THERE’S only 45 days to go until Download Festival and Whitesnake frontman David Coverdale can barely contain his excitement.

Returning to Donington for the first time since 1990, Whitesnake will open for final day headliners Def Leppard on June 14, and will join a host of bands from the 80s and early 90s making their Download Festival debuts including Faith No More, Journey and ZZ Top.

Enjoying a career spanning more than three decades, David Coverdale and co have been responsible for hits such as ‘Here I Go Again’ and ‘Is This Love?’ and last year released their 11th studio album, which went straight in at No5 in the UK charts.

But nearly two decades after their last Monsters of Rock performance, Coverdale admitted the band are seriously pumped for their return to the hallowed grounds of Donington Castle.

Speaking from his home in America, Coverdale, who hails from Yorkshire, said: “We’re very excited and gearing up now in what is a great opportunity to work with our mates Def Leppard.

“Joe (Elliot) and I are good mates and exchange emails daily. It’s going to be a great day for us.

“It will be the fourth time we’ve played Donington, I’ll have to make sure I call it Download and not Monsters of Rock like it was the last time we played.”

The idea of mixing famous old bands with current favourites at Download, traditionally a metal-only festival, was first tested last year when 70s legends Kiss headlined the final day with Judas Priest and Motorhead also on the bill.

Following the successful trial, retro bands are included on all days of this year’s three-day festival.

Coverdale said he was glad to pick up a new generation of younger listeners but said he wasn’t interested in jumping on the bandwagon and trading on former glories.

He said: “I do what I do and other people do what they do.

“To me it’s all about songs.

“A lot of songs are falling by the wayside as I like to keep it fresh.

“The last tour we did 50% of the set was new songs.

“A lot of people have followed me for 35 years but easily over of a third of the fans who came out for the last tour were really young.

“What I usually do is find out who won the Classic Rock magazine’s best new band and then invite them out with us.

“I love, The Answer, who we have taken on tour.”

But Coverdale said while it was going to be awesome to be back at rock’s Mecca he was keen to forget the spandex and the big hair.

He added: “Music is just getting better and better, great bands, great singers and we’re just going to give it our all.

“But I don’t think I will be trussed up like a Christmas tree like I was in 1989!”