Over the past couple of years, it hasn’t looked like that much fun being in Kings Of Leon. The incident-ridden plagued that accompanied their last album, 2010’s under-performing ‘Come Around Sundown’, felt like a miserable and clichéd final chapter for a band that, you suspected, were struggling to cope with the gigantic success that had been thrust upon them and, though the people that cried “sell out” after ‘Sex On Fire’ and ‘Use Somebody’ were being too harsh, it was clear that something special had been lost on their journey from bars to arenas. Nevertheless, they return after a short hiatus with their sixth album, ‘Mechanical Bull’. Early whispers surrounding the record have suggested that the band have returned to the rough and ready sound that made their first few albums such a joy to listen to, but can they deliver on this promise?

 Initially, ‘Mechanical Bull’ feels like their second coming. Lead single ‘Supersoaker’ is fantastic, taking the thrilling southern rock of their past and reinventing it to fit with their current stadium style to great effect, with Caleb Followill’s proving that his vocals still have the power to blow people away. ‘Rock City’ is a boozy mid-tempo track that seems custom built to soundtrack bar room brawls, while ‘Don’t Matter’ is a Queens Of The Stone Age track if they grew up by the Nashville swamp instead of the California desert. They save their best for ‘Temple’, which is easily the best song they’ve recorded since ‘Only By The Night’ took them to the big time. Boasting riffs that feel like they’ve jumped straight from a classic Bruce Springsteen song and a chorus that won’t leave your head for days, it’s the perfect example of what Kings Of Leon do best.

 Unfortunately, the band can’t keep up their early momentum. ‘Wait For Me’ aims for epic but just feels uninspired and hollow. Similarly, the majority of the quieter tracks on the album feel like a little bit of a chore to get through, with ‘On The Chin’ in particular sounding too middle of the road for it’s own good. Kings Of Leon have usually excelled at slowing the tempo down and still being brilliant, but here, these songs simply weigh the album down. The almost laughably cheesy lyrics that accompany ‘Comeback Story’ seem to prove that their old spark won’t be making a full return anytime time soon.

 Maybe it was unfair to expect so much from ‘Mechanical Bull’. After all, Kings Of Leon have been in ‘stadium mode’ for five years, longer than they spent in their supposed ‘classic period’ (between 2003’s ‘Youth And Young Manhood’ and 2007’s ‘Because Of The Times’) and, after multiple marriages and births within the band since then, they’re vastly different people from that time, but even with its strong opening tracks, ‘Mechanical Bull’ doesn’t quite live up to the massive expectations surrounding it.

 Verdict: While there are moments of their old brilliance on ‘Mechanical Bull,’ the first part of the title of Kings Of Leon’s sixth album might be a little bit too apt, with much of it’s second half feeling slightly soulless. Its best moments are worth treasuring, but aren’t enough push it from ‘good’ to ‘great’.

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Anyone who has followed the Sheffield four-piece Arctic Monkeys since their debut in 2006 will be able to tell you the band have come a long way since the songs about teenage nightlife, wedding singers and moody girlfriends that filled their first album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not. Now with the release of their fifth studio album AM, Arctic Monkeys are unapologetic about the undeniable changes in their musical direction, as frontman Alex Turner told NME “I don’t think anyone really expects us to continue – or return to – the approach we had seven years ago”.

You would be forgiven for assuming that Arctic Monkeys attempted to just recreate the music on their collective iPods, as many of the songs on AM are clearly heavily influenced by R&B, hip hop and ‘70s rock. However it is clear they were certainly not lazy in doing so, as Alex Turner described “you gotta be careful which elements you take. It’s like a chemical reaction, you get a bit too much of one thing and you don’t get any bang.” But rest assured, ‘AM’ provides plenty of “bang”.

The album opens with the electrifying guitar riff of Do I Wanna Know?, and with its epic chorus it sounds like Arctic Monkeys are completely back on form compared to their dirgy and Bob Dylan-esque previous albums Humbug and Suck It And See, respectively. Despite all the time spent in LA to record this album, ‘Do I Wanna Know?’ as the first track reassures its listeners that Arctic Monkeys are still the same four reluctant rockers from Sheffield, as Alex Turner’s notorious Northern accent prevails, “… sticks around like summat in your teeth?” .

R U Mine? is the first of many songs on the album to recall ‘70s rock but no two songs sound the same, as Arabella, a definite standout track, is a successful merger of a Dr Dre-influenced intro and a chorus reminiscent of Black Sabbath (as strange as it sounds), I Want It All reeks of glam rock and the comparisons that could be made between Mad Sounds and Lou Reed’s Take A Walk On The Wild Side are endless.

One For The Road evokes more of an R&B style as Alex Turner’s lyrics and vocal style are noticeably more sensual, but still retains the vintage guitar riffs that are becoming ‘AM’s trademark. Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High? , like Arabella and One For The Road, also makes use of a hip-hop style intro but out of all twelve songs, lyrically it could belong on their first album.

