Anna Hyams, Author at Summer Festival Guide

Bloodstock Open Air 2026: 25th Anniversary – REVIEWED!

August 13, 2026 by Anna Hyams

THURSDAY

WOOSH. That’s how fast I feel 25 years of Bloodstock Open Air has flown by us. From humble (but excellent) beginnings in the Derby Assembly Rooms to this epic anniversary 4 day extravaganza, there is no doubt that Bloodstock has grown into a stalwart of the scene. On top of that, there truly is no other festival out there doing what BOA is doing for breathing new life into the genre, with year-round events and platforming new bands on multiple stages throughout the festival – the mission statement is clear: the longevity of metal and it’s fans is paramount.

This year I want to take some time to talk about the people of Bloodstock, the ones who have been coming since day dot, and the new blood who are here on hearty recommendations – I managed to chat with a lot of people this weekend, so enjoy some little vox-pops from the fans as we go along.

© Anna Hyams – do not use image without permission.

First to hit the main stage on Thursday’s extra innings, are the joyfully silly Heavysaurus.

Yeah yeah, they might have been originally intended as a kids’ introduction to metal (Finland, of course) but there is a very large bearded-and-tattooed contingent in the front rows, proving once again that metalheads are far from scary.

Playing real instruments, in fucking massive dinosaur costumes, in this heat is legitimately an insane thing to want to do with your life but I truly appreciate the hustle and genuinely think they sound great. A mix of their own weird and wonderful Tweenies-esque songs and classic rock hits make for an epic sing-along, and it is kind of amazing to see so many kids in this audience living their best lives.

Playing ‘The Final Countdown’ gets a giggle from me, since BOA was host to Europe in 2009 and we, the British public… were absolutely obnoxious, singing the intro after every single song they finished until they finally played it. Ah memories. Also, a massive shout out to every single person who came in an inflatable dinosaur outfit today, there is nothing quite as joyful as seeing a heap of t-rex heads peeping out of the pit.

Taking a quick trip over to the merch stall behind the main stage proves once again difficult, despite the efforts to make camping-chair sections, this corner of the festival is still Gandalf-levels of impassable and danger laden. The queue for merch is easily an hour deep in winding channels of irritated people snarking at each other, but it seems especially silly that there isn’t a barrier channel for the access queue, leaving those in wheelchairs in the rough position of being left at the side or with no choice but to block the pathways around to the bar and New Blood stage. A few people made a vocal plea to staff to change things around, but honestly? I really think that the merch stall would be better suited to being situated in the main entertainments/shopping field, where it could also be a lot bigger.

Bloodstock has always been a champion of designing festival merchandise people actually want to wear, and the offerings have gotten more interesting (S’tan stabubu… Oddballs pants collab… inspired actually) but in practice it’s a decent chunk of time to sacrifice to get hold of something. The app order/collection thing is a fantastic idea, but sort of relies on there being phone service which Bloodstock is notoriously devoid of, and anyway – the majority of the items weren’t available on there. Here’s hoping this develops further AND they decide to move the stall elsewhere for future layouts.

Up next, the eagerly awaited return of local legends Evil Scarecrow. Once again, there is NOTHING that will stop the British public from uplifting something that started out as comedy, into real positions of power (see also: Count Binface, his Binificence). As such it is utterly unsurprising to see an absolutely humungous crowd turn-out for a boogie to the likes of ‘Shred The Evidence’ (complete with images of Trump… heehee) and ‘Green Bin Day’.

“Holy mother of god… we are so grateful to be here partying with you! There ain’t no crowd like a bloodstock crowd…” yells Dr. Hell, before launching into ‘Release The Krakhen’ whilst sharing the stage with a giant er… ~~cock~~ Rooster. Heavy Metal Hairdresser joining them on stage to yell about eggs wasn’t on my bingo card – we love a little cameo moment, but by far the peak point of this incredible set, is the entire field scuttling for ‘Crabulon’. All hail Evil Scarecrow!

Rounding off this fantastic first night we have a full circle moment with the mighty Saxon headlining – after being the first ever Bloodstock headliner in 2001. It’s hard to encapsulate just how seamless Saxon are as performers, good solid classic metal, totally unpretentious and completely engrossing. Rocking his classic black military coat and his shock of white wizardly hair, Biff Byford’s voice honestly sounds as good as ever. Despite noting that he’s had a few health problems over the last few years, you wouldn’t guess with the ferocity he is bringing, and “This is our motto… Never Surrender” feels so fitting.

“I think they should do Thursday night every year, look at you beautiful people” garners a roar from the massive crowd, and our ears are ringing after a belter of a set including the classics ‘Heavy Metal Thunder’ and ‘Denim and Leather’. “Some of you weren’t born in 1980… maybe most of you… doesn’t matter, you’re all in the family now” quips Biff, as they finish up with a cracking encore featuring ‘Crusader’, ‘And The Bands Played On’ and finally ‘Princess of the Night’. Stellar headline choice, thanks Bloodstock.

FRIDAY

Battlesnake kick things off with peak levels of silliness, bouncing around in cassocks and golden devil horns far earlier in the day than anyone should reasonably be that unhinged. Then Party Cannon (naturally, from Scotland) seized control of their banana‑themed mosh pit and turned it into something right on the edge of illegal I think.

A gigantic penis‑shaped guitar, lead singer Daryl losing a shoe to the crowd, and their attempt at a Guinness World Record not landing at all because nobody could actually hear him – all par for course in the Party Cannon playbook. They were promptly denied the attempt to blast sound over 420 decibels because, well, danger… and public nuisance? Eventually they “killed” him and turned him into a “human squelcher” which I suppose is one way to finish things, but despite the absolute nonsense, they do actually great, which is lovely.

Up next – Skynd is an incredible vocalist, and the theatre she brings to the stage is really beautiful, and though I do think she absolutely is deserving of a main stage slot, I do think her music would be better suited to the atmosphere and darkness of the Sophie stage tent instead. I need a little gloom with my doom yanno?

We take a quick tour around the shopping centre and end up spending our pennies in the Stay Stainless ring shop, and snapping up a Clutch tshirt for a fiver from Plastic Head – what a bloody bargain. I have my beady eye on the Dead Cats Club overlook hotel cardigan for the autumn, and I would dearly love to be the kind of person that can drop a bag on the Black Feather Designs 25th Anniversary Bloodstock necklace available at Nox, but alas, being a festival goblin does not pay very well (and they’re a limited run of only 25!).

Over on the Sophie stage Sellsword tick this years’ symphonic box with soaring guitars, but we head back to the main stage for Life of Agony who are giving us that Alice in Chains/Type O Negative, classic chuggy metal vibe. There are definitely less people in the arena today but there’s a decent circle pit regardless, and the man in a full suit and flat-cap standing in the middle directing it like a traffic warden, makes for very compelling entertainment.

Over at the EMP stage, the band Vanitas are hauling around a trolley full of snack filled purple goody bags for kids, and handing out tshirts for small rockers to wear to their show later on this evening. 10/10 adorable behaviour (and excellent PR, because we will indeed be going back to see them).

In the Battle Arena, we give the Hellbent Hoedown a look and let me tell you… it is not the place for the malcordinated. I was only doing the steps at the side and holy spider-on-rollerskates batman, that was too much for my brain-legs pathway to handle. Very fun though, and the Y’allternative outfits some people had brought – excellent, no notes.

We collared a lovely man in a ‘Bloodstock Virgin’ tee to ask how his first time was going, and he excitedly divulged that he had just completed his first ever crowd-surf after being encouraged to by strangers at the main stage. Showing me the back of the tshirt that said “I’m scared, hug me”, he said he couldn’t believe how friendly everyone was – my number one Bloodstock point, every year.

Later on we also bumped into the lovely Natasha of @flamingofruitsalad – you may know her by her iconic split pink and orange hair, and excellent fashion choices – who was also experiencing her first ever Bloodstock. We had a chat about the metal community, about honouring your interests and choosing to do the things that make you happy in life – a very wise soul.

Next up Biohazard are downright insanity from the off, screaming “HEY YOU BRITISH MOTHERFUCKERRRRSSS” and thrashing around the stage. Despite the heat there is an immediate flow of crowd surfers heading towards the stage, and when we are instructed to throw middle fingers in the air for ‘Fuck The System’ – they truly all go up, even some very small ones from grinning kids.

Municipal Waste continue the mayhem with stage pyro and even more crowd surfers, and a cheeky joke about taking a hydration break before screaming “Are you still with us? Get in the fucking pit!”. The sign of a true OG thrash band is cushion soled trainers and a knee brace, I just need everyone to acknowledge the dedication, but I do wonder what happened to the attempt at a wall-of-death that was hastily recalled into a circle pit – was this a tactical choice or a telling off?

