With the festival gates well and truly open this by time next week, here at Backseat Mafia we’re going to look into a few bands that you should absolutely check out if you’re not too hungover from the mass hysteria of Def Leppard…. sorry, ha!
If you lived under a rock last year then you wouldn’t have heard the fantastic Bad Wolves (Zippo stage 11:50am) cover the Cranberries classic Zombie. The American rockers were meant to have Dolores O’Riordan from the Cranberries to feature on the track but unfortunately she passed away before doing so. The song will be an emotive part of the set and a great way to start your Saturday at Download 2019.
If Swedish rock is your thing then you’re in for a treat with Royal Republic (Main stage 12pm). Tracks like Full Steam Spacemachine and Baby are absolute bops and will blow away any signs of a hangover and will hype you up for the rest of the day.
Download festival veterans Skindred are set to rock the main stage at 3:35pm and are absolutely one of the most exciting live bands that will grace the festival over the weekend. If you haven’t managed to catch Skindred live before then we can recommend only one thing- take an extra piece of clothing cos the Newport Helicopter is coming.
Download Festival has never been afraid to showcase new and interesting bands and The Hu (Dogtooth stage 4:35pm) are no different. Their unique blend of metal and Mongolian throat singing will certainly gather the crowds as their first two music videos went viral on the internet with just over 13 million views!
The last time Trivium (Main stage 5:00pm) played Download in 2014 they crushed the headline slot on the 2nd stage and now they’re back with their 8th full length album ‘The Sin and The Sentence’ and are sure to blow the crowds away with a greatest hits set of older and newer bangers.
Lzzy Hale is an icon of not just women in rock but rock in general. Her overall outlook on life is to be unapologetically you and nobody else- she’s an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, an absolute shredder on guitar and has one of the greatest live vocals in rock whilst also fronting Halestorm (Zippo stage 7:45pm) with brother Arejay, guitarist Joe and bassist Josh. This is the first time they have headlined a stage at Download festival and are sure to put on a performance that will surely be worthy of a main stage headline in a few years time.
There’s been a few great double acts over the years; Laurel and Hardy, Ant and Dec, Sooty and Sweep but bring forward Simple Creatures (Avalanche stage 8:40pm), consisting of Mark Hoppus of Blink182 and Alex Gaskarth of All Time Low. Its no surprise that Blink were a massive influence to ATL in the early years and with the amalgamation of two minds from each band comes Simple Creatures, who, still have the old school pop punk vibes but with the electronic technology of 2019, the sound is poppier but deffo still punk. Check out lead single Drug – a certified banger.
This is the fourth time Slipknot have headlined Download Festival, but it will be one of the first times we have seen them in this new era of the Knot. They played American chat show Jimmy Kimmel a few weeks ago showcasing new masks and new songs but they’ve been more secretive than ever in regards to the new live show and members. Just a mention from all of us here at Backseat Mafia we would like to pass on our condolences to the Crahan family at this sad time. Catch Slipknot at 9:10pm on the Main Stage.
There’s still a chance for you to be at Download Festival 2019, tickets are still available via the Download Website or HERE
