The Angry Budgie On Tour - Download Festival 2009 Day 3

The Angry Budgie on Tour – Download Festival 2009 Day 3

Sunday saw the curtain come down on 2009’s Download Festival, a bit more of a relaxed day as most of the line up was not as hardcore as the first two days. Highlighted by bands such as Journey, ZZ Top and Def Leppard on the main stage. Due to the relaxed nature of the day, and Sunday being the hottest day of the festival I cant fully remember who we saw first! Im sure we began on the main stage, and remember seeing a banner saying ‘Skin’ so we will start there! J


Main Stage – Skin: Even though I said I was starting with Skin, I don’t remember there set at all! I think we spent most of the time finding some friends who we would spend most of the day with. I think we also arrived in the main arena just as Skin were finishing up so cant really offer a rating on them!

Main Stage – Black Stone Cherry: Sadly another band that I didn’t really pay much attention too, must have been the sun!


Main Stage – Journey: I must admit to not knowing huge amounts about Journey, however they played a decent set with some cracking rock songs. Hilariously with a lead singer who looked like the rest of the band could be his dad! Despite this he had an amazing voice, absolutely faultless and the crowd lapped it up! 7/10.



Tuborg Stage – Hexes: We trudged off the the Tuborg stage (tent) for Hexes, I wanted to catch a bit of Hexes as im a big ‘A’ fan and Daniel P Carter (‘A’ bassist) was now the front man. Plus the friends we were with wanted to go and see them, Hexes had the added advantage of playing in a tent at the hottest part of the day. So the tent offered some respite from the sun! Hexes performed very well and Daniel has a great rock/screamy voice! The crowd got into it but I think most were just tired from days of camping and the intense heat! 7/10.


Second Stage – Shinedown: Shinedown are one of those many polished American rock bands who get endless air play on US radio. I must admit to liking them after hearing them on Rock Radio over the Internet. Some fine agreeable rock, performed perfectly! Stand out songs in the set were ‘Fly From the Inside’ (I think they played that one!) and ‘45’. I remember enjoying their set but not getting overly worked up about it, so another 7/10 for me! Shinedown also showcased something else I came to realise, why is it American bands are better at the whole crowd banter thing than others?

Second Stage – Clutch: Much like Shinedown, in as much as putting on a polished performance but with a more raspy hardcore edge. To be honest I spent most of the set admiring the lead singers beard! Must have been the sun! So ill apologise now, 7/10 again! Another good performance but again I don’t remember getting worked up much!

Second Stage – Buckcherry: We stayed for Buckcherry really to save our place for Papa Roach and Trivium after. Plus seeing as though we had settled in for the long haul at the second stage we couldn’t be bothered moving! The only song I knew of Buckerry’s was the ‘Crazy Bitch’ song, which was unleashed at the end of the set. Up until then I wasn’t impressed much. Good tune though! 6/10.

Second Stage – Papa Roach: Papa Roach have come a hell of a long way, another band that seem vilified for jumping on the whole rap/rock thing made famous by Mr Red Cap. For this reason I wondered what sort of reception they would get at a mainly metal festival, judging by the size of the gathering crowd, they have done pretty darn well! Having not listened to my Papa Roach albums for a while I was surprised by home many songs I knew! Papa Roach played very well with Jacoby Shaddix bounding round the stage and getting the crowd moving. ‘Between Angels and Insects’ ‘Deadcell’ and ‘Infest’ being crowd favourites. 8/10.



Second Stage – Trivium: Now, my girlfriend and I are big big Trivium fan’s so when the line up for Download was announced this Trivium were pencilled into our schedule straight away! Trivium always put on a good show and this was no different, the band seemingly at ease with headlining a stage at the legendary Donnington Park. Matt Heafy loving marshaling the crowd and revelling in the mutual love-in between crowd and band. It was quite heartening to see a band who genuinely felt honoured to be on the stage, and this helped ratchet up the atmosphere to delirium levels. So many song highlights littered through the set, so ill have to go for the obvious highlight, being the set ending ‘Pull Harder on the Strings of your Martyr’. 9.5/10!



Red Bull Bedroom Jam Stage – We Are The Ocean: The thing with Sunday we knew was due to We Are The Ocean headlining at the same time as Trivium and Def Leppard, as soon as Trivium finished we were to set off on a mad scramble to visit the other two stages. As soon as Trivium did finished we packed up and rushed over, for our first visit, to the Red Bull stage. Now We Are The Ocean are one of my girlfriends favourite bands, but I do quite like them too. As ive often said to my girlfriend im a big fan of lead guitarist and vocalist Liam’s vocals, I think he has a great voice! Due to spending most of their set watching Trivium we only got to see their last two songs of the set. But judging by the crowd reaction they must have put on a blinder. Due to the limited set we did see im not going to rate them, but they did well!

