Up-Load UK, Gigs News & reviews Download 2008 Press

28/04/2008	NEW ADDITIONS INCLUDING BLACK TIDE ON FRIDAY Black Tide will be exploding onto the stage at Download on Friday 13th June. They not only embrace the charisma, character and unwavering attitude of those who shredded before them, but they do so in a manner that would make the virtuosos that inspired them proud. Also announced are Wildhearts, Kids in Glass Houses, Haunts, Cantebury, Invasion, Slaves to Gravity, Twin Method, Skindred and Amon Amarth.
21/04/2008	MORE METAL MAGIC ADDED TO THE BILL Download Festival has announced a fantastic motley crew of metallers to this year's line up, showing yet again how much the festival represents all walks from the 'rock' way of life! Leading the metal charge are Testament, Municipal Waste and Trigger The Bloodshed all who bring a slice of brutality to the weekend. Joining them are Brigade, Exit Ten, Comeback Kid, Valient Thorr, Chiodos, Animal Alpha, August Burns Red, Rose Tattoo and Hostile. Testament are very much representative of their name, and are the ultimate quintessential modern heavy metal band. Amazingly, 2008 will mark their Download debut. "I've been waiting 20 years to finally play at Download Fest. All the great bands have played this festival, and it's going to be an honor to play it. After a 20 year career, we finally get the opportunity." - Chuck Billy, TESTAMENT Hailing from Richmond, Virginia, blazing thrashers Municipal Waste have been, in their words, 'spreading their shred' across Europe since 2006 with tours alongside Sick Of It All and GWAR and are firm favourites of the Radio 1 Rock Show. This will be the first time they have played Download. Bath based grindcore/death metal exponents Trigger The Bloodshed have only been together for a year but they have impressed the rock magazines already with their brutal, heavy as hell formula.
15/04/2008	DAY & STAGE SPLITS REVEALED The day & stage splits - so far – have also been revealed. Up against the main headliners KISS on Friday 13 will be Simple Plan, with their energetic pop punk rivalling the outrageous glam-rockers. Saturday 14 sees Orange County main headliners The Offspring up against the darker sounds of HIM, and Sunday 15 has Lostprophets – the only Brit headliner this year– rivalling the brutal return of Max and Igor Cavalera with their new incarnation The Cavalera Conspiracy. In addition, Friday presents the rare opportunity to see both Ace Frehley and KISS perform on the same day - a must for any KISS fan.
15/04/2008	LATEST ADDITIONS TO THE LINE-UP Another six fantastic acts have been added to the ever-growing line-up - Irish rockers Ash will make their Download debut, AC/DC-influenced Airbourne, Kentucky's newest export Black Stone Cherry, drum 'n' bass/ rock crossover act Pendulum, Kerrang! faves Elliot Minor who we first saw at Download last year on the Dimebag stage, and ex-KISS guitarist Ace Frehley! With all six acts representing a different strand of the huge rock umbrella, there's certainly something for everyone!
10/04/2008	DOWNLOAD LIFTSHARE - WIN A FESTIVAL UPGRADE! Save money and save the planet! Once again we have teamed up with liftshare.com to make sharing transport to Download a lot easier. Save money by sharing the travelling costs, reduce CO2 emissions and cut congestion resulting in you arriving to Download much earlier! Not only that, but those that turn up with a vehicle of four or more will be given the chance to win a VIP upgrade for the weekend!! Full vehicles will be given a form to fill in by the car park stewards on arrival. Once completed, just hand them in at your nearest campsite Hub. The draw closes at 5pm on Friday and one lucky car-load will see their tickets upgraded to VIP status, allowing them access to the EXCLUSIVE back stage bar! The winner will be announced on the main stage on Friday evening, plus we will contact you on the number you give us (remember to bring ID when you collect your prize). SAVE THE PLANET - REGISTER NOW! For a round-up of all the 'green' initiatives we are running at Download Festival this year, go to the Event Info section and look under Green Information.
