First up on the Sunday was House of Pain. Most people instantly think of Jump Around when they hear that name, I am no exception. Their set was quality, better than I expected really. It was well performed hip hop that you can't help but nod along too. 

Parkway Drive were next and I'm not a fan of their's but I did sick around for them. Even though I'm not a fan I can honestly say that their set was solid. Any fan would have been very pleased. 

To celebrate the life of Paul Gray there was a two minute silence for him at 2pm, dubed 2 at 2 for #2. As I tweeted after, The "2 minutes silence for Paul Grey was just that. Never heard a festival so quiet". There was the occasion shout from some drunken arse hole but there's always going to be people like that unfortunately. 

Straight after the 2 minutes silence was In Flames. I do like some In Flames but I can't remember a thing about their set. In their defence I have terrible memory. 

Mastodon I do remember. I remember laying on the ground in the sun listening to the most well performed set of the weekend. Not one note out. Laying down really made me appreciate the quality of Mastodon more as I didn't have any distractions. It's highly likely I missed out on some mesmerising visuals as they had last year when I saw them at Rock City but the focus on the sound was worth it. 

For the next band, Airbourne, I'm going to performance on what I saw this Sunday when they supported at Iron Maiden at Birmingham's NIA. Airbourne are some crazy Aussie rockers who clearly grow up listening to nothing but AC/DC, Iron Maiden and the like. It's so apparently in their style of music. They do a solid set with some good tunes but nothing that original. Sonisphere was the second time I had seen them and before that it was at Download 2010. Both times the lead singer has climbed the stage. At Download the sound was cut from his guitar to try to get him to come down (it was raining). However, this did not happen at Sonisphere. He was free to climb to the top of the Saturn stage where he proceeded to rock out on his guitar. A pretty impressive feat. Going back to the set... they do perform well and play likeable music but lack that little something that would make me enjoy them more. 

The next three group of artists were what I had really been waiting for. First of the three was Limp Bizkit. I've seen them three times before and still looked forward to them as much as the other times. They are another one of the bands I got into at school when I was finding my love for metal. Their set was a little different to the usual. Usually a band know what they are going to play and in which order. This time Fred Durst told the audience they were winging it and taking requests. It seemed this was true until he gave a choice of Nookie or Douche Bag. The crowd were clearly loudest for Nookie but they went on to play Douche Bag. Fair enough wanting to play some of the new tracks but ignoring the audience after claiming they'd decide isn't nice. Forgiving them of that fopa the set was great. They played all the classic you'd want, including Break Stuff, My Generation, My Way, Roll' (Air Raid Vehicle) and my favourite tune the cover of George Michael's Faith. If you're not farmiliar with Limp Bizkit then check out their album Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water.

Of all the festivals I've been to in the past I've never seen anything other than a band headline the second stage but Sonisphere 2011 differed. The comedian, Bill Bailey was the Saturn stage's headliner. Well technically Bill Bailey did have a band support him and the majority of the set was musical but he's a comedian really. I've been wanting to see Bill Bailey live for years now as I love watching him on programs like QI and his live DVDs. There's denying it, Bill Bailey is an unusual man but a genius. The set was a mix of musical numbers including Gary Numan's Cars in French, Scarborough Fair in the style of Rammstein (Simon & Garfunkel are most well for this song) and ending on Enter Sandman by Metallica on the horns! Watch the video! He filled the breaks with some stand up and supporting videos. One video he looks into the self service checkout and is hiding behind a bush. If you know Bill Bailey you'll know they are situations filled with humour old he could obtain. His 50 minute set is one of music fun 50 minutes I've ever had.