© Steve Dempsey (Courtesy of Bloodstock)

The now infamous BOA announcement segment is upon us, where we get to hear what’s in-store for the 2027 line-up and I’m surprised and delighted to see a real cross-section of the genre on offer already. The biggest crowd cheers go to Acid Bath and Green Lung, but I’m pretty excited to see HammerFall and Gutalax back, and super interested to peruse the message boards later to find out what everyone thinks of the headliners – Mercyful Fate, Electric Callboy and Motionless In White.

Next up it’s the fondest of farewells to the incomparable Sepultura. This 40 year celebration tour (which is now actually in it’s 42^nd year, haha) really is coming to a close now, and the turnout for them is sincerely stonking today. Wall to wall black tees ready to go… “Bloodstock, you know what to do… OPEN THIS FUCKING PIT UP” is all the instruction anyone needed to go berserk. With no discernible drop in energy or intensity from any other time I’ve seen them, I can safely say that they leave behind them a massive hole in live heavy music – today vies for space in my memoirs with every single time I’ve seen and loved them. The group of heavy-metal Sweeps (…of Sooty fame) down the front are headbanging in their tiny battle jackets. I do love how Bloodstock seems to attract group silliness on a very core level.

In this scorching heat the riffs feel like a lashing, and Derrick Green screaming down the mic with such raw unfiltered power will forever be seared into my ‘perfect music moments’ file of memory. ‘Roots Bloody Roots’ is of course the only choice for a finale, “Thanks for the memories, we’re gonna miss you England” – what a way to bow out, I am so grateful to have had one more mosh about.

In the EMP tent, Vanitas (of great PR fame) are absolutely ripping up the tiny stage and the tent is jammed with people – including a lot of kids proudly rocking their gifted tshirts. I hope the band got a shitload of photos of this. Aside from the clever freebies, I truly hope we see them back on a bigger stage here in future because they’ve got all the ingredients to be epic. I mean, I do love that symphonic/epic prog edge anyway, but they’ve got the theatrics to go with it – do your thing Bloodstock, let them go bigger and more immersive. I’ll be in the front row with the kid, who is now claiming personal ownership of the fanbase.

© Leigh van der Byl (Courtesy of Bloodstock)

Tonight’s headliner Lamb of God are no stranger to topping the bill at Bloodstock, having headlined fairly recently in 2022 – and by the looks of this packed arena, the BOA crowd is excited to have them back. Heralded by a huge explosion of red fireworks and flame screen backdrops, it’s clear that the production level tonight is intended to stun. Popping out in a pair of cargo shorts and an understated The Jam tshirt, frontman Randy Blythe looks like a fan who has made his way to the stage, which I kind of like. The contrast between huge stage setup and casual attire is charming to me.

On the less twee end of things, the absolutely massive circle pit swirling in the centre of the arena seems to be growing and taking in more people like a demented whirlpool. “This song is called Grace… FUCK THIS PLACE UP” comes the call, as Randy launches himself off the drum riser, almost kneeing himself in the eyeballs. The atmosphere is electric, as he spins the wired mic around his head and stares into the chaos.

‘Walk With Me In Hell’ showcasing stunning riffs and heart thumping beats has every hook to draw you in, it is impossible not to move to this, and the crowd response proves undoubtedly that Lamb of God have well and truly established themselves as top notch repeat headliners. Not taking themselves too seriously is another surefire way for bands to endear themselves in my eyes, shouting “Are you fackin’ ready you cants” in your best Danny Dyer accent will in fact delight me.

“This next song is a drinking song. I wanna know who’s gonna make some poor life choices tonight” also generates a giggle, not least from the friends of the lobster-red staggeringly-drunk man in front of us, who already looks like he’s made some dicey decisions today. Finishing up with the brutal combo of ‘Momento Mori’ and ‘Redneck’ I can honestly say that this headline set felt like it had zero dips in energy, which is really rare.

It may be the end of the night for the main stage, but we attempt to duck into the Sophie tent for Wednesday 13 where all the ghouls have pooled. I love seeing the baby goths alongside the elder emo’s having a lovely bounce about to some horror punk. Look what the bats dragged in, indeed. I do however wish we could have seen them on earlier, because I am le tired and there’s no way he’s going to do ‘I Walked With A Zombie’ before the final 3. Peace out, this Vampire’s sparkle is waning for tonight.

SATURDAY

In a super sad start to the day, I did not make it in for Froglord. 10.30 is an insane time in the morning for a cult gathering. Despite that, I am reliably informed that the amphibious attendance was suitably large and that they were indeed excellent. All hail hypnotoad and all that.

Later in the day, Urne bring some gloom to the proceedings (it is VERY hot today already) but I am off to have myself a lovely time with local(ish) legends Viking Skull from Corby. Another tale of a band formed for somewhat comedic purposes, turned into a beloved and anticipated band on the Bloodstock bill , with ‘Red Hot Woman’ being a real highlight of the set.

Vended from Iowa, draw a very fighty-punchy pit, but the drums are mixed so high you can barely hear a tune under the barrage. It kind of works for the chaos they’re trying to summon but I do think I’m going to enjoy them more through headphones. I do quite enjoy the whole Furiosa/Mad Max aesthetic though.“On this next song I wanna see insanity” gives the nod for another round of pit savagery, which is really what its all about, right?

Cancel the Transmission over on the EMP stage bring a classic southern-rock style that allows us a bit of a reprieve after the Vended chaos, and then Northlane whip it all back up again. Now look, I am a person that enjoys a fun outfit but… we are all seeing Harry Styles meets BMTH right? Right? Anyway, some security guys came and moved a load of chairs from the no-chair zone (the first time it’s been enforced this weekend) and now the arena is packed back standing for this very enjoyable rowdy set.

A quick wander to the RAM Gallery is a lovely breather to see all the incredible artwork and amazing guitars on display. I’m obsessed with the case full of historical tickets, photo passes, and old rock society laminates – lots of which I have in my collection. Looking back on the incredible Paul Gregory artwork is like touring my own festival history, it’s nice to take a few minutes and appreciate it all. The Lemmy and Ozzy tribute areas are also great, with Bloodstock being a family-friendly event it does feel quite special to be able to take your kid in and give them a little historical significance reminder. After all, if they’re going to keep the torch lit – they’ve gotta know the gods.

Tempest Saint on the EMP stage are almost giving hair-metal, I’m not wholly sure they’re not reincarnated or something, because they look radically too young to sound they way they sound before you see them. I’m down anyway, keep the spirit of all metal alive. NEVERMORE, on the other hand, suffer from a bit of a meh crowd. They’re good – I do rate the sound, but it just isn’t landing today. We’re hot and tired. We’ve jumped around a lot. Sure we’re celebrating 25 years of Bloodstock, but some of us have 40 year old necks and backs (try and say that without singing the rest… you know what I mean). Sometimes that’s just how festival afternoons go.

Mechanized in the Serpent’s Lair VIP tent are a total surprise, and whoever is working the sound in this tent is killing it. Their “fuck AI, keep live music live” message gets a cheer from the beanbag-lazing audience. They really deserved a bit of a healthier crowd to jump around but a lot of people are taking a rest break, so it does look a bit funny.

Following this, Bleed From Within arrive to absolutely obliterate the main stage. Now. They’re not a band I particularly follow or have ever really engaged with before. BUT. They may be going down as my band of the day? First of all, bagpipes belong in metal. I said what I said. They were made for battle purposes, fight me.

Second, kilts are the superior choice of attire for a summer festival. They also look cool as fuck. There’s an interesting spiky Iron Throne sort of stage prop thing, and their sound is immersively dense – I love a band you can listen to in layers, and continue to find interesting parts. “We are Bleed From Within from Glasgae in fuckin’ Scotlanddd!” roars frontman Scott Kennedy, before adding, “What I was trying to say before someone tried to hit me with a shoe… thank you to every one of yas for being here, it means the fuckin’ world.”

Kudos to this “…band from a tiny town called Hamilton” who came together 23 years ago, “When I say out for blood… scream out for war!” makes it absolutely clear they are commanding the stage when thousands of voices join them. They gush that this is the biggest slot they’ve ever had at any festival they’ve ever played, and I truly think we could be looking at a future headliner in them. “The only reason this is possible is you. You can never ever fucking forget how important you are in all of this. Bloodstock, make some noise for yourselves!”

Finishing up with some jumping up and down and giant black 25^th anniversary inflatable balls being launched into the crowd, the Scotland flags waving proudly from the pit, the band declare it their favourite show they’ve ever played. I’ll be taking more notice from here on out, because that was a fucking irn triumph.

Tonight’s headliner Slaughter to Prevail might be one of the most controversial bookings of Bloodstock for a number of reasons. Despite more recent and less antagonistic commentary, Russian frontman Alex Terrible’s media history is… ahem… chequered, to say the least. There’s also a frankly insane amount of consternation over what people think is ‘deserving’ of a festival headline slot. I’ll be completely transparent here – it isn’t really my jam, but I want you to know, I personally thought that tonight proved a point. Presence is everything.

