Download Festival 2024​​

Credit for this page goes to: John Gilman

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**Day 1: Download Festival Blog**

Day one of Download Festival started off on a surprisingly positive note. We set off at 6 AM, bracing ourselves for a potential repeat of last year’s traffic nightmare. Fortunately, the journey was much smoother this time, and we arrived at the festival grounds around 9 AM—far better than last year’s ten-hour ordeal.

Setting up my new pop-up tent was a breeze, which left us plenty of time to explore. We strolled around the village to get our bearings, but were disappointed to discover that the convenient cut-through to the village wasn't available this year. This made the walk to the village, and especially to the Doghouse, considerably longer. The trek back up the hill after a few beers was particularly grueling.

Our first band of the festival was "Oh My God It's The Church" in the Doghouse tent. They were an absolute blast—a unique blend of rocked-up Prince-style funk that had the tent nicely packed and everyone grooving.

Next, we attempted to check out the new Ace of Spades tent for the emo drag show, but it was too crowded to get in. We decided to skip it and head back for a few beers at our campsite.

The evening wrapped up with a hilarious "Offensive T-Shirt Secret Satan Swap" back at camp. Photos to follow!

All in all, it was a fantastic start to the festival, setting the tone for an epic weekend ahead.

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**Day 2 Download Festival Blog

 

Day two at the Download Festival was all about getting more acquainted with the surroundings and, more importantly, discovering the best food stalls in the village. The festival atmosphere was buzzing, and the culinary delights were calling. Among the highlights was the smokehouse burger stall. The brisket burger, in particular, stood out with its succulent and smoky flavor, making the festival prices feel justified.

 

The weather, however, had other plans. The skies opened up, and rain poured down, forcing us to retreat to our tents. Despite the weather, we made the best of it with tent burgers and beers, turning a potentially dreary afternoon into a cozy and enjoyable one. After indulging in our makeshift feast, an old man nap was in order, providing some much-needed rest.

 

The rain eventually let up, allowing the festival to come back to life in the evening. As I strolled down to the Doghouse stage, I managed to catch the latter half of The Dirty Brastards' set. Their brass band renditions of pop punk classics were unexpectedly fantastic. The tent was packed, and the energy was electric, with the crowd passionately singing along to every track. It was a moment that left me wishing I had arrived earlier to experience the entire performance.

 

Next up was Holocene, and with them came the first real mosh pit of the weekend. The chaos and camaraderie of the pit were as wild as ever, with everyone losing themselves in the music and the moment. It was a thrilling experience, embodying the spirit of the festival.

 

Upon returning to Cucumber Camp, we discovered that our cool, funky gazebo had not survived the day's weather and security interventions. Three poles had snapped, and the structure was precariously listing in the wind. It was a disappointing sight, but we remained hopeful that our communal space would be restored by morning.

 

Overall, despite the rain and minor setbacks, day two was filled with great food, memorable music, and the kind of spontaneous fun that makes festivals so special. Special shout out to the doghouse holy can circle ,I can't wait to see what the next day has in store.

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**Day 3 Download Festival Blog

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Day three saw me waking up to that word. Mud. The rain had been pretty steady all night so decent boots and a hat and off we went to the arena for the first day of bands on the main arena, first band up one I’d been looking forward to quite a bit. Hanabie remind me of a more death metal babymetal,  some great almost anime rock vocals and some great death metal growls. Didn’t disappoint starting the day off with a great set on the second stage, then hotfooted over to the main stage for some good old fashioned Welsh rock from Those damn crows, starting there set to a downpour of rain but that didn’t dampen the spirits at all, racing through classic track after track. With the odd stroll down the ramp in the rain. Back off to the second stage for another of the must see bands of the day for me. Scene Queen, I know relatively little about her apart from the odd track but she definitely got the crowd up on their feet and the first mosh pit of the day. Bimbo core is a thing, absolutely, fantastic set and superb stage presence. Up next were a band I had no knowledge of at all. All them Witches. Very talented, kind of stoner rock but as talented as they are I think I’d need to know their songs to truly appreciate them, the crowd too was kind of sparse compared to Scene Queens crowd but I really wanted to be right at the front for Soft Play, who refilled the second stage by the time they came on, Soft Play going by a new name after they changed to that moniker from Slaves were for me the stand out band of the day. Drummer/lead vocals and guitarist making a huge sound and their social political lyrics certainly resonated with the audience, playing with passion and a hell of a lot of it, going into the crowd even though they said that was banned by the organisers, last song The Hunter promoting a wave of crowd surfers finishing with the guitarist crowd surfing right over me at the front. Blistering set, these guys are a must see if you get the chance. 