Last but by no means least (wow imagine is festivals didn't saved the best till the end?) was Slipknot. The first and last time I saw these was at Download 2009, not long before the untimely death of Paul Grey. It was one hell of an experience and one I wanted to relive. The thing about Slipknot that people, who aren't fans, don't get is that it's about pure aggression. Shouting and hitting things to get everything out of your system. This is what I love about them and is what you will get, guaranteed, at a Slipknot gig. The set opened with an intro (which according to setlist.fm is a combination of Iowa and 742617000027) that went straight into (sic). Their music gets my blood pumping and Corey Taylor's gripping and chilling voice brings the music to life. Without the incredibly powerful voice of Corey Taylor, Slipknot wouldn't still be around. And the same applies for the reverse, without the 7 strong army of guitarists and drummers making that unique Slipknot sound they wouldn't have been there. Duality bought out the biggest roar from the 50-60k strong audience. Slipknot played songs from all around their back catalogue and all were chosen well. If the heavy metal wasn't enough for you then there was some big explosions, flames and fireworks to keep you busy. The energy in a Slipknot set is unmatchable. 

I've been really busy recently and haven't had time to write my full Leeds Festival review. With the few moments I have now I'm going to quickly review each of the artists I saw from what are some very vague memmories, so excuss the breifness.

Friday

The Walkmen - Ok but nothing speical.

The Futureheads - Same as The Walkmen really

Gaslight Anthem - If I recall I liked these a bit...

Hadouken - These were pretty cool. A more repeative Pendulum is what I originally thought. 

Kids in glass Houses - Enjoyed these.

Frank Turner - FTHC is one of the more memorable artists. His set was great. Really enjoyable music with clever and meaningful lyrics. I'm actually seeing Frank Turner on the 10th Decemeber. This is definately someone worth seeing.

Dizzee Rascal - Not a Dizzee fan but it was a good, cheesy, and fun set. He did ruining Smell's Like Teen Spirity by using the music and rapping over it. I'd have much prefered him doing a weird rendition of it.

Enter Shikari - I only caught a little of Enter Shikari but have seen them before. From what I saw and heard it seemed pretty awesome but not loud enough! And like Enter Shikari (and Pendulum) need to be played loud and at a festival you'd expect them to have that right. Nothing taking away from Enter Shikari though.

Pendulum - I'm a bit fan of Pendulum and seeing them live is fantastic. They did their stuff as great as I'd expect but again, as I mentioned, it wasn't loud enough!

Saturday

Motion City Soundtrack - These were alright but again average.

The King Blues - Now The King Blues weren't a band I had heard of and when they came on stage I saw the lead singer who looked a bit like a chav. I feel a bit ashamed really for judging them straight away because they turned out to be an excellent band. Really worth taking a listen to. They used all sorts of different instruments which was impressive. Like Frank Turner, The Kings Blues were great to listen to and have intelligent lyrics. 

All Time Low - These guys were very vulgar, a bit on the "oooh that's not funny" or "that's just creepy". The music was ok but nothing I'd go out an listen to especially.

You Me At Six - Overrated! I could leave it at just one word but that would be unfair. They are quite good with a couple of catchy/cool songs but too hyped.

Limp Bizkit - Old Skool is kool! Love Limp Bizket and have done for years. These guys are great. Fun music that reminded my of the old days of school. The mosh pits are great fun too. If you've never seen them I'd highly recommend you get your arse down to their next show. 

Cypress Hill - Knowing a few Cypress Hills songs I was some what interested in seeing these but not bothered if I missed them. They turned out to be more than expected. Some great rapping, tunes and record scratching.

Weezer - Snore! Weezer are another overrated band. They are really mediocor. A couple of songs are slightly about average but other than that they are just boring. For Weezer fans it would have been great but not for me.

Paramore - Paramore came on late for some reason and changed were a little disorganised. Hayley William's vocals were too quiet. Other than that I do really like Paramore, ESPECIALLY Hayley! The set was good but could have been better. I'll be seeing them in November so hopefully will redeem themselves.

Blink 182 - Another band I've not really gotten into at any point in my life but I do like them and their set really impressed me. I knew every song! Being the headliner you expect a show and what they had was really cool, six circlular screen with some neat animations. Travis Barker did some awesome upside down drumming.

Sunday

A Day To Remember - duh duh duh duh duh duh. duh duh duh duh duh. duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh. These guys were great fun.

The Skints - I think these were a ska/punk band or some sorts. Can say I remember them that well.

Gogol Bordello - Did nothing for me.