Main Stage – Def Leppard: So with all stages now closed except for the main stage it would have been rude of us not to take in some Def Leppard. It was obvious this was quote an emotional performance from the band, with the light going and a fantastic light show it really was a spectacle. 2009 was the first time Def Leppard had returned to their spiritual home since their first appearance at the Monsters of Rock festival in 1986. What followed was a truly heartfelt 5 minute ovation for drummer Rick Allen. To be honest I don’t remember much about the set other than that moment, but we had to stay to catch ‘Pour Some Sugar on Me’. Once that song ended we knew Download 2009 had ended. 8/10.



So that was Download 2009, I couldn’t have wished for better weather! The music was great, food was overpriced, and even the loos were ok! Great site layout with good slopes on all stages offering good views and a great festival atmosphere! Now if only someone can explain to me the meaning of ‘Butt-Scratcher’ and why a Panthers fan decided to bring a flag!

Roll on 2010!

The Angry Budgie on Tour - Download Festival 2009 Day 2

The Angry Budgie On Tour – Download Festival 2009

After firday’s exertions it was time to go back to Donnington park for round two, another scorching day saw few clouds in the sky and some sky high temperatures. We really had been blessed with some great weather for the festival!

The day began slightly later than Friday and entering the site was a breeze, today we did not intend to get in for the firs acts but, to be in to ensure a good spot on the main stage for Five Finger Death Punch. Anyway this was the day that saw the main dilemma of the festival, The Prodigy or Slipknot? In the end the choice was easy, explanation below!

Main Stage – Five Finger Death Punch: These are a band ive got into fairly recently, mainly thanks to ‘The Bleeding’ video getting heavy exposure on Kerrang/Scuzz. A band fairly similar to Killswitch Engage in having great solo’s matched with some damn heavy riffage! Anyway despite this being their first Download the lads did well, interacting well with the crowd and getting some damn fine moshing at lunch time! The main highlight being ‘The Bleeding’. 8/10 for me!

Second Stage – In Case Of Fire: Admittedly I did not see much of In Case of Fire as halfway through the set I let to go and take in Hatebreed on the main stage. As such I cant really give them a rating!

Main Stage – Hatebreed: What can I say, no band plays harder or more honestly than Hatebreed. With every song you can tell they mean what they say and appreciate the fans. After every song the crowd go mental and much love is exchanged! I don’t think I saw any on person not nodding their head or moshing! Obvious stand out songs being ‘Perseverance’ and ‘I Will Be Heard’. 10/10 Yes you read that correctly a perfect 10, and possibly my band/performance of the festival!

Second Stage – Fightstar: After Hatbreed left the stage, it was back up the hill to rejoin my girlfriend and take in the last few songs of Fightstar’s set. There not really for me but I do respect them for plugging away and winning over the doubters. At Dowload 2008 they were greeted with a number of bottles but 2009 was different, with just about everyone in attendance rocking along with Charlie and Co. As I only saw the last two or three songs im not going to give Fightstar a rating but of those songs they did, they did well! Ending with the excellent Death Car.

Second Stage – Static-X: This next band were someone I had been looking forward to see all weekend. I have a few Static-X albums but never seen them live. On the walk and Wayne Static appears, one of the most recognisable front men in metal. They proceed over the course of their set to pummel the crowd into submission. A damn fine set and high points being ‘Shadowzone’ and ‘Black and White’. Again another band with a fairly simple formula, but one that works! 8/10 for me!

Main Stage – DragonForce: I am a big big DragonForce fan, I know they are not many metal fan’s taste, many finding them boring! But I simply find them amazing, the songs are great and the guitar work is simple first class. Before the festival I had wondered what their sound would be like on a festival main stage, after seeing them at the most metal festival of 2008, their sound kind of got lost in the MEN Arena. I shouldn’t have worried, it was a noticeable slow down after seeing the likes of FFDP and Hatebreed, you cant really get too involved with moshing to DragonForce as the songs are too fast. But each song was greeted with enthusiasm from a pretty darn good crowd! Best songs of the set being ‘Heroe’s of our Time’ and ‘Through the Fire and Flames’. 8/10 for the DragonForce boys.

Main Stage – Pendulum: We moved further back for Pendulum as we were going to rush over to the second stage for You Me At Six. Now we missed most of their set in 2008 so we were determined to see more of them! Pendulum seem to have cracked the rock market and drew one of the biggest crowds (as evident by the lack of one for YMA6!) of the festival. Thankfully we saw ‘Granite’ and ‘Propane Nightmares’ before we had to dash! 7/10.

Second Stage – You Me At Six: As mentioned we caught the second half of their set, a strange booking for Download and even stranger position on such a big stage. They boys played well but I thought Josh looked very nervous on stage. A few more years and invite them back and im sure they will give a better performance. 6/10.

Second Stage – Chris Cornell: For Chis Cornell we decided to get into position for The Prodigy after. Even so Chris sounded excellent and did a few Soundgarden and Audioslave songs. Not sure I 100% forgive him for pulling out of Download 2008, but none the less I enjoyed his set. The highlight being Cochies. 7/10.