Then the last stage change for the night back to the main stage for my last two bands of the night. I first saw Royal Blood way back in 2010 ish. First at castlefield bowl in a very early slot supporting the pixies then again later that year at the ritz, they surprisingly opened with out of the black closely followed by come on over, two great tracks from the debut but their set was interrupted by a series of technical issues when they were finally sorted they boys performed hit after hit, Typhoons, how did it get so dark, little monster which started the first real pit of the set followed by loose change. How two guys with bass and drums can produce the sound they do is crazy. Then on to the headliners. Queens of the Stone Age, a choice that a lot of fans were a little unsure of to be fair. True, Songs for the deaf was a massive hit but they were very much a surprise headliner. The sound issues from Royal Blood seems to have plagued them a little too with the odd volume drop but they still produced a great set. The crowd fully warming up when they launched into the brilliant Lost Art Of Keeping A Secret and Better Living Through Chemistry from the classic Rated R album. Josh Homme though seemed a bit out of sorts and lost the crowd at times with the audience participation thing being a bit overdone. Redeeming themselves with a storming version of No one knows. 

All in all a fantastic first day of the main bands only slightly dampened (sic) by returning to a leaky tent. 

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**Day 4 Download Festival Blog

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Wow! Words hardly do justice to the absolutely monumental Day 4 of Download Festival 2024. The rain from yesterday delayed the arena opening time, so I missed the start of Bambie Thug. From the few songs I did catch, she was very decent, especially with a slowed-down, stripped-back version of "Zombie."

Today was all about the main stage for me, particularly one of the must-see bands of the festival. Sadly, the other must-see, Electric Callboy, had to drop out due to illness. The first band I was able to catch fully was Wargasm, who I've been eager to see for a while. They're a bit of a marmite band, but their energy is undeniable. The lead singer's stage presence was incredible; she even managed to kick off the first mosh pit/circle pit of the day, which, given the mud and rain, was no small feat.

Next up were The Hunna, a band recommended to me by someone I met a few weeks ago. They delivered a blistering set full of power and passion. I thought they might be in the running for the set of the day until Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes took the stage. Fronted by the enigmatic Frank Carter, their performance was one of the most energetic I've seen in a while. Frank was all over the stage, even singing from the middle of the crowd. They’ve been on my radar for a few years, and I’m glad I stayed at the main stage.

Then it was time for the band I’d been most excited to see ,Japanese metal band Babymetal. Despite technical difficulties cutting their set short, what they did perform was absolutely epic—choreographed superbly simply breathtaking. They closed with their collaboration with Electric Callboy, "Rattata." Fans were hoping for "Gimme Chocolate," but it wasn’t to be. Despite the shortened set, it was absolutely worth it.

Enter Shikari followed, and they were mind-blowing. I had heard great things about their live performances, but seeing them live was something else. The lead singer spent a lot of time crowd surfing and at one point stood atop a huge box screen, revealing a digitized version of himself singing. He then appeared hanging onto the sound desk scaffolding, rushed down to the front, and, after some encouragement from the fans, did a comedy fall into the mud, breaking his in-ear monitor pack. They even brought Wargasm on for a track. A brilliant set from a band that exceeded my expectations.

