Get Down with Rock Royalty at Download
Download Festival needs little introduction. The mecca of rock festivals, attracting thousands of people each year, with the biggest rock line-up anywhere in the country; if you don’t know about it, you must have been living under some kind of boulder for the last decade. The self-proclaimed UK Premier Rock Festival, at the spiritual home of rock, Donington Park, this year, like all those previous, is not one to be missed. Taking place on the 10-12th June, with numerous camping and ticket options, an incredible line-up, and so much more, all us folk at Licklist are here to tell you why you really should be making the pilgrimage to rock’s favourite festival this summer.
Roast Rammstein
First and foremost, the line-up looks like the music-curator gods have decided to bestow upon us the greatest rock gift they could possibly come up with. The headliners are worth the price of the ticket alone; honestly, we’re not joking, they are frickin’ ridiculous. First up on the Friday are Rammstein. Ok, so they’ve got a pretty impressive musical catalogue. Actually, a very impressive catalogue. But that’s not even what we’re most excited about. If you’re clued up about rock music, which I’m sure you are, then you’ll know all about Rammstein’s live shows. For those of you who don’t know, let me put it this way; expect pyrotechnics, and lots of them. Fans have even coined the motto, ‘Other bands play, Rammstein burns!’ And leader singer Till Lindemann has decided to become a qualified pyrotechnician; don’t be fooled however. This does not mean he’s the one making sure everyone’s following elf’n’safety regulations. This crazy muthaf*cka has been known to spend entire songs head to toe in flames, and has suffered multiple burns on multiple occasions. He actually burns alive while he plays. I mean, who wouldn’t want to see a chargrilled Lindemann rocking out on stage on a Friday night?
The Madness Continues
And then on the Saturday, they’ve got Black Sabbath. You know, no biggie. Just one of the greatest heavy metal bands ever to do it. Pioneers of heavy metal music, genre-defining releases, 70 million records sold worldwide. MTV ranked them as the Greatest Metal Band of all time, Rolling Stone had them in their 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, while they’ve also been inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. So yeah, not a bad way to spend your Saturday evening. Not much more needs to be said, really.
There’s More, Yes Really
Wrapping things up on Sunday, they’ve got Iron Maiden. Like, how on earth have the guys at Download managed to get all three of these absurdly massive bands all playing at the same festival? Its madness, absolute madness. With a discography of thirty eight albums, albums going gold and platinum, and an album coming out in the last year (The Book of Souls, if ya don’t know), Iron Maiden are ready to give you the nuts last night that this ridiculous festival deserves. As ludicrous headline acts go, this lot are up there with the best of them. The rest of the line-up isn’t half bad either, with highlights including Megadeth, Skindred and All Time Low. The music is spread out over four stages, across the festival, so there’s always gonna be something going on to get your music juices flowing.
Rest In Peace
So yeah, the music is banging. And Download have done everything humanly possible to give you the chance of getting there, and having an enjoyable stay once you are. There are all kinds of ticket types and options, all of which can be found here. With kids tickets available, extras including coaches, locker hire, a collectable Zippo (!), and the pick between 3 and 5 day camping, they’ve got you covered. And if you love the tunes, but hate the camping, Download have got your back. You can get just day tickets, so you can enter the arena of the rock-gods but then go back to the comfort of your own bed, while Download also offer something they call the RIP option; now, I’ve gotta give it to them, this was a pretty inspired piece of wordplay. RIP, as in Rest In Peace. As in a peaceful night’s sleep (or at least this is what I think they were going for… Or maybe I’ve got the completely wrong end of the stick… Oh well). Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that Download has got it all, from wondrous word-play to record-breaking headliners, so get your tickets as soon as, and we’ll see ya’ll there!
Nick Cooke