Nofx - Not a fan of their music and they tried to be funny but were just a bit creepy.

Lostprophets - I like a few Lostprophets songs but never been a huge fan. I wasn't expecting much from these guys... they were really good. There was a great happy feeling going around.

Biffy Clyro - These boys did a cracking set. Really good quality.

Queens of the Stone Age - A very solid performance but QOTSA haven't ever been a band that really get me going. Much link Them Crooked Vultures.

Axel and Friends (Guns 'n' Roses) - After reading what had happened at Reading in a newspaper no one was expecting much and that worked in our favour. They came on only 30 mins late, played every song I wanted to hear and some I didn't know I wanted to hear. It was actually a great show. Axel did annoy me a lot so arrogant and having ago at the festival organisers when HE came on late is just rediculous. But it was great to watch. What adds to it more is that Reading had a terrible time and only a few days after they were bottled, booed and walk off stage after only 4 songs in Dublin. Will Leeds be their last decent show?

Well that's it.

Day one of Sonisphere festival had gone awesomely and I expected the same from day two. And to kick off my review of Sunday I cannot for the life of me remember anything (musically) about the first two bands that we went to see. The one and only thing I can remember is the lead singer of Paradise Lost saying "Have you had breakfast yet? I have. I had a do-nut. Cost a pound. Fucking joke". Priceless. Clearly the quote of the weekend but that's as far as my memory of Paradise Lost goes. Sorry Buckcherry and Paradise Lost but I cannot remember you guys. I don't think it was alcohol, it could be the big delay in writing this review but I think it's because I wasn't too bothered about seeing you guys. I'm not saying that I dislike Buckcherry and Paradise Lost, no, I just cannot remember you. Sorry.

During Paradise Lost I realised I had lost my wallet with £80, drivers license and credit cards. Damn! I had been stupid. During Buckcherry I had taken it out of my back pocket when I sat down and put it between my legs on the floor. I got up and totally forgot about it unless a few songs into Paradise Lost (probably why I don't remember them much). So I ran back to where I had been. It was gone. I tried lost and found but it wasn't there. This put a down on the day for a bit but there wasn't anything I could do then except check lost and found again so I just continued on with the day.

Well great start to the Saturday's review and for next artist it's not going to get much better. Lamb of God was next and they are almost everything I don't like in a rock/metal or whatever genre you want to class them under. For me one of the most important things in a band is being able to understand the majority of words they sing. Lamb of God didn't tick that box. Neil, however, loves them more than the air he breathes. I cannot see it myself but they must be doing something right as they had a good crowd following and not long finished supporting Metallica on their US tour.

Now on to the highlight of the weekend for me. After unsuccessfully trying to catch up with my cousins on Saturday I was now in touch with my auntie. She met up with us and took us to the real VIP area. In there we're got into the K2 tent and I finally found my cousins who had mad a den behind the sofa. After my cousins, the best bit about the K2 tent for the open bar. We just had time to have a Mojito and a Texan before heading off to see Feeder. But before Feeder we bumped into the legends that are Blass of Glory! These crazy Dutch guys were a laugh. One of them even drag Matt over to their van to get a photo. Great guys.

I personally was looking forward to Feeder, as were the rest of the guys. They didn't disappoint. It was a quality performance that made my some what drunk friends dance and sing like fools, which is always fun. Once again the best song was played last. Just a Day. This song is one of those songs that just make you feel good and like summer has only just begun. It sounds as fresh as it did when it was first released. As you can see from the video it was great.