Opening with a barrage of flames, sparks, smoke and furiously flaming screens is one way to make a strong entrance. Those chrome masks (which, by the way, are selling for £200 at the merch stall) really add to the theatre of it all, but ‘Bonebreaker’ stands up just fine on it’s own. Raw power and clean guitars make for a ferocious introduction.

“Two years ago we played Download Festival and today we headline this beautiful festival” shouts Terrible. “I’m living my best fucking life, I’m living in the matrix… it feels special”. Thanking the UK repeatedly for the opportunity, definitely goes a way to endearing this crowd, and we love a bit of self-deprecation “I love this country so much… I’m so nervous, my English still sucks”.

‘Bratva’ “…this is a song about family” elicits a cheer, when Terrible celebrates the fact that guitarist Jack Simmons is from Essex and that his whole family are here in the crowd tonight. However, the abject hilarity of them attempting to get everyone to squat down ready for a chorus jump – “I don’t care how old you are or what you do for a living… my knees are fucked, I will jump as high as I can!” – and one solid dude in a bright white tshirt amongst the sea of black, just completely refusing to do it – priceless.

‘Demolisher’ and ‘Conflict’ are a back-to-back brutal assault before they finish up with ‘Kid of Darkness’ and ‘Behelit’. I think a lot of people have come away from tonight enjoying that set a lot more than they thought they would. “Bloodstock, I hope we did not disappoint you guys… thank you. You were so kind to us.”

SUNDAY

Castle Rat are what I imagine would be birthed from a union of the confidence of Whitesnake, the musical stylings of Black Sabbath, and the aesthetic coding of those feral kids from Yellowjackets. So obviously I fucken’ love em’ don’t I. I do feel for the dude rocking a full plague-doctor getup in this heinous heatwave though, especially as the arena is a bit flat due to all the… well… hiding from the sun. The entire EMP tent is carpeted with pale beleaguered goths. Anyway, I’d love to see them again under less sweltering circumstances please.

A quick trip over to Happy Maki Sushi for a bite to eat (sincerely all scran looks cracking this year, but I can’t face eating anything hot, so it’s this and a blue slushie for nutritional balance), and a wander back via some of the lovely indie traders for a mooch. As always I was tempted to buy an irrationally large drinking horn and belt holster, but I am reminded of the time I failed extremely badly at drinking one of those yard of ale things and smelt like a wet dog all night, so it’s a pass.

Dean of the Dead’s hot sauces looked like they would make excellent Christmas presents for people but I’m going to have to hit them up online, and I’m now kicking myself so hard for not buying a little double ghostie ring from The Last Jewellers stand. After a quick catch-up with Bloodstock Darth Vader, were also paid a visit by Bloodstock Santa, who did indeed have a bag of treats for kids around the arena – I swear some of the most whimsical people on this planet are metal fans. Thanks for the bubbles!

Next up, Kittie hit the main stage looking absolutely badass as per usual, with Morgan Lander rocking a red mic/red dress combo that is just peak 90’s style. Launching into ‘Fire’ with unmatched fury, it’s clear they mean business. It warms my heart to encounter so many awkward teenage girls down the front, getting involved in the pit and crowd surfing – hello new era of fans. More than a few rage-fuelled millennial mums are also mixed in, screaming along with daughters atop their shoulders, ensuring that generational wrath and being fucking epic can be passed down too.

It might not be a very long set, but it’s perfect – “It’s what you’ve all been waiting for… this is Brackish” shouts Lander, and the pit erupts in a tangle of flailing limbs. They shoot right to the top of my best bands of the weekend.

Orbit Culture bring doomy music in blazing sunshine, which is a Bloodstock speciality. “How the fuck are you doing Bloodstockkk? We are Orbit Culture from Sweden! Are you guys warm? It’s the same for us cold‑ass Swedish men up here…” does make me giggle, yeah man – we’re the country of weather complaints, this is the arsecrack of hell for us, welcome. Sadly there’s a mid-set stoppage to let some medics through to the front to help someone, but they manage to squeeze in ‘Vultures of North’ as a closer after the fan makes it out safely.

Wrex on the EMP stage are a fun electronic/metal duo that I probably need to have a proper listen to, I think they could be very fun to catch on tour, followed by another Bloodstock OG – Testament. They have an enormous skeleton-friend on stage with them (like an even better version of the Costco one I am banned from buying actually…) and proceed to melt everyone’s faces off with pure classic thrashy bashy goodness. There’s a lot of pyro and hair wafting, I love them, truly the Best-ament.

Next, Black Label Society have drawn an enormous crowd in the relentless evening sunshine, Zakk Wylde is rocking a kilt and whoever is on the sound tent is doing an absolutely immaculate job, as they open with ‘Funeral Bell’ – what more could you ask for? Well. You could squeeze down the front with your 6 year old and let her ride towards the stage on top of you as you crowd-surf… there is that…

The rest of the set was perfect, and even included a montage of Ozzy photos on the big screen alongside ‘No More Tears’. I’m always amazed that someone who is 90% hair can play as well as he does without ending up requiring extraction tactics. I bow down to you sir.

In the Sophie tent, Mushroomhead have gathered a huge crowd and open with a Spongebob singalong that immediately descends into gut busting chaos for ‘Eye To Eye’. I swear they are one of the most underrated 90’s bands out there because this is a fucking stellar set, an absolute treat for both the ears and the eyes. Masks, hair spinning, water-laden drums, lasers… you name it, they’re doing it. Oh and there are so many members I can’t even tell who the band really comprises of. They’re metal’s answer to the So Solid Crew I think.

“Time to participate — let’s move this place!” comes the call, and who are we to not answer? A giant circle pit is the order of the day, after Ms. Jackie hops into the hands of some fans to sing mid-crowd. Again, this band is just FUN.

On the main stage Body Count arrive with Ice-T shouting “Body Count is in the house!” followed by a Slayer ‘South of Heaven’ nod. I’m not sure what happens but about halfway through it seems like some speakers go out, and there’s a huge loss of sound to the back of the arena, which is pretty annoying for the rest of their set.

Luckily Ice-T loves a bit of a chat and is there to make everyone laugh, “How many people at their first Body Count show? Fuckin’ virgins…” he quips as they throw themselves into ‘The Purge’ and a cheeky rant about politicians not giving a fuck about us. Given the state of the world right now – everyone is inclined to agree and join in throwing those middle fingers up. After inviting a couple of little kids on stage to rock out with them (er… jealous, Harrison and Sebastian – you’re cool as fuck), Ice-T declares himself to be every bloodstock kid’s newest Uncle, and gives us all some important life advice in the form of a song… “I have a 10‑year‑old daughter and I taught her this… talk shit, get shot”. I genuinely think this is one of the best bookings Vicky Hungerford and co. have ever made, and really was worth the years of chasing. The pit is popping off, so much so that organiser Alan Hungerford can’t resist jumping in for a bash about himself!

The weekend’s final headliner Judas Priest close the main stage tonight, with a set of epic proportions. I must preface this with the information that whilst I am not really a Judas Priest fan (I’m sorry, don’t come for me… I just never have been), I do recognise a packed arena when I see one, and there’s the obviously pleasing nature of having a Midlands band headline this Midlands festival’s anniversary year.

As the giant curtain drops they rip right into classic ‘You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’ and Rob Halford screaming “Oh Bloodstock, your Priest is back!”.

‘Breaking The Law’ elicits a site-wide singalong, and will never fail to remind me of two other rock icons – Mr. Beavis and Mr. Butthead. I also fully love the enormous disco-ball that gets lowered into the stage during ‘The Ripper’, which is so brightly lit that it looks like some kind of giant malevolent sea-urchin from afar. I must also mention the multiple jacket changes Rob makes throughout the show, with a special shout out to the wondrous sparkly lamé trench, the massive fringed biker, and the final disco-ball replica jacket. OH and the denim patch trench, which is also being worn by a couple of members of this crowd – incredible work all round.

“25 years of Bloodstock Open Air? 100 years of Judas fucking Priest. We really love this festival.” Jokes Rob, who then talks about their upcoming new album and about defending the faith of rock and roll for 56 years. I guess 25 years is small potatoes to a band who have been stage side for half a century?

‘Painkiller’ arrives with epic lighting and a drum solo, and then as per usual Rob returns to the stage riding his Harley for ‘Hell Bent For Leather’, in yet another outfit. Going out on ‘Living After Midnight’ does feel a little bit amusing before 11pm but hey, that’s showbiz baby. It might not really be my highlight, but it was a very solid and fitting way to close this chapter of the Bloodstock story…

BUT WAIT

Because I am now immediately up and running to catch my ultimate wishlist set of the weekend, inconveniently at the peak of my tiredness of course. The tent is wall to wall bodies already in the smoky deep red lights, and French synth wizard Carpenter Brut is headlong into those heavy electro ripples that make your whole body shake.