In contrast to the majority of songs on AM, No. 1 Party Anthem is slower and its wistful lyrics are reminiscent of those found on their previous album Suck It And See, but the heavy presence of piano ventures into cabaret territory at times, however many fans have already stated that slow dancing to this song has made it on to their bucket lists. The driving drum beat and guitar in Snap Out Of It defies any listener to sit still while listening to it, and observant listeners might recognise a guest appearance by Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme on the witty and provocative Knee Socks.

AM finishes with Alex Turner’s homage to poet John Cooper Clarke, I Wanna Be Yours, its soft, slow and echoey drum beat evoking that of a beating heart and lyrics which every young girl would dream of having sung to them.

Despite the radical changes in style, Arctic Monkeys songs haven’t lost any of the imagery, intelligence and relatability of the songs the British public fell in love with back in 2006. Is it safe to say the awkward yet witty and incredibly talented youths behind the iconic ‘Whatever People Say I Am…” haven’t changed, as much as people like to believe, but just grown up?

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W hichever way you look at it, Reading Festival is an important part of the history of British rock music. From hosting Nirvana’s landmark set in 1992 to propelling countless bands into the big leagues, it’s an essential part of any music fan’s calendar. Returning this year with a noticeably more mainstream lineup than usual, here’s the lowdown of all the bands that mattered.

 Friday

 The first full day of music gets off to a relatively slow start, with Dry The River (**)’s midday set on the NME Stage not exactly thrilling the largely-hungover crowd. Maybe their unassuming folk style would suit a more intimate setting, but there’s no escaping that a large portion of the audience are regretting waking up early for this. Meanwhile, on the Main Stage, While She Sleeps (*) manage not to produce a single original idea throughout their allotted time. Even the lead singer’s uninspired ‘banter’ with the bored audience suggests that he would give his right arm to be in Bring Me The Horizon (***), who play later on in the day and show the pretenders just how metalcore should be done.

 Things begin to pick up later on though, with Deap Vally (****)’s brand of raw blues rock on the NME Stage confirming why they are fast becoming one of the most talked bands in the world right now. Opening with the thunderous ‘Baby I Call Hell’ and only getting better from there, singer and guitarist Lindsey Troy commands the audience with ease for such a new band. Another new band proving their worth today is Peace (****), with their woozy indie coming across surprisingly massive in the tent. Playing to a huge crowd, the Worcester band shake off most of the ‘style over substance’ accusations that have been thrown at them by critics to deliver a great performance. Expect bigger and better things from the two.

 You’d forgive Deftones (****) for putting on a less than triumphant show on the Main Stage, considering the recent death of talismanic bassist Chi Cheng. Thankfully, this is not the case, as they dazzle the crowd with their bone-crushing riffs and Chino Moreno’s fantastic voice. Playing a good mix of material from new album ‘Koi No Yokan’ and older fan favourites, they sound as relevant and fresh as ever. Fellow alt-metal veterans System Of A Down (***) follow them in gloriously weird fashion. Though there’s a noticeable lull in energy whenever they stray from well-known songs, like ‘Chop Suey’, they still prove a very interesting watch.

 The year between Green Day (***)’s secret set at last year’s festival and tonight’s headline set has been a rough one. Between their trilogy of new albums flopping and lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong’s stint in rehab, they could use a strong headline set here to put them back on top. In that respect, their set can only be viewed as a partial success. When they are good, they are sublime (Jesus Of Suburbia in particular is one of the highlights of the festival), but the decision to play 1994 album ‘Dookie’ in full is a poor one and it significantly thins out the crowd. The extending of each song they play to a ridiculous length doesn’t do them any favors either and means that they come across as merely good rather than great tonight.

 Saturday

 Saturday’s festivities kick off with Drenge (***) on the Festival Republic Stage. Though they have the rawness and energy recently seen on their debut album, the tightness of their playing leaves something to be desired. Elsewhere, Earlwolf (***) do a good job of creating early afternoon chaos on the Main Stage. Despite Tyler The Creator and Earl Sweatshirt’s music occasionally veering off into a mess of amateurish bleeps, their sense of fun is refreshing. The same cannot be said about Twin Atlantic (**)’s set. Not helped by numerous sound issues, they sound and look hopelessly lost on such a massive stage.

 One man used to the big time is Johnny Marr (****), who thrills the crowd at the NME Stage while a selection of solo material, classic Smiths and a stellar cover of The Clash’s ‘I Fought The Law’. Playing on the Main Stage as the sun sets, Foals (****) increasing sound like a band that could headline huge festivals like this in the near future. Standout tracks ‘Inhaler’ and ‘Late Night’ showcase their growing ambitions with spectacular effect and point towards something approaching greatness.