Machine Head or Limp Bizkit? For me Limp Bizkit all the way. As I've not mentioned Machine Head you can safely assume I didn't see them but I have earlier in the year when they supported Metallica and also a few years back at the Black Crusade. Both times I had no interest and at the Black Crusade they insulted Linkin Park. Machine Head are nothing to me. Machine Head and Limp Bizkit don't seem to like one another and this was the reason that was floating around for why Machine Head weren't going to be there. By pulling out they show they are petty and in my opinion by showing up after pulling out is just a ploy to to make them look good. They didn't fool me. Limp Bizket were next and were on form. There had been rumours going around that Fred Durst was ill and was going to miss the set. He didn't look the best on stage all wrapped up in a track suit (not the red hat and white top we're all used to) but all credit to him he put on a great show and so did his band. The show was great and they played all the songs I was wanting to hear - Faith, Break Stuff and Rollin'. Fred did mention Machine Head (and also Nine Inch Nails who are another band they aren't supposed to get along with), saying how it was good they don't give a shit but really I think and hope it was a bit of a piss take. The only negative thing about Limp Bizkit is that their set was pretty much the same as it was at Download. Other than that I was thoroughly pleased.

After another break it was time for Nine Inch Nails. Again I was looking forward to this but they were a let down. Not because they played bad but just because the last half of the set was purely ballad based. Hearing Hurt live like they performed was great but seeing as it was their last UK date ever I feel it should have ended with more of a bang. From what I've heard from other reviews I'm not the only one who feels this way. A shame really.

Avenged Sevenfold where the penultimate band and I've never been a fan. In all they were OK and the songs that I knew from past trip to Mosh sounded all right. Again this was a Neil band. While they were on I checked lost and found again but with no more luck.

The finally of Sonisphere and the headline act needed no introduction. Metallica were fantastic as ever and with the fireworks and massive flamethrowers they couldn't go wrong. Fuel, Mast of Puppets, Nothing Else Matters, Enter Sandman and the final song Seek and Destroy. It was the definition of awesome. I started feeling a little sick towards the end of the set and as I'd had this exact feeling the weekend before which resulted in my puking out of a car window I had to get out and drink something. Needless to say I was always in sight of the stage. It was actually quite interesting to be at the back of 60,000 people as I've never been there before but given the choice I'd have been back up near the front. After the encore they guys came back on the stage give thanks as often happens. The day happened to be James Hetfield's birthday and for that he got caked in cream pies. Now that's not something you see everyday. After a rendition of happy birthday it was all over. Can't image what it would be like to have 60,000 fans sing happy birthday to you but I bet it's a good feeling.

So Sunday's music was a bit of a mix bag for me and losing my wallet wasn't fun. In all it still was a great day and was about to get better. I went down to lost and found. I queued up for what must have been half an hour. I had hope when I was told to take a seat. A couple minutes more and I had my wallet back! That was such an awesome feeling. To really add to the happiness nothing was missing! Everything was there. I had already accepted the money would be gone. Unfortunately, there wasn't a record of people who had handed in the items so I had no one to thank. To whoever it was THANK YOU SO MUCH.

The rest of the evening was spent cooking the last sausages, drinking some beers and keeping warm by the BBQ. Our neighbours were being a little dangerous with their disposable BBQ and that provided some good entertainment. Including a steward trying to put out the fire once but all succeeding in making everyone choke on smoke. After the stewards finally got them to leave the fire we gained a few more bodies around ours. All I can say is that they were interesting. This old Aussie woman ended up giving some sexual favours to some random guy for a cigarette. So to all guys out there, smokers or not, bring cigarettes next year! Everyone but Neil ended up staying up all night and by 8am we'd got. With about an hour drive ahead I was probably going to kill all of us all because I was feeling sleepy. Sensibly I stopped off at the first services, grab a Red Bull, waited 20 minutes and then I was buzzing! Rage Against the Machine on the way back and a 3 hour Red Bull high. Awesome. Weekend complete!

Here's the videos I recorded of the bands at Sonisphere, Knebworth House, UK. There's 15 in total, 7 on Saturday and 8 on Sunday. You can also check them out on my YouTube channel. Please rate and comment!

YouTube Link: Sonisphere Festival, Knebworth, UK, 2009

Sonisphere Sunday 2nd August 2009

Artists: Feeder, Limp Bizkit & Metallica.

YouTube Link: Sonisphere Sunday 2nd August - Feeder, Limp Bizkit, Metallica

Artists: Feeder, Limp Bizkit & Metallica.

YouTube Link: Sonisphere Sunday 2nd August - Feeder, Limp Bizkit, Metallica