IN THE PICTURE
BULLET FORCE
Words Paul Elliott
PEOPLE ✪ NEWS ✪ NOISE
Photo Kevin Nixon
When the Download Pilot festival was staged at Donington Park over the weekend of June 18th–20th, it was a landmark event in the return to live music in the UK. More than 30 British rock and metal bands performed over the three days - including Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, Enter Shikari, The Wildhearts, Creeper, Conjurer and Sleep Token. And it was fitting that the grand finale came with a performance from Bullet For My Valentine, whose long association with Download dates back to 2004. The band’s eighth album, titled simply Bullet For My Valentine, is out on October 22nd. And for guitarist/vocalist Matt Tuck - pictured here during the Download Pilot show - it’s an album of huge significance, written during a dark period when his marriage was breaking down. “It wasn’t easy to write an album so personal,” he says. “But it’s only going to have a positive effect on my life now.”