Review – Download Festival 2012 – Donington Park – Friday 8th June 2012

As the British summertime takes its inevitable turn for the worse in the run up to this year’s 10^th anniversary of the Download Festival, as the rain does finally stop moments before the gates open, it is clear to see that something is very wrong indeed.

With a waterlogged main stage, gates are opened two hours late, which leads to the inevitable cull of Rise To Remain and Cancer Bats’ opening slots on the main stage. As the tractors fight to dry up the main stage, Fear Factory eventually open proceedings on main, initially playing to half a field, as one side of the main stage area remains off bounds as hay upon hay is put down to soak up some the water.

Fear Factory do well in spite of this inconvenience, and grow in stature as the previously off bounds area opens for business, and the day finally gets underway.

Their industrial powered metal is the perfect tonic for the morning, and blows a few cobwebs clear as a ferocious Edgecrusher and Replica kick off this year’s anniversary festivities. As the rain subsides, the field is already a warzone, but thankfully a lack of further rain does ensure the conditions remain tolerable, if still unpleasant, throughout. After a brief hiccup early doors, the day gets underway, and the festival never looks back.

Following Fear Factory is the perfect antidote to this weather in NOFX, whose un-PC, and hilarious pop-punk routine fills the slot perfected by Bowling For Soup in the rain last year,. They bring a hint of fun times to the main stage proceedings, and bags of tongue in cheek jokes. The borderline racist routine of frontman Fat Mike and El Hefe is inspired, and never fails to raise a smile.

The tunes are fast paced pop punk gems, which although perhaps doesn’t go down well with all of the metal contingent, is terribly entertaining nonetheless, the likes of Bob, Dinosaurs Will Die, and a ravenous Franco Un-American proving to be highlights in their arsenal, before they leave to a hilarious Kill All The White Men.  

They have been doing it a long time, and they simply own a hysterical 40-odd minute festival slot. It undoubtedly brightens up what is still a dismal afternoon (even though the rain has now subsided) as the punters trek through lashings of the mud that epitomises the British festival season.

Billy Talent are an entirely different proposition altogether, and killing festival sets like this comes easy to them these days, with the bags of experience they bring to the table. They have the hits too, and although there are some glaring omissions from their 45 minute set, as they opt to play a healthy chunk from their last record III (which is arguable the weakest of their catalogue), they still get a great response from a crowd drying out more and more with every passing second.

They don’t have a bad festival set in them, but the likes of The Ex and The River Below would have been great additions here today. New track Viking Death March sounds like a beast, and the sensational back and forth of front man Ben Kowalewicz and guitarist Ian D’Sa is inspired. Opener Devil In A Midnight Mass is an anthemic heart-stopping way to get things under way, with Try Honesty, Red Flag, Fallen Leaves and This Suffering proving to be big highlights elsewhere in their set.

They show true professionalism and compassion for fellow Canuck’s Cancer Bats, allowing them to storm the stage mid-set and take over for one song, allowing them to make up for the cancellation of their main stage slot today by ripping through a blistering Hail Destroyer. The brotherly love on show for all to see, it is one of the nicest moments of the day. Cancer Bats kill it, which is no surprise, and the fans go suitably ape-shit during a storming cameo.

When it comes to owning a Download stage though, Machine Head are masters of the craft, making a long awaited return to the hallowed turf of Donington Park and playing to one of the biggest crowds of the entire weekend. Robb Flynn and co are seasoned pros, and they tear it up today, showing just why they are so highly revered, and why they deserve a shot at playing even higher up this bill.

To many, it seems nonsensical that Chase and Status could play above the might of Machine Head, but over the course of a full on 60 minute set, Machine Head just get on with it, ripping through enormous versions of the likes of Imperium, Aesthetics of Hate and latest single Locust, before they close on a breathtaking Halo.

Electing to not play Davidian is something of an odd choice, perhaps running slightly over time, but no matter when they go on, they never falter on the biggest of stages, and Download is where they come into their own. The crowd give them everything as well, with circle pits setting up left right and centre in ridiculous numbers, showing exactly why the fans love them so much. I’m pretty sure at one point there was circa 22 circle pits going off in tandem for the mighty Machine “Fucking” Head. Astonishing.

They rightly receive a heroes welcome, and over the course of an hour, smash it straight out of the park this afternoon.

With the rain playing havoc with the scheduling on the Pepsi Max stage, I regrettably miss one of the bands I had been waiting to see for a while in Soil.  With original vocalist Ryan McCombs back in the fray, their set would have been killer, and it seems I will have to wait a little longer before I get to see him rip through their signature anthem, Halo.

