Headbanging at 20: awesome heavy metal under a relentless sun at Download

I arrived at 11am on Saturday – missing the traffic jams that saw some endure delays of seven hours – and enjoyed Metallica annoy the neighbours as far as 13 kilometres away, that night.

Everyone I spoke to agreed the heat on Sunday was punishing and the organisers could have done more to provide shade. People resorted to sitting in an underpass to escape the heat. There was general agreement that drinks were too expensive and this year was much busier than last.

“One guy was accidentally charged £150 for mac and cheese – that was all his spare money,” said Kayleigh, aged 26. “He had to go around collecting beer cups to feed himself.”

“There was a crush at the Opus stage when Evanescence were playing,” said Craig, 48. “It was rammo all the way to the bar. There was a crush. Crying children. People were climbing over the fence.

"I asked the security guard to open the fence and he said ‘No, you can’t do that. Health and safety.’ I kicked it to loosen it and lifted up a section of fencing. It was like taking the plug out of the wossname.”

Ben, 28, a long-time fan of The Disturbed, rescued a fellow reveller from the mosh pit after he was accidentally knocked unconscious while Skindred were playing.

“There was a geezer in a mankini being led about on a lead," he said of the festival's stranger sights. "There were loads of Little Red Riding Hoods. Last year there was loads of Harley Quinns – haven’t seen any this year. Very disappointing.”

“I’m still going to bring my four-year-old daughter,” Kayleigh said. “I’ve still got full confidence in the people.

“You pay money to sit in a field and listen to someone beat cow skins,” she said. “It’s a funny concept. Download is a congregation of the weirdos.

“It is over-commercialised and understaffed. But you come for the people. If you had come with us last year you would have heard nothing but praise.”

Jack, 43, is at his first Download and it will also be his last:

“I’m not too impressed this year,” he said. “The line-up is a bit Jekyll to be fair. Snide. Can you imagine Rage Against the Machine in this heat? People would be taking parts of the stage for mementos. I know that’s the capitalist world we live in, but there’s making money and there’s taking the ****.”

Matt, 58, is also a first-timer and thinking of returning, but found the rules stressful.

“Now I know I would have brought more and gotten away with more,” he said. “It’s ******* good. The atmosphere is excellent. Can’t fault it.”

“I would tell everyone to stop ******* complaining and have some ******* fun because it will all be gone tomorrow,” advised Emma, 39. “All the good girls come here looking for a bad boy – and all the bad girls are here too.”

For Louise, also 39, it’s a chance to ‘get away from reality’. “I would come back next year,” she said. “Absolutely. You just have to enjoy it.”

Michael, 55, and Sharon, 61, have been coming since 2009 because ‘it’s amazing, people stop and talk to you. All ages. No barriers.’

Nicki, 55, has been coming since it was Monsters of Rock in the eighties.

“It’s amazing,” she said. “It’s just a great festival. I’m just rocked out. The final two bands were too big for the stage. Skindred should have been on the main stage.”

Molly, 28, who is travelling from New Zealand, thought Amity Affliction were the highlight.

“Seeing so many bands in one place – more than I’ve seen in the last year!”

On Sunday morning I got up early and wandered around the empty arena, taking these pictures. I was too busy enjoying myself to take any with people in them. I ducked out before Slipknot because, for some reason, I find bands in masks a bit upsetting.