IN PICTURES: THUMBS UP AT THE DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL FOR STEPHEN SUTTON

  (Scroll down for gallery) It's Friday, the party has started early at Download, and there's plenty of party-goers ready for Californian rockers Tesla on the Zippo Encore stage, despite their early afternoon showtime. I Wanna Live doesn't ease in, it's far more potent than that, with frontman Jeff Keith working the crowd hard, not that they need much persuading. That trademark voice is still glorious and as a unit they are locked-in, a taut rock machine that still wants to play with you, and for you. A slice of classic Tesla, Hang Tough, is cut loose early in the proceedings, before the quintet remind us that in 2014 they are still a serious proposition, when they play newbie So Divine. Crowd pleaser Signs is their ultimate crowd sing-a-long, followed by Modern Day Cowboy and they wrap up with Comin' Atcha Live, from the first album. Still a great honest rock band, and more than capable of teaching the new brigade a trick or two. The set was too short, mind, they really deserved longer...maybe next time? A quick meander around the site, well maybe not too quick, and its back to the main stage  for Welsh wonders Skindred. Last week they played The Craufurd Arms in Milton Keynes, before 300 rabid fans.  It was immense. So too is their Download set, although it is accompanied by decidedly more air than the club date, which left glasses all steamed up, and clothes dripping wet. But whether working a few hundred or a few thousand punters, front man Benji pummels every bit as hard - Kill the Power best displays the unity of a Skindred set, and  before hot-footing to the Zippo Encore stage to check on The Answer, we 'wave like the Queen...' The Answer's Cormac Neeson has the sort of raspy, warm voice that could fire up the coldest of listeners, and he is a spinning, bobbing, live-wire frontman, a craft honed in part by a lengthy tour as support to Aussie titans AC/DC and by a relentless live schedule. Early track Under the Sky is an early release favourite, and they wrap up with Come Follow Me, leaving the die-hards wanting more...they might just get it, too... Some time later the band rocks up - albeit quieter - on the Jagermeister Stage - before a smaller, but equally enthusiastic tour of faithfuls, and despite their country not qualifying for the World Cup, they jazz up Spectacular at the end of their set, in a nod to the competition, giving it a samba-sound. So, they are The Answer.  The question is why they aren't so much bigger... No time to ponder just now though, as a few feet away in the Red Bull Tent there is a fierce noise escaping. Checking in for a peek rewards us with the best show of the day - courtesy of Huntress. The American metal monsters are uncompromising, relentless and all-together essential. Jill Janus is an exceptional frontman and her voice? Simply sensational.  No gimmicks, but plenty of guts - and ferocious slabs of brutal metal? They've got loads, like the crowd-pleasing I Want To F*** You To Death. There are Main Stage sets courtesy of big guns Zakk Wylde and his Black Label Society with a fabulous advert for our own Marshall Amps, and later Rob Zombie who delivers a career-spanning work-out that would be better seen after-dark, he says, and so do we. Still, if that's the only gripe, it's really not a bad affair... When dusk comes, so to do Download Main stage headliners Avenged Sevenfold, who make their largest UK date a decidedly fiery one, and silence the critics who were opposed to their top billing. While they bring the noise for the majority, Scandinavian prog-metallers Opeth fill their tented appearance admirably.  They might not be playing to the biggest audience, but the devoted faithful stick with them for the duration. For all the highs and cracking sets witnessed, the most emotive part of the day was driven by Download promoter Andy Copping who led the crowd in a 60 second burst of noise and clapping, followed by a united thumbs-up for Stephen Sutton. It was rock's way  of remembering the brilliant young man who raised more than £4 million for charity before losing his battle with cancer last month.  Stephen attended the event in 2013, and this year, the Main Stage has been renamed the Stephen Sutton stage 'in recognition of his epic fundraising efforts.'   [gallery ids="1917,1916,1915,1914,1913,1912,1911,1910,1909,1908,1907,1906,1905,1904"]