LIVE REVIEW: Download Festival 2024 – Friday

In the lore of Download Festival, a wet year was due – the last one was 2019, after all – but the weather served as only part of the reason why this year’s festivities at Donington Park were more difficult than usual. From band dropouts in the week leading up, to a well-documented food poisoning outbreak and (as we’ll get to), technical difficulties plaguing a number of bands, there were plenty of challenges besides the mud and rain.

There were also, of course, over 100 bands to enjoy, so let’s get to seeing what they were like, shall we? Welcome to Distorted Sound’s coverage of Download Festival 2024, starting with the Friday…

HANABIE – Opus Stage

HANABIE draw a surprising crowd for so early in the day, but they have no trouble getting everybody warmed up. They have the style and polish of a J-pop band, but blend metalcore and an electronic sound to create something completely unique, and it’s easy to be captivated by them. To contradict her cutesy style, with stripy legwarmers and pigtails, singer Yukina’s heavy vocals are extremely impressive, and she clearly knows how to work the crowd, taking the time between songs to crack jokes. By the time they play their last song, they have won me over, and it starts to become obvious that things at Download Festival are switching up a bit, a change that is mostly coming from the girls.

Rating: 8/10

THOSE DAMN CROWS – Apex Stage

What IS it about the Welsh and summoning the rain? No sooner have Bridgend rockers THOSE DAMN CROWS kicked into brand new track Let’s Go Psycho on the Apex Stage, the heavens open spectacularly, but the five piece show why they’re ready to headline Cardiff Arena in December with a hard-working, boisterous half an hour that also includes the likes of This Time I’m Ready and Takedown. Bringing an early barrage of pyro and a charisma that befits their rising status, THOSE DAMN CROWS prove why they’re one of the UK classic rock scene’s shining stars.

Rating: 7/10

TX2 – Avalanche Stage

Through the power of TikTok, TX2 has become infamous in the alternative community, with people criticising him for his lyrics and style, with many labelling him a ‘poser’. Before his set at Download Festival, there were rumour’s circulating that people were going to attend his set purely for the purposes of throwing things at him, which, to his credit, didn’t seem to affect his energy as he bounded on stage. While he definitely has some catchy songs, his simplistic lyrics and over-dramatisation of what ‘emo’ seems to be doesn’t go down too well with the Download audience. Simply put, the crowd seemed bored, although we would say he was somewhat entertaining.

Rating: 6/10

URNE – The Dogtooth Stage

URNE were meant to be on much earlier than this, but after The Dogtooth Stage’s lineup was decimated following no less than four band dropouts, the London trio find themselves bringing in the evening instead. Not that it bothers them or those who have come to see them, mind you: the sludge metal upstarts are on imperious form, To Die Twice and the title track from last year’s superb album A Feast On Sorrow crushing everything in their wake. Believe the hype about URNE – they’re really going places and are an early festival highlight.

Rating: 9/10

SCENE QUEEN – Opus Stage

Love her or hate her, it’s completely undeniable that SCENE QUEEN puts on a show, and her positivity and energy is infectious as she wins over the impressive crowd that turned out to see her. She dances across the stage with an unmatched level of confidence, and while she hints that she’s nervous about the size of the crowd, it’s almost impossible to tell, charming almost everybody. Blending femininity with tongue-in-cheek violence, moments of sincerity in the satire, and always unapologetically girly, SCENE QUEEN is a breath of fresh air, and most importantly, something different. While online she may not be welcomed in with open arms, in person, she is clearly loved.

Rating: 8/10

THE CALLOUS DAOBOYS – The Dogtooth Stage

Following URNE would be a tough ask for most bands, but THE CALLOUS DAOBOYS are not most bands. The math rock six piece are causing quite a stir in the heavy underground right now with their frenetic anthems boundless energy and their utter disdain for music in a regimented, 4/4 pattern. Their Download debut showcases much of this, although many in attendance seem perplexed at first, unsure what they’re witnessing. They’re won over in due course though, allowing for the DAOBOYS to finish strongly, a METALLICA sample throwing in for good measure a lasting memory of their brilliant quirkiness.

Rating: 7/10

SOFT PLAY – Opus Stage

After a hiatus and a rebrand, SOFT PLAY (formally SLAVES) are back on our stages, and while Download Festival is a slightly different festival than they’re used to playing, they make themselves at home, with a huge turnout of people and a riled-up crowd. Opening with Punk’s Dead, they directly address anybody who isn’t onboard with their changes, and their distinct energy and urgency only intensifies at the set goes on. The classic Sockets gets the crowd moving, without the need of much encouragement from the band. They run through a roller-coaster of emotions in their short set, with a little break for a comedy show from singer Isaac as he introduces Fuck The Hi-Hat, and suddenly raw emotion and painful anger for their live debut of Everything and Nothing. A SOFT PLAY show is an experience, and as they leave, you can’t help but think they deserved more time.

