The Birdbox

Why is Download Festival So Great?

I would typically have just awoken from a massive post-festival recovery nap about now but, as you will know, Download 2020 was just one festival that we have lost to the biggest party-pooper of all, Covid-19. But let’s not drown our sorrows in a muddy puddle, let’s celebrate a few reasons why Download is so great.

The People

A festival goer enjoying State Champs on the Zippo stage

There is a stereotype surrounding heavy rock music that metalheads are aggressive and unapproachable but when it comes to the people of Download, that couldn’t be more wrong. There’s an atmosphere of acceptance around the download village that you don’t get with other festivals. You can be whoever you want, wear whatever you want and act as weird as you want, there is no judgement and there will always be someone weirder than you.

The Bands

Download do a very good job of making sure the lineup covers every corner of the rock music genre. You can start the day discovering some up and coming bands on the dogtooth stage, then catch some pop-punk at the Avalanche stage, perhaps a helping of djent or metalcore in the afternoon on the Zippo stage and a legendary classic band to see you into the evening. There’s a little bit of something for everyone.

The Avalanche Stage

The Avalanche stage is home to some of the smaller/mid-level bands on the lineup. The names on this stage are consistently strong and often go on to play the bigger stages in the following years. In 2019 we spent a whole afternoon there seeing Roam, Trash Boat, Nothing Nowhere, and The Wonder Years back to back all with the convenience of a big blue tent sheltering us from the elements.

The Weather

Hahahaha SIKE!

The Main Stage

It’s always a great feeling walking into the arena for the first time on Friday and gazing down the hill at the iconic main stage. A decorative totem adorns each side making it as intimidating as it is inviting. Just thinking about all the legendary bands that have played that stage over the years blows your mind.

The Doghouse

Circus of horrors by day, club by night, The Doghouse is the home of good vibes. Where else can you be completely trashed singing along (badly) to bowling for soup with your mates, have a quick go on the dodgems then return just in time to belt out the intro to Welcome to the Black Parade. In The Doghouse, everyone is wankered, everything is hilarious and everyone is your best friend. I can’t wait to be back there on the first night of Download 2021.

Anything else I should’ve added to this list? Let me know on Twitter or Instagram

5 More Albums to Listen to While in Lockdown

The gig Calender has been wiped and festival season is cancelled but there is no shortage of killer albums being released. Here’s another 5 for you to bless your ears with.

Nova Twins – Who Are The Girls?

I’m mad at myself for sleeping on this one as long as I did because this is a brilliant debut album! Bassy riffs and electronic effects are bundled into a short but sweeeet 30 minutes of punchy rock/rap.

Enter Shikari – Nothing is True & Everything is Possible

6th studio album ‘Nothing is True & Everything is Possible’ is certainly a definitive album for Enter Shikari. It showcases aspects borrowed from their previous work as well as experimenting with something new too. A great album for old shikari fans as well as newcomers which reached number 2 in the UK album chart.

The Chats – High Risk Behaviour

Another debut album here this time from bogan punks, The Chats. What you’ve got here is a collection of tongue in cheek “shed rock” songs addressing themes such as pub food, getting drunk and STDs. If that doesn’t sell it to you then I don’t know what will.

The Used – Heartwork

The Used are back with yet more heavy, emo anthems. There’s even features from Travis Barker and Mark Hoppus of Blink-182, Caleb Shomo of Beartooth and Jason Aalon Butler of Fever 333.

Boston Manor – GLUE

If you read my review, then you already know my thoughts on this album. If you didn’t, you can find it below.

You can find a selection of songs from these albums along with some other recent releases in this playlist:

Let me know what you’ve been listening to during lockdown on twitter and instagram:

@the__birdbox

Album Review: Boston Manor – Glue

Boston Manor really cemented themselves as one of the best bands in the Pop-punk scene after following up a number of E.Ps with their debut album ‘Be Nothing’ in 2016. 2 years later, they re-wrote the rule book with the release of sophomore album ‘Welcome to the Neighbourhood’, my pick for album of the year in 2018, breaking them away from the seemingly derogatory label of pop-punk and appealing to the wider alternative rock scene. For third album, ‘Glue’, the pages have been torn out and the rule book launched out the window as the Blackpool boys take the next steps on their genre-bending crusade.

Opening track ‘Everything is Ordinary’ is a perfect introduction to the album. Fast, thumping drum beats drive dark, chaotic energy while distorted guitar and vocal effects may make you feel riled and a certain degree of uneasiness . It’s clear from the outset that Boston Manor are not trying to make you feel comfortable.

The chaos ensues with energetic, angry punk songs like ‘1s and 0s’, ‘You, Me and the Class War’ and the absolute insanity of closing track ‘Monolith’ utilising loud, industrial style breakdowns and are generally just mad songs.

The band’s versatility is demonstrated brilliantly on this album as, despite the previously mentioned chaos, there are some calmer moments also. ‘Terrible Love’ and ‘Stuck in the Mud’ are like self-reflective power ballads with a much more stripped back feel than the rest of the album while ‘Plasticine Dreams’ and ‘On a High Ledge’ maintain a certain calmness despite addressing darker themes such as toxic masculinity and suicide.

The range in Henry Cox’s vocal performance deserves high praise here as his ability to switch between clean and “scream” styles so seamlessly is an ability which I’m sure will be envied by many vocalists.

With ‘Glue’, Boston Manor have continued down the path they began treading down on ‘Welcome to the Neighbourhood’, with general global issues now being addressed as well as personal ones. Glue reflects on the chaos and confusion of the modern world by shouting back at it in a change invoking repulse and uses imaginative musicianship to induce feelings of anger, agitation and haunting sorrow. There’s enough evidence here to suggest that, if they continue down the path they are on, Boston Manor can become trailblazers within the alternative music scene and Glue would no doubt be looked back on as a difinitive step on that journey.

9/10

What do you think of ‘Glue’? Let me know on Twitter or Instagram: