The rain may have settled for longer than expected but Soundgarden brought the house down at this year’s Hard Rock Calling.

The rumours that the event was going to be called off due to the condition of the ground has been ruining my week on the run up to the festival.

I was nervous getting to the grounds expecting a complete wash out but due to the staff’s hard work over the past week – the ground was well prepared and although there was mud…it was nothing that a good pair of wellies wouldn’t overcome.

The day kicked off with a stop in to see ‘Hawk Eyes‘ at the Pepsi Max Stage. They were the second band on and kicked of into their set straight away. My friend was dying to see them after missing them at Download this year and he was not left disappointed by their performance.

These guys certainly know how to keep their crowd entertained with a high energy set that included an eclectic mix of their tracks.

We left the tent hyped up after their performance and caught the end of ‘Black Stone Cherry‘ on the main stage who delighted the crowd with a version of Amy Winehouse ‘Rehab’.

The crowd started to gather at the main stage for the next act to come on – the legendary ‘Cold Chisel‘.

Their legendary status in their home country of Australia has brought a huge collection of fans to the main stage arena for this rare performance.

Ever the charismatic front man Jimmy Barnes has the fans dancing and singing along to each and every single one of their many hits which included a heartfelt performance of All For You, before rocking into their 1981 hit You Got Nothing I Want, sending the crowd wild.

Cold Chisel aim to please and today they delivered on all fronts.

Iggy and The Stooges were next up on the main stage and were on excellent form.

Running through a wide range of hits from their extensive back catalogue, bare-chested Iggy was as energetic as ever and just a great showman.

The crowd was not left disappointed by the 50 minute set which was being watched by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page who were taking his performance in from the side of the stage!

It was time for a quick refuel trip before making it back to the main stage for the last act of the night and certainly who I had come to see – Soundgarden.

I was feeling incredibly lucky to of seen them twice this year – especially when I felt at one stage that they were going to be one band that I was never going to see live.

Following their amazing set at Download I was really looking forward to tonight and they did not disapoint!

The rain may of started to fall heavily during their set but the crowd filled up in numbers to watch Chris Cornell and Co rock Hyde Park.

Showcasing an ever impressive vocal range – Cornell was on top form. I always do a double take when people say to me that they feel like his voice isn’t what it used….if what we heard tonight was nothing compared to what he used to sound like then fuck me he must be the greatest vocalist of all time and anyone that has seen this man live will know what I mean! A strong singer half his age would struggle to hit those notes.

The band seemed to be in a more relaxed spirits than they were at Download with Kim Thayil and Ben Shepherd patrolling the stage and treating the crowd to a flawless performance.

The screens at the side of the stage was showing footage of the performance in black and white, which with the heavy rain falling – only added to the unique atmosphere.

“You know what? Hyde Park looks its best in this weather!” the charismatic frontman shouted, before the band launched into those familiar opening notes of Black Hole Sun. “If you want sun – you can go to any other park!”

Highlights of the epic two-hour set for me included ‘Black Hole Sun’, ‘Spoonman’ and ‘Rusty Cage’ and also the super hero stanch of Matt Cameron as Chris introduced the band to the crowd.

Proving that you can’t keep a good band down and that great music will live on forever – the band closed their set with ‘Slaves & Bulldozers’ and the band more than proved their worth as the headline act.