Download Day Two Review (Slipknot, Marilyn Manson, Pendulum and More)

When you are staying in a tent, beside an airport runway with a few thousand other people, any sleep gained is a mammoth achievement. I managed a solid eight hours, possibly assisted by my extended front row shenanigans the night before. We did unwind in a very pleasant manner after the shows on Friday, by listening to Classic FM, eating olives and playing chess for a few hours. Now that’s rock and roll kids.

Saturday’s bill was getting underway early, with the first band on at 11am. Being very much there for the music, myself and the illustrious Soup (more legend than human and my wingman for the weekend) hotfooted it down to the arena for some questionable breakfast substances. Whilst trying to enjoy a beer and a pastie on the hill overlooking the main stage, we were subjected to an aural molestation by Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens. It’s amazing how much difference good sound can make to even the most mediocre performance. Unfortunately, in this case, the soundman seemed to have arranged a lie in and sent one of his mates down to do the job instead. It was a case of poor sound making a bad gig sound even worse.

Owens was the replacement singer in Judas Priest after the brief departure of Rob Halford. The atrocious sound, making his vocals ear rupturingly loud in comparison to the instruments, did not heighten the experience for anyone. Clichéd and difficult to listen to, this was far from the ideal start to the day. The combination of the tired songs, poor lyrics and shoddy delivery with the already scorching heat were beginning to make me cranky. Thankfully, the sets were nice and short and so the torture didn’t last long. I don’t think that I can go as far as to recommend Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens to anyone, but he’s trying, bless him, so I’m not going to slate him either.

The sound was strangely perfect again with the introduction of 5 Finger Death Punch, who I had previously never heard of. If the amount of t shirts that I saw over the weekend was anything to go by, then they seem to have quite a following. I’m not really sure what there is to say about them. They were dumb, very dumb indeed, but far from unenjoyable. In fact, they cheered me up loads and managed to get the crowd considerably riled up, not an easy task before noon. I can’t say that any of their songs stayed with me, but I didn’t find any of the disagreeable either. I may even investigate them further someday. In short, nothing special but good fun on a sunny Saturday morning.

Then the action really started. Ex Coal Chamber singer Dez Fafara’s band Devildriver have a long standing reputation as a great live band. This early afternoon appearance certainly justified any such claims. The man has some voice! A perpetual growl which carries across so much better in person than on record, they were a band that demanded immediate attention, and got it. The crowd’s reaction was unbelievable from the offset. The pits grew bigger and bigger until Dez announced that The Guinness Book of Records were present and that they were going to attempt the biggest circle pit ever. This wasn’t an opportunity that a man should pass up on. The wonderful thing that I discovered about circle pits is how nice everyone is in them. They are not as terrifying or as brutal as they look. It’s like a big game of ring a ring a rosies, except with a bit more pushing. See the video below and you get an idea not only of the stupendous nature of this phenomenon, but how damn cool it looks too.

Now we were riled. Devildriver had ignited the day and there was no going back now. The heat would just have to do its worst, because nothing was going to get in the way of a good stomping at this stage. Hatebreed were up next. One of my good friends Shay of Hardcore Times interviewed Hatebreed once and they were cocksuckers to him, so I only watched one song before deciding to go and see Charlie from Busted’s Fightstar instead. This, in retrospect, wasn’t one of the better decisions that I’ve ever made, but I’m no man for regrets. Fightstar had their moments, but they were sparse and not very good ones. Hatebreed were apparently brilliant, so fail one for me.

Phil ‘You treat your stepmother with respect Pantera’ Anselmo’s Down were now playing on the main stage. Their ballsy southern swamp metal was all a bit pious and serious for me to be honest; they are fantastic musicians, but suit a dimly lit dive of a venue far better than a sunny field near Derby. I have several Down albums and really enjoy them, but I wanted something a bit more fun. Anselmo pulled his angry monkey faces and pouted a lot, spat a bit and stamped his feet. I’d had enough.

Fun was certainly had at the second stage as Fightstar had awoken a nest of angry bees, which were now enveloping all of the barriers. Security looked befuddled as they tried to decide whether to put on the next show. Circular swarms blackened the air and everyone was a wee bit worried as they all seemed exceptionally pissed off. But when metal calls, it has to be answered and it takes more than a swarm of bees to stop the mighty Static X. The first thing that blew me away about seeing Static live was Wayne’s voice. It’s exactly like it is on the albums; something I always assumed was the product of mass filtering and effects. On this basic setup, they shined. Tight and pounding like a regrettable incident in college, they blasted out old ‘evil disco’ classics like ‘Push It’, ‘I’m With Stupid’ and ‘Black and White’ amongst some new material which once again, sounded infinitely better live. They had ho’s too! Ho’s with Jager shots. It may not be big and clever, but it was pretty cool. I had missed Static back in the early messy days (mine, not theirs) and so this was a personal highlight of my weekend and needless to say, I was really psyched up for the rest of the day.

