Download made its Sydney debut on Saturday and with a lot of focus right now on Festival in NSW, its so good to see a festival like Download continue to grow in scope and size.

As a lay out Download just blew me away I have traveled the world going to music festivals and this was the best one I had scene. Bars amenities, market stalls and so many great quality food trucks all spread out perfectly. The moment you walk in you approach the Ascension stage which plays host to so many up and coming bands in fact Download had bought together and absolute slew of awesome Australian bands, the highlight for me being Polaris early in the day in the main stage these Sydney lads held the flag high for Australian heavy music.

Starting my day off right with a sacrifice to the metal gods i go see New Year’s Day. Now it may be hard to be metal in the beginning of the day under all the light even with the cloud it bright being international women’s day seeing this band was a perfect start.

Taking advantage of Parramatta Parks natural amphitheatre was fantastic idea it was in this area across two stages I witness some of my favourite acts of the festival who sounded great. The fun of Me First And The Gimme Gimme, The punk power of Pennywise and Sum 41 and the absolute sensational metal of Halestorm and Ghost. If there is any one band I would highlight as my set of the day and a must see it was The Fever 333 these guys just took it to another level and blow away all expectations.

Sometimes at music festivals you can have these magical moments. These true moments amongst the fans, or as I call them “friends”, who can lead you to see a band you probably wouldn’t necessarily wish to see but somehow through the passion of our friends, there are these moments where you completely loose yourself with them. Surrounded by different company and yet you’re in good company. You are kept there in that place for that moment in time. 

Through their eyes you witness something you may not have been open to before and that truly is a remarkable and unique experience about attending music festivals and why Sydney NSW Australia must keep live music venues and music festivals and culture alive. 

Speak out! Take our rights back! Have your say! If the bands I saw today taught me anything, it is to speak out against undemocratic authority. To demand the right to protest and protect the values of our rich and diverse communities.

Download Sydney really showed us how a festival can be done right and is much needed part of the Australian festival scene.