The Venn diagram of synth and metal fandom is way more integrated than people on either side of the equation often like to admit, but holy hell does CB obliterate that line between them – and if there’s one thing any metal fan is going to cave and resonate with? A silly 80’s cover. Carpenter Brut’s ‘Maniac’ cover (yes of Flashdance fame, thanks Michael Sembello) is a true triumph and there’s not a single person standing still in here tonight.

In his robotic operating voice CB calls “Prove you are alive… scream it” and something primal is awakened in the people of Bloodstock – this is the last chance to absolutely throwdown before you go home. After the recent sad news of the death of another French synthwave legend – Kavinsky (yes, I am devastated) there’s a soothing quality to seeing this many people out enjoying the genre. The lighting, the sound, the visuals, the atmosphere – flawless. “Thank each and every one of you for this beautifully loud ceremony” – No, thank you CB, and thank you Bloodstock.

While I understand the wish for continuity and purity some people would like for this festival, I do feel like there’s space to navigate the vastness of the metal genre and learn something new in all it’s facets. BOA has always been good at bringing new music to our ears and searching out those acts that deserve a spotlight. I think 2027 could be really, really interesting.

BLOODSTOCK Reveal 27 Bands For 2027 Including All Headliners

August 17, 2026August 8, 2026 by Anna Hyams

With BLOODSTOCK 2026 underway and on target for another record-breaking year, festival HQ have just revealed the first bands for 2027, unveiling them at the Ronnie James Dio stage right after Municipal Waste’s face-melting set.
Mark your calendar now and start planning for August 5th – 8th, 2027.

On Friday night, your Ronnie James Dio main stage headliners are MERCYFUL FATE – the Danish legends who helped invent heavy metal theatrics, King Diamond’s falsetto still as unholy as ever. Corpse paint, inverted crosses, and a stage show soaked in occult drama…pay your respects, this is where a lot of extreme metal’s DNA actually comes from. King Diamond has a little update for you, declaring, “Mercyful Fate is honored and looking extremely forward to playing BLOODSTOCK again, last time was awesome, and this time with a brand new album out, FINALLY!!!”

Saturday night parties hard in a totally different fashion, though with no less chaos, as ELECTRIC CALLBOY headline BLOODSTOCK for the very first time. German metalcore collides with EDM and full-blown comedy for one of the wildest and most fun live shows in modern metal. Expect Catton Park jumping in unison like it’s a rave that wandered into a mosh pit. The band say, “Our first ever Bloodstock. Heavy music, questionable outfits, and thousands of metalheads? Sounds like a Perfect fit to us. We’re in. See you there!”

Sunday night closes out with another brand new headliner for BLOODSTOCK, gothic-industrial metalcore giants MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, delivering eye-poppin’ theatrical spectacle two decades in. Chris Motionless leads the charge, turning every note into the catchiest horror movie you can mosh to. Having caught their dazzling last tour, the band go from strength to strength and we can only imagine what plans are afoot for this headline set.

Chris Motionless states, “Bloodstock! We were told that we are one of the most requested bands to perform at your legendary festival, so it is with great honor to announce that we are answering the call and will be seeing you next year for our first ever European festival headlining show, and only U.K. show of 2027! Thank you so much! Let the countdown begin.”

Over on the Sophie Lancaster stage, Thursday headliners MADBALL are set to pulverize your opening night with 35+ years of pure New York hardcore under their belt. Freddy Cricien’s crew still hits as hard as they did back in ’89, no gimmicks. Friday’s closing slot goes to the mysterious GAEREA, black metal that’s grown more cinematic and crushing with every record.

KANONENFIEBER march into Saturday’s top spot: Noise’s German war machine turning WWI diaries into blackened death metal, think trench warfare rendered in sound. And to close it out, as the very final band of the festival, DETHKLOK – born from the animated series Metalocalypse, now a real band tearing through brutally serious, melodic death metal live. They may have had cartoon origins but they bring dead-serious riffs you won’t want to miss.

Here’s a few more you can look forward to seeing on the Ronnie James Dio stage over the festival…

Friday special guests ACID BATH crawl from the Louisiana bayou, sludge metal pioneers blending doom, blues, and southern gothic dread. Saturday special guests GREEN LUNG conjure folk-horror occult rock, all Hammer-film atmosphere and fuzzed-out riffs… witchy, heavy, and a little unhinged. Sunday special guests CHILDREN OF BODOM return to honor the legacy of the late Alexi Laiho, celebrating the melodic death metal sound that made them Finnish icons.

The patient are rewarded… DEVILDRIVER finally return, their dark, groove-laden California metal led by Dez Fafara’s signature growl and perfect for record numbers of circle pits. The legendary CORROSION OF CONFORMITY roll in, over 40 years deep into a sound that fuses hardcore punk roots with Sabbath-soaked southern metal.

IMMINENCE bring Swedish alternative metalcore, all soaring choruses wrapped around crushing breakdowns. A booking set to delight many – WIND ROSE, Italian folk-power metal built for fantasy battles and beer-hall singalongs. SYLOSIS wield UK thrash-meets-melodic-death precision, courtesy of Josh Middleton’s relentless riffing.

DECAPITATED offer up Polish technical death metal with riffs sharp enough to earn respect from the genre’s toughest critics. WITCH CLUB SATAN could be your new favourites, an all-female Norwegian black metal coven turning theatre training into confrontational, ritualistic chaos. HAMMERFALL bring the true steel – Swedish power metal at its most anthemic. Fellow Swedes, death metal originators HYPOCRISY are still delivering a masterclass three decades in. You can also see THE HALO EFFECT, ex-In Flames members returning to the classic Gothenburg melodic death metal sound that built the genre.

Former BLOODSTOCK stage breakers (yes, we remember) TORTURED DEMON are set to give it another go with their pedigree thrash. Are you ready for GUTALAX? Czech goregrind degenerates who’ve built a career on toilet humor and blast beats. HUMANITY’S LAST BREATH also join the bill, Swedish deathcore architects of the crushing, low-tuned “thall” sound. And Liverpool’s self-proclaimed masters of “caveman battle doom” CONAN intend to heft riffs so heavy they practically have their own gravitational pull.

The Sophie stage will be just as varied. Here’s three more treats you can expect in the big tent!
DOOL slink in, in a haze of candlelight and doom, weaving in dark rock and post-rock into something hypnotic straight out of Rotterdam plus they’ve just finished writing a new album. Things get ugly (in the best way) with PIG DESTROYER, Virginia grindcore legends who’ll turn your skull inside out with blast beats and JR Hayes’ nightmarish lyrics. And if you haven’t discovered them yet, you soon will – FULCI rise from the grave with old-school death metal soaked in zombie-flick gore, every album a tribute to horror icon Lucio Fulci.

And about 100 more bands yet to be announced… RUN DON’T WALK to get your ticket!

Early bird standard weekend tickets are available at the main entrance box office throughout the festival, priced £210.00 with no booking fee. Once they’re gone (and there’s a high chance these will sell out on site), the price rises to £235 plus booking fee, with general on-sale kicking off on Monday 10th August at 9am – so grabbing your early bird at the festival could save you a cool £34 per ticket.

Wednesday early access is also available for 2027 for some campsites, as are child tickets, and children under 4 can attend for free! The instalment scheme, allowing you to spread your purchase of some ticket types over several payments, will also return, going on sale on Wednesday 12th August. Coach packages will be available from Monday 10th August.

VIP and Campervan tickets will go on sale on Wednesday 12th August at 9am. New for 2027! There are now two luxury VIP areas at BLOODSTOCK! You can choose to pitch your tent in the Serpent’s Lair VIP campsite (or book a pre-erected tent), or you can book a range of deluxe pod pads in the brand new Serpent’s Lair VIP Sanctuary! Set within a series of picturesque glades just a short 5-minute stroll from the Serpent’s Lair VIP campsite and the main arena, the Sanctuary offers a peaceful retreat from the mayhem of the festival without ever being far from the action. Wake up surrounded by nature before heading back into the heart of BLOODSTOCK whenever you are ready!

Visit the official website for all the latest information including all ticket packages and options.

BLOODSTOCK 2027 will take place at Catton Park, Derbyshire on 5th – 8th August, 2027.

BLOODSTOCK NEWS: PRIZES, POWER, AND PIXELS

August 17, 2026August 6, 2026 by Anna Hyams

The HMT Charity Raffle

Fancy walking away with something truly special? This awesome raffle is stacked, including:

2x Marshall Willen Cream Bluetooth Speakers1x Signed Dixxon T-shirt1x Killers Eddie Diorama1x Dave Murray 50th Anniversary Fender Guitar, signed by Iron Maiden themselves1x Pair of The Wristbands Of Destiny (2 VIP Weekend Tickets to Bloodstock for the next 10 years!)

