Fox Reviews Rock

This is our review of the Saturday at Download Festival 2024, please take the time to check out our other Download Festival Reviews from the links below.

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Download Festival 2024 Saturday Review

It’s not often that you get to sleep in at Download, especially on the weekend when the arena opens at 10am. But we were surprised to hear that the arena would actually be opening an hour late.

Our sleep benefited from this, but it was unfortunate as we anticipated it would lead to delays during the day and shorter set times. The festival teams were trying to ensure the arena was safe, but honestly, every time it rains at Download, they could have laid down three times the amount of straw.

Florence Black

First up on Saturday was Florence Black, a band of whom we are huge fans at Fox Reviews Rock. We have previously featured them in our Up-and-Coming Bands segment!

The show kicked off with the amazing “Bed of Nails,” which is definitely my top pick from all their songs. The guitar solo at around the 3-minute mark hits you hard!

Unfortunately, their performance was abruptly ended because of technical difficulties caused by the weather, which was really pouring down at that moment. As a result, their rendition of “Sun and Moon” was prematurely stopped by the event organizers, leaving us quite disappointed. We only managed to hear 4 and a half songs from the band before it all came to an end. Despite this setback, FRR and Cozzer did their best to keep spirits up.

The Hunna

When performing at a festival, it’s crucial to play your most popular songs. Unfortunately, The Hunna didn’t do that. I was really excited to hear their two biggest hits “She’s Casual” & “Bonfire” at the festival, but they didn’t perform them. Instead, they focused on songs from their last 2 albums. It’s okay for their own shows, but not for a festival set list.

My friends are big fans of The Hunna, and they were jamming along very happy but I feel like for me it wasn’t the full experience . Their performance was full of high energy and clearly was entertaining the crowd but I still found myself longing for those two songs. The one song that I didnt previously know that did draw me in and get grab my attention was “I Wanna Know” which had a great hook!

I suspect their live show at their own gigs would have been much more to my taste so I’ve chosen to still give The Hunna my seal of approval , I’ll be getting tickets to see them at their own shows soon enough!

Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes

Frank Carter, the ex-Gallows lead singer, along with his band The Rattlesnakes, consistently delivers an amazing performance. This marks my fifth time catching them live, with four of those times being at Download Festival. Despite a slightly shorter set list this time around, the show was just as fantastic as ever.

The band definitely deserved a bigger slot this time, which would have given them more time to perform their classics. Frank had his gold chain stolen while crowd surfing (Yes, REALLY!). I’m just relieved that I’m not the one being targeted by him to get it back!

My favourite track is “Tyrant Lizard King”, but surprisingly, it wasn’t included in the setlist presumably due to reduced set time. Frank always dedicates “Wild Flowers” to the ladies in the audience, creating a safe space for them to mosh without any worries. It’s such a thoughtful gesture and it always goes down well!

Babymetal

Babymetal is such an enigma to me. The trio of vocalists (S-Metal, Moametal & Momometal) are undeniably huge, but for some reason, I just can’t wrap my head around their popularity.

I’ve caught the “Band” at Download Festival for the second time now, and on both occasions, it’s brought about a massive storm. Unfortunately, I’ve been let down both times. This time, the storm was so intense that they had to flee the stage before hailstones could overpower them. As a result, their set list was significantly shortened, and they only managed to play 4 songs in their entirety.

Luckily (and one thing I appreciate about them), they performed one of their joint efforts on this occasion. The track they played was “Ratatata”. They teamed up with Electric Callboy to create this incredibly infectious song. It’s just unfortunate that Electric Callboy had to cancel their appearance at the festival, otherwise we might have seen both bands sharing the stage together.

Enter Shikari

I still remember the first time I saw Enter Shikari vividly. It was my very first Download Festival in 2013, and a young and eager Fox Reviews Rock made the decision to go straight to the front barrier. Well, that turned out to be a mistake… The band’s performance was amazing, but I’ve never been more crushed in my life. Needless to say, I didn’t make the same error in judgment this time around.

Enter Shikari is a band known for fearlessly exploring different sounds, sometimes leaving festival-goers bewildered. Although they may not always play my favourite songs, the enthusiastic crowd singing along shows that they’re giving the audience what they want!