20/03/2008	'THE LOWDOWN' DEADLINE EXTENDED Festival organisers have extended the entry deadline for their exciting talent competition 'The Lowdown' that was launched at the start of the month. Due to public demand, the closing date for entries is now Friday 18 April at 5pm. Entries can be uploaded to www.downloadfestival.co.uk/thelowdown NOW, so get your handi-cam's out, get recording and get uploading! 'The Lowdown', as previously announced, is a nationwide search powered by Download Festival and Wise Buddah Talent for 'the face of Download'. Whether talking, miming, shouting or singing about a favourite band or festival moment or any other related subject, the Download Festival and Wise Buddah Talent are looking for a one-off individual with charisma and energy whose first job will be to report on the Download Festival. Hosted in front of a specially invited audience, the Final will feature special guest judges from the fields of media and entertainment who will choose a winner based on their interview skills, walking and talking to camera and the introduction on stage of the greatest rock bands ever. The live final event will be held early May in central London.
10/04/2008	RECYCLE ON SITE - WIN VIP TICKETS AND BEER! Download Dirtbag Recycling Scheme - Win 2009 Weekend VIP Tickets and beer!! Get a Download Dirtbag from your campsite Hub Green Warrior – follow the instructions on the bag, fill it and take it to the Download Dirtbag recycling and rubbish collection point at your nearest campsite Hub for a chance to win a pair of VIP weekend tickets for Download 2009, and get a free can of cold beer! There will be a pair of 2009 VIP weekend tickets to be won EACH day (Friday, Saturday, Sunday). Help us to keep the site clean and clear of rubbish, plus make sure your emptys go to a better place. Following the success of last year’s campsite Hubs, they return with a vengeance in 2008. There will be the same 5 Hubs spread across the campsites, but they will be bigger and better, with increased recycling facilities and volunteers on hand to assist you. Along with the Hub Manager and Security point, each Hub will have a Green Warrior or two to assist with the recycling points for cardboard, plastic, glass bottles and cans. Tents and any other useful outdoor gear (wellies, camping stoves, leftover unopened food tins etc) can also be donated to your local campsite Hub throughout the weekend. For a round-up of all the 'green' initiatives we are running at Download Festival this year, go to the Event Info section and look under Green Information.
31/03/2008	DOWNLOAD EXPRESS We've teamed up with the UK’s leading coach operator, National Express - to provide hassle-free admission and travel to and from the festival. Running direct services to the festival from towns and cities across the UK, National Express has a limited number of their new admission plus travel packages available to buy - so don't delay! Ian McInnes, Director of Sales and Distribution at National Express, said: "We are also really excited to be offering our great value admission plus travel packages this year - it means fans going to the event don’t need to worry about getting there, and can just concentrate on enjoying themselves! "Added to that, our services will take the hassle out of parking at Download, and will also reduce the sheer volume of traffic travelling to the event. However, it’s not just about convenience - rock fans will also be doing their bit for the environment by leaving the car at home and taking the coach, as it is the most environmentally friendly form of transport." Locations served by a National Express service to the Download Festival are: Aberdeen, Blackpool, Bradford, Bristol, Brighton, Coventry, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London Victoria, Liverpool, Norwich, Plymouth, Poole, Portsmouth, Sunderland, Swansea, Southend, and Wolverhampton. (Prices differ dependant on starting location) For prices and timetable information and to book tickets, please visit www.nationalexpress.com/download. Rockers should buy early to avoid disappointment! Admission plus travel packages are available for weekends only - not day tickets
25/03/2008	MORE EXCITING BANDS ADDED TO THE BILL The latest additions to the rocking line-up are the ever-popular BIFFY CLYRO, Chicago pop punk scamps MADINA LAKE, and post-hardcore Brits FIGHTSTAR. Arguably at the most successful point of their career, with latest album 'Puzzle' going straight in at No 2 and tracks like 'Folding Stars', 'Who's Got A Match' and 'Saturday Superhouse' all being played across mainstream TV and radio, Biffy Clyro are definitely rock hot property. Hailing from Scotland, they have been going since the mid-90s and have become a firm favourite of the rock scene. Tours with The Rolling Stones, Muse, Red Hot Chilli Peppers to name a few have opened their appeal even wider. Madina Lake make their Download Festival debut this year, having enjoyed an amazing year rising from a new unsigned act to 'Best International Newcomer' at the 2007 Kerrang! Awards. Their upbeat pop punk sound might deviate a little from the nom in terms of the Download bill but be assured, the demand is definitely there. From hospitalisations due to participating in the US show Twin Fear Factor, to a debut concept album about a fictional town (Madina Lake) where the mysterious disappearance of Adalia occurs, this band are definitely more than meets the eye. Having played Download one time only to date, Fightstar will be looking forward to returning to Donington having honed their sound into a darker, heavier being. Latest album 'One Day Son This Will All Be Yours' have given them success in the rock and indie charts, and recently performed on the Kerrang! Relentless Energy Tour across the UK earlier in the year.