Nightwish were not to be missed though, making a return to UK shores for what feels like the first time in ages, presumably since their last headline run over here back in 2008. Riding high from the release of last album Imaginaerum, and given a lengthy set time to play with, they bring a huge amount of hits, and a captivating stage show to boot as they rip through a massive chunk of fan favourites.

With an extended opening intro of Finlandia, the packed crowd go nuts for true opener Storytime, before a full blooded triple header of Wish I Had An Angel, Amaranth and I Want My Tears Back shows just why they are the masters of this sound. Keyboard player Tuomos Holopainen is ever the magician, conjuring lush soundscapes for his comrades to play over, and although Annette Olzon seemingly struggles to hit some of the higher notes here today, Nightwish put in a solid shift, covering some big tracks from a sterling back catalogue.

An undoubted highlight of their set comes in the form of their version of Gary Moore’s Over The Hills And Far Away, which is simply sensational, having been retired from their live set for some time until making a shock appearance here today. Planet Hell and Nemo are other expected highlights, before the closing one-two of Song of Myself and Last Ride of the Day close off a triumphant set and a much welcome return for Nightwish.

Hopefully they won’t leave it so long next time!

And then to the night’s main event . . . The Prodigy just don’t know how to phone it in, and they are so tightly locked in these days, that they are just incapable of putting on a bad show. They kill it, everytime, and tonight is no exception. They impressively manage to keep a huge crowd entertained for a 90 minute set and raving on into the evening, in spite of blisteringly freezing winds and a dropping temperature that resembles more of a winter’s night, than a mid summer evening. That is no mean feat here tonight, trust me.

It may be shockingly cold, but the temperature up on that stage is at boiling point, as Keith Flint and Maxim Reality stalk the stage like predators, while ringmaster Liam Howlett drops hit after hit. The crowd respond in kind, going suitably mental for the hits.

They are not out of place on this bill one bit, and fully deserve their spot headlining the biggest rock festival in the UK; they destroy the field before them tonight. The crowd omit so much energy you wonder whether they will be able to keep up such pace for the entire weekend, giving the band everything they have here tonight, which is something of a sight to behold.

The place erupts from the get go, as World’s On Fire segues into a breathtaking Breathe, and then Jetfighter. By the time the scintillating Omen kicks in, the first flare of the evening turns the night sky an apocalyptic shade of red, as the band kick into overdrive. The sound is immense, the light show epilepsy inducing, and proving a real focal point amidst the chaos erupting on the stage and in the field.

In the dark of the night, it is a spectacular sight watching The Prodigy in full flow, and in their element.

The Prodigy go down a storm here tonight, but with the likes of Firestarter, Voodoo People, a sensational mash up of Spitfire/Spitfast, Invaders Must Die, Smack My Bitch Up and Take Me To The Hospital they were always going to. It helps kick start this year’s edition of the Download Festival, the best festival in the world (I said it!), with an almighty bang.

As they close on a double header of new track AWOL (which sounds huge) and Their Law, the first day of the weekend comes to a close, leaving days two and three to match what has been an astonishing opener. The bar has been well and truly set.  

Setlist – Fear Factory – Shock / Edgecrusher / Smasher/Devourer / Linchpin / Powershifter / Recharger / Demanufacture / Self Bias Resistor / Replica

Setlist – NOFX - 60% / We Called It America / Murder the Government / Dinosaurs Will Die / Fuck the Kids / Seeing Double at the Triple Rock / I'm Telling Tim / Perfect Government (Mark Curry cover) / The Quitter / Eat the Meek / Leaving Jesusland / Franco Un-American / Arming the Proletariat With Potato Guns / Linoleum / Bob / Kill All The White Man

Setlist – Billy Talent - Devil in a Midnight Mass / Turn Your Back / This Suffering / Viking Death March / Rusted From the Rain / Hail Destroyer (Cancer Bats’ cameo) / Try Honesty / Devil on My Shoulder / Fallen Leaves / Red Flag

Setlist – Machine Head - I Am Hell (Sonata in C#) / Be Still and Know / Imperium / Beautiful Mourning / Locust / Aesthetics of Hate / Halo

Setlist – Nightwish – Finlandia (intro) / Storytime / Wish I Had an Angel / Amaranth / I Want My Tears Back / Last of the Wilds / Planet Hell / Nemo / Over the Hills and Far Away (Gary Moore cover) / Song of Myself / Last Ride of the Day / Imaginaerum (outro)

Setlist – The Prodigy - World's On Fire / Breathe / Jetfighter / Omen / Poison / Thunda Dub / Religion Link / Dogbite / Voodoo People / Firestarter / Run With the Wolves / Spitfire/Spitfast / Omen (Reprise) / Invaders Must Die / Diesel Power / Smack My Bitch Up / Take Me to the Hospital / AWOL / Their Law