Want to see that Dave Murray guitar in the flesh before you (hopefully) win it? It’s on display in the RAM Gallery all weekend.Tickets: £5 for 1, £20 for 5, £35 for 10, £65 for 25, £100 for 50. There are 2 ways in which you can buy your stake throughout the weekend (excluding the HMT trail):

Online at HMT at BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR! – GiveWheel (website will be live from Wednesday 5th August – Sunday 9th August – you do not have to be at BLOODSTOCK to enter the raffle!).In-person at the HMT Tent from one of the HMT volunteers.

Winners are drawn live at 19:00 on Sunday 9th August (and texted/emailed) – if you’re on-site, come collect at the HMT Tent; otherwise, they’ll follow up with you the following week to arrange delivery.

Scan Computers x BattleRigs: A Beast of a Machine

It’s no secret that those behind the scenes at Bloodstock are fans of all things gaming, from the highly popular gaming arena to the gaming characters fancy dress themes, which means there’s a very likely chance you are too. To celebrate both BLOODSTOCK‘s 25th and Scan’s 40th year in tech, Scan Computers and BattleRigs have built one seriously brutal, one-off custom gaming PC – designed exclusively for BLOODSTOCK and then one lucky winner.

Under the hood:

AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D 8 Core AM5 CPU/Processor
Gigabyte AMD B850 AORUS ELITE Wi-Fi 7 ATX Motherboard
CORSAIR Vengeance RGB Grey 32GB 6000MHz Dual Profile DDR5 Memory Kit
Kioxia Exceria PLUS G4 1TB M.2 PCIe 5.0 NVMe 3D BiCS SSD/Solid State Drive
Gigabyte AORUS AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT ELITE Graphics Card
be quiet! Pure Power 13 M 1000W 80PLUS Gold Fully Modular ATX 3.1 PSU / Power Supply
be quiet! Light Loop RGB All-In-One 360mm Intel/AMD CPU Water Cooler, Black
be quiet! Pure Base 501 DX Tempered Glass Window Black RGB Mid Tower PC

Sam Hibbert, Head of Pro Gaming at Scan, says: “Having just celebrated our own 40th anniversary, we’re thrilled to support Bloodstock Festival in its 25th year. Music has always been closely connected to gaming, so we’re excited to be giving Bloodstock attendees the opportunity to experience the awesome design and breathtaking performance of our 3XS Systems gaming PCs during the festival.”

Enter online via the Bloodstock Giveaway or in person at the Gaming Arena all weekend.

The Gaming Arena

If the escapism of being in a field full of your best friends, musical heroes, and strangers dressed as Jesus in a banana costume wasn’t enough, the gaming tent has you covered even further. Scan will be bringing the best in PC gaming to Bloodstock, with 6 gaming PCs (specs below) powered by AMD and KIOXIA, each running with 4K 43-inch iiyama monitors. Festival goers will be able to get hands-on with the latest AAA titles as well as fan favourites each day throughout the weekend.

Gaming PCs at the fest:

Scan 3XS ARC RX – CPU : 7800X3D / GPU : AMD 9070 GRE | SSD Storage: Kioxia 1TB G4 Exceria
Scan 3XS Edge – CPU : 9800X3D / GPU : AMD 9070 GRE | SSD Storage: Kioxia 1TB G4 Exceria
Scan 3XS Lignum – CPU : 9850X3D / GPU : AMD 9070 GRE | SSD Storage: Kioxia 1TB G4 Exceria
Scan 3XS Vengeance RX (M3Amb) – CPU : AMD 9850X3D / GPU : 9070 XT : SSD Storage: Kioxia 1TB G4 Exceria
Scan 3XS Vengeance Air – CPU : 9850X3D / GPU : 9070 XT : SSD Storage: Kioxia 1TB G4 Exceria
Scan 3XS Helios RX – CPU : 9950X3D / GPU : 9070 XT : SSD Storage: Kioxia 1TB G4 Exceria
Monitors : iiyama 4K 43inch GMaster RED EAGLE ASUS & Corsair peripherals

Scan specialises in gaming PCs, pro audio, pro video, AI and robotics – if you want to visit and get your full geek on, their store near Bolton (just off the M61) also houses Bolton’s largest pro audio and instrument showroom.

THE LONG ROAD FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES LEGENDARY ROLLING STONES GUITARIST RONNIE WOOD AS SATURDAY HEADLINER

August 10, 2026August 3, 2026 by Anna Hyams

The Long Road Festival is proud to welcome musical legend Ronnie Wood and his band headline the main stage on Saturday 29th August. Joined by Irish favourite Imelda May, these two award winning artists will deliver an exhilarating set, filled with timeless classics and beloved hits.

Few can claim to have had as stellar, or diverse a career as Ronnie Wood. Influencing a generation of musicians, and a two-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (with The Rolling Stones and Faces), Ronnie has played in some of the most pioneering rock groups of all time, and guested with a who’s who of British music. Long establishing himself as a vital part of The Rolling Stones sound, Ronnie’s incredible journey with The Stones, Faces, Jeff Beck Group, The Birds, The Creation, Rod Stewart, Ronnie Lane and his solo work, defines him as one of rock music’s most important figures.

Imelda May has become one of the UK & Ireland’s most celebrated female artists selling millions of records worldwide, who has gone on to perform alongside legendary artists including Lou Reed, Bono, Tom Jones, Noel Gallagher, Elvis Costello, Robert Plant, Van Morrison, Rod Stewart, Jeff Goldblum and, of course, Ronnie Wood.

The UK’s favourite immersive Country, Roots & Americana festival will arrive for its seventh year on the August 2026 Bank Holiday weekend (27th – 30th), returning to the stunning grounds of Stanford Hall in Leicestershire.

This year’s event will feature a stellar collection of rising stars, chart-toppers and genre legends including 14-time GRAMMY winner Emmylou Harris playing the final show of her European farewell tour, globally renowned country-pop favourite Maren Morris’s only appearance at a UK festival this summer, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Steve Earle, CMA award winners The Shires and breakout country star Josh Ross.

Beyond the music, The Long Road offers the chance for audiences to step off the beaten track and truly immerse themselves in the country lifestyle. Activities include line dancing for all abilities, late night afterparties, open mic opportunities, Stateside food traders, craft beers, food competitions, the Lucky Dice Car & Bike show, vintage funfair rides, country bingo, cowboy olympics, country crafting, barn dances, and the ever popular ‘country-oke’. For all things culinary, Red Dog Saloon will be bringing their Austin-style BBQ restaurant on-site, smokers and all, to deliver a unique festival experience.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday Day tickets, Weekend General and High Falootin’ VIP tickets, Family & Group tickets, General and Premium camping, Live-in Vehicle, Pitch & Park, and Glamping packages are on sale here.

Where to find The Long Road: Official Site | Facebook | Instagram | X | TikTok

FULL LINEUP:
Ronnie Wood and his band featuring Imelda May ★ Emmylou Harris (European Farewell Tour) ★ Maren Morris (UK Exclusive) ★ Steve Earle (Solo & Acoustic) The 502s ★ The Shires ★ Josh Ross ★ Shakey Graves ★ The Felice Brothers ★ Anne Wilson ★ Kezia Gill ★ Rose Betts ★ Lily Fitts ★ Uncle Lucius ★ Oliver Hazard ★ Jason Scott & The High Heat ★ Noah James ★ Ken Pomeroy ★ Zandi Holup ★ Striking Matches ★ Dylan Earl ★ Jim Lauderdale ★ Rosalie Cunningham ★ Liam Price ★ Mia Kelly ★ Slow Motion Cowboys ★ HORSEBATH ★ The Hanging Stars ★ Sarah Jane Scouten ★ Trevor Moss & Hannah-Lou ★ Stella Prince ★ Harleymoon Kemp ★ Harper O’Neil ★ Chanel Yates ★ Shaylen ★ Simon Howard ★ Hayley Jensen ★ Chandler Walters ★ First Time Flyers ★ Emily Scott Robinson ★ Twinnie ★ Dawson Anderson ★ Errol Linton ★ Knucklehead ★ Outpost Drive ★ Luca Fogale ★ Dan Byrne ★ Jonny Morgan & The Moral Support ★ Lizzie No ★ Susto Stringband ★ Riley Downing ★ Ryan & Rory ★ Muireann Bradley ★ Ferris & Sylvester ★ Sheyna Gee ★ Jordan O’Keefe ★ Bec O’Malley ★ Gina Larner ★ William Matheny ★ Smithfield ★ Brennen Leigh ★ Bobby Dove ★ Sweet Thieves ★ Locks

4 DAYS LEFT! All Points East – Annual Photography Competition

July 31, 2026 by Anna Hyams

Calling all artists, photographers and creatives!