24/03/2008	NEW BANDS FROM NEAR AND AFAR! The latest additions to the bill, just announced are Bridgend metallers Bullet For My Valentine and South African grungers Seether. Championed as the new Iron Maiden, Welsh metal heads Bullet For My Valentine return to Donington after a year off from the festival (they played 2004-2006 but not 2007). New album 'Scream Aim Fire' set a new bar with a more uptempo and aggressive feel, and the album went in the Billboard 200 at No 4 upon release. Tours and support slots with fellow Welsh bands Lostprophets and Funeral For a Friend led to playing with some of the biggest names in metal. Download 2008 will mark the first time that post-grunge band Seether have performed at the festival, and the band will be bringing the sounds of their recent album, 'Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces' with them. Fame came to them in 2002 when they released their recording of 'Broken' featuring Amy Lee from Evanescence on vocals, on the soundtrack to The Punisher.
18/03/2008	LOCKERS NOW COME WITH POWER! We can now confirm that all our lockers will come with 12v power socket in each one. This means you will be able to charge your mobile (using a car charger) as well as lock up your valuables. Lockers are still the SAME PRICE, and if you have already bouight a locker ticket, you can rest assured you will also get this same great benefit. Don't miss out - book a locker today! And remember to bring a car charger with you to the festival...
10/03/2008	5 MORE BANDS ADDED TO THIS YEAR'S LINE UP Within Temptation and Simple Plan are the latest bands to have confirmed their appearance at this year's festival. Other bands set to join the bill include Cavalera Conspiracy, The Dillinger Escape Plan and 'cello-wielding Finns Apocalyptica. "The line-up at Download is always great, and it's something that we always want to be a part of," says Within Temptation vocalist Sharon den Adel. "It's one of those special festivals that you have to treasure when you're a band." For den Adel, it will be a chance to draw a veil over last year's appearance which was fraught with technical difficulties. "So many things didn't go the way that they were supposed to," she explains. "We had some technical problems that meant we started much later than we were supposed to, but even though we only ended up playing for around 15 minutes, there was still thousands of people going out of their minds. The crowd was so enthusiastic and that was really amazing to see." Simple Plan drummer Chuck Comeau says the Montreal pop-punks can't wait to take part in this year's festival, especially when it comes to seeing Judas Priest and Kiss. "It'll be awesome to see those bands at a festival like this," smiles Comeau. "Seeing that sea of people, and all jumping up and down at the same time or pounding their fists or whatever. I love it!" Cavalera Conspiracy - featuring former Sepultura brothers Max and Igor - will make their UK debut at the festival, marking the first show the pair have played together on English soil since their acrimonious split after a show at London's Brixton Academy on December 16, 1996. "I love Download!" says frontman Max Cavalera. "The last one with Soulfly was fucking great, and I think now it's even more exciting because it's me and Igor together in England, because of the last concert we played together in Sepultura. UK fans should be pretty fired up to see the Cavalera Conspiracy!" The Dillinger Escape Plan guitarist Ben Weinman can't promise whether vocalist Greg Puciato will repeat antics at Reading 2002, where he defecated onto a towel and threw it into the crowd. "I guess it depends what he eats!" laughs Weinman. "It was a situation that we felt we really needed to take advantage of. We knew there'd be thousands upon thousands of people that had never even heard of us watching that day, and we just wanted to give them something to keep them interested. "We're really looking forward it," he adds. "I'm really looking forward to seeing Judas Priest. If I can stand at the side and watch Halford cruise onstage with his big-ass motorcycle I'll be a very happy guy."
