Download Festival Preview – 10 Bands To See On Sunday
Think Sunday is a day of rest? Not at the Download Festival! To conclude our previews for this year’s hard rocking shindig at Donington, here are ten bands to round off the weekend in style.
Band: Mötley Crüe
Stage: Main Stage
Time:
Why bother?: With Tommy Lee, Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx and Mick Mars calling it quits this year, their main stage slot at Donington in a few days could well be one of your last chances to see the 80s legends in the UK. They’re always a great addition to any festival, are guaranteed to put on a fine show and you probably know more of their choruses than you think.
Band: Lamb of God
Stage: Zippo Encore stage
Time: 7.40pm
Why bother?: These veterans of Download know what it takes to pull off a blinding set on the hallowed grounds of Donington and this year is likely to be no different. Add into that mix the fact that this is their first visit to the festival since Randy Blythe’s arrest and trial in Czech and their set should feel something like a homecoming. Oh, and they might even treat us to their forthcoming new album too — what a bonus!
Band: Yellowcard
Stage: Third stage
Time: 7.35pm
Why bother?: The violin-toting pop punk legends have been refreshed since their late noughties hiatus and still know how to deliver a fine show — just look at the amazing pictures we got from their joint run with Less Than Jake earlier this year. They’re also rounding off a very strong third stage lineup, so will want to bring their A game to show exactly why they deserve to be headliners. Expect melody and bouncing, lots of bouncing.
Band: Slash, Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators
Stage: Main stage
Time: 5.20pm
Why bother?: The pairing of one of the finest guitarists ever with one of the most incredible voices in rock is a gift that keeps giving. The three albums this pair has worked on are all belters, and when you then remember that Slash likes to dip into his Guns N Roses back catalogue you see why this lot will be one of the highlights of the weekend. We saw them in Birmingham last December and loved it, and expect nothing less at Donington.
Band: Suicidal Tendencies
Stage: Fourth stage
Time: 10.05pm
Why bother?: The thrash crossover legends may have had enough previous members to fill a bus, but they’re still an incredibly important band that is still making new music. Their status and influence on modern heavy music makes them worth your time — especially if the make-up clad spectacly of Kiss closing the main stage isn’t your thing.
Band: Enter Shikari
Stage: Zippo Encore stage
Time: 9.05pm
Why bother?: They’re a bona fide British success story who always deliver the goods when they play live — just check out our review of their stop in Wolverhampton earlier this year. It’s refreshing to see some home-grown talent topping off the second stage and it will be fascinating to see what they do with such a large stage to play around on.
Band: We Are Harlot
Stage: Zippo Encore Stage
Time: 2.25pm
Why bother?: Giving up the frontman job from Asking Alexandria — a band that seemed mere inches away from hitting the absolute big leagues — takes some guts, but that’s exactly what Danny Worsnop did earlier this year. We Are Harlot is the reason he left, so you’d think there must be something equally special his new bunch. Finding out exactly what that something is will be good enough reason alone to check out their set — expect plenty of other curious campers to do the same.
Band: The Dead Daisies
Stage: Zippo Encore Stage
Time: 11am
Why bother?: First things on a Sunday morning, you want a band with groove, swagger and sunglasses galore, which is exactly what the Dead Daisies will offer. Their brand of catchy classic rock will be a perfect way to ease you into the final day of festivities. Also, they had some bloke called Slash play on one of their singles. Said Slash bloke is, as we’ve already seen, playing the main stage later in the day. Might he join them for a jam? Only one way to find out!
Band: Tremonti
Stage: Main stage
Time: 1.50pm
Why bother?: He’s often overlooked, but Mark Tremonti is one hell of a good guitarist, and the band he’s put together for his solo offerings can really shred too. The Alter Bridge/Creed axesmith is also a damn fine singer, and he’s bound to bring riffs galore to his main stage slot. Also, his bandmates Myles Kennedy is playing the same stage later in the day — like with Slash and the Dead Daisies, don’t be surprised if Mr Kennedy joins Mr Tremonti for a song.
Band: Kiss
Stage: Main stage
Time: 9.05pm
Why bother?: Because, quite simply, they’re one of the finest, most over the top live bands on the planet and should be seen by every rock fan at least once in their lifetime. Their stage show is epic, their songs are perfect for shouting along too with a pint in hand and there is no doubt that they will round off this year’s Download Festival with panache. As they say at the start of every Kiss show, ‘you wanted the best…’
Words – Dave Musson
Photos – Dave Musson, Andy Watson and Steve Kilmister