All Points East have announced details of their annual art and photography competition, placing the spotlight on grassroots, undiscovered talent. What does Victoria Park mean to you? Have you managed to capture the essence of All Points East?

The festival is inviting creators of all ages and skill levels to submit artwork, photography or designs that capture the heart and soul of Victoria Park. A true celebration of local talent, it’s a wonderful opportunity for emerging artists to get their work seen by festival-goers and the wider public.

Alongside winning tickets to this year’s festival, the winner will have their work displayed within the park.
To enter, entrants need to e-mail a high-resolution image of their work, their full name and preferred social handle to [email protected] by Tuesday 4 August.

All Points East takes place from 21 – 30 August, with headline performances from Jorja Smith and Tems on Friday 21 August, Lorde on Saturday 22 August, Deftones at APE x Outbreak Fest on Sunday 23 August, Tyler The Creator on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 August and Twenty One Pilots on Sunday 30 August. Tickets are on-sale now via allpointseastfestival.com

(T&Cs apply – see Festival site/socials for details) Winners under 18 must nominate an adult aged 18+ to receive and use the All Points East tickets)

10 Bloodstock Festival Side Quests – 2026!

July 31, 2026 by Anna Hyams

With Bloodstock Open Air’s sold out 25^th Anniversary less than a week away, you’re probably knee deep in the group chat’s clashfinder negotiations, arguing about who will actually wake up early enough to party with Battlesnake or whether you’ll be alright to eat a burrito in the middle of the Stampin’ Ground pit.

The thing about festivals is, even if you find a dead spot on the bill where nothing quite tickles your pickle – that doesn’t have to mean a trek back to your tent for a cheeky nap – instead I implore you to slyly sneak away and take yourself on a delightful festival side quest. Build the lore you want to fondly and tipsily tell your unwilling children, years from now.

Aside from the classic tales of ‘imbibing something questionable offered to you by someone questionable’ and ‘waking up in someone else’s tent who is now screaming’, I offer you these ten silly curated side quests that probably pose considerably less hospital/jail risk.

Bin Jousting – they tried to stop it, they tried to regulate it, they tried to commercialize it… but you can take this tradition from BOA campers’ COLD DEAD ABSOLUTELY FILTHY FINGERS. No for real, you’ll probably get stopped by security but if you can get a couple of good neck-jarring runs in, you will actually be participating in one of Bloodstock’s oldest and most nostalgic traditions. For legal purposes I do not endorse it AT ALL, IT IS A LITTLE JOKE OK.
The sanctioned fight occurring this year according to BOA HQ is, er, Pillow Fight Club. Shh, we aren’t meant to talk about it. 4.30pm Friday/Saturday/Sunday if you have a desire to smash a mate’s face in a nice way. There are a LOT of rules and a waiver, which is a little bit lame but honestly would have made Fight Club the movie a whole lot funnier. The ‘remove all piercings’ part might be a hard sell in the Bloodstock community though.
Faaaancy Dress – always a good idea, mostly a poor execution. This year’s 4 day offering lists as: Dinosaurs on Thursday for Heavysaurus (a classic, excellent crowd-surfing kudos), Twisted Fairytales on Friday (If you find a wolf in your tent pretending to be your grandma, alert security), 1980’s on Saturday (be the Tom Selleck you want to see in the world, bring back men in crop tops and short shorts), and finally LOTR/Fantasy on Sunday (if anyone can mix up the 80’s and this theme to produce Gand-ALF, I will buy you a beer you hero).
Hellbent Hoedown – has Y’allternative gone too far? Yeah yeah I know, both cultures love leather and like to sing about drinking beers, but if I get another fringed jacket to the eyeballs in the pit, I’m gonna… whinge about it later. Steel City Line Dancers are taking command of the floor on 2.30pm each day to lead some stompin’ with a metal soundtrack. If you’re not the two-stepping type, no worries – you can always grab a drink and go and heckle everyone who’s trying to.
Black Ice Cream – apparently it is back with a ‘new and improved recipe’ and I would like to know if that is because last year it tasted how imagined… like dirt or licking a lump of coal. I do bloody love ice-cream though so yeah, I’m going for it. Oh no… what if it’s the same as the Whitby black ice-cream… Liquorice. Actually I’d rather lick a lump of coal than that.
The RAM Gallery – Ah g’wan, you call tell your ma you spent the weekend being cultured and seeing lots of art, without lying. It’s a lovely peaceful little space away from the hubbub of the festival for a short while, and a great tour through the history of BOA. Oh and there’s going to be a Ozzy Osbourne custom guitar (made by Paul Cutting) in there too.
Bunnyman’s Bunnychow – Take on the Hot As Hell without a drink. This famously delicious festival delicacy obviously comes in various spice laden levels, but frankly you’re just a lil bitch unless you go all in. Who doesn’t want a lovely little molten ball of lava in their tummy, threatening to Pompeii the shit out of everyone in a three-metre radius of you, when you get a bit too bouncy during Carpenter Brut?
Rockfit – Look I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I do not identify with nor understand those of you who WANT to exercise. I will however support your right to do it, especially when accompanied by a banging soundtrack. If you’re the energiser bunny of your camping group, just piss off to Rockfit, have a grand time, let everyone else sleep off their hangovers. This is how you remain friends, trust me.
Puns for Testament – admittedly this is a very personal and niche nod to times past here, but I’m going to bring you all in on it. Back in 2007, my mate Lee and I were ABSOLUTELY FUCKING FREEZING, waiting for Testament to take the BOA stage and in a state of teeth chattering delirium we decided that making ourselves laugh was the only way to go about getting warmer. It was the Bestament. I didn’t even need a spare Vestament. I would like to invite you to be part of this very silly Questament. Actually the real reason I mention it is to highlight that at BOA you can often join the Signing Tent queue and have a chance to meet some of your heroes – another excellent use of your side quest time. The next day, Lee and I did just that and *somewhere* in my chaotic festival memorabilia stores… is a poster of Testament with “Nice Breastaments” scribbled on it, amongst their signatures.
Last but certainly not least – find Jesus. Not like that. Bet he would have been a metal fan though. Jesus is a BOA staple and always has the time to greet, bless, and take selfies with fans. If you’re not a Lamb (of God… *snort*) you can always find Bloodstock Darth Vader and have him bless you instead. There truly is something for everyone here.

Godspeed, go forth and seize the festival days!

Kelburn Garden Party opens with the unveiling of immersive Neverending Glen Arts Trail

July 10, 2026July 3, 2026 by Anna Hyams

Scotland’s independent arts and music festival launches 2026 programme with immersive woodland trail exploring connection, creativity and the hidden worlds beneath our feet

Kelburn Garden Party officially opened last night (THURS) with the unveiling of The Neverending Glen, the festival’s acclaimed immersive arts programme, transforming the ancient woodland surrounding Kelburn Castle into a living landscape of contemporary art and performance.

Now in its 16th year, the independent festival welcomed artists, guests and festivalgoers to a special preview of the 2026 trail ahead of a weekend that will see more than 250 music acts, artists, performers and workshops take place across the estate.

This year’s Neverending Glen theme, Beneath the Surface, draws inspiration from the hidden fungal networks that connect forests underground, known as the “Wood Wide Web”. Across the winding woodland paths, more than 30 artists have responded to the theme through sculpture, sound, performance, projection, land art and installation, creating an experience that encourages exploration, reflection and discovery.

Among the highlights are Mycelial Bodies by Kirsten Tingle and RJ Weaver, a series of living sculptures grown from blue-grey oyster mushrooms using waste cardboard and spent coffee grounds; Net Work by Neil Butler, Maria McCavana and Jack Butler, an evolving installation created from reclaimed ghost fishing nets; and a specially commissioned projection work by Bright Side Studios, bringing the unseen connections of the forest to life.

Elsewhere, visitors can encounter site-specific acrobatic performances hidden among the trees, GPS-triggered sound walks, interactive storytelling games, community workshops using locally sourced clay and willow, and a new programme of land art residencies inviting audiences to create temporary works within the landscape itself.

Marina Renee-Cemmick, Creative Director, said: “We’re unbelievably proud of the diverse range of artists and types of work on show this year – it’s no mean feat to install such an exhibition in this challenging, wooded ancient landscape. A huge thank you to all the artists involved, and to the incredible team who dedicate themselves to supporting the artists, installing and sharing the work in a space that is so unique, that it enables people to connect to each other, the land and work in a truly powerful way”.

The opening also marks an important milestone for The Neverending Glen, which this year formally established itself as a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO), creating a framework that will allow the project to expand its year-round programme of artist residencies, workshops and community activity beyond the festival weekend.

Unlike many festivals driven by headline acts and commercial partnerships, Kelburn continues to place participation, creativity and shared experience at its heart, with hundreds of artists, musicians, performers and makers contributing to an event that has become one of Scotland’s most distinctive cultural gatherings.

