Download UK

Sean7

I know they are having some piss poor Irish excuse for it over here this year but is anybody headed to the real thing ?

Hockney

Yes indeed, I was out last year too, the setup out there is top notch, Oxegen et al isn't a patch on it, you can bring portable BBQs and the whole lot, and buy your cans o beer for pennies at the campsite.

The nearest airport is walking distance away, and for the amount of quality extra bands you'll see (In Flames, Clutch, Soulfly, Tool, Deftones, Backyard Babies, Opeth to name a few) you'd be an idiot not to shell out the 40 quid for the plane ticket.

Sounds like this RDS effort is a complete scam, and seeing as there aint a whole lot of bands signed up you'd be banking on G 'N R to actually show up to make it all worthwhile, I wouldn't take evens on it!

Reckon Arch Enemy are gonna steal the show at Donington though, BRING IT ON!!!

Bottle_of_Smoke

Hockney wrote:

Yes indeed, I was out last year too, the setup out there is top notch, Oxegen et al isn't a patch on it, you can bring portable BBQs and the whole lot, and buy your cans o beer for pennies at the campsite.

The nearest airport is walking distance away, and for the amount of quality extra bands you'll see (In Flames, Clutch, Soulfly, Tool, Deftones, Backyard Babies, Opeth to name a few) you'd be an idiot not to shell out the 40 quid for the plane ticket.

Sounds like this RDS effort is a complete scam, and seeing as there aint a whole lot of bands signed up you'd be banking on G 'N R to actually show up to make it all worthwhile, I wouldn't take evens on it!

Reckon Arch Enemy are gonna steal the show at Donington though, BRING IT ON!!!

I have honestly never seen a better written first post!

NIBBS

if there's good support for the Download gigs here then there's every chance it'll be bigger next year...........and lets be honest, it's an established event in Donnington, here it's a start, but the line up this year in Donnington has tonnes of crap bands, yes there are better bands there too than will be here for the GnR show as were getting most of the lower stage bands for that (with the exception of Funeral For A Friend and Bullet For My Valentine, who I consider lower stage acts) but the Metallica line up here is very strong as it's most of the mainstagers from that day in Donnington, with the exception of Arch Enemy and Satyricon (who I'd like to see added).........so yeah it's better value for money etc.......but I think it'd be great if we had a proper metal festival here next year and in years to come.......

Sean7

Hey Hockney, which airport is that? I thought Birmingham was the nearest airport?
Download UK definitely has the extra bands to make it worth it and as for supporting irish gigs, maybe they'll try and attract my money next year by having better bands.
And Nibbs try the Day of Darkness in Laois for a good Irish metal festival. Not the big names but good bands.

NIBBS

I know what you're saying man, but every now and then it's nice to have all the big bands come here, I know we get ripped off on ticket/merchandise prices etc.............but the market is really good here at the moment, and it's only a good thing that we get something like Download........

I know all about DOD, and I generally prefer the smaller gigs and underground bands, better atmosphere, less bull**** etc......... and personally the one gig that I'm looking forward to this year above all others is the Obituary/Suffocation one in June, there's lot's of top class acts coming to these shores and the work that the DOD and Dublin Metal Events lads do is amazing, and again the Opeth gig in Vicar St is an important one for gigs here, if it does really well it can only lead to bigger things........

Hockney

Sean7 wrote:

Hey Hockney, which airport is that? I thought Birmingham was the nearest airport?
Download UK definitely has the extra bands to make it worth it and as for supporting irish gigs, maybe they'll try and attract my money next year by having better bands.
And Nibbs try the Day of Darkness in Laois for a good Irish metal festival. Not the big names but good bands.

Hey Sean7, that airport is East Midlands (EMA), Ryanair fly in there. You can also save yourself the walk by hopping on the bus out to the Long Term (Green) which'll cut it down from a half hour by 25

Just noticed Therapy? have been added to the Irish lineup, they better make it to Donington too! They sound class as a 3 piece.

Sean7

Hockney wrote:

Hey Sean7, that airport is East Midlands (EMA), Ryanair fly in there. You can also save yourself the walk by hopping on the bus out to the Long Term (Green) which'll cut it down from a half hour by 25

Just noticed Therapy? have been added to the Irish lineup, they better make it to Donington too! They sound class as a 3 piece.

Thanks man, we were gonna fly into birmingham cuz we didn't know that east midlands was that close.
Yeah, it'd be class if Therapy play, they surely will. Therapy? are class never seen 'em live before.

Caco

So did anyone head to Donnington for Download over the weekend?
I did ... it ****ing ruled!
Lemme know what ye thought!

