8

Stolen Gear? No Problem!

The first day of Download Festival is always a bit of a joke, and this year’s was no exception. With queues to get in to the arena exceeding the hour mark the first few bands tend to play to only a handful of people. By the time that Beat Union, the second band of the day, start to play at 13:45 most people are still queuing to get in.

Playing to a somewhat smaller crowd than they would have probably liked, the
Birmingham-based pop-punk band play through their energetic and funky set, even dedicating a song to a group of people who stole gear from their van the night before. Whether gear was referring to narcotic substances or musical equipment was never explained but suffice to say the band didn’t seem amused and would like it returned.

Their music can best be described as funky, upbeat, pop-punk filled with some fantastic sing-along moments that would be fantastic on a warm summer’s day. The only problem today, however, is that it’s cold, it’s been raining, most people aren’t in the arena yet and this results in a not so exciting set.

Definitely worth seeing, but perhaps on a different day.