Download Festival 2009
Friday 12th to Sunday 14th June 2009Donington Park, Leics, England MAP
£135 weekend, £65 any day, camping is an extra £25
Last updated: Thu 11th Jun 2009
The Answer's Cormac Neeson might not have quite the same stage presence as Uncle Phil, but he has swagger in spades, and the Northern Irish gang produce a masterclass in putting on a good old-fashioned rock 'n' roll show. 'Under The Sky' inevitably garners the biggest cheer of the set, but newer numbers such as 'Walkin' Mat' certainly hold their own. And speaking of which, Pendulum make a welcome return to the festival after last year's much-lauded second stage set. This year is more of the same as metalheads, ravers, punks and emo kids all group together in the name of dancing like twats, and it's one hell of a sight to behold.
On the other hand, The Prodigy can't come back soon enough. Ripping the second stage a new one with a set that is heavy on new material but still as thrilling as any they've produced, Messrs Howlett, Flint and Reality whip their audience into a dancing, moshing, crowd-surfing frenzy of sweaty bodies and euphoric squeals.
It leaves Slipknot with plenty to do, but they're not ones to back down from a challenge, and the result is the strongest main stage headliner set of the weekend. The singalong provided by the crowd during 'Duality' is deafening, while the sight of nearly 70,000 people all sitting down prior to jumping up in unison during 'Spit It Out' is truly mind-blowing. Manic, chaotic, aggressive, ridiculous and utterly, utterly brilliant.
review by: Merlin Alderslade
photos by: Luke Seagrave / Chris Perowne
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