Saturday is Maiden day and the arena seems to be a lot busier which can only be a good thing, giving smaller bands the chance of playing to a larger audience is one of the best things a festival can offer to the bands and the fans. 

Heavens Basement draw a huge crowd for their pre noon slot and don't waste any time getting the party started. Welcome Home, Fire Fire, I'm Electric and the excellent Executioners Day all get the Download treatment. Aaron even getting time for a quick crowd surf before they depart, the band fully deserve the hype that is surrounding them and long may it continue.

Idiom have some hype behind them too and although not quite in the same league as Heavens Basement, the band are playing to a packed Red Bull stage. The band launch into their hard hitting, in your face metal. Alex Clare's 'Too Close' even gets the idiom treatment which seemed to delight the crowd as much as 'Brain Dead'.

Black Star Riders take to the main stage looking the boys from county hell, they are in a unique place being able to call on Thin Lizzy's back catalogue and songs from their new album. Jailbreak sounding like the complete rock song, Ricky Warwick really has the ability to carry off the voice of a generation and what a tribute it is, the great Phil Lynott would approve. The impressive Bound for Glory followed by The Boys are back in town are a fitting way to finish their set.

Over on the Pepsi Max stage are Nekrogoblikon, a band that have been around a while but one if yu get the chance must see. All the way from California and with their very own goblin in attendance the band use the time on stage wisely pleasing their fans with old and new songs.

Without doubt the coolest band at the festival has to be Walking Papers, their bass driven hard Rock N Roll is a joy on the ears. Duff Mckagan is the man behind the band but he is on equal footings with the other band members. Lead singer Jeff Angell is the perfect front man for his band giving the American swagger the full Rock N Roll treatment. Definitely one band that should be invited back.

We're Motörhead and we play Rock N Roll, this has been the strap line for Lemmy for over 3 decades now, and having seen them well into double figures they never disappoint. The banter with the crowd and the continuous musical master pieces coming from the stage is enough to warm the crowd on this dreary afternoon. Rocket gets a very rare outing, along with staple favourites 'going to Brazil' and their greatest masterpiece Ace of Spades. As we depart there is only one thing on our minds, all hail king Lemmy.

Jimmy Eat World gather a huge crowd at the Zippo Stage, keeping them happy with a massive back catalog of fans favourites. Queens of the Stone Age are playing to another massive crowd on the main stage and as the sun shines down hit after hit come pounding from the various speaker stacks across the arena, Feel Good Hit for the Summer seems like the perfect song at the perfect moment. No One Knows gets the Download crowd into a frenzy as does the sublime Little Sister. Josh Homme tells the mesmerised crowd to take every opportunity that life can offer, go with the flow is his motto and one song to remember them by.

With Enter Shikari finishing before Iron Maiden even start, the main stage arena swells to near breaking point and with the clock ticking ever closer to show time, the Download faithful are treated to a fly past from a World War II Spitfire, it takes three passes over the arena and flys of into the distance, it's such a shame Iron Maiden didn't change their set list around for once and start with Aces High, now that would have been the best start to a live show ever. Instead they open with Moonchild and quickly follow this with massive hits Can I Play With Madness, 2 Minutes to Midnight, Number of the Beast, The Trooper and Run to the Hills. Crowd pleasers Wasted Years, Fear of the Dark and Iron Maiden get the Maiden England treatment, as the band depart the stage you know it's not the last we will see of them tonight and as Churchill's famous rallying speech booms over the speakers it can only mean one song Aces High. The Evil that Men Do and the excellent Running Free end the set before we the fans get a chance for our sing a long... Iron Maiden will be back so after 3 All ways look on the bright side of life de do de do de do de do de do