Black Veil Brides attack taunts at Download Festival

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Page last updated at 04:58 GMT, Wednesday, 13 June 2012 05:58 UK

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By Del Crookes
Newsbeat reporter Black Veil Brides

LA punk rockers Black Veil Brides played Download Festival for the second time on Saturday (9 June) but didn't have the easiest time on stage.

A few members of the crowd heckled the band and threw plastic bottles at lead singer Andy Biersack.

The front man challenged those taunting him and says it's important people stand up for themselves.

Talking backstage after their performance, he said: "It's really important for us as a band, that when someone is giving us grief on stage, to show our fans how important it is that they stand up for themselves and that they feel confident in themselves.

"It's not easy to be the weird kid or the rebel.

"We know that listening to Black Veil Brides, wearing Black Veil Bride shirts or being in Black Veil Brides isn't always the most popular thing in the world."

New album

Black Veil Brides, who released their second studio album Set The World On Fire last year, played before Trivium on the main stage at Download.

They won the best single prize for Rebel Love Song at last week's Kerrang! Awards.

Our music is never going to stop someone from bullying someone else. But you should be your own person

Andy Biersack

They say their fans shouldn't be embarrassed about liking them and says bullying in any form should never be accepted.

"We don't claim to be role models," said Andy Biersack. "We're just regular guys.

"Our music is never going to stop someone from bullying someone else. But you should be your own person."

The band are due to release their third album later this year or early in 2013.

Andy Biersack says they're going back to the punk sound of their 2010 debut We Stitch These Wounds.

"We're making an attempt to take our influences from the early days of the band and make something cool out of it," he said. "It's Metallica meets Social Distortion.

"There are a lot more of our punk rock influences on this record. But it's going to be something big.

"It's a concept record and we've got a really big story behind it."