Beers were attained and prize vantage points were taken for the musical behemoth that is Dragonforce. My word, I jumped a lot. They have unlimited energy and really just shake the audience by the groin, vigorously and relentlessly while they occupy the stage. It was the most rewarding power metal experience that I have witnessed in my not inconsiderable years spent as a human man. The audience were in shocked adulation and the finale of ‘Through the fire and flames’ rocked like no other current anthem of its kind. If the chance ever arises for you to see Dragonforce, do not cast it away like a discarded tissue; embrace it like a warm blanket on a chilly November night when the electricity has run out. They had the most amazing hair as well, truly beautiful and it trumps Andie McDowell’s. Dragonforce, because they’re worth it.

The day was flying through, it was a strange sensation because we had already seen several cracking shows and the headliners were only getting going. Pendulum were up next. I have both enjoyed and slated Pendulum in the past. I always just associated them with horrible Drum and Bass heads that stay in your house for weeks using up all the amenities and taking liberties whenever possible. I also found their albums to be patchy at best and the trouble with D&B is that it sounds so horribly dated now. I am now retracting my words and shall eat them in my lovely new white panama hat after completion of this piece. Pendulum seem to have mutated into some derivative form of Asian Dub Foundation, Atari Teenage Riot and The Prodigy (Who I missed as they clashed with Slipknot). With a full band adding extra dimensions to their early structure and the addition of a frontman (who is more of a hype man than a performer) have definitely taken the band to new levels. It was a matter of seconds before the place went insane. All weekend there had been moshpits, walls of death and circle pits galore, but this was just violent. Circle pits would spring up out of nowhere and within seconds, you found yourself at the other side of the crowd. Once again, I am so glad of my decision to bring my knee high New Rocks, they provide such sturdiness when required, very handy when you don’t want your ass to end up on the ground under several thousand people’s dirty feet. The rest of their set was fantastic (if exhausting and partially demented) and whilst I still wouldn’t listen to them at home, I’d gladly partake in another hour of such unbridled mayhem.

Fifteen years, that’s how long I’ve waited to see Marilyn Manson. That’s a long damn time. I have also defended him through countless questionable albums and embarrassing predicaments. No more. It’s all over, done, finito. Manson’s performance was a huge disappointment to us all. I’m not going to superfluously pontificate on the setup of the actual show itself, as there isn’t much to describe. It was nice to see Twiggy back, but this was a short-lived pleasantry. Manson flailed around the stage with a stupid grin on his face like some drunken clown. It transpired that it was more cocaine than alcohol to blame, as he told us all about it, at great length and in lieu of playing any songs. Long warbling nonsensical interludes spoiled any momentum that had existed and it wasn’t long before the crowd weren’t even applauding. Manson fluffed almost every song he played, even ‘The Beautiful People’, by which time I was walking away. I tried so hard to enjoy it, but watching this abominated version of something I once held in so much emulation and respect, was a shattering experience. After Faith No More, Manson was who I was most excited about, every song was delivered in superb musical form, but the half arsed, erroneous vocals sullied any clarity or professionalism. Manson would stop or obstruct the musicians from playing, for the sheer hell of it. He would approach the camera every few moments and pull stupid faces, then he would talk about cocaine some more. A massive letdown, a shattered hero and a waste of everybody’s time. Just let it go Manson, you’re finished. You are now the rock star cliché you once struggled against being, just join Motley Crue and stop bothering everyone. Rousing cries of ‘shit’ and numerous boos amplified my own personal feelings.

Slipknot were onstage for approximately thirty seconds before I had forgotten that I ever even liked Manson. Their stage setup was epic; their introduction was subtle but tense. This as the biggest show that they had ever done as headliners. Their ten year anniversary was being marked by this performance. In ways, they seemed as anxious as we were. To the riotous anthem of (SIC), they made the crowd merge into one giant organism, pulsating and thrashing like a dying monster. The next two hours were the most punishing I have ever experienced. As you will see from the live footage, Slipknot deserve the rightful acknowledgement of their ability in a live situation. They are astonishing performers; their visceral energy is unfathomable, their sound immense and their connection with the fans is unprecedented. This is a band that has so much love and appreciation for the people who put them on that stage and they have no qualms about sharing this. Corey Taylor’s voice is strong throughout, his vocals never failing once. The multiple percussionists adding extra clout to each track. DJ Sid was remarkable as were the rest of the group. The act itself was a once in a lifetime experience. The energy that emanated off every single person in that crowd is only partially visible on any recorded footage. . The smells, the heat and the sound were accumulating into driving this monster home and they did just that, in my eyes, nothing could top this. Faith No More and Slipknot had etched their performances into my mind and since returning, I have rewatched both shows several times. Both are currently available online.

I left, dazed, battered and happier than I had been in a long damn time. I slept well that night too, for it wasn’t over yet.

For a review of Day One, click Here

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