Review
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Download 2022 – The Beast is Back!
Pictures by Enda Madden and review by Howard Keogh It has been a long hard road, but we have finally made it out the other side.Legions of fans have waited for this moment as the world lurched and lunged through the rollercoaster ride of the last two years. We had a hiatus where we had to survive on virtual Downloadin 2020 as a global pandemic swept through populations across the globe. We then had the falsedawn of Download 2021 until time was called on it in March. Hopes were raised once more inMay when it was announced that a reduced capacity event was to be held as a government sponsored…
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Download Festival 2019 Review
by Howard Keogh – Ligger in Chief and Satanic Cyclist from Hell Some places mean different things to different people. If you mention Donington UK to a historian he may refer you the historic references in the Domesday Book of 1086. A motor racing enthusiast on the other hand will most likely tell you about the famous Donington Park Race Track and perhaps mention that Since 2013, Norton Motorcycles has had its head office in Donington Hall. To any self-respecting rock fan however, there is only one true meaning, Donington is the spiritual home of Download – rock music’s greatest festival which has been running almost every year since 1980.…
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Download 2018 Review
by Howard Keogh – Cardio King of Rock N’ Roll Over the last few balmy summer weeks, the countryside of the east midlands has enjoyed an expectant air of serendipity. Birds sing, as the gentle summer breeze whispers through the long grass however the stillness is destined to be short lived. Soon a legion of metal-heads is set to march upon this sacred ground where many of their predecessors have gone before, for this undulating English countryside is none other than Donnington Park where thousands of rockers assemble to pay their personal homage to the rock gods. This site has hosted rock festivals since 1980 and has become synonymous…
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Download 2017 Review
By Howard Keogh – our lycra-clad ligger As the time draws near for the metal legions to descend on Donington Park the spiritual home of rock, for the annual bash, there may be some trepidation in the ranks after last year’s unprecedented weather. Those in the know estimate that 70 million gallons of water fell over the course of the weekend making it challenging for those revellers who were lucky enough not to be completely washed out. Apparently that quantity of water is enough to fill 106 Olympic size swimming pools. But fear not because while you were scraping the mud from your boots Download dog has been busy. This…
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Delain at Relentless Garage
Click here for more pictures… Delain at Relentless Garage, London This was the opening night of Delain’s first headline tour of the UK, with their first show at The Garage in north London. Having done very well in their recent support slot with Finnish Power Metal troupe Sonata Arctica, they had a lot to prove this time around. The Garage was packed and the atmosphere was electric. Band members came onstage one by one to the opening strains of Invidia. After about 30 seconds the beautiful Charlotte Wessels graced the stage with a smile that lit up the whole venue. She sang and mesmerised the crowd with her incredible…
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Skindred at The Quake Club, Woking
Click here for more pictures… Skindred Live Review 10th March 2010…Woking was somehow different. Anarchy was in the air and the epicentre of the unrest was the appropriately named Quake Club. Welsh ragga-rockers Skindred were in town and Benji Webbe was looking for a fight. Skindred came on stage to a capacity crowd, opening with ‘Stand for Something’, ‘Rat Race’ and ‘You Can’t Stop It’. After an opening like that there was no stopping them. Webbe entertained the crowd with a funny rant against his neighbour before launching into ‘Pressure’ and ‘Bruises’. Time was was flying by and their songs were going down like a smooth whiskey. There was…
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MTV PRESENTS… Fightstar Acoustic Night Review
Click here for more pictures… New ‘MTV Presents’ series of shows Part of the new ‘MTV PRESENTS’ series, Fightstar played a special one-off acoustic set at the famous Camden Dingwalls. Hidden behind the hustle and bustle of Camden high street, the small music venue hosted Fightstar in a rare and stripped back mood for the exciting new ‘MTV Presents’ series. Celebrating the release of their deluxe re-issued album ‘Be Human’, this special event was witnessed by a capacity crowd of die hard fans and music industry bodies. The crowd seemed to cover the whole age spectrum and not just the bright young things one might expect. By the time we…
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Sonisphere 2009 Overview
Review for Metalized Magazine by Enda Madden August 1st and 2nd 2009: UK’s first ever Sonisphere festival treated music fans from all over the world to the perfect opening party as the clouds cleared way for a fantastic weekend of sun, song and booze at the historic and beautiful Knebworth Park. The strong line-up promised that huge crowds would appear and organisers were not disappointed when 40,000 metalheads turned up ready to rock. For two beautiful days, the outside world didn’t matter as fans lived and breathed great rock music. This was the way festivals were meant to be. As a stalwart on the UK metal festival scene, organiser Stuart…
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Taking Back Sunday at Sonisphere…Review & Pics
Review for metalized magazine by Matt Bond Next up on the Apollo Stage were Emo rockers Taking Back Sunday. With many of Sonisphere’s attendees dressed in t-shirts covering all different offshoots of metal, this was always going to be an uphill battle for them. Front man Adam Lazarra did his bit, with plenty of trademark microphone swinging during breaks in songs, but unfortunately not even calling card single ‘Make Dam Sure’ could really save them. In all fairness to TBS, things were never going to be easy with the Sonisphere crowd.
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Skindred at Sonisphere 2009
Review from Metalized Magazine by Matt Bond There’s one thing that is astounding to believe about Skindred’s slot at this year’s Sonisphere, and that’s the fact that they are consistently acclaimed as one of this country’s finest live acts, yet they are second on the Saturn stage on the first day! Nonetheless, Benji Webbe and co. are blistering from start to finish. With breakthrough track ‘Pressure’ and new album anthems’ Trouble’ and ‘Ratrace’ giving the crowd their fill of infectious rock/reggae/metal crossover treats. Mr. Webbe addresses the crowd as though having a pint with an old mate and as the set comes to a close, he and the rest of…
