Review by Sheri Bicheno for MPM
After Friday’s first day of Download Festival, it was another pretty glorious day and it was time to head back to the Opus Stage.
I was determined to go and witness The Wildhearts for my first viewing on Sunday.
Launching straight into Failure Is The Mother of Success, taken from most recent album Satanic Rights of The Wildhearts, an explosion of unrelenting energy smashed into the crowd.
A display of a prog and rock combination strikes through the track with a nostalgic type of vibe whilst welcoming upbeat melodic twists.
Suckerpunch came with full force with skippy riffs and punk seeped vocals.
Ginger delivered powerful and frantic lyrics that tied in with chaotic guitar riffs and chuggy bassnotes.
Having the line up back with Carol Hodge on keyboards and backing vocals has given the overall feel of The Wildhearts a raw and original feel when they perform.
Mazel Tov Cocktail spreads a whole different vibe across the stage with anthemic party vibes ringing out.
The crowd sang back the lyrics, people were jumping around to the beats of Charles Evans and getting into the vibe.
Taking us back to the 90’s, I Wanna Go Where The People Go carried on the fun vibes and had the whole band jump on queue to the colliding guitar riffs on Intro.
Ginger’s vocals are completely on point and are every bit as they were back when the p.h.u.q era came around.
Full of vibrancy, fun and power. The chemistry on stage between Ginger, Jon Poole and Ben Marsden all combining their strings with the punky beats of the drums brings forward a feeling of pure genuinety and good old fashioned British hard rock is where the roots of our music scene lays.
With an appearance of Maggie, Ginger’s beautiful Borde Collie to send off the set, what a fantastic start to kick off Saturday!
Next on the Opus stage, nu metal heavyweights Snot were shaking the place up, loud and with attitude.
Lit with a backdrop of their logo on black, riffs and beats ring out from the stage and Andy Knapp whirlwinds across the platform and tells everyone to go crazy.
Title track single Snot rings out as the first track and means Snot is back with a vengeance, delivering an electrifying performance that goes back to their early days!
Andy is a powerhouse, bouncing around the stage with ferocious showmanship with the collaborative energy of the band.
Joy Ride and The Box hit hard, with snarling urgency that had everyone going crazy! The band’s chemistry was on fire, every riff and lyric packed what made Get Some a groundbreaker.
The depth of slamming riffs and scratchy interludes that Doc Coyle and Mikey Dooling pour into the core of the songs give edge to the raging vocals of Andy.
Jamie Miller displays exceptional drum wielding with The Box and it’s diverse tempo changes and layers between raw and groove notes.
Snooze Button gives way to John’s chugging bassnotes and subtle backbone to a wrath fuelled offering.
I’d love to see Snot in a venue – the carnage with the boundaries of walls is going to be a hell of an experience.
Staying to Opus for As Everything Unfolds and due to a set swap with Drowning Pool, it was time for a huge dose of metalcore meets post hardcore.
Huge techy drums introduce the set and Charlie Rolfe beams to the crowd before launching a sonic attack across the stage with her roaring vocals and ground trembling gutturals of Set In Flow.
Adam Kerr and George Hunt knit their fret wielding tightly together that delivers explosive riffs alongside the intricacy of tech infused beats by Louis Doran.
The glue to the heaviness comes in with bouncing synths and keys elementing a drum n bass texture into the mix by Jon Cassidy.
The crowd fully shows up for this as everyone is bouncing a feeding off the energy across the stage.
What You Wanted comes in at a splintering riff fuelled attack that melts into sections of beautiful melodic synths before Charlie displays some of the most stunning ranges of her vocals.
Going from barking gutturals to beautiful clean sections, there’s a contrast of beautiful dark and ethereal light to soak in amongst the soaring soundscapes from this track in its live setting. A circle pit forms and goes bananas.
Announcing a headline tour for April following newly released album DID YOU ASK TO BE SET FREE?, this news has a fantastic reception and it really brings home how utterly supportive the AEU fanbase are. Following a heartbreaking tragedy for these guys recently after losing drummer Jamie Gower, it’s no easy feat to continue on but support and encouragement from those who share your journey makes all the difference in the strength to go onwards.
Gasoline is a fan favourite with the party vibes blending into an upbeat metalcore style. Fast paced, fun beats with dance style synths that lace through the heaviness of the guitars before we’re taken back to 2023 with explosive Ultraviolet.
Atmospheric with touches of 90s and 00’s Nu Metal, the core comes in strong with winding guitar riffs and groove drums, making section space for scratching turntables.
Charlie comes in with some powerful growls and mixes rap with clean vocals layered over the soundscapes – and just as the Red Arrows fly over and circle around Download Festival.
Chefs kiss.
Into the Dogtooth Stage now for some ridiculously heavy post metal and waving the flag for that at Download is none other than midlands leviathan Conjurer.
