The Queen of all festival openings.
Like a siren luring in her prey, Katie Jane Garside of Queen Adreena slinks on stage with a stage presence so alluring, the audience are captivated by the eerie beauty of her voice. Chilling the heart and soul of everyone drawn to the sheer enticing power of her music, she begins with a sinister siren song. Shrieking with melodic beauty, inviting you in with an intoxicating scent of pure music heaven. This makes the impact of the entrance of the rest of the band all the more special. The audience are enticed by the following song and almost sway with her as she swings in and out of her trance. As vibrant and beautiful on-stage as the orange-pink flower she sports in her hair, Katie Jane Garside is alive with thrill of her music, the aggressive, passionate and enticing mood of her music. Just as she can croon and sing like a true siren, so too can she grate and shriek like a strangled cat with incredible force between her haunting melodies.
There is absolutely no doubt that Queen Adreena are running the opening of this festival, as more and more people find themselves drawn from the other stages by the sheer magnetic force of Queen Adreena's atmospheric and bass-drowned qualities. The audience are wild for her, the sheer power she holds down in her melodies and the control that it resonates. Slowing down the tempo only increases the number of people being drawn towards this most powerful and captivating of bands; even her unshaven and wild appearance doesn’t put the crowd off and she pulls admirers old and new closer still. Like the thorn under the rose, Queen Adreena are the spite and malice behind the captivating outer shell and have every hold over the emotions and subconscious of every single person within earshot of their haunting, addictive music. Furthermore, Queen Adreena enjoy it, and don't show any sign of relinquishing their grip, launching yet another assault with the ever addictive 'Pretty Like Drugs'. The bass flows through into the bodies of the hostages, into their veins and follows their heartbeat, enticing them even more with the pure adrenaline rush that is 'Pretty Like Drugs'. As the aggressive guitars crash and slide over the vocals which screech and wail for more and more of the power they resonate, Queen Adreena have surely scored themselves new fans and thrilled the hearts and minds of those who are already under their spell, by a performance so powerful it could crush air from lungs. Similar emotions pour straight through into 'Razorblade', the sheer suicidal references that resonate through the arena are strangely enticing and romantic, and pack a punch designed to kill - kill any thoughts that Queen Adreena cannot perform live, that is. There is no doubt about it, Queen Adreena rule the opening of Download 2005.
To view all photos taken during this set click here. There are 28 available.