Agilded throne rises up from Download’s main stage, bearing Avatar guitarist Jonas Jarlsby, AKA The King. The man at the centre of the band’s carnivalesque Avatar Country concept album, he surveys his subjects as he riffs, and a huge cheer goes up. It’s mad, it’s Avatar literally taken to the next level, and it’s warmly received by a festival crowd who are here to let loose. This Friday afternoon in June 2018 feels like a real moment for the Swedes, who have significantly increased their audience since playing the same stage two years earlier.
“OUR STAGE SHOW WAS PORNOGRAPHIC!”
JOHANNES ECKERSTRÖM