 Not even this prepares you for how outstanding Tame Impala (*****) are. Destroying all expectations, their psychedelic rock is positively mind blowing. Last year’s ‘Lonerism’ was one of the best albums of the last 5 years and tonight’s performance more than does it justice. Kevin Parker’s brittle voice recalls George Harrison in his prime, while Julien Barbagallo’s drumming is wonderfully close to John Bonham at his most bombastic. Ending with a frankly insane version of ‘Apocalypse Dreams’, they leave the audience at NME Stage stunned.

 After that, the night ends rather anti-climatically. Jake Bugg (**) comes across as a cheap imitation of Bob Dylan during his set, while Eminem (**)’s Main Stage headline set feels oddly hollow. Though he easily gets the biggest crowd of the festival, it’s an astounding lazy performance, with the clear presence of a vocal track being particularly off-putting. It’s a poor end to what has been a very strong day of music.

 Sunday

 Clearly glad the torrential rain from this morning has cleared, Hadouken! (***) do a good job of warming up the Main Stage crowd for the last day of music. Having replaced their old new-rave style with a more muscular and dubstep-flavoured sound, it goes down very well indeed. On the NME Stage, an on-form Tribes (****) go down a storm with a setlist, wisely ignoring the majority of poorly received second album ‘Wish To Scream’ in favour of infinitely stronger older tracks. By the time they play the anthemic ‘We Were Children’, the entire tent is singing back at them in uplifting fashion.

 A few years ago, it looked certain that Editors (****) would be filling arenas and headlining festivals like Reading. A poor third album and a long wait till this year’s comeback record, ‘The Weight Of Your Love’, seem to have put those plans on hold for now, but they do a very fine job of playing an afternoon slot on the Main Stage today. Front man Tom Smith stalks the stages like a man possessed, while the crowd livens up for older tracks like ‘Munich’ and ‘An End Has A Start’.

It’s hard to know how to judge Nine Inch Nails (***)’ performance on the Main Stage. On one hand, the first half’s paranoid electro is equally as thrilling as the second half’s evil industrial metal and Trent Reznor’s band sound as tight as any band you’re likely to see. But something feels wrong throughout, with the setlist missing out nearly all of their old hits (the closest thing to a hit that we get is the manic ‘March Of The Pigs’), the production being severely striped down and the band clearly don’t want to be there. Overall, it’s a brave set, but also a massive missed opportunity. 

 Biffy Clyro (*****) make no such mistakes. With what may very well go down in history as their defining moment, their headline set is the most powerful performance of the weekend by far. Heavier songs like ‘That Golden Rule’ and ‘Modern Magic Formula’ send the crowd into a swirling frenzy, while Simon Neill’s acoustic version of ‘Machines’ is touchingly beautiful. Above all else, they seem like the only headliner to genuinely understand how important Reading Festival is to the people who attend it. An absolute joy to watch.

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Now in its 11^th year, Download Festival has long set the bar for insane headline sets, huge mosh pits and levels of rain that make Glastonbury seem like Rio De Janeiro. While decent weather conditions kept the mud slides at bay, a stellar line up, led by metal behemoths Slipknot, Iron Maiden and Rammstein, made sure that this year’s festival didn’t disappoint.

Friday

Despite patchy rain dampening the atmosphere slightly, energetic metallers Rise To Remain (***) and Architects (****) do a good job of opening the Main Stage with Architects’ well judged combination of heavy riffs and pop sensibilities going down particularly well with the crowd. Meanwhile, at the Pepsi Max Stage, new hardcore act Palm Reader (****) successfully tear their surprisingly large crowd a new one with their visceral and chaotic sound. This is clearly a band with their eyes on bigger things and with the reach to achieve them.

You’d be hard pressed to even attempt to describe Papa Roach (***) as a ‘Nu Metal’ band anymore, with frontman Jacoby Shaddix looking less like an angst-ridden teenager and more like someone auditioning to join Motley Crue. Indeed, their more recent material is given what can politely described as a ‘muted’ reaction. Nevertheless, when they get stuck into older hits, like ‘Last Resort’, the mood lifts greatly and the audience’s goodwill towards them is restored. While Europe (*) proceed to test the patience of the enormous crowd gathered at the Zippo Encore Stage, who are clearly just waiting for them to play ‘The Final Countdown’ with laughably poor rip-offs of The Doors and Stevie Wonder, Korn (****) remind everyone watching them just how enjoyable their deranged and dissonant metal can be. Even their Skrillex collaboration ‘Get Up’ is well received and by the time they drop ‘Freak On A Leash’, singer Jonathan Davies has Download Festival in the palm of his hand.

