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Download festival review – the rock fest’s most cursed year ever
Plagued by rain, technical issues and boycotts – as well as by some distinctly non-metal headliners – the weekend is practically a washout, despite some virtuoso shredding and fiery melodeath lower down the bill
Early on the Friday, as the festival begins, “bimbocore” provocateur Scene Queen announces on the second stage that Barclays has withdrawn its sponsorship of the weekend, and that she’ll be donating her payment to charities supporting Palestine. Rising stars Bleed from Within get an insulting 20-minute slot as a result, but still deliver a fiery barrage of melodeath and groove metal – plus a Metallica cover featuring comedians Romesh Ranganathan and Rob Beckett. Main-stage hardcore booking Code Orange use their spot to start beef with tonight’s main event: “This goes out to Avenged Sevenfold for trying to fuck everyone’s sets,” declares guitarist Reba Meyers before Bleeding in the Blur.
Or read this on The Guardian