Thoughts on Download Festival lineup announcements and their feedback
I am very much looking forward to going to Download Festival this June. The lineup so far is pretty great in my opinion; there are a bands on the lineup that I am a huge fan of, some I'm not some a huge fan of, and some I have never listened to. I don't “hate” any band on the lineup, and in this post I wish to vent my frustration about some of the feedback the organisers have been getting from prospective festival-goers, and their attitude in general.
Download Festival post their announcements on Facebook, allowing users to comment and leave feedback. Having read through some of these thousands of comments that have been posted in response, I have noticed there are some incredibly rude and downright disrespective people out there — so called “fans” of Download Festival, and self-proclaimed music lovers. I think the first and most important thing to make clear is that Download Festival is not a metal festival. Sure, there are plenty of metal acts on the lineup, but I believe it is, and always has been, an alternative music festival, i.e. not consisting of the pop acts that populate most of the UK Official Charts. That said, it will always be seen as a primarily rock festival, and it does depends on your definition of ‘alternative’.
The majority of the lineups over the last 10 years of Download Festival have indeed been rock acts, but rock is not a single genre in itself; many acts included just in this year's lineup are metal, punk, post-hardcore, glam rock, grunge, acoustic rock, desert rock, classic rock... I could go on, but the point is the acts are not limited to metal alone. Looking back over the years, there are plenty of acts that have played at the festival that don't conform to this supposed pure rock requirement, namely electronic-influenced acts such as Pendulum, Enter Shikari and The Prodigy, all of which are by no means “soft” acts. They may well incorporate electronica, drum & bass and dubstep elements, but they could all still be classed as rock acts. The mosh pits that open up at their gigs are evidence of that. 2010's headliners Rage Against The Machine's sound is a mixture of metal, funk and rap, and they went down a storm. Newcomer Hyro Da Hero — last year featured on The Blackout's single “Higher & Higher” — performs a fusion of hip-hop and rock, whilst Welsh rockers Skindred have coined the term “ragga metal” to describe their sound. Skindred, along with Korn with their latest album Path To Totality, have both recently experimented with dubstep influences.
My point is that despite plenty of non-metal acts being booked for Download Festival over the last ten years (and will continue to be), people will still complain about certain acts. The organisers are not going to be able to please everyone. That's a fact. Everyone has their own music tastes and the organisers try and appeal to as many people as possible, booking a variety of acts over the weekend. They even try and make sure similar acts don't clash. This year's lineup has many examples...
Friday 8th June
The Prodigy have headlined the second stage twice, but never the main stage. There were immediately some comments from the so-called “metal purists” who disliked the fact that an electronic act were playing at their precious Download Festival, but instead of whining, they can go and see the amazing Slash who is headlining the second stage at the same time. By far, the most outcry comes from Chase & Status's appearance. Plenty of people I know (including myself) are big fans of the duo, yet if we had to describe our overall music tastes in a word, it would unequivocally be “rock”. The truth is that drum & bass and dubstep are no longer the underground genres they used to be, and it's inevitable that their influences are eventually going to (and have already began to) work their way many acts' music, rock (and metal) music included. You may not like this, but that's the way it is. The opposite views exist whereby drum & bass/dubstep purists do not like the more mainstream acts such as Chase & Status, hence they fit in really well somewhere in between both crowds. Another great example is Skrillex; before turning to dubstep, he was the lead vocalist for a screamo band, and consquently draws criticism from both fanbases. Although he hasn't been announced for Download this year, I feel he would make a great addition.
Saturday 9th June
An appearance by the almighty Metallica will rarely draw any criticism (although I have seen a couple of negative comments directed at them), and their set this year is going to be spectacular as they are playing their entire Black Album in full. Most objections for Saturday come down to You Me At Six, but the organisers have done a great job here and scheduled them to headline the second stage, playing at the same time as Metallica. If people aren't fans of Metallica, in all likelyhood they will watch YM@6 instead. If they don't like either band, they probably shouldn't have bought a ticket to Download. Hypocritically, people complain they want rock acts when Chase & Status are announced, then complain later when actual rock acts are announced — yes, You Me At Six might not be a metal band, but they are still a rock band. These people need to make their minds up. There has also been some negative reaction to Biffy Clyro. Download Festival will be the tenth occasion I see the band, and if they don't qualify as a rock band, I don't know who do. Just because they have recently had chart success, that doesn't make them any less a rock band than Foo Fighters or AC/DC, for example, who have both reached number 1 in recent years. No one disputes their rock credibility. Some people seem to believe in the ridiculousness that is an act “selling out”. They haven't sold out, more people have just discovered and bought their music.
Sunday 10th June
The final day of music should please metal fans; DevilDriver, Five Finger Death Punch, Black Label Society, Lamb of God, Megadeth and then Black Sabbath closing the main stage and the festival. Unless some more controversial acts are announced, I don't see many people complaining about this day, especially as the main stage looks pretty full already. For people who aren't huge fans of Black Sabbath (such as myself), Rise Against and Dropkick Murphys will accomodate perfectly for the end of the weekend.
In the end, it all comes down to taste. You aren't forced to watch any band, that's the beauty of a festival — you can always find some act to watch or something else to do around the village. The point is, if you don't like an act, don't watch them!. I have seen numerous comments on Download Festival's Facebook page from people who have threatened to bottle certain acts; “I can't wait to throw bottles of cold piss at You Me At Six!” was one quote I remember and also one where someone mentioned throwing breezeblocks rather than bottles. Idle threats, I'm sure, but people like this are the ones who ruin festivals for the rest of us. Grow up and have some respect for artists, regardless of whether you like them or not; they're the ones up on stage playing to thousands of people, touring the world and selling records. Whatever your opinions are, come June, there will be plenty of people watching Chase & Status, Biffy Clyro, You Me At Six and any other act.
Rant over. Personally, from the currently announced lineup, I'm looking forward to watching Billy Talent, Chase & Status and The Prodigy on the Friday — I'm slightly annoyed by the clash with Slash, but I have already seen Slash at Download 2010 so I'll be watching The Prodigy instead. On Saturday; Skindred, Tenacious D, Biffy Clyro and Metallica, and on Sunday; Shinedown, Dropkick Murphys and Rise Against.
