Fox Reviews Rock

Introduction

This is our review of the Sunday at Download Festival 2024.Just like on Saturday, the entrance to the arena was delayed, but this time it was delayed by 2 hours! As a result, set times were all over the place and some bands ended up destroying equipment on the main stage because headliners Avenged Sevenfold reportedly refused to shorten their set.

I will also mention that Download Festival’s secret set this year, which was heavily hyped up, was Parkway Drive. I really like them as a band, but when others were mentioning bands I hadn’t seen before, I was somewhat disappointed. Cozzer and Lucky Luke, however, went to see them and both returned with smiles on their faces, so perhaps it was a great booking after all!

The title needs to include that it is a review of sunday at download festival at the start of the title

Other Download Festival Related Content

Wednesday / Thursday Download Festival Review

Friday Download Festival Review

Saturday Download Festival Review

Download Festival A Different Perspective pt1

Alien Weaponry

We were lucky enough to see Alien Weaponry, a band from New Zealand, as the first act. They mostly sing in the native Māori language and their performance was full of energy and passion, complete with traditional tattoos.

The restriction of only 5 songs for bands to attract new listeners feels a bit unfair, but I think it was due to the delay in opening the arena. Despite this, the band made quite an impression with those 5 songs, especially with “Kai Tangata”. A fantastic way to kick off the day!

Creeper

This has got to be at least the 5th time I’ve seen Creeper at Download, and this time I’ll definitely remember it for the unexpected backing dancers who just appeared out of nowhere rather than the music. They only had time for 6 songs so the black makeup’d up band still did a good job, but I can’t believe they didn’t play “Cyanide” or “Black Rain”.

Of the 6 songs, 5 of them were from latest album, “Sanguivore”, released in 2023. It had a vibe similar to The Hunna (Check out our Saturday review for more). Personally, I would have preferred if they played more of their popular hits, especially for a festival crowd. However, I’ll admit that their passion for the festival was evident, with elaborate theatrics that kept the audience engaged. The new songs were decent enough, and I particularly enjoyed “Teenage Sacrifice.”

Kerry King

I didn’t know what to expect from the ex-Slayer Guitarist, but it turned out to be the expected straightforward thrash metal. I’ve never seen Slayer live, so hearing “Raining Blood” was a pleasant surprise.

However, there was a noticeable contrast between Slayer songs like “Black Magic” and Kerry Kings own band with the former being more refined. I believe that as a relatively new band, they will evolve their sound and step out of Slayer’s shadow in due time. I did enjoy “Idle Hands” though so it at least shows there is some promise in what is to come!

Bowling For Soup

Bowling For Soup never fails to deliver an amazing show. Even though Chris was absent due to being in the hospital, their performance was still filled with all the classic hits. However, I couldn’t help but feel that their sound and energy were lacking without him.

Despite that, I still had a great time, and the surprise appearance by Wheatus, who they will be touring with next year, was a pleasant surprise. Stay tuned for St. Jimmy & Rex’s in-depth coverage of Bowling For Soup in “Download A Different Perspective pt. 3,” coming out next week! Keep an eye out for it!

Sum 41

This marked the last time the band would ever perform at a UK festival, and they absolutely nailed it! Kicking off with T.N.T, an AC/DC classic, was a delightful surprise, and their cover of Queen’s We Will Rock You towards the end of the set was just epic! They flawlessly weaved these hits in with their own anthems from “Underclass Hero” to “In Too Deep” and “Fat Lip”.

The band’s gratitude was obvious as they took the stage at the festival, effortlessly captivating the crowd. Their performance was nothing short of flawless, blending beloved classics with fresh tracks from their latest album Heaven:Hell, like the explosive “Landmines.” Be sure to read our review of their song “Waiting On A Twist Of Fate” from the same album!

The band informed the crowd that they would be returning for one last tour later this year, promising to be an emotional experience! As they concluded their set list with the 12th and final song “Still Waiting,” my inner teenager was yearning for more, yet it truly served as a perfect conclusion to an amazing set list and their final appearance at a UK festival.

Looks like I’ll need to grab some tickets from Ticketmaster if I want to catch them on their farewell UK tour as well… For now I thank you Sum41 for the countless memories your music has given me.

Limp Bizkit

The moment they were announced for the Download Festival 2024 billing, in a somewhat new way of announcing bands, I couldn’t contain my excitement. I’m thrilled to say they didn’t disappoint! Despite playing “Break Stuff” twice, seemingly to extend their set, their performance was nothing short of spectacular from beginning to end. The main stage was packed like nothing else over the weekend, even compared to Saturday’s headliners Fall Out Boy.

Festival booker Andy Copping’s post-festival comments about the band playing again and headlining have my full support. Their set included covers of classic songs by Creedence Clearwater Revival, Ozzy Osbourne, The Who, and George Michael! My only concern is that half of their set consisted of covers and talking. If they want to headline, they need to have a lot more of their own material.

When it comes to their original songs like “Rollin’ (Air Raid Vehicle)” and “Nookie,” they really stole the show. Honestly, they had a stronger connection with the crowd than any other band all weekend. They’ve definitely moved from “need to see” to “would see again.” And can we talk about Wes Borland’s outfit? He looked just as amazing in person as he does in music videos! For me, they can keep Rollin’ all the way to the headline slot! Although next time they need to play my favourite song by them “Eat You Alive”!

Avenged Sevenfold

Avenged Sevenfold finally hit the stage, but wait – are they really Avenged Sevenfold? It’s hard to tell with those stupid balaclavas covering their faces. Perhaps they’re trying to keep a low profile after dropping their latest album, “Life Is But A Dream…” We’d love to give it a listen, but we can’t bring ourselves to dish out negative scores.

Cozzer is a massive Avenged Sevenfold enthusiast, but when “Afterlife” played without the guitars because of the audio setup, he decided to call it a night after “Hail To The King”. I can’t say I blame him entirely… I must say, the screen effects the band used were completely intriguing! The way they seamlessly switched between their real-life selves and eerie ghoulish creatures had me hooked the entire time, if I’m being honest more so than the music!

After that, they played more new tracks, moving into a run afterwards that included “Bat Country” and “Nightmare,” the latter causing the entire stage to go dark, as if they had blown the entire festival’s fuse. Before the lights came back on, we trudged back up the extremely muddy hill, our boots getting stuck with every step, trying to avoid people and food.

When “A Little Piece Of Heaven” started playing, we were fully prepared to head back to the campervan. We could still hear the last part of the set from there, where they concluded with 2 more songs from the latest album. Out of the 15 songs performed, a third were from the newest album, and very few were what I would call classic tracks. Comparing to their previous shows, it’s evident that this band is on a downward trend. Personally, I wouldn’t invite them back again as their performance was just as uninspiring as their booking.

Closing Statement

As another Download Festival drew to a close in the Campervan we all had similar thoughts. Download is better when there is sun. We appreciated the bookers had tried to book new interesting bands to headline in the most part. Finally, we couldn’t all wait to do it again, so much so that we have already all bought tickets for next year!

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As always the song(s) in out reviews are added to the Spotify Playlist find out more about that here as well as on the Spotify Podcast find out more about that here.