Supported by EventScotland’s National Events Programme, Kelburn Garden Party runs until Monday 6 July at Kelburn Castle, near Largs.

BLOODSTOCK adds 12 bands; save 20% at EMP

July 10, 2026June 30, 2026 by Anna Hyams

It’s not just the weather across the UK that’s hotter than ever, so is the up ‘n’ coming talent on display in the METAL 2 THE MASSES finals! Without further ado, the next group of winners landing slots on the Stowford Press New Blood Stage can now be unveiled!

Friday kicks off with Coventry’s rising nu-metalcore force MEET YOUR MAKER, already turning heads with their high-energy, crowd-interactive sets.

Saturday’s New Blood line up brings a stacked and eclectic bill. Northeast thrash/groove merchants REDSCAR proudly fly the flag for their home turf, while Kent-spawned horror punk quartet VAMPYRA arrive fresh from the underworld with a reign of chaos in tow. Channel Islands deathcore/metalcore hybrids APOTHIS bring crushing riffs and punishing breakdowns from Guernsey, East Lancashire’s fantasy-fuelled groove metal crew SHADOW COMPANY blend thrash aggression with doom-laden heft, and South Wales electronic-alt rockers INSCAPE arrive armed with their freshly dropped conceptual EP C.I.T.R.U.S. – a sci-fi tale of rogue AI and android uprising. Bedfordshire alt-metal outfit WITHDRAWN carve a space where eerie beauty collides with raw aggression, and Norwegian heavy/thrash duo LEKTAGON make the trip from Scandinavia, bringing riff-driven metal tinged with prog, death, and black metal flavours.

Sunday is no less ferocious. Cheltenham powerhouse duo CHUG deliver hardcore energy and face-melting groove on a two-piece budget that punches well above its weight. Sheffield/Nottingham five-piece ARKDOWN – dubbed a “death metal twist on the metalcore methodology” by Metal Hammer – fuse crushing riffs with soaring melodic hooks. North Wales wizard-grunge purveyors GROOM THE GIANT conjure sludgy, psychedelic riffs from the hills of Llangollen and Wrexham, while Somerset’s DEATH BRIGADE drag blackened death metal straight from the trenches of the South West.

And there’s still more bands to be locked in as the METAL 2 THE MASSES finals around the country continue! Stay tuned for the final group of winners to be revealed on July 14th!

Download XXIII – 2026 THE GIANT REVIEW!

June 18, 2026 by Anna Hyams

Intro
Going into Download this year was a minefield of weather checking… do we need wellies or suncream? Reports of boggy campsites and wind-destroyed gazebos somehow turned into a weekend of rough sunburn and self-inflicted dehydration. On arrival, it seems like a lot of organisational work has been done to keep car queues to a minimum around the Donington site as well – a real improvement on last year.

We fight our way into the merch Megastore at the bottom end of The Village, only to find that some of the special collaboration products have already been stripped bare by campers. The Jolie Beauty set is completely cleared out – but we did manage to get our hands on it later on at the Press booth, and holy moly is it good. The lanyard palette is such a cool design, and the colours are so pigmented and perfectly matched to this year’s colourway. As a person who is constantly running around this festival, I can confirm that the ‘Mosh-proof setting spray’ that I used on Saturday and Sunday is the GOAT. Fingers crossed they’re back again next year with at least double the stock.

Issues abound with the much-anticipated Mary Wyatt collection, which once again features some of the best designs we have ever seen on festival merchandise – but just like last year, it’s basically sold out when we arrive early doors on Friday. The main wishlist items, like the Jersey, were gone on Wednesday according to staff, with no restocks. Please hear this as my plea for an additional arena-based Megastore, so that weekenders have a chance of getting their hands on some of this amazing stuff without paying hundreds of pounds (no really, the jersey was going for over £200 on Vinted on Monday…) to shithead resellers. I also could have spent a fortune on the stunning special edition jewellery from The Great Frog, but as you can imagine – they were sold out too!

Anyway, getting into the arena itself was also a bit of a wait – not an improvement despite last year’s complaints about missing early bands due to not having enough staff on the gates. I do think Download would benefit from having a secondary main entry point (maybe along the Opus side?), but I’m not sure how they’d make that work logistically. We’re looking forward to exploring the new set-up around the Avalanche stage area, though – we haven’t had a site restructure this big for a long time.

Friday
Opening the Apex stage is metalcore princess Scene Queen, wearing metallic pink cowboy boots, matching fringed arm cuffs, and sparkly daisy dukes. The final song is ‘18+’, with absolutely damning lyrics about underage girls on bands’ tour buses. It feels like the perfect opening commentary on a weekend where Axl Rose is headlining… she’s a force to be reckoned with. It’s a really strong start to the weekend, and she’s pulled a pretty big crowd.

P.O.D are giving us those early noughties nu-metal memories, but there aren’t enough oversized jorts and white tanks around yet for my liking. Guitarist Marcos Curiel welcomed his newborn daughter (born last night!) and the final song is dedicated to her.

Hollywood Undead have spawned a humungous crowd, and rightly so. With samples ranging from Ozzy Osbourne to Slayer mixed into their rowdy rap metal, there’s no debating their right to grace this stage – but I am surprised to hear everything slightly faster and more amped up than recorded. As a mosh pit tactic, it’s working; there are a LOT of people crashing around down there. ‘Everywhere I Go’ is definitely the one everyone knows; they’re even singing it way up the hill.

If you showed me a line-up and said one of these bands is from Berlin, I absolutely would have picked the one with the guy who looks like a Wes Anderson movie protagonist. Over in the Dogtooth tent are Vianova – dark, brooding metalcore with an electronic edge. They’d play in the club I would get turned away from after waiting hours in a plain black T-shirt, trying to pretend I’m cool. The entire crowd is singing along, it’s clear they already have a lot of fans here – and I had an absolutely fantastic time. They’re going straight onto my playlist.

Pendulum might not be the first band someone thinks of when they imagine Download Festival, but after that first booking in 2009 (when the stage was on hard-standing tarmac… honestly, whose bright idea was that? Oh, the head injuries…), they’ve become a solid Download favourite. They amp up the guitars and beats, giving everything a heavier edge than when they play elsewhere, and the arena is absolutely rammed. Despite the joy of having them on the main stage so more people can watch them, it’s sunny and it’s hot – their graphics and lights are getting lost, and this music deserves a shitload of lasers.

“We have a little surprise for you, Download…” they shout, as Rou Reynolds of Enter Shikari fame bounces onto the stage for a truly epic drum and bass remix of ‘Sorry You’re Not A Winner’. This is a collaboration universe I would very much like to see expanded in the future.

Next, we catch another fast and furious set from Electric Callboy, finally back after their unfortunate cancellation in 2024 due to illness – and the fans have really turned out for them. There are so many shell suits in this crowd that if an errant sunbeam hits, the whole place could go up in flames. ‘Tanzneid’ is a solid opener, and I loved the Sum 41 ‘Still Waiting’ cover. I’m always after those special crossover moments at festivals, and I’d really hoped that with Babymetal on the same bill this weekend, we might have seen them do ‘Ratatata’, but I guess the scheduling just didn’t work. I also thought they might do something with German techno legends Scooter (set to play later this weekend), since ‘Hypa Hypa’ is basically a tribute to them. Regardless, it was a scorching set.

Over in the Dogtooth tent, The Primals – Final Fantasy’s in-house band, created especially for the game series (which has its own very fancy arcade area over near The Village for people to play the newest instalment) – have amassed quite the crowd. Despite looking very much like The Blues Brothers, and with quite a number of the crowd waving K-pop-esque light sticks, they actually go hard — I really like them. They’re joined by long-time collaborator Jason Charles Miller (of Godhead fame) for a few songs.

On the Opus stage, Daughtry are bringing that classic rock sound that we haven’t had much of so far today. Lots of pyrotechnics, beautiful sunshine, and the first time this weekend we hear the lyrics “Heavy is the crown”. Definitely up there for band of the weekend – it’s such a good set.

Cypress Hill, another rap crossover choice from the organisers – turns out to be truly legendary. If you aren’t here to have fun, you’re in the wrong place. We are all leaping about like lunatics for ‘Insane in the Brain’ and ‘Jump Around’. You have to remember that, for a lot of us, these are the songs of our childhoods.

I’m fairly sure I will never have anything negative to say about Halestorm. They absolutely crush it once again. Lizzy Hale’s voice is second to none – hell, she could probably do the whole set without a microphone. There’s a lot of fire, she’s rocking a fringed leather jacket, and the ticker tape they spray across the crowd is even marked with their own little logos, very cool. ‘I Miss The Misery’ promotes every single person in this crowd to karaoke legend (to be clear… none of us are doing it well), and it’s one of those really fun moments where you know the notes are hitting everyone’s internal joy trigger at the same time. Their cover of Lady Gaga’s ‘Bad Romance’ is so great too – that would be a live collab I would LOVE to see.

