Linkin Park ignore the noise with triumphant set at Download Festival

Linkin Park ignore the noise with triumphant set at Download Festival8 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleAdam Aikenat Download FestivalGetty ImagesLinkin Park closed this year's Download FestivalRock and metal has been far from a man's game for a long time.But some habits have been harder than others to break - Download Festival and its predecessor Monsters Of Rock have had to wait until 2026 for a female-fronted band to headline the festival.Linkin Park took that title on Sunday night, and it was a stunning performance.There has been a lot of noise around the rights and wrongs of the band continuing following the loss of Chester Bennington, but it's not Emily Armstrong's fault that the band decided to play on – and at this festival she played a blinder.In a storming set, she gave classics such as Numb and Papercut a new life. In Overflow, from the one Linkin Park album she has been part of, her harmonies dovetailed beautifully with those of fellow lead vocalist Mike Shinoda.The festival got under way on Friday in Donington Park, Leicestershire, with Cypress Hill one of the acts to grace the main stage.Over the years, Download has pushed the boundaries with the genres it includes, and the Californian hip-hoppers were as much at home here as any of the more traditional fare on the bill.Getty ImagesFred Durst had a new look but the same infectious energyThey were followed as first-night headliners by Linkin Park's fellow nu metal trailblazers Limp Bizkit - second on the bill a couple of years ago but elevated further this year as their latest renaissance continues.These days, frontman Fred Durst looks more Robert Plant than skater boy, but his energy levels haven't dipped since their late-90s heyday.It was a powerful performance, with Durst engaging throughout. Lauren Sanderson joined in for Hot Dog early in the set, bringing even more electricity to proceedings.My Way came to an early end when Durst spotted someone in the cro...