Second Stage – The Prodigy: So after much waiting and excitement it was time for The Prodigy. I was looking forward to this, as my girlfriend had seen them live before and waxed lyrical about how good they were. We must have chosen the spot where the sound was at its poorest! The Prodigy were so quite that, around a couple of hundred people began chanting ‘Turn it up’! Such a big disappointment, despite The Prodigy playing ‘Omen’ and ‘Warriors Dance’ the sound was so poor we left early to go and check out Slipknot! 5/10.

Main Stage – Slipknot: Soo many people seemed to be looking forward to Slipknot, and so were we. We were towards the back of the crowd but still took in a fantastic show. Wondering at the same time what passengers on departing aircraft were making of the show! The band sounded great and the crowd were going mental. We stayed for most, not all, of the set but still saw ‘Wait and Bleed’ and ‘Psycosocial’. Then as we were leaving the site heard the crowd explosion to ‘Spit it Out’ and ‘People=Shit’. 8/10 for Slipknot.

The Angry Budgie on Tour - Download Festival 2009 Day 1

The Angry Budgie on Tour – Download Festival 2009

For three days in June The Angry Budgie made its second pilgrimage to the home of rock and metal music, Donnington Park. This years line up was a damn fine thing to behold, with the three headlining acts being, a reformed Faith No More, Slipknot, and bringing the curtain down on the Sunday, Sheffield’s finest: Def Leppard.

So for my Download Review im really only going to pass comment on the bands I saw day by day. This review will concentrate on the Friday, June 12^th.

Day One – Friday June 12^th 2009

After a short period of rain before the festival there were a few worried thoughts in my head as to what the ground would be like at the festival. Add in reports from friends camping of muddy campgrounds, both my girlfriend and I decided to pack our wellies! We needn’t have bothered, thanks to some excellent sunshine on Thursday the main arena had obviously dried out. As soon as we arrived on Friday the ground was bone dry, the sun was shining strongly and there were few clouds in the sky.

Anyway on to the bands, ill review each one in order that we saw them, culminating in the headline acts.

Main Stage – Hollywood Undead: These were probably the band my girlfriend wanted to see more than any other over the weekend. Bit of a strange band but one that tries to fuse rap/electronic with a bit of rock. I’d been used to them for a while thanks to the gf playing their cd in my car, and to be fair to the boys they put on a decent show and sounded excellent. Each member wearing masks but not in the Slipknot full face stylee. The standout tracks being ‘Young’ and ‘Undead’. The latter being a big crowd favourite. 7/10 for me, good peperformance, but opening up the main stage on the first day of the festival is a difficult and un-enviable position.

Second Stage – In This Moment: Another favourite of my girlfriends, a metal band from LA fronted by Maria Brink. Now anyone who has seen a picture will realise the obvious attraction of this band. Maria has a cracking voice and……well….check out a picture! Despite this the band sound great and much like the CD, however Maria’s voice on occasion did sound a little strained on the day. Either way ITM did well and managed to get the crowd involved. 6/10, would have been higher had the vocals been better.

Second Stage – A Day To Remember, must apologise dont remember this lot!

Second Stage – Parkway Drive, or this lot!

Main Stage – Killswitch Engage: Probably the first band of the festival for me to get really excited about. Im a bit Killswitch fan and firmly believe they never put on a bad show! I only wish they would stop Adam from speaking, he really can be a bit of a tool! Anyway with Howard on top form the boys pummelled their way through a storming set. With ‘Holy Diver’ and ‘My Last Serenade’ being highlights for me! 8/10 cracking performance!

Main Stage – Limp Bizkit: Before the start of the festival and, when the line up and timings were announced, I felt sorry for Lacuna Coil. Im a fan of theirs, but they had the difficult slot of performing on the second stage as Limp Bizkit were scheduled to return on the main stage. It was the main stage where we decided to be, the return of Fred and Co. too tempting to miss. Now putting aside whether you think Fred Durst is a tit or not, Limp Bizkit are an awesome band live. Throughout the set you remembered all the good songs and were left thinking, they were actually pretty damn good! Starting with the epic ‘Break Stuff’ and finishing with ‘Take A Look Around’ ensured those in attendance went ape! 9/10 a cracking return to live action for the Bizkit boys!

Take A Look Around:

Main Stage – Korn: Korn are a band that I own many albums of but have never seen live. With some of the crowd leaving after Limp Bizkit’s set we managed to edge closer to the stage. What can I say, Korn are brilliant live, and Johnathan Davis has an amazing live voice! ‘Freak on a Leash’ provided the obvious high, with the crowd exploding into a mass mosh on the main riff. Korn have a tried and tested formula, down tune those guitars and beat the crap out of them, but hey it works! Another 9/10 for me!

Main Stage – Faith No More: It was a natural decision to stay on the main stage for Faith no More. You got a sense you were seeing history, no disrespect to Motley Crue, there was no where else to be! FNM arrived and played a damn fine set, with a fair few ‘oh yeah I remember that tune’. Admittedly we left a bit early to try and beat the crowds but we got to hear ‘Epic’. A fine return and 8/10 for me (would have marked higher but did not see the full set)!

A great first day, fantastic bands, great company and great weather! Roll on day two!

…..which ill try and post tomorrow!