Download Festival has confirmed that its third and final headliner for the 2009 event will be the hugely influential and pioneering American rock band Faith No More. They will join Slipknot and Def Leppard as headliners for Download, taking place 12-14 June.
Faith No More
Following a wealth of rumours and speculation, the band confirmed last week that they would be reuniting, 11 years after they famously called it a day in April 1998. Faith No More’s appearance at Download 2009 will be their ONLY UK date this year.
A statement from Faith No More confirmed that they are "still young and strong enough to deliver a kickass set, with enthusiasm to not only revisit our past but possibly add something to the present. And so with this we've decided to hold our collective breaths and jump off this cliff.... BACK, GOD FORBID, INTO THE MONKEY CAGE!!!"
A favourite of Metallica and Guns ‘N’ Roses, Faith No More are largely responsible for the rap/rock crossover blueprint and for influencing many of the nu-metal bands of the 90s, including Linkin Park, Korn and Limp Bizkit, the latter two will also play this year’s Download. The vocal style of Mike Patton alone has spawned many copycats with his range easily moving between scattergun metal vocals to soaring operatic.
They truly penetrated the UK when their third album ‘Angel Dust’ went to Number 2 in the UK album chart upon release in June 1992, with follow up album ‘King For A Day…Fool For A Lifetime’ going in at Number 5 three years later. Fusing a wide range of musical styles in their trademark schizophrenic fashion, from heavy metal, funk, punk, jazz and thrash metal, their music has been used in film, commercials and computer games including a Levi’s commercial with ‘Easy’.
Live Nation VP of Promotions Andy Copping says of the news, ‘Faith No More were the band that started the whole alternative music scene. To have them play for the first time in eleven years exclusively at Download is amazing! They had so many huge hits, I can't wait to see the set list - "We Care A Lot", "From Out Of Nowhere", "Epic", "Falling To Pieces", "Midlife Crisis", "A Small Victory", "Digging The Grave" and not forgetting their awesome covers of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs" and The Commodores "Easy". They are one of my favourite bands of all time and being able to see them headline at Donington will be unbelievable. This is like the second coming of Christ!’
‘Faith No More were not only one of the great rock bands of the ‘90s, but also one of the greatest rock bands ever. A hugely entertaining thorn in the side of mainstream rock throughout their 17 year history, the band’s unique, eclectic and uncategorisable sound has been a massive influence on every forward-thinking rock band of the past 20 years and their return is a huge cause for great celebration. I couldn’t be more thrilled that they’re back.’ Editor of Kerrang! Magazine Paul Brannigan added.
FRIDAY 12 / SATURDAY 13 / SUNDAY 14 JUNE 2009
FAITH NO MORE / SLIPKNOT / DEF LEPPARD / KORN / MARILYN MANSON / WHITESNAKE / LIMP BIZKIT / PENDULUM / ZZ TOP / MÖTLEY CRÜE / THE PRODIGY / DREAM THEATER/ TRIVIUM / KILLSWITCH ENGAGE / BILLY TALENT DRAGONFORCE / BUCKCHERRY / ANVIL / THE BLACKOUT / DEVIL DRIVER