Fans at Download 2009. Photos by Ian Harvey.

Download Festival
Donington Park
Concert review by Debbie Bennett

Some may call it the Devil’s music, but the sun shone for three days as thousands of fans descended on Castle Donington to worship at the spiritual home of heavy metal.

With well over 100 bands playing on four different stages, no two fans would have experienced the same event, as great tribes moved from one arena to the other to catch the band of their choice, from hardcore to classic rock, from melodic rock to pure metal.

See our Download 2009 photo gallery below

Stand in just the right spot and you could hear four different bands all playing at the same time . . . if you really wanted to!

For some the highlight would have been the return of Faith No More, sending fans swooning with Easy, for others it would have been the masked pyrotechnics of Slipknot, for yet more, the rousing closing set from Def Leppard, back at Donington after an astonishing 23-year gap.

But some of the best received slots were on the smaller stages, with sleaze merchants Motley Crue tearing the place apart and rave rockers The Prodigy astonishing with their energy.

The Midlands was represented by Stone Gods on the main stage, featuring Richie Edwards from Lichfield; Black Country heavy metal band Hostile, watched by KK Downing of Judas Priest, and Aldridge-based No Americana.

Elsewhere there was a chance to bid a fond farewell to Thunder, as well as the return of long-lost Welsh rockers Skin and a heart-warming performance by Canadian losers-turned-movie-stars Anvil, who were joined onstage by Down frontman Phil Anselmo.

Other notable mentions must go to Whitesnake, The Answer – fresh from their tour with AC/DC – shock rocker Marilyn Manson, Tesla and ZZ Top.

There was also the chance to go star spotting, with Spike from the Quireboys and Queen’s Brian May among those in attendance.