Rating: 8/10

MR BUNGLE – Opus Stage

“We are MR BUNGLE, and you are muddy and smelly, and you love it, goddamnit” quips Mike Patton from the Opus Stage. It’s been 24 long years since the crossover supergroup were on these shores and they’re just as bonkers as ever, Eracist and Bungle Grind aired alongside covers of 10CC, SPANDAU BALLET and SLAYER. At the heart of all of this eccentricity, however, is a band – with ANTHRAX’s Scott Ian on rhythm guitar and Dave Loimbardo on drums – of rock and metal legends who are just having the time of their lives. It shows, and everyone’s loving it.

Rating: 8/10

ROYAL BLOOD – Apex Stage

As the Download Festival lineup was announced, there was some confusion amongst fans at the choice of ROYAL BLOOD as sub-headliner on the main stage, as the duo’s mellow stadium rock sound is a bit different to what Download regulars are used to, but despite this, they generate a huge crowd. Fighting against various technical issues, and of course, fighting the rain, their set begins. Their sound and talent is undeniable, with vocalist Mike Kerr sounding exactly as he does on record. As they begin with Out Of The Black, it becomes clear that a singalong is exactly what this crowd needed, and ROYAL BLOOD are perfect for that. As they play crowd favourites such as Lights Out, the audience shows their appreciation, and their music is so easy to dance to that their set is undoubtedly fun. Though they have to restart Little Monster due to even more technical issues, they stay positive, and end it with an impressive drum solo. Closing out their set with the classic Figure It Out, the energy is high, and all in all, the set was definitely enjoyable.

Rating: 7/10

HEILUNG – Opus Stage

There’s something to be said about going into somebody’s set completely blind, and knowing nothing about the band beforehand, because sometimes, that band is HEILUNG. They are an experimental folk collective from Denmark, with a tribal and possibly pagan inspired style and sound, using a variation of languages in their songs, which are inspired by medieval European history. They label their shows ‘rituals’, and as they walk onto stage in robes and masks, it’s easy to understand why, with ritualistic chanting informing the crowd ‘we all are brothers’. They don’t use any electrical instruments, so as well as having a completely original look, their sound is like nothing else we’ve heard, and the audience are clearly captivated, and while they struggle to sing along (for obvious reasons) they show that they are engaged with raucous cheers, and there is a sense of catharsis. Their production is spectacular, feeling more like a theatrical performance, and some of their tracks send shivers in the way they build and then erupt. Maria Franz is mesmerising as she simultaneously sings, drums and dances. Triumphant.

Rating: 9/10

FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND – Opus Stage

Two weeks ago, FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND weren’t even playing Download, but when the call went out following BAD OMENS’ cancellation, the Welsh post-hardcore legends stepped up to the plate to top the Opus Stage bill. With a set leaning heavily on their two biggest releases in Casually Dressed and Deep in Conversation and Hours, this is very much a nostalgia fest, but WHAT a nostalgia fest; the one-two of Rookie Of The Year and Bullet Theory is still a juggernaut nearly 21 years later and Streetcar sees a cathartic outpouring of biblical proportions. Lucas Woodland of HOLDING ABSENCE has taken on the mantle of temporary frontman brilliantly since the end of last year – he’s on superb form here, never forgetting that he’s just there to help out and the real stars are around him – and, somehow, Charlie Simpson pops up just fifteen minutes after a triumphant BUSTED set over on the Avalanche Stage for All the Rage; there are people who watched that performance that haven’t made it here! Yes, the crowd is smaller than it would have been, but for everyone watching, it caps off a day of inclement weather in the best possible way.

Rating: 8/10

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE – Apex Stage

“Tonight, we’re going to guide you to a night you’ll never remember,” announces Josh Homme at the beginning of QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE’s headline set. Topping the bill at only their second Download appearance – their previous one being 2013 – the clear skies and setting sun mean the seminal desert rockers’ music is floating across Donington with poise and panache. For all of the opinions on Homme as well, as a frontman he is effortlessly cool, laid back and allowing the likes of Go With The Flow and Emotion Sickness to do the talking instead of being the focal point.

Thing is, as the set draws on, said talking isn’t particularly loud or – more tellingly – delivered with conviction. Yes, QOTSA have sound gremlins to contend with and that never helps, but the one thing you never want to be, especially when you’re the main attraction, is boring, and unfortunately Homme and his band are just that at points. Furthermore, the crowd is painfully thin towards the end; when Homme asks for a call and response during You Think I Ain’t Worth a Dollar, But I Feel Like a Millionaire, the music coming from the nearby dodgems is louder. A final double salvo of No One Knows and A Song For The Dead is a welcome jolt of energy, but as Download Festival closes for the night, Homme’s assurance that QOTSA will give everyone a night they’ll never remember comes true – just not in the way anyone expected when it was said.

Rating: 6/10

Words: Elliot Leaver, Millie Warwick

And that rounds up our coverage of the Friday of Download Festival 2024! Keep posted to Distorted Sound we we bring our our coverage of Saturday and Sunday of this year’s festival soon.

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