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Being the first act to open a stage on the first day of a festival is a pretty underrated slot. You get a fresh, excited and expectant crowd, all looking to kick off their weekend in style.
With a chance to grab as many new fans as he can, UK alt-rapper Native James does not let his opportunity slip, turning a tent of curious Download goers into cheering fans in a breathless 20 minute set.
The first thing you notice as James struts out onstage, before a note has even been played, is that this is a man with some serious charisma. His band are a fantastic foil, throwing themselves around as they peel out trappy nu metal bangers like Hammer and opener Raise the Alarm, but you rarely can take your eyes off the man himself.
Put frankly: the guy just looks fucking cool. It might seem trite to say it, but it’s something that can’t be taught, and when he rips his shirt off and dives into the increasingly energised throng, you can’t help but imagine him being able to do the same on far bigger stages, to far more people in the not too distant future.
He even ends his set by bringing out some UK hip hop royalty, with Boy Better Know’s Frisco joining him for Never Been Scared and Professor Green arriving towards the end of an absolutely, gloriously chaotic Block. With these kind of co-signs and with the crowd chanting his name after he finishes, it seems pretty evident that Native James is going to be a major player very soon. Put it this way: he won’t be opening many bills in the future. We might have a star on our hands.
