Download Festival fans give their verdict

Download Festival fans have been giving their verdict on this year's three day bash.

Fans have expressed a mixed reaction over the Castle Donington event, which this year was headlined by Kiss, The Offspring and Lostprophets.

Many hailed the festival as a huge success, with some singling out Kiss as the main draw.

Alex Gladwin, 13, from Hull said: “I think Download is a brilliant festival. It's my first time here and I really enjoyed it. The vibe is here is really really good. Kiss were the best band by a mile. They were the band I came to see.”

Ujay Chan, 23, agreed saying that, along with , Kiss' show was a massive highlight. He was also impressed with the good range of groups on this year's line up.

He said: "There's been a greater variety of bands this year than last year's line-up, because you've got really heavy stuff and it's balanced out with the general melodic stuff like Lostprophets for other people. I saw Kiss on Friday night and that was very old school - like Judas Priest too, lots of old stuff which is good."

Leah Jackson, 22, however came down to the festival especially to see yesterday's main stage act Incubus.

She said: "I saw Incubus and I loved them, I'm a Brandon fan so yes that's definitely been one of the highlights."

Other fans, though, tended to avoid the headline acts and opted for some of the smaller bands.

"Zebrahead and Skindred were the best bands," said Darrell Greest, 19, from Gosport. "They were the highlight for me because they got the crowd moving. It was just amazing.”

However, he also said he was disappointed that the site had been altered this year and there weren't more heavyweight acts on the bill.

"It's pretty good but the campsite is too far away," he said. "It’s a mile walk before you even get in. Last year was better because there were more bands I wanted to see."

Kate Rouse, 18, from Coventry, shared a similar view, saying: “It's been good this year but last year was better because there were a lot more decent bands and it was organised better as well.

"As for the bands, Bullet For My Valentine were the best band for me, they were really good live and they got the crowd going."

Keep up with this weekend's (June 13-15) festival action as it happens on NME.COM. For news, pictures and blogs keep checking the NME.COM's Isle of Wight Festival page and NME.COM's Download Festival page for live coverage from both sites.