Saturday 09/06/07 Day Two @ Download Festival, Donington Park

Having had a rather lumpy night’s sleep thanks to some strategically placed stones beneath our tent, Gigwise wakes to find the sun beating down on Donington Park as Day Two of Download Festival 2007 begins…

A quick glance at the Saturday line-up lets us know that it should be one hell of a day – Machine Head, Slayer, Biffy Clyro and Motley Crue to name but a few. After having had the standard breakfast of yet more ham sandwiches, Gigwise heads to the bar to get a lay of the land. There’s the usual ragtag bunch hanging out in the darkened corners of the labyrinth-like mix of private booths and massage chairs, along with a queue as long as your arm for the ‘VIP toilets’ (VIP in name only, we assure you).

After a light stroll into the main arena, Gigwise heads to the main stage to catch the southern metal inspired grooves of supergroup HellYeah. These guys really are an all-star team, featuring ex-Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul along with Mudvayne vocalist Chad Grey. The band go all out despite the early hour and the crowd respond in kind; chanting lyrics back at the stage and moshing like there’s no tomorrow to songs like HellYeah’s most recent single ‘You Wouldn’t Know’. It’s not the hugest set in the world, or the most professionally executed, but it’s the perfect start to a day which promises to be unforgettable.

After a couple of hours worth of schmoozing back in the bar, Gigwise heads out to take a look at what rockers 30 Seconds To Mars have to offer back on the main stage. As it turns out, whilst crowd reaction to actor-cum-frontman Jared Leto is as always very impressive, their set seems to lack the lustre which so many other acts have captured so far this weekend. It may be the heat, it may be the distance from the stage, but the band doesn’t quite do enough to capture our imagination. Their fans though, it has to be said, absolutely love it as 30STM rock out with renditions of songs from their second album, ‘A Beautiful Lie’ including singles ‘The Kill’ and ‘From Yesterday’.

Following that slightly disappointing set, it’s a nice change of pace to see Bowling For Soup take to the stage with their own hybrid pop-punk sound. Fan reaction for these guys is huge, which is not real surprise considering BFS have been a mainstay for the pop-punk scene for several years and took a small break from music in 2006. Songs like ‘Girl All The Bad Guys Want’ go down a treat, giving Gigwise a brief break from the headbanging black-clad moshers who have dominated audiences thus far. The band wow the crowd with material from their newest album ‘The Great Burrito Extortion Case’ and also perform an impressive cover of ‘I Wanna Be Sedated’ (albeit replacing the word ‘sedated’ with the word ‘naked’ for comedy effect). It’s easy to se why this band remain so popular; instrumentation is tight, the vocal work is solid and the showmanship is first rate.

Now comes the time for Gigwise to get excited – next up is Machine Head followed by the mighty Slayer. A short pause for a cup of coffee later and Machine Head take to the stage. Whilst it’s can be tough to really pick stand-out bands at a festival like Download, it has to be said that MH really do own the stage. Frontman Robert Flynn takes the time to make a stirring tribute to the late Pantera guitarist and metal legend Dimebag Darrell which really gives the crowd a huge moral boost as the band play through an array of their back catalogue with both style and grace. All in all they play a great set and end up being a highlight of the entire weekend.