Mr Rivers

Any pics? Who ya see? Opinions? Best Act?

Sean7

Yeah man we just got back last night, absolutely brilliant weekend. I will definatly be back! Maybe not camping though. Such a fantastic line-up of bands. I'll upload some pics later.

Sean7

We saw;

Friday: Soil, Strapping Young Lad, Soulfly, Deftones and Tool.

Saturday: Down, Satyricon, Alice in Chains, Devil Driver, This is Menace, Mondo Generator, Opeth, Killing Joke and Metallica

Sunday: Hatebreed, Hundred Reasons, Darkest Hour, Skindred, Sick of it All and Guns 'n' Roses plus Lordi but they're **** and I don't count them.

I think Friday won the best day competition. Strapping Yoiung Lad rocked and Devin was hilarious between songs. Soulfly put on an amazing show that proved Max has finally got back to his best since Sepultura. Tool where obviously great. Down where good even though Phil was messed up @ 11am, I don't know on what, he said it was weed and Bacardi. AIC played a great set and the new singer Will done a great job. Devil Driver started a dust whirlwind on Saturday with a massive circle pit. Killing Joke where even crazier than I thought they'd be. Hatebreed managed to get everyone going Sunday morning with a kicking set And Sick of it All single-handedly saved Sunday from being boring with a great set, 2 massive circle pits during the show and a 3-way, yes 3-way, Wall of Death.
I can honestly say that no band disappointed me except G'N'R. Even when Izzy Stradlin came out to play with them they stil looked like a G'N'R cover band trying to pull off the songs, but I had been expecting that.
An absolutly fúcking amazing weekend, I am so glad I went.

Mushy

3 people got raped at it this year. Loads more trouble than any other year. But i wasnt actually there so im not gonna comment any further on it. Seemed like it would have been an amazing weekend alright

Caco

I didnt hear about that, but I'd well believe it! Though I did hear about one guy stabbin a guy he knew on Saturday, a security guard gettin stabbed on Sunday night, and to top it off a bit of rioting on Sunday night- riot police were called in.
T'was all a bit crazy!
I have some pics of a couple of the bands tho, ill try get them up!

robnubis

Well tbh, the RDS is a deadly venue, great sound, huuuuggge stage each year.

Well if standing in a crowd of 80,000 ppl is youtr thing, go for it. tbh i'd pick the RDS over anywhere (except Croker) in Dublin as a venue.

I dont think this years event was meant to be a 2festival" more so two normal concerts. Festivals are **** anyway.

Metallica were amazing, as were Alice in Chains. It was far from a scam, it was a deadly concert, seriosuly those 12 hour gigs they ahve a Download Uk are ****e, you dont want to see half the bands, and couldnt if you tried.

and you did hear about the riots early morning yeah? Couple thousand ppl lit a fire and destoryed part of the concession stands area. Woulndt see **** like that at RDS for no reason.

Sean7

robnubis wrote:

Well tbh, the RDS is a deadly venue, great sound, huuuuggge stage each year.

Well if standing in a crowd of 80,000 ppl is youtr thing, go for it. tbh i'd pick the RDS over anywhere (except Croker) in Dublin as a venue.

I dont think this years event was meant to be a 2festival" more so two normal concerts. Festivals are **** anyway.

Metallica were amazing, as were Alice in Chains. It was far from a scam, it was a deadly concert, seriosuly those 12 hour gigs they ahve a Download Uk are ****e, you dont want to see half the bands, and couldnt if you tried.

and you did hear about the riots early morning yeah? Couple thousand ppl lit a fire and destoryed part of the concession stands area. Woulndt see **** like that at RDS for no reason.

Actually, with the exception of In Flames who I've already seen and Stone Sour who I voluntarily gave up so AIC could sign my t-shirt I saw everyone I wanted to see as listed above, and even some I didn't want to see i.e. Lordi.
As for the riots the security were as much to blame for how that turned out as the eejits doing it. We went to the airport before the riot police came in though to charge the crowd. Just as well, I don't think English riot police and Irish accents would mix very well. And the big fire was in the campsite, not in the concession area, trust me I was there. It was great craic until the riot police.

robnubis

Yeah but still there was a riot tbh.

Listen Download Ireland was legend, not much of a festival, but 2 legend concerts. I think they gotta do Marley park next year or soemthing.

Sean7

I'll still probably go to England until they bring over all the quality bands that Donnington gets. Regardless of riots. You can't even compare the line-ups. I saw Tool on friday while Dublin suffered the new ****e G'N'R and when G'N'R play the UK I spent most of it in circle pits and walls of death while Sick of it All kicked ass on the Gibson stage. So **** riots man if the line-up is that good next year I'll be back.

robnubis

Line up for Download Ireland was deadly. Well Day 2 was anyway, Stone Sour, Alice in Chains, Metallica.