A sombre and lone acoustic guitar strum begins and the crowd falls silent.
Unself settles first as a melancholic and downcast beginning that vapours into your core to lull you through Dani Nightingale’s beautifully eerie vocals.
About halfway through the track, a creeping distortion starts to seep through Dani’s vocals that creates a macabre, impending feeling of something horrifying is about to happen…
And then BAM. That false sense of security melts into a raging distortion of guitar riffs, impending doom infused beats and snarling gutturals.
Seamlessly rippling into next track All Apart which serves as the second track from album Unself, the melodics here are striking from the low and beautifully dark tones to the storming high riffs and slabs of concrete heavy drums from Noah See.
The vocals collide here between Dani and Brady Deeprose that isn’t so much a vocal contrast, it’s depth within depth! Making the experience of listening and watching this unfolding story feel like they are about to pull you down a lost and dark path of a deep and unknown void.
Brady lays terror inducing, raspy, high screams and Dani pummels in with a mix of deeper barking growls and beautiful cleans.
Let Us Live is an ODE to the trans community.
“This has always existed and always were.” Dani addresses us…
A powerful insight. Lyrically, laying everything bare for a right to equality and to be seen, musically – a striking melodic riff fuelled stunning offering with flowing rhythmic sections and subtle backbone through Conor Marshall’s beautiful bassnotes.
This is my one of my favourite tracks from the most recent album Unself.
It’s a raw reminder that society has much to work on, that cruelty has no place in a future that wants to embrace and celebrate equality, individualism and acceptance.
As CJ Pierce faced flight problems from Dallas, nu metal giants Drowning Pool had a set swap and were scheduled for the Dogtooth Stage.
Let me tell you…
The place was so crammed, people were spilling out of the Dogtooth tent into the main arena.
And that right there was an absolute sight, this was another unified moment for all kids growing up in the 90s and early 2000’s.
Kicking off with Sinner, the crowd got bouncing.
The energy is feral from the start, with crowd surfing kicking off even before the end of the track and everyone outside screaming the lyrics to the sky.
Ryan McCombs‘ vocals are absolutely spot on, his signature vocals bringing back the nostalgia and C.J. Pierce on guitars is a constant energy, riffing his way through like its 2001 all over again.
Tear Away is one of my favourite Drowning Pool tracks – the familiar scratching riff info wavers to the double kick slow beats of Mike Luce’s kit before Ryan lets out the harsh scream where everything then brews together and launches into a tirade of nostalgic rhythm sections.
Outside the Dogtooth, you can hear the lyrics being sang by the whole crowd and bleeds into the main arena. People are bunched together like sardines even outside and arm in arm, screaming to the heavens together.
Bodies then hits the crowd and its basically a nu metal rave happening inside and outside the tent, we are all holding on to each other and everyone goes nuts. This was well worth the swap!
Heading across to Bush at the Opus stage, the air opens with an suspenseful tone before drummer Nik Hughes raises his arms and comes down hard for a few melodic beats to throw us into the momentum of synths and winding riffs to introduce Machinehead.
Gavin Rossdale still vocally holds himself with a husky and upbeat tone that reminds you why falling in love with this band over the years has never gone stale.
Full of emotion and melodic inputs, Chris Traynor encapsulates the rolling riffs around the huge sound coming from the stage and gives way to the depth of an evolved offering with The Land Of Milk and Honey.
With 30 years under their belt, this iconic band continue to push the boundaries of post-grunge with their 2025 album, I Beat Loneliness blending electronic and slow elements whilst still staying true to their roots.
This is my favourite track from the I Beat Loneliness and in it’s live setting, it captures your core and is splintered with catharsis.
More Than Machines is a bassy track which gives way to Corey Britz to shine the backbone of the track through the rippling guitar riffs with chuggy undertones.
An upbeat offering with beautifully melodic sections, this has the crowd moving and headbanging.
Flowers On A Grave takes us back to 2020’s The Kingdom and introduces more electronic styles amongst a beautifully haunting vibe that reminds me a little of Tool.
Some gorgeous guitar solos and again, hanging onto cathartic notes to really send your heart into a spin.
Gavin bounces out to the crowd and jumps over the barrier to stroll in the crowd and sing his heart out to people as he passes by.
These guys know how to put a fantastic rock set on and regrettably, it’s my first time seeing them live.
Better late than never. The energy of these guys really captured me and got me feeling every note.
Staying at the Opus stage, blackened Death lords, Behemoth scorched the stage with their ever explosive energy and pyrotechnics reaching to the rafters.
The bells toll and a silence falls across the arena. It wouldn’t be Behemoth without an entrance of impending doom…
Ora pro nobis is a latin phrase for “pray for us” – and with tonnes of blackened groove and blast beat sections, Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer still shows why its one of the most harrowing tracks for Behemoth to open with.