Though Bullet For My Valentine (***) do a functionally job with their poppier take on thrash metal, there’s an overwhelming sense that they are merely the appetizers for the main event. Singer Matt Tuck looks visibly frustrated at the crowd’s lack of energy and practically storms off the stage at the end. Based on the type of thunder that Slipknot (*****) bring, he needn’t be so down on himself, as barely a band on the planet can compete with the sheer firepower that Corey Taylor’s men display tonight. It’s almost overwhelming how much love this festival has for the band and a touching tribute to late bassist Paul Gray are proof that Download is Slipknot’s home from home. By the time they unleash ‘Duality’, there’s little doubt that they are now a world-class headline act worthy of any festival.

Saturday

For any people nursing a hangover from last night’s campsite antics, Mastodon (****)’s trippy hard rock style might be a little bit too much for their fragile senses to handle. For the rest of us, their unique sound manages to be boundary pushing without being self-indulgent. It’s an act that Alice In Chains (***) somewhat struggle to follow and, while the play hits like ‘The Rooster’ and ‘Them Bones’ well enough, they lack a certain energy needed to hold the audience’s attention.

Initially seeming out of place on a bill packed with heavier and more theatrical bands, it’s hard to believe quite how quickly Queens Of The Stone Age (*****) make these trappings seem pointless. More menacing than a thousand death metal bands and more danceable a thousand DJs, Josh Homme’s Stoner Rock mob easily blow all the competition away. With tracks from seminal new album ‘…Like Clockwork’ peppered throughout a set which showcases their harder edged material, they are impossible to tear yourself away from. Outstanding.

There’s rarely a festival recently that Enter Shikari (****) don’t seem to be playing, but, on the strength of their Zippo Encore Stage headline set, no one seems to be complaining. Their electronic-heavy metalcore sound combined with singer Rou Reynolds’ politically charged lyrics shouldn’t work at all, but the collision of genres works to deliriously enjoyable effect.

It’s hard to pinpoint what’s lacking from Iron Maiden (**)’s headline set on Saturday. Maybe it’s that, compared to the other two Main Stage headliners, their production feels a little bit too well rehearsed and oddly tame. Maybe it’s that Bruce Dickinson seems a little bit too keen on promoting the band’s beer and future tour dates than actually singing their classic songs. Whatever it is, their set feels strangely and disappointingly sterile.

‘Sterile’ is certainly not a word that could be used to describe The Hives (*****)’s performance on the Pepsi Max Stage. Armed to the teeth with sharp punk tunes and even sharper suits, they make good on their legendary live reputation. As they close their set with an extended version of ‘Tick Tick Boom’, their status as the most fun live band on Earth is confirmed.

Sunday

Stoner Rock godfathers Masters Of Reality (***) might not be playing to an enthusiastic crowd on the Zippo Encore State, but still put on a brave face and attempt to pack a 28 year career into a 30 minute set. At the opposite end of the scale, up and coming rap rockers Hackivist (***) are impressive but barely have enough material to fill their short early afternoon slot. Mark this one down as a ‘work in-progress’.

Short of actually moving into Castle Donington, there isn’t much more Corey Taylor can do at this point to show his love for the festival, as he plays his second Main Stage set of the weekend with Stone Sour (****). Though lacking the anarchy of Slipknot’s performance on Friday, Taylor’s ‘other’ band does a fantastic job of working the crowd into frenzy. It’s a performance that The Gaslight Anthem (***) simply can’t compete with. While their relaxed, Springsteen-eqse rock is a welcome change of pace from the relentless heaviness of the rest of the line up, it occasionally feels as if they’ve turned up at the wrong festival.

As the majority of the Main Stage crowd head back to their tents as 30 Seconds To Mars (**)’ Jared Leto reads the band’s upcoming UK tour dates from a piece of paper like they were The Ten Commandments (which tells you all you need to know about their hugely pretentious performance), the Zippo Encore Stage is gearing up for Nu Metal poster boys Limp Bizkit (****) to take the stage. When they emerge, the crowd reaction is unbelievable, with every song causing mass carnage. It also helps that Fred Durst’s group are much easier to enjoy fully when they aren’t taking themselves seriously and go out of their way to crowd-please. It’s not perfect (their whiney cover of The Who’s ‘Behind Blue Eyes’ hasn’t improved with age), but you’d struggle to find a better crowd atmosphere all out week.

Closing this year’s Main Stage, at times, it’s hard to comprehend just what is happening during Rammstein (****)’s set. Featuring camp costumes, enough pyrotechnics to take over the whole of Leicestershire and (we’re not making this up) singer Till Lindemann simulating sex with a gimp before spraying foam from a mechanical penis over the crowd, they make every other band look boring in comparison. Though the music might not be to everyone’s tastes, their stage show simply has to be seen to be believed.

It may not have the variety of festivals like Glastonbury or Reading, but there’s no denying that Download can easily match them in terms of sheer entertainment value. Long may they continue to rock on.

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