Listen man tbh. we are a small country with a relatively small rock/metal fanbase. We will never have a metal festival like Download UK, deal with it.

The majority of ppl who went to Download Ireland had a focking amazing time.

"Things can only get better" - Download even COMING to Ireland is a starts, who knows, maybe they'll have a bigger one, but i doubt Ireland has the crowds to pull in a lineup like Donnigton.

Sean7

robnubis wrote:

Line up for Download Ireland was deadly. Well Day 2 was anyway, Stone Sour, Alice in Chains, Metallica.

Listen man tbh. we are a small country with a relatively small rock/metal fanbase. We will never have a metal festival like Download UK, deal with it.

The majority of ppl who went to Download Ireland had a focking amazing time.

"Things can only get better" - Download even COMING to Ireland is a starts, who knows, maybe they'll have a bigger one, but i doubt Ireland has the crowds to pull in a lineup like Donnigton.

I'm not arguing you didn't have a good time, how could but you pretty much spelled out what I'm saying the Irish one was not as good ergo I will go to the UK one until it is quality enough for me to bother. I don't feel I have to deal with anything.

Nukem

Anyone watching all the channels that has this on at the moment or did anyone go. Woulda loved to have gone. Supposed to be brilliant. Stone sour looked fantastic and their new album i reckon will be good too.

Had to laugh when i watched Wicked Wisdom with Jada Pinkett Smith, Will Smith doing his best to mosh along side stage(all i kept hearting was "gettin jiggy with it") What a tool:rolleyes:

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Oeneus

I was there. Wasn't as good as last year as far as the music went, but in other cases had an awesome time.

The Aftershock tent provided me with much of my weekends greatest moments. I'd live in that tent if I could.

In my opinion, Lacuna Coil, Guns N' Roses, Lordi and Within Temptation were the musical highlights, surprisingly enough.

As for Metallica, I thought the complete Master Of Puppets set in the middle of their performance would be great, but it actually bored me to death. They actually played the album note for note. No surprises, no improvisation, no extras. Just like listening to the album basically. The only song that was particularly outstanding in the performance was unforgiven and a new song (which was a big improvement from their last *cough* effort).

The organisation was a bit sh*t this year too. But otherwise, I partied like it was 1999.

gizmo

Read the review in Kerang in a mates house and they absolutly slated Gn'R. The others were meant to be great though. Funnily enough they didn't seem to have a review for God Forbid and In Flames though...

senordingdong

Oeneus wrote:

As for Metallica, I thought the complete Master Of Puppets set in the middle of their performance would be great, but it actually bored me to death. They actually played the album note for note. No surprises, no improvisation, no extras. Just like listening to the album basically.

I kinda felt the same, not because there were no improvisations or anything...but I feel it not only ruined alot of the excitment, knowing exactly what was coming, but I felt that without the Puppets songs spaced out, the rest of the set was a bit dry.

It was still fun though.

Nukem

Oeneus wrote:

Lacuna Coil

Really like them actually - good interview with them as well on Kerrang

senordingdong

Yeah, Lacuna Coil are really good, but everytime I've tried to get into them, I kep getting bugged by the male vocalist...I feel he ruins all the songs.

But yeah, Wicked Wisdom were dreadful.
I caught a bit of their set in Dublin....sounded like an aural abortion.
Watching them on tv was funny, they all speak like hommies.

Civilian_Target

Oeneus wrote:

As for Metallica, I thought the complete Master Of Puppets set in the middle of their performance would be great, but it actually bored me to death. They actually played the album note for note. No surprises, no improvisation, no extras. Just like listening to the album basically. The only song that was particularly outstanding in the performance was unforgiven and a new song (which was a big improvement from their last *cough* effort).

Pfft - wasn't like that in Dublin. The new bassist guy made up his own into to Orion, and Damage Inc. sounded prettty different too - they really got into the performance, I thought it was excellent (and I'm not even a huge metallica fan).

Nukem

senordingdong wrote:

But yeah, Wicked Wisdom were dreadful.

Wanna know something weird though. Listened to their album today and its ok. Need to work hard on the live performace though your right!

senordingdong

Well the music wasn't bad.
It wasn't great either but her bad vocals really brought it down.
That said though, I'm sure anyone with as much money as her can sound good in a studio.

Between the Will Smith connection and the novelty of the hommies, I don't see the band having much else going for them.