'I saw Rob and Romesh perform at Download - here's what really happened'

Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan's VS series on Sky sees them tackle heavy metal in Wednesday's instalment (September 4). It was partly filmed at this year's Download Festival, which was affectionally christened "Mudload" by attendees as torrential rain saw the arena become a sodden and muddy mess.

I was there all weekend and the pictures do not do justice to the slushy terrain, which was a serious health hazard with certain areas resembling quicksand. With such inclement conditions, it is unsurprising that some bands suffered technical issues and had to cut sets short.

However, Rob and Romesh weren't going to let a little thing like the weather prevent them from performing live. The duo took to the stage with Scottish heavy metal band Bleed From Within to sing Metallica's seminal classic Enter Sandman for the show.

I saw it first-hand as I stood squelching in the mud. I had actually spotted them both earlier in the guest area and Romesh in particular was looking very nervous. Although I knew they would be performing it was a surprise for the crowd but there had been rumblings about an appearance when they were seen around the site.

Unfortunately, their Download debut left a sour taste in some people's mouths as Bleed From Within's already shortened set ended with their showcase rather than one of the band's hits.

The band were scheduled on the Opus stage - the second biggest at the festival - from 1.40pm to 2.30pm on the Saturday but technical issues meant they started 20 minutes late. There had been huge excitment for them and fans grumbled as there was no leeway to run over due to the tight schedules. Download have been known to cut bands off mid song if they run over their alloted time - I've witnesed this.

Lead vocalist Scott Kennedy shared the devastating news they had to cut their set short. "Unfortunately because of the problems that we had before we started, I'm f*****g devastated to let you guys know that is now our last f*****g track," he said to boos.

This was the vibe when he introduced Rob and Romesh who had been nervously waiting at the side of the stage. Knowing they were coming out to such a disappointed, sodden and slightly hostile crowd I really felt for them. 

"We've been told we have one more surprise for you guys now. So we have a couple of friends backstage and their dream, their f*****g dream was to play on stage at Download Festival," Scott said. "We're gonna bring them out and do a little cover for you guys. Please welcome to the stage, Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan."

Thankfully for the pair the mood shifted slightly when they came out and they were greeted by cheers. They threw themselves into the track - Romesh moreso than Rob. He completely unleashed his inner rock god whereas Rob gave a far more reserved performance.

Vocally I have heard far better and neither has the rock star swagger required to pull off such a track which Metallica themselves performed for the sell-out crowd the previous year. But it takes guts to perform such a much-loved classic on such a huge stage in front of rabid rock fans. 

That aside when they finished many people complained about using valuable stage time for the stunt when the band could have played another hit. The performance also meant Bleed From Within did indeed run over their allocated stage time to accommodate filming, which a few people I spoke to felt was unfair on other artists who had stayed within their parameters.

The biggest complaint issued by those I spoke to was that they chose to do a Metallica song rather than one of the band's numbers. One person described it as karaoke. While I assume the song choice was due to the familiarity TV viewers will have with the track. As we all slipped and slid to the bar after the set, popular opinion seemed to be it was underwhelming.

Personally I thought they did OK. But I, like everyone, was caught up in the festival buzz. In the cold light of day, I have a feeling it may fall flat when I watch it on TV. 

Rob and Romesh VS Heavy Metal is available to watch on NOW.