“DIY, non-conformist and theatrical,” is how photographer Caitlin Chescoe describes the eclectic range of styles she captured at this year’s Download Festival. Now in its 21st edition, the Leicestershire-based event celebrates the full spectrum of heavy music, from Busted right through to The Black Dahlia Murder. Despite some macabre band names and an obsession with black clothes, however, the festival is as inclusive as they come, driven by a stark rejection of all thing’s conventional.

“Download gives people the freedom to be themselves,” Chescoe tells Dazed proudly, “tattoos, piercings, black make-up, colourful hair, these aren’t often accepted in everyday life, but at the festival it’s welcomed”. This is reflected in the crowd, too; no two looks are the same, but all are joined in their difference.

For Chescoe, this ethos is written into the fabric of the music itself. “Rock is historically seen as a community for outsiders due to its origins in rebellion,” she explains. “The culture is labelled as different by those that are in the norm, but, at Download, metal is the norm.”

This defiant rejection of the conventional has historically been misunderstood by the mainstream, instead cast as intimidating and violent. “The tone of the music was often not meant to be palatable to the normal everyday person, it’s loud, sometimes dark, you were sticking it to the man”, Chescoe continues. Many will be familiar with the centrality of moshpits to the live metal experience, but perhaps fewer will be aware of how seriously hardcore fans take safety within this, forever ready to lift up fallen soldiers and guide them to safety. “You’re far more likely to have your wallet handed in than stolen!” Chescoe sums up cheerfully.

Having grown up dancing to her dad’s rock and vinyl records in the family living room, and since spending her entire life within the community, these are values Chescoe holds deeply. Her photos capture how the scene unites not only different styles but also generations – be it two young boys rocking green mohawks, or the grandmother-granddaughter duo in matching biker jackets, patches and all.

However, one memory from this years’ events stands out above all. “We came across a bunch of teenagers who were basically swimming in the mud at golden hour,” Chescoe recalls. “They were all hugging each other, dancing and doing push ups, just having loads of fun basically. When else can you roll around in mud and it be completely acceptable?!”

Check the gallery above for more looks from Download Festival 2024.