Download
2006
Sunday
June 11
It’s the final day and thank god the temperature
has dropped a little. This is Guns n Roses day which has brought
out strangely increased numbers of press, all looking to suck
up to Axl Rose – but before the return to Donington of the
‘world’s most dangerous band’ there’s
plenty more metal shenanigans to be getting on with.
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Crazyfists aren’t really as exciting as they sound,
I’d envisaged some mad martial-metal-arts stage show with
fights and stuff. I’m disappointed that I get just another
metal band – they should dress like ninjas.
I’m
standing watching ex-Busted buffoon Charlie Simpson get stroked
by young girls, his band Fightstar are playing the Snickers stage
in half-an-hour. I decide this might be a laugh and head on over.
| Fightstar
are met with a hail of bottles, but the pure energy of their
performance and the sheer catchy quality of their post-hardcore,
pop tinged rock sees them rise above the abuse and pull off
a blinding set. It is obvious that Charlie is now doing what
he wants to do and he has gained the respect of a legion of
fans, and today’s crowd on the back of that. He is a
out-and-out ‘showman’, a skill he strangely honed
in front of thousands of screaming adolescents, which to be
honest is probably a lot scarier than a Donington crowd with
bottles. |
 |
Lacuna
Coil are from Italy, I’m not sure that matters
but they keep mentioning it so maybe it is. They play a nice line
in pop-metal, they even do a cover of ‘Enjoy the Silence’
by Depeche Mode. They’ve very polite and lovely –
I’m not sure that’s what I want from a metal band……
 |
……….then
again I certainly don’t want Cradle of Filth’s
poncy, forced extremism. They look like extras from the worst
horror b-movie ever made (they barely put any effort into
their slapdash costumes) and take it all so seriously with
their tuneless machine-gun drums and jacked-up guitars.
The horror-synths and operatic backing vocals make the whole
thing laughable. ‘I’ll show you how metal you
are’, boasts Dani Filth – good, you carry on,
I’m going for a drink to dull the pain. |
After that,
I decide that all energy must be preserved for the Prodigy,
who for this festival are a surprise booking.
This
booking seems to have been well-made as walking to the Snickers
stage it becomes apparent that half the festival is trying
to get into a tent to see the dance-rock mentalists lay waste
to all other bands on the bill today.
Note to organisers: The moron who thought it would be a good
idea to put one of the biggest acts in the world on in a tent,
needs to be sacked and punished in any other way you see fit.
Wasn’t it obvious that they would be one of the most
popular acts all weekend or am I missing something?
As the Prodge take to the stage it becomes apparent that I’m
not – they should be on the main-stage because simply
put they are the best band on today.
They focus on their guitar-heavy tuneage and ‘Their
Law’ and ‘Voodoo People’ cause the most
insane audience reactions I’ve seen in a while.
MC Maxim decides that the crowd aren’t ‘having
it’ enough and ventures off the stage, into the crowd
and out of the tent to make sure the party spreads as far
as possible – this moment is only ruined by an over-protective
security ape who takes great pleasure in battering people
out of the way, I don’t condone violence but this plank
really deserved the punches that rain down on him from the
crowd as he escorts Maxim back to the stage. |
 |
After such
pure excitement there’s something not right about Guns
n Roses. The Axl Rose Circus has become a laughable parody
of rock n roll – the sound is quieter than all the other
bands that have played the main stage for starters.
A few songs in it becomes just how removed from reality Mr Rose
is, he slips and hurts his foot and buggers off leaving one guitarist
to play an excruciating guitar solo. He then returns does half
of ‘You could be mine’ and buggers off again –
to see hardened GnR fans shouting abuse at their idol seems wrong,
but this is painful to witness.
Through the diva exploits a full set is managed, but the tunes
now sound pedestrian and Rose’s voice worn and croaky –
it’s hard to see how this band were ever considered essential
and influential. A supposed highlight is when estranged guitarist
Izzy Stradlin joins for a few songs, but this only slightly takes
away from how dull and lifeless this all is.
Today all the GnR mythology was laid to waste as the ‘world’s
most dangerous band’ became a bad pub-tribute-band to themselves.
After all the hype Download finishes on a low and I can’t
help but feel cheated out of the high produced by the Prodigy
– just goes to show the most worthy don’t always get
the most credit.
by Vashti
Bunyton