05/03/2008	THE ROAD TO DOWNLOAD Just announced, a special tour that will see A Day To Remember, The Devil Wears Prada and Alesana perform at eight venues around the UK in the lead up to the Download Festival, ending with a slot each on one of the stages at Donington. Kicking off at the London Camden Barfly on 5 June and ending on 12 June at Glasgow’s King Tuts, all shows except London will be £9.00 advance tickets, with London priced at £10.00. THE ROAD TO DOWNLOAD 5 June - London Barfly 6 June - Colchester Arts Centre 7 June - Stoke Sugar Mill 8 June - Birmingham Barfly 9 June - Cardiff Barfly 10 June - Manchester Academy 3 11 June - York Fibbers 12 June - Glasgow King Tut’s STOP PRESS: EXCLUSIVE COMPETITION To accompany the tour, an exclusive competition will be set for fans to design a unique tour poster. The winning entrant will see their design made into a limited run of poster art for the tour, with a framed copy of the poster signed by A Day To Remember, The Devil Wears Prada and Alesana. The winner will also receive a pair of VIP tickets to a show of their choice on the tour, plus a goodie bag with CDs, t-shirts, posters and even a pair of A Day to Remember gym shorts!! Perfect for the usual sunny weather that Download enjoys! Five runners up will receive goodie bags. All information regarding the competition can be found on http://www.myspace.com/adtruk (look under the band's blog on the right hand side) - Meanwhile, tickets for the tour go on sale Friday 7 March.
04/03/2008	Aspirations to be a TV presenter? Passionate about rock? Do you have an opinion? - Then we need you... We've teamed up with Wise Buddah Talent in a nationwide search to find the face of Download. The ultimate winner will receive a money can’t buy prize that includes a one year contract with Wise Buddah, £1,000 cash, VIP backstage access to Download Festival and a handicam to record all of your Download reports. All you have to do is complete a form and upload a maximum 30 second clip at www.downloadfestival.co.uk/thelowdown between now and 25th March 2008. The online Download community will rate each entry as they are uploaded, with 10 finalists emerging from the fray. Next, a panel of experts, led by Wise Buddah Talent’s Chris North, will select a winner at a grand final at the Carling Academy Islington on 8 April. Hosted in front of a specially invited audience, the Final will feature special guest judges from the fields of media and entertainment who will choose a winner based on their interview skills, walking and talking to camera and the introduction on stage of the greatest rock bands ever. The winner will be required to provide a weekly video podcast each Friday for us here at the official website, culminating in daily coverage of the Download Festival itself. At the festival, the winner will be given press accreditation, and provided with full editorial support; enabling them to record interviews with bands and fans, and complete video blogs across the weekend. A once in a lifetime opportunity.
03/03/2008	KIIDDDDD RAWWWWWKKKKK! Wooo-hooo!! - Multi million album selling ‘American Bad-Ass’ Kid Rock makes his Download Festival debut this year. Joining him in this week's announcement are Orange County metalcore outfit Bleeding Through , headbangers Throwdown, indie-scuzzsters The Subways and Michigan death metallers Black Dahlia Murder.
26/02/2008	ROCK HARD, ROCK HEAVY With festival fever firmly underway, we have added another internationally acclaimed batch of artists to our line-up. With the three headliners already in place - KISS, The Offspring and Lostprophets - You will be thrilled to learn that joining them on the weekend of 13, 14, 15 June in Donington Park will be Chris Cornell, Jimmy Eat World, Jonathan Davis, 36 Crazyfists and Job For A Cowboy. This raft of US acts add to the Download 2008 bill which also sees Judas Priest, Motörhead, HIM, In Flames, Coheed & Cambria, Incubus, Disturbed, Rise Against, Alter Bridge and Children of Bodom appearing.
12/02/2008	MORE BANDS ADDED TO THE BILL... We are, quite frankly, delighted to announce that Californian rockers Incubus, Orlando hard rockers Alter Bridge, Finnish mentalists Children Of Bodom, twice US chart topping Disturbed, Swedish death metallers In Flames and the artistic grandeur of Coheed and Cambria will play the festival over the weekend of 13, 14 and 15 June 2008. Only one week since KISS, The Offspring and Lostprophets were announced as headliners for Download 2008, we can confirm that we have registered the festival’s strongest uptake of tickets in our first week ever! With a bill that also includes Judas Priest, HIM, Motörhead and Rise Against it is set to be a record-breaking year for this innovative, award-winning UK festival.
06/02/2008	GO GREEN TO DOWNLOAD We are again working with Liftshare.com the UK’s largest car sharing network. If you’re driving then why not car share – half your travelling costs, cut congestion, save CO2 emissions and meet new people all at the same time! Find out who you can share with right here.
