Last weekend I attended the Download Festival for the first time. I work two festivals a year as an Oxfam volunteer, and since Womad was having a year off, I had to look elsewhere. Always good to broaden the horizons and this is how I ended up at "the spiritual home of rock".
The history of Download goes back to 1980, when it started as 'Monsters of Rock', though often just referred to as 'Donnington'. In the festival program Green Day mentioned looking up old footage:"AC/DC and Slade... it goes so far back. There was that infamous show that Twisted Sister played, going back to forty years ago. We're really, really excited that we get to play it now. The UK puts on the best festivals".
Korn's Jonathan Davis also paid his respects to the festival, which they finally got to headline on their 10th appearance. Donnington became Download in 2003.
I am not a metalhead, but do like a wide variety of music. I had done my homework and also had faith in the organization of such a long-established festival. I had a great time and am already thinking I would like to go again. I immediately liked the no nonsense vibe around the site. No hipsters, no influencers, just music fans. It is definitely the friendliest festival I have ever worked at.
The site is divided into three main areas: The Arena, with four main stages that have music Friday, Saturday and Sunday; District X, which has some smaller stages, a funfair and where a lot of the food and merch stalls are; and for a first time steward there is a mind boggling array of camping fields to get one's head around, from regular to quiet, family, access, staff, and various kinds of glamping.
Watching bands was a joy. Folks find their spot and stay and watch. None of those groups that push their way in front of you, start looking at their phones, take photos and push past you to leave again. Some people recorded stuff, but there certainly wasn't this experiencing-the-event-through-your-phone vibe that affects the atmosphere at so many festivals and concerts nowadays. And if people did talk through the music, it was loud enough that you wouldn't hear them.
These were my highlights:
1. THE SCRATCH (Doghouse)
I had been aware of the Scratch for some time, but had not seen them. They are from Dublin and come Lankum-approved. I also knew they had collaborated with Sharon Shannon - curious for a band at a metal fest. The Scratch have two guitarists, a bass player and a percussionist. All members sing. Their music is an intriguing mix of tribal rhythms, traditional elements and heavy bass and guitars. It is totally unique. If I had to compare them to anyone, I'd say mix Kíla with Thin Lizzy plus some Pogues and Iron Maiden. It's a hoot and I will definitely go and see them again, which is always the best result of a festival performance.
2. KORN (Apex)
Korn delivered a proper proper headline set, with great lights, visuals, the works. I was not familiar with their music at all, but loved the show all the way through, possibly helped by the fact that I had a perfect spot - in the back of the pit, with fantastic sound, a clear view of stage and screens, no tall people in front of me and enthusiastic folks around me, who knew all the words and belted along to everything. Heavy music is okay with me, as long as it has melody and non-growling vocals. Korn ticked those boxes. There were fantastic guitar solo's too and several of them have great hair - always a bonus.
3. PALAYE ROYALE (Apex)
Palaye Royale came recommended by some of my Måneskin friends. The band was formed in 2008 by two Canadian brothers. They became Palaye Royale in 2011, and are a trio, with two additional touring members. They play a kind of New York Dolls-style glamrock which I find very easy to like. Singer Remington Leith is a natural frontman with a great voice. Another band I want to see again. Their song 'No Love in L.A.' has been stuck inside my head for days.
4. THE DARKNESS (Opus)
I have a soft spot for the Darkness since seeing them at Glastonbury 2003, when they were the opening act on the Pyramid stage. At the time, I just came walking down the hill from my tent when they were on. "What on Earth is this?" was my first reaction. Loved them. It is well-known that some of the band went through a dark period, but they are back and clean and still really popular, judging by the size of the crowd. Justin Hawkins is a real character whose stage banter is as entertaining as his singing. I have to mention his guitar skills too. Such a fun show.
5. GREEN DAY (Apex)
I know quite a few people who are massive Green Day fans so I was curious to see what the fuss was all about. I am somewhat convinced now. Green Day have a hand full of very good songs - 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams', 'Basket Case' and especially the very lovely 'Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)', which was played as the final encore. Quite a few acts at Download hardly talked at all, but the admirably young-looking Billie Joe Armstrong talked at length, and was very likeable. I had half expected to come away with a desire to go and buy their 'Greatest Hits', but that did not happen. This show came straight after an eight hour shift for me, and I wasn't in the best spot, so that could play a part.
6. THE SEX PISTOLS WITH FRANK CARTER (Opus)
I am vehemently against heritage acts and had been in two minds about whether to see this, but am glad I did as it was the most memorable show of the weekend. Having Frank Carter as the singer lifted the whole thing, and there wasn't a hint of karaoke about it. It was the original Pistols Steve Jones, Paul Cook and Glen Matlock (who was replaced by Sid Vicious). Early on Frank Carter demanded a big circle and went into the crowd to orchestrate a pit big enough for his liking. This took several stops and starts. It was raining heavily, we were on a slope and it was slippery. People started falling. I was near the back of the pit and a barrier meant we could not move back, yet Frank got irritated and kept yelling for us to "open it up". He made John Lydon seem likeable. It got ugly. Download had been so friendly, but suddenly all these angry-looking old punks appeared from nowhere, whilst big burly men tried to escape the pit, saying "It's mayhem down there". It was genuinely scary for a moment.
Eventually Frank got back on stage and the show resumed. Once I got over the shock I realized with a thrill that this was actually really authentic! This chaos and ugliness is what I have been reading about in so many rock biographies. And the songs are classics. Nice use of screens as well, with lots of footage from the heyday of punk. The gig ended with 'My Way' and 'Anarchy in the UK'. Glad I was there.
7. AIRBOURNE (Opus)
Airbourne are a conventional hardrock band from Australia. Another band of brothers. They sound like AC/DC and that is fine with me. They played in front of a nice wall of Marshall amps. Singer Joel O'Keeffe kept calling us, the audience, "Donnington". The band were new to me, but I noticed many people around the site wearing Airbourne T-shirts. Another enjoyable show.
MISSED: BAD NERVES
One disadvantage of working at the festival is missing stuff. During my research I had discovered Bad Nerves, who I wanted to see most of all, but it was not to be. They are a five piece from Essex and according to Billie Joe Armstrong the "best band in England right now". Check out their live album 'Alive in London'.
LEAST LIKED: POPPY (Apex)
Poppy's show screamed "product" at me. Poppy is a singer from Boston, who has gone through several genres to arrive at the metal she currently makes. She was accompanied by three literally faceless musicians (they wore balaclavas), but there was also a lot coming from tape. I never understand why people would have some stuff played live and some pre-recorded. Surely as a main stage performer at Download you can afford to bring a full band? That said, she drew a huge crowd and everyone around me, including older music fans, knew all the words.
NB: Early on in her career Poppy made a very nice ambient album "3:36 (Music To Sleep To)" which I came across on Bandcamp.
OTHER EVENTS:
Download offers a varied programme of side events. There were wellness sessions, comedy, wrestling, bingo, DJs, the inevitable silent disco, a lot of karaoke and even the onsite Co-op had a stage to keep their queue entertained.
I really enjoyed the cooking demonstrations. I caught two in full; learned a lot and sampled some delicious food, courtesy of compère Laura Sylvester (Boca Loco) and Maori chef Matthew Burgess (Matblak).
I also attended 'Justin Hawkins rides again live', a one hour live show based on the Darkness' singer's popular podcast. Justin is smart and funny and this interactive event was one of my highlights. As in the online podcast, Justin dissected and criticized some well-known songs. He attacked some of my favourites, Bobby Gillespie, Chris Martin, but with humour, so that was fine. When he moved on to Mike Scott I crossed my arms in defence, but Justin went on to say that he reckons 'The Whole Of The Moon' is one of the best songs ever written, so all was well.
Thanks for reading, thanks to my fellow volunteers and shift partners, and thanks to Oxfam Festivals for providing a super nice camping field with great showers. To quote a certain Eurovision winner: "Rock and Roll never dies."
Helen.