The Offspring were up next, a band I’ve wanted to see for a long time. One of those bands that have more songs you know that you realise. "Pretty Fly ( for a White Guy)" was a track I’d wanted to see live for a very long time. The pit was wild—I fell a couple of times and got an elbow to the face, but that comes with the territory. They were definitely a contender for band of the day.

Then came the headliners, Fall Out Boy. They had the longest set of the night, and it didn’t drag for a second. Hit after hit, with tracks like "Dance, Dance," "Thanks for the Memories," and "This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race." Their performance was filled with pyrotechnics and fireworks, and at one point, the guitarist had a flamethrower attached to his guitar. They held the crowd’s attention the entire time and drew a significantly larger crowd than the previous night’s headliner. I had no idea they would be this good live. Absolutely go see them if you can. Fall Out Boy undeniably delivered the set of the day. Take a bow, Fall Out Boy.

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**Day 5 Download Festival Blog - Final Day 

Waking up on the final day of Download Festival always brings a mix of emotions. The sight of tents being packed away by those leaving Sunday night signifies the end of an incredible weekend. This year, despite the weather, sound issues on the main stage, and the unfortunate withdrawal of bands like Bad Omens and Electric Callboy due to illnesses, it has been one of the best Downloads ever.

Due to heavy rain the previous day, the arena opened later than scheduled at 12 PM instead of 10:30 AM. The second stage, with its steeper embankment, suffered worse, with mud over six inches deep at the front. This delay caused set times to be adjusted, cutting some of the earlier bands’ sets. Unfortunately, this meant I missed Lord of the Lost while queuing to get in. Code Orange, the second band on, didn't take their shortened set lightly, and their frustration culminated in a chaotic end, with guitars trashed and mic stands thrown.

Despite these early hiccups, the outstanding Goth-horror rock band Creeper kept things on track. Their vampire-themed performance, complete with vampiress dancers, captivated the audience. They delivered a fantastic set, with sing-alongs to "Down Below" and the first major mosh pit of the day during "Chapel Gates." This was my fifth time seeing Creeper, and they never disappoint. I highly recommend checking them out.

Then came my personal holy trinity: Bowling For Soup, Sum 41, and Limp Bizkit. Bowling For Soup, despite Chris Burney’s absence due to illness, delivered a fan-favorite heavy set. A highlight was Wheatus vocalist Brendan joining for a rendition of "Teenage Dirtbag," leading into their hit "1985," which had everyone jumping.

Sum 41's set was a significant moment for me. As one of the true pioneers of pop punk, this farewell tour was especially poignant. They delivered a high-energy performance, with classics like "In Too Deep" and "Fat Lip" getting the crowd jumping. It was a dream come true to finally see them live.
Though they did hint heavily at one more chance for UK fans to see them live.

Limp Bizkit, a band I mostly knew from their hits, opened boldly with "Break Stuff," setting the tone for a wild set. They drew the largest crowd of the weekend, with Fred Durst and the band delivering a performance that was nothing short of electric. Circle pits, crowd surfers, and flares made it an unforgettable experience. Their set was so compelling that they performed "Break Stuff" twice, much to the crowd's delight. For me, Limp Bizkit was the best set of the entire weekend, even before Avenged Sevenfold took the stage.

Avenged Sevenfold closed the festival with a heavy set that included a mix of new and classic tracks like "Afterlife," "Bat Country," "Nightmare," and "A Little Piece of Heaven." Despite some gaps in the crowd due to their clash with Machine Head, their two-hour performance, complete with stunning visuals and pyrotechnics, ended the festival on a high note.

As the festival drew to a close, I reflected on the rain, mud, and even my flooded tent from Friday night. Despite these challenges, the incredible performances from bands on my bucket list like The Offspring, Sum 41, Limp Bizkit, Fall Out Boy, and Avenged Sevenfold made this one of the best Download Festivals I've ever attended, rivaling even the sweltering heat of last year's event.

Thank you to everyone who followed my blog this year. Special thanks to Nicola and Samantha for giving me the platform to share my Download experience on the Heads Up website. For Download, it's not goodbye, but until next time.

Peace out.

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