FRIDAY
We may have got a taster of it last year, but there’s really no substitute for stepping onto Donington Park’s grounds for a full Download fest. There are four big stages again, the bar queues are reassuringly long, and there’s a bill full of metal for us to enjoy. God, how we’ve missed you, Download! HERIOT open The Dogtooth Stage with flying colours, as Debbie Gough’s extraordinary screams cut through the tent like a machete. Meanwhile, the atmosphere for SKYND is half rave, half morgue; people are dancing, but not sure if they should be. It’s unnerving and exciting, and their eponymous frontwoman looks like a videogame steampunk character. The main stage gets fired up by BURY TOMORROW, who tread the line between party-starting vibes and crushing metalcore ragers. Songs such as Cannibal and Earthbound inspire the first big pits of the weekend and, just like that, it feels like Download’s really back.
Myles Kennedy might have one of the best voices in rock, but without the sound to back him up, the feelgood vibes of are completely lost on the Opus Stage. Approaching 30 years as a band, have mid-afternoon slots nailed, as is delivered with as much slickness and passion