05/02/2008	DOWNLOAD IS BACK! The legendary, multiple award-winning Download Festival, crowned Top Festival of 2007 by Billboard, is to return for its sixth year with fire-breathing, blood-spitting legends Kiss, chart-topping Californian skate punks The Offspring and Welsh nu-metal kings Lostprophets set to headline the Donington Park event over the weekend of June 13, 14 and 15. Other bands confirmed to play are UK rock gods Judas Priest and Mötorhead, Finnish sensations HIM and Chicago rockers Rise Against. More bands will be announced soon. Download 2008 will be the ONLY festival to see these world-renowned acts in one place - but of course, the complete, now fully established Download experience is about far, far more than just the music. Andy Copping , VP Music for Download Festival remarked, "Download Festival 2008 will continue with what was achieved last year: a line-up that caters to the entire rock genre. The variety of bands spread over the three stages means that Download Festival has more options than any other music event. We are delighted that the world's great bands of past and present are already confirmed to continue Download Festival’s reputation as one of the world’s top festivals".
05/02/2008	MORE ENTERTAINMENT, MORE AWARDS, MORE EVERYTHING With more entertainment and assortment of activities on site than any of its rivals, Download truly is a new generation of festival. The strength of our impact was emphasised when Download 07 was crowned Top Festival 2007 at the prestigious Billboard Touring Awards. This accolade is just one of many the festival has been awarded since its inception in 2003 - within 12 months it was named Event Of the Year at the Kerrang! Awards. Others we are particularly proud of include 3 consecutive annual awards from BT Digital Music Awards - including the most recent for Best Music Community. The point is that Download Festival is famed for it's amazing line-ups, but also for more than that... it is the 'Burning Man' of UK Rock festivals. It's the music, but it's YOU the community that make it truly rock... To help you all gel together in person, on site, we'll be providing a 360º entertainment experience: from the Village (which will be bigger and better than ever in 2008 - watch this space!) catering for all your festival needs; to the extensive camping facilities - Download continues to provide a service which is bigger than the three days of live music, beginning on Wednesday 11 June at midday until Monday 16 June at noon when the site closes.
05/02/2008	ROCK BY DAY, REST BY NIGHT Now in its fifth year, the RIP campground has revolutionised the festival camping experience. After a sell-out year in 2007 this exclusive bespoke campsite will once again provide its loyal RIP community with quiet refuge and luxury facilities. Whether camping in Hangman’s Square, saluting your gnome in Pod City, adventuring with an authentic Tepee, trying out a lodge in Tomb Town or travelling light along Kip & Kit Boulevard, each package comes wrapped up in the same great benefits. The RIP private campground boasts mains toilets, hot showers, a convenience shop, and a breakfast barn/bar. Drive into the site and park your car next to your tent …then come and go as you wish! The site also has electric hook-ups for caravans and is a designated quiet zone from midnight. If that isn’t enough, each package also includes a main arena guest hospitality pass, exclusive RIP merchandise, twenty-four hour security and the services of the RIP concierge desk manned throughout by our ever helpful Angels and Demons.
20/12/2007	THE LOWDOWN Live Nation are joining up with Wise Buddah Talent to launch a search for a personality to be the face of the 2008 Download Festival. "The Lowdown" will officially launch in January 2008 and will search for one (or, if competition is fierce and entries are good enough, possibly two) talented rock presenters who will take part in covering the run-up to Download online as well as to present on-stage and backstage during the event. The winning presenter will get the chance to be the face of Download online, on radio and TV. Wise Buddah Talent, who represent some of the UK’s most successful radio and TV presenters, will be rewarding the winner a much sought-after talent management contract - helping them to get to grips with the rollercoaster ride that comes with being a presenter!
20/12/2007	GREEN, GREENER, GREENEST If you were at Download Festival 2007 you may have noticed our efforts to reduce the festival's overall carbon footprint. Statistics show that many of you joined us in our campaign: over 2,100 fans participated in the Liftshare scheme; 17.6 tonnes of drinks cups, and over 60 tonnes of waste were recycled; while 633 pieces of camping equipment were donated to charity... We're busy investigating every avenue to cut our environmental impact at Download 2008 - the main areas we are looking at are transport and waste. We want to make it easier for people to get to Download without using their car. Plus we want to recycle everything that we use on site. We're scratching our heads a little about all the things you guys bring to the site... If YOU have got some great green ideas for Download, do get involved and post your ideas on the forums. A green thread will be available for you to post on: http://forums.downloadfestival.co.uk/