Aerosmith Toxic Twins Steven Tyler and Joe Perry can't quite get over their sense of awe they felt when first visiting the UK in the 1970s.
And even though they’ve returned many times since, they insist they’ve still got everything to prove when they close this year’s Download festival tonight.
Guitarist Perry tells Kerrang: “Our first time over was overwhelming – it was a land of fable. Coming from America, where, if something’s 200 years old it’s ancient, it was incredible to see things like Stonehenge. It felt very special just to see stuff like that.
“And there was the music – I don’t know what you put in the water but you’ve made some of the best and most important music ever.”
Tyler has his own “amazing” memories. “We were entering a new world, which was actually an old world,” he recalls. “England seemed almost magical.”
Aerosmith impressed with their headline set in 2010, which took place soon after a series of fights that had left the band on the verge of collapse. Since then they’ve worked hard to rebuild their reputation – but Perry insists: “We’ve always felt we’re only as good as the last show.” Every gig, he says, is about “trying to prove ourselves to a whole new audience.”