They managed to squeeze in a performance of the song “Sorry, You’re Not a Winner,” bringing back nostalgic memories of the first time I saw them and heard that song live.

The band’s performance was a wild ride, with entire songs performed in the crowd, and the frontman Rou Reynolds taking a plunge into at least 4 inches of mud. Despite the muddy adventure, the four-piece band delivered an amazing show. It’s safe to say this time they were definitely onto a winner!

The Offspring

The Offspring took me on a nostalgic journey when they hit the stage. With 17 tracks that brought me back to my childhood, I couldn’t help but love every single moment. It wasn’t until the third song, “I Want You Bad,” that I finally made my way back to the group, thanks to the crowd being huge!

They included two covers in their set, with the second one being “Blitzkrieg Bop” by the Ramones. This not only helped break up the set nicely, but also kept the energy flowing.

I found myself catching the encore from the hilltop after trudging through the mud towards the second stage for Pantera’s first UK performance in two decades. However, I couldn’t bear to miss a single moment of The Offspring’s infectious energy! Their set ended with an epic run of four songs: Pretty Fly (For a White Guy), The Kids Aren’t Alright, You’re Gonna Go Far Kid, and Self Esteem.

It was a complete turnaround from the last time I saw them, when they stuck to playing only their latest album for most of the set. This time around, they blew me away – a solid 5/5 rating from me!

Pantera

With only Rex Brown and Phil Anselmo remaining from the original lineup, some have questioned whether this is now essentially a cover band. While Vinnie Paul & Dimebag Darrell were crucial to their sound, labeling them as a cover band is simply disrespectful! Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante and Ozzy’s longtime guitarist Zakk Wylde are more than capable of stepping in.

It seemed like everyone was in agreement too as the crowd was HUGE it was impossible to make my way closer to the stage. Perhaps it would have been better to have the band perform on the main stage instead? The energy was electric as Phil belted out hit after hit, clearly ecstatic to be back at Download and in the UK after two decades away with Pantera.

I unfortunately missed their performance of “Walk,” their most famous song. However, I did catch “Cowboys From Hell,” and it was absolutely amazing live! I recall this moment because I had just grabbed some food – duck wraps, to be precise. I have to give them credit for providing me with the healthiest meal I had all weekend!

Fall Out Boy

I couldn’t wait for the band I’d been looking forward to the most all weekend! Fall Out Boy’s performance at Download Festival was even better than when they were special guests for Linkin Park. Their set was arranged like Taylor Swift’s “Era’s” Tour (the one and only time she will be mentioned on this site), with hit songs from each of their albums played in order.

I was particularly impressed by the way they altered the stage makeup for each album, making it a unique visual experience that sets them apart from other bands. From a massive Phoenix to bassist Pete Wentz floating on balloons, there was no shortage of captivating visuals. However, let’s face it, at a rock show, it’s not just our eyes that we expect to be captivated, and this band delivered on that front as well.

The band’s performance was massive, with a total of 27 songs on the setlist. I couldn’t even speak properly the next day after belting out every single song with Farnie. My ultimate favourite track from the album “Infinity On High” is “This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race” – it was absolutely epic!

I also had a blast with songs like “Dance, Dance/ Thnks fr th mmrs/ I Don’t Care & Sugar We’re Going Down”. But none of them compare to the best song of Download Festival 2024, “What A Catch Donnie”. I can’t help but get goosebumps just thinking about how much I loved belting out the lyrics. I never expected to hear that song live, so I couldn’t help but fangirl in that moment, even though it probably looked a bit strange with my beard…

“I got troubled thoughts
And the self-esteem to match
What a catch, what a catch
And all I can think of
Is the way I’m the one
Who charmed the one
Who gave up on you
Who gave up on you”

Condensing the album “Mania” to just one song, unlike others with up to 4 songs, was a smart move! The songs from their latest album were fantastic and showed a return to form for the band! Although I was sad when the night ended, hearing “Saturday” as the closing song was a pleasant surprise and a fitting end to the Saturday night.

Review by Fox Reviews Rock

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