Download Festival 2019 Review: Slipknot, Def Leppard & Tool Headline
1. Sunday
The best way to open Sunday (after a slightly delayed start from some blurry tents) was to catch I Prevail and then Underoath on the Main Stage to blow the cobwebs off. They were last seen disappearing over the horizon towards Derby. The latter haven't played Donington since way back in 2005 and came with the added kicker of their song On My Teeth being used by WWE for the last NXT TakeOver.
State Champs then brought their brand of infectious pop punk to the second stage, for an energetic set to remind everyone that it genuinely was still the summer, followed by the hotly-anticipated Beartooth on the same stage.
It’s difficult for a live band to beat the anthemic choruses and grandeur of Queen’s “We Will Rock You”, a bold choice to begin any festival set with - but Beartooth welcomed this challenge. As Mercury’s vocals faded out, Caleb Shomo made his loudly known and Beartooth took no prisoners from opener “Bad Listener” to the very end. Theirs was a set with something for everyone and they continue to stand out because of their ability to relate to the unrelatable lyrically while remaining incredibly catchy.
The swollen crowd lap it up and it's clear that everyone here is equally as excited for this band to have made their Download debut. They clearly aren't afraid to deal in the taboo subjects but deliver it in a bouncy, utterly enthralling way reminiscent of bands like The Cure, only with more grunge and grit. Much much more. They're an absolute stand-out.
Anthrax, Deam Theatre and then the mighty Slayer then took over the Zippo, and while catching all three was definitely a good call, it meant deciding on the most difficult clash of the entire weekend with Smashing Pumpkins on the main stage. To have that lineup all back together (bar one) facing directly off against Slayer's last ever UK tour, but those are the difficulties we face at such events.
Naturally, the twin legends of thrash metal are their usual, visceral self and if this really is Slayer's last gig on these shores, it was a mighty way to bow out. Given the habit of rock bands to claim finales prematurely, we can only hope this is another.
Sunday night headliners can have a difficult task - particularly as there was some whispered suggestion that Slayer should have been in the Main Stage slot, given the occasion, but Tool more than lived up to their billing. They're a band perfectly poised and crafted, and while they've not been here since 2006 (how did THAT happen?!), it's like they've lived on this stage perpetually.
They may avoid bantering with the crowd and revel in a strange anonymity, but Tool's music speaks a lot louder than words could and it's the kind of experience that fans in the mud will talk about for a long time. Even longer than the mud, if you can believe that.