Download Festival, Castle Donington

If you looked at the charts or listen to mainstream radio you would think that rock music is not popular anymore. It even appears not to be popular on the streaming services such as Spotify and the like.

It hardly gets a mention in the mainstream press either, but in reality rock music is stronger than ever. Every year fans of the genre congregate at Castle Donington, now the spiritual home of the Download Festival for 3 days of music from acts ranging from the very new to those who are now legends of rock music.

This year was no different as 100,000 fans attended the festival on what turned out to be one of the sunniest weekends of the summer so far, in contrast to a very wet and muddy Download of 2 years ago.

The Struts made their debut appearance on the main stage on Saturday. The British 4 piece hail from just up the road from the festival site in Derby. Fresh from supporting the Foo Fighters on their American tour the band have the swagger, songs and attitude that will ensure the next time they appear at Download they will be further up the bill. Frontman Luke Spiller is a natural and is a rock star in the true sense of the word. New single Body Talk sits comfortably with favourites such as Could Have Been Me. A job well done.

Thunder announced that they were retiring a few years ago, but after a change of thought they are back again stronger than ever with their last album going into the Top 10 album chart. Singer Danny Bowes has a voice that is part blues and part rock. After years doing this he knows how to work an audience and that he appears to enjoy it so much is an added bonus. By the time we get to Back Street Symphony he and the band had the audience in the palm of their hands. Nobody does it better.

Saturday's headliners Guns N' Roses arrived on stage at 7.30. In the past they have known to be notoriously late. One of the last true big American bands to break through the group were on fire. Looking lean and meaning business they appear to have got their mojo back. From Welcome To The Jungle to classics such as Sweet Child of Mine it was a masterclass in what rock music should sound like.

The sun continued to shine on Sunday. Initially suffering from a bad sound The Black Veil Brides decided to throw in as many fire flames behind them as they could find. It was the latter numbers such as Fallen Angels and In The End that were as hot as the fire behind them.

Marilyn Manson seems to have fully recovered after his accident where a prop on stage fell on to him, last year. With several costume changes he looked the part of rock star. Playing in the daylight was probably not the best way to enjoy his darker tracks such as his cover of The Eurythmics Sweet Dreams. It was his own songs such as Beautiful People when things really kicked into gear.

"I can't hear you" comes the cry over the PA from Ozzy Osbourne, the iconic former Black Sabbath singer and famously known to many as wife of Sharon. Opening with Shot in the Dark he and his tight band were worthy headliners and the perfect way to end one of the best Download line ups in years.

Of course we get the classics such as War Pigs and Paranoid - tracks that have influenced so many rock acts. A British singer ending the biggest 3 day festival in Britain this year was a perfect end to a glorious weekend of music and weather.