Another nostalgia bump today comes in the form of Wales’ own Feeder. It’s a packed-out Avalanche stage tent, and they really deliver. Those Echo Park hits are the hot-button moments today – ‘Buck Rogers’ and ‘7 Days In The Sun’ have the whole tent singing.

Tonight’s headliner, Limp Bizkit, is where we really see the full force of how many people are at Download this weekend. The arena is rammed – almost impassable. Going to the loos or getting sustenance from one of the vendors might as well require multiple camps along the way, like Everest. Despite the numbers technically being lower than some previous years, something has definitely gone awry in the arena planning (it does all feel a little more cramped, right? Possibly due to the behemoth size of the new Apex stage?). There are already a lot of rumbling complaints about chairs being set up near the front, even past the sound tent.

Bloodstock Festival has had to implement a no-chair zone in the last couple of years, and that’s a much smaller festival. Either way, someone probably needs to take a look at how walkways and paths are set up around the arena, because it was a bit of a nightmare.

Putting on a brave face, the band pay tribute to bassist and founding member Sam Rivers, who sadly died last year, and also to Dougie Millers – a long-time member of Limp Bizkit’s stage truck crew, who tragically died on his way to Download, the truck then crashing into a house local to Donington. A photo of the band and the words “We will love you forever” crosses the screen, and it’s hard to imagine what it must take to get on that stage and perform while mourning your friends.

It’s a bit of a strange set overall. Fred Durst is inexplicably wearing a wig that makes him look like the bastard son of Bob Ross and Richard Simmons, paired with a Babe Ruth Yankees jersey. There are singalong lyrics on screen throughout the entire show (despite the relative catchment age of this festival being people who couldn’t avoid knowing the lyrics to all these songs even if they tried). ‘My Generation’ is great – they’re joined on stage by Lauren Sanderson (who actually looks more like Fred Durst than Fred Durst does today) for ‘Hot Dog’, and some red-hatted fans are invited up for ‘Full Nelson’.

Although I do wish he’d just do us a solid and pop on the signature red cap for ‘Rollin’ – it probably doesn’t matter, as the crowd is absolutely full of them (well, you know, it’s not Pitbull levels of commitment, but a good turnout). It’s a great one to watch the crowd on, because there are a lot of little kids who have clearly been primed for the dance moves before coming – 10/10, jolly good fun.

Unfortunately, ‘My Way’ is cut significantly short due to what seems like a fairly serious accident in the crowd, delaying the show by a good 15 to 20 minutes. It’s unsurprising that LP take such a serious stance on stopping the show, especially knowing exactly what can happen with crowd crushes. Fred kneels on stage with the white lights up to illuminate the crowd as a medical team stretcher the injured person out. The back of the arena has thinned considerably at this point, with a lot of people bowing out early to head back to camp or over to District X.

“I feel like right now we either just say goodnight or we try and rip it one more time?” shouts Fred, to cheers. Closing with another go at ‘Break Stuff’ is a good move, but I can’t help feeling the magic has dissipated (through no fault of the band). I don’t think this is going to go down as one of Limp Bizkit’s most triumphant Download shows, sadly – in fact, I think 2024’s set was probably the stronger one, and why they had so much hype going into tonight’s performance. We can’t win all the time, though – and I love them for still pushing through, even though they must have been feeling horrendous.

Saturday

Ginger Wildheart is gadding about in the press area with his adorable dog this morning, following their main stage opening slot. We head out to catch California band Snot (what a great name), who are bringing early, punky rowdiness to a slightly more overcast day. There’s nothing quite like screaming along to “one two fuck you” to get you going again after not many hours of sleep.

Homegrown rockers South Arcade have one of the best stage setups of the weekend. Giant spray paint cans flank the drum riser, and bright 90s graffiti backdrops create the perfect setting for a strobe-lit romp through their bouncy pop-punk set. There are more women on the main stage this year, and they are absolutely bringing the energy.

I also really rate how many British bands are on the bill this year. Over on the Opus stage, As Everything Unfolds are on at the same time as Drowning Pool, swapping places – and absolutely holding their own. Another female-fronted band slaying it: heavy, doomy, with that hard-edged rock screaming alongside soaring vocals. They’re really, really good. “We are grateful, even if you didn’t expect us, thanks for being here.” They actually retained most of the crowd who had clearly come for Drowning Pool — which doesn’t happen very often at all, and is a real testament to how good they sounded.

Landmvrks are shouty, shouty… very, very shouty – and fully deserving of their extremely smashy mosh pits. We Came As Romans pull a stonking big crowd, but their set is somewhat marred by a noticeable drop in sound quality from the stage. “Download bang your fucking heads let’s go!” would probably have more of the desired effect if we could actually hear it properly.

Those Damn Crows bring in a round of chuggy classic rock, and I think vocalist Shane Greenhall has a genuinely fantastic voice. If you’re a Black Stone Cherry fan, I’m pretty convinced you’ll like them. Big up Wales.

Over on the Apex stage, Babymetal get a second shot at the show, having been biblically shooed off stage in 2024 by thunder and lightning after only a couple of songs. This time, they return with rainbow dragonscale skirts, golden plate armour, signature dance moves, and a clear mission to make their mark. You can argue all you want about the ‘gimmick’ of a J-pop/metal crossover, but there is no denying the talent here. I am absolutely living for all the metal girlies with dual personalities (you know the ones) giving it their best kawaii headbang in the crowd. Once again though… just saying – how cool would it have been to get that ‘Ratatata’ Electric Callboy real-life moment?

Now, I love a bit o’ Bush (juvenile giggle), because at heart I am still a teenage grunge grebo. BUT COME ON. No ‘Glycerine’? Internal screaming. It was a bloody stellar set otherwise though — they really deserve their flowers.

Trivium obviously smash up the Apex stage to an absolutely huge crowd, but the wind is doing strange things to the sound further up the hill. We also really enjoyed the grannies grooving in the middle of the mosh pit – kudos, because those outfits must have been fucking hot to wear all day.

Over on the Avalanche stage, another British band is out here crushing it this weekend. Hot Milk have rows of people spilling out the sides of the tent, screaming “I wanna see so many fucking people across this barrier.” It really feels like British bands and women are at the centre of Download this year, and I love to see it. Closing with ‘Party On My Deathbed’ is a masterstroke in pure adrenaline. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, thank you Download!” they casually shout on the way out, after presiding over absolute carnage in there.

And now for something to soothe my pop-punk soul – The All-American Rejects headline set. Barefoot frontman Tyson Ritter, with his signature uncanny dancing (it’s giving Nathan Elsewhere), somehow looking like he hasn’t aged, or dressed a day different since 2002. Hits like ‘Dirty Little Secret’ and ‘Swing Swing’ are screamed by absolutely everyone, but nothing hits quite like pouring your teenage angst into ‘Gives You Hell’. What an anthem.

At the same time (annoyingly), Architects are ripping up the Opus stage to a crowd so dense it’s basically impossible to move through. We give it our best shot but end up stuck on the fringe before heading off to find a spot in the chaos for tonight’s headliner.

OH and we definitely will not comment on the Ferris wheel shenanigans that occurred directly before GN’R… no, we won’t. Except to say that the forums suggesting it be renamed ‘The Nosh Pit’ did make me snort laugh.

Now, Guns N’ Roses or more specifically Axl Rose – have a bit of a chequered history at Download. There was that one time with bottles of piss being thrown at the stage and the falling over… the fact they’re always bloody late… endless rumours about ridiculous riders, including requests for pre-show roast dinners…

But you can’t deny they’re a classic headline choice. Decades of music, some of the most iconic songs of all time, and a band that’s finally reunited in – at the very least – amicable co-worker status. I do need to caveat this performance with one big, glaring issue before I get into it: the sound up the hill is absolute garbage tonight. Anyone watching from the midway point upwards is probably going to report this as a properly shit show. Despite the enormous stage, towers, and swinging stack amps, the sound just doesn’t carry far enough for the size of the crowd.

If you creep around the outside and come in from the right of the stage, though, it’s a completely different story; the sound is phenomenal. Well… apart from the fact that the fucking waltzers are still allowed to blast their own music during the set. Year after year people complain about this, and yet somehow they remain.

Anyway, predictably, we are treated to an array of interesting outfits from Axl – apparently multiple bedazzled lumberjack shirts are the mark of a seasoned pro. Slash riffing at Donington in the setting sun is undeniably one of those lifetime memories. I spot loads of kids in the crowd who’ll always remember seeing this iconic band in real life – and as we’ve learned with the loss of heroes like Dio, Lemmy, and most recently Ozzy, more