The last of our full Download 2013 festival reviews is here, with Lais and Jess battling on to get through the weekend with their voices intact
Another morning after partying harder than Andrew WK on the new year’s eve that saw in the millenium, and we’ve have never felt exhaustion or pain like this morning at Download Festival. Thankfully activia, H2O and a shit load of tea have our backs and we’re back on winning form in time for a day of sonice greatness. [JA]
Brutality Will Prevail kicks things off for us today, and are flying the flag for South Wales hardcore. They put on an unbelievable show in the Pepsi Max tent and Liam Cormier of Cancer Bats even makes an appearance on guest vocals. It’s a bloody excellent show, and the hype feels justified. [LMW]
Up next is The Gaslight Anthem, and though it’s not that they aren’t good today – technically they make no wrong moves and ‘The 59 Sound’ will continue to evoke huge singalongs – they are just very dry today. And on this Sunday afternoon, to a crowd who are setting up camp for Rammstein, the only thing less welcome would be an appearance from Thirty Seconds To Mars. [JA]
After some interview actions, and on route to A Day To Remember, we lose our mind a bit to P.O.D.’s ‘Youth Of The Nation’. A five year hiatus has obviously worked a charm, and the band feel much larger than this stage today. [JA]
A Day To Remember today play the sizeable Zippo Encore stage. Frontman Jeremy McKinnon doesn’t have the best voice live and he starts off a bit rocky, but the thing with ADTR is that they have so many bangers and are’re so much fun that it doesn’t really matter if the vocals aren’t 100% up to scratch. ‘The Downfall Of Us All’ and ‘All I Want’ are the perfect festival anthems, and it’s almost impossible not to jump around like a loon. [LMW]
Not long after, Thirty Seconds To Mars release their balls all over a seemingly unimpressed Donington crowd. Unfortunately for Jared Leto, his Smith Jerrod good looks and jet black trench coat aren’t going to carry him through this performance and we quickly get ourselves as far away as possible. [JA]
Sometimes a clash leaves you with difficult choices to make, and Download 2013 was no different, with divisive overlaps from Glamour Of The Kill, Limp Bizkit and Rammstein to end the festival. We catch metal upstarts Glamour Of The Kill death wall the Red Bull Stage before being distracted by the Bang Bang of Rammstein’s rocket introduction and the allure of Limp Bizkit just becomes too much around this pound. [JA]
Limp Bizkit are just phenomenal today. Treating us to Rage Against The Machine’s classic ‘Killing In The Name Of’ inspires a mini-mosh pit a la Friday night, and before we really kick off the ‘Break Stuff’ riot, the bearded Fred Durst pulls up a friend from Download 2009 for a ‘Full Nelson’ duet before launching into ‘Faith’, ‘Behind Blue Eyes’, and yes, ‘Break Stuff’. Serious fun at its height for the whole set. [JA]
And so we come to Rammstein. Completely and utterly ridiculous. There really is no way to describe just how unbelievable their show is tonight, but basically, there’s a lot of pyrotechnics. You already know this. Tonight feels like all the fire and fireworks in the world have been sent to Donington, and it’s an utterly unreal stage show. Close to two hours of outrageous, spectacular and mindblowing moments fly by, and you can’t turn away for 30 seconds without missing something unbelievable. ‘Du Hast’ is the best bit of tonight, and anyone who still has a voice loses it to the German metal legends. A perfect weekend closer, and right up there with the best live bands of all times. [LMW]
Download 2013 was the one, and we can’t wait for 2014.