belonged to Limp Bizkit, finally claiming the headline slot they pulled out of at the very first Download back in 2003. There was something pretty satisfying about watching Fred Durst take it 23 years later. Halestorm, though, were the big story of the day. For me, Lzzy Hale is one of the most commanding live performers in rock. It certainly feels like her moment to headline the Apex Stage is coming soon.
The surprise of the weekend came on Friday, too, on the Avalanche Stage. Silly Goose, an Atlanta rap-rock trio, who apparently built their following playing car parks and petrol stations, brought raw, unpolished energy that the bigger stages can sometimes take the edges off. They pulled me straight back to the mid-90s, and a moment when bands like Californian rap metallers, Downset, were proving that hip-hop and hardcore could blend into something genuinely angry and genuinely fun at the same time. It's a bit early to say whether Silly Goose are of the same calibre, but on Friday afternoon at Donington, they were the most exciting band on the site.
It's also worth mentioning the crowd, because it strikes me every time I'm there. Metal has one of the most misunderstood reputations in music. From the outside, 95,000 people gathered around the loudest, aggressive sounds music has to offer can look intimidating and uninviting. From the inside, it's anything but. Someone falls, multiple hands pull them up. The community has held this way across decades of lineup changes and cultural reinventions. The music evolves, the world moves on, and the people just keep being amazing.
Saturday's headliners Guns N' Roses, back at Donington for the third time, were professional, sure. Punctual, yes. But for long stretches quite dull, if I'm being honest. And I kind of expected it. The songs deserve more than coasting, and a set nearly three hours long needed a serious edit. Lowen, however, were extraordinary. The British-Iranian doom metal band, fronted by Nina Saeidi, produced the sort of set people love to claim credit for discovering. Watch out for them.
Also, just dipping back into Friday's line up, Stampin' Ground, who were back at Donington for the first time since 2003, were a reminder that British hardcore doesn't need reinventing. In a weekend full of bands pointing towards where heavy music might go next, there was something grounding and reassuring about watching a band who helped lay the foundations simply get on with it. Frontman Adam Frakes-Sime pulled a calf muscle mid-set and carried on regardless, which tells you everything you need to know.
As for Sunday, that was really all about Linkin Park. Emily Armstrong has faced a lot of scrutiny since joining the band, and the questions about whether a Donington crowd would get behind her were legitimate. The answer arrived fast. She walked out, the field roared, and the first chorus came straight back at her. The set had its' rough patches, and a mid-show detour into Mike Shinoda's solo material felt a bit misplaced. But the closing run of What I've Done, Numb, Heavy is the Crown, Papercut, In the End and Faint was just big! The history-making aspect, with Armstrong the first woman to headline Download in its 23 years, felt almost secondary. She and the band were simply the best headliner of the weekend.
Download feels like it's back. And I did not see that coming with this line up.