It sets the bar and shows every element of what Behemoth display. Visceral, full of venom and some of the biggest sonic assaults to come from Nergal and Co, deep bassnotes shudder with winding guitars that underlay the biggest drum build up.
The Shit Ov God presents a visceral and intense auditory, combining Nergal and Seth’s sharp guitar work with dramatic, operatic elements.
Definitions of expansive soundscapes injected by Inferno’s skill behind the kit delivers at a deliberate pace to fully immerse the crowd.
The composition offers a sonic assault, transitioning between weighty sections of unyielding intensity.
Nergal’s tone of despair and snarling rage shapes the melodics of The Shit Ov God.
Around midway through the track, melodic guitar passages seep through and gives way to Orion’s furious bassnotes as pyro shoots up the air on time with the drums double kicks.
The crowd has faces of corpse paint headbanging to the destruction in front of us.
With a cover of Bathory’s Return of Darkness and Evil, the crowd goes nuts, crowdsurfing to the barriers and pyro blasting from the stage, Behemoth leave their audience left with melted faces and heads well and truly rattled.
To close the Opus stage, Brighton’s very own Architects called the curtain for Saturday’s second stage and by the gods, they deserve to be up there.
Kicking off with a stage of white lights and subtle tones glimmering into the crowd, the crowd welcomed the guys to the stage before a beautiful synth melody ripples out.
Elegy is the first track on latest album The Sky, The Earth & All Between and sets off the bar for how hard these guys can go.
I’ve seen Architects a handful of times since back in the day in Brighton and every time the energy is astonishing.
Sam Carter starts off with beautifully clean vocals before shifting the chorus into gruelling roars and gutturals that have the ground beneath you shaking.
Adam Christanson and Martyn Evans range their riffs between melodic grooves and tech infused breakdowns to collide into a stunning offering that sweeps you into the ether.
Whiplash is named aptly.
“I need this early, Download.” Sam addresses the crowd. “Get on your knees, lets make this biblical!”
Starting a song with an imposing breakdown melting into a frenzied section of riffs got the crowd jumping and vibing to the stage.
A pit opens up and feeds off the chugging heaviness of Ali Dean’s basslines and mounting speed of frenzied chaos blowing the stage roof off by Dan Searle’s kitwork.
Slowing things down a touch for the beautiful tones of Doomsday, dedicated to the memory of Tom Searle.
Still as raw as when first released, the weight carried behind this track in it’s live setting has so many more layers underneath.
Combining Ryan’s subtle synth keys to create a mournful depth with stacks of tech infused guitars, there are cleans and dark shimmers in beautiful notes across the board here.
Sam has urgency in his vocals though balances the contrast with some melodic cleans which meets sone heart wrenching rhythmic sections.
With Blackhole and Impermanence delivering some of the heaviest and grittiest tech riffs and groove shifting drums, the former has an edge of drum n bass also entwined cleverly into sections to make this a track to throw bodies around to.
So much so, security stopped the set for both songs – but that didnt take away from the experience of these guys delivering an absolute chonky performance. Crowdsurfer galore!
Broken Mirror shows a vulnerable side to Architects and Sam confides that for some time, he was struggling mentally and encourages the crowd to seek help and reach out when facing the same dark times.
This song brought tears to my eyes. Locking rippling melodics and beautiful clean vocals together, this is another core touching offering with deep lyrics resonating in a raw form.
Encouraging the crowd, everyone lit their lights up for Everything Ends.
An anthemic vibe that sets the mood for closing track Animals.
A fan favourite, the whole crowd sang back to the stage and crowdsurfers took their opportunity to get feral to this humbling, energetic track.
Headlining tonight, rock legends Guns N’ Roses had a early set start and just as well as the arena was still packed despite half of Download opting for Architects, anticipation setting in for a long evening of memory lane and rocking bangers returning to Download reunited with Duff McKagan, Axl and Slash.
With the stage lit with rolling orbs of colours in the backdrop, Axl Rose spins out on set whilst the iconic intro riff by Slash and Richard spills out to kickstart Welcome To The Jungle.
Beers flying, air guitars flailing, people arm in arm shouting the lyrics back to the stage – and you know this is where the magic of growing with your favourite rock bands never dies.
They’re sounding on point, from the killer solos and diverse beats of Mr. Brownstone and It’s So Easy to covers of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and a collab of Slither by Velvet Revolver, both gets everyone head banging.
Axl changes his outfits in between songs and as dusk settles over Download Festival, the ambience is set by a beautiful performance of November Rain under a lit stage and the piano keys entwining with Slash’s iconic solo.
Bringing together rock lovers of all generations with powerful singalongs and awesome mood setting, the set closed the curtain on main stage with Paradise City, a fantastic finish to the night.
Photography by Pete Key for MPM
Guns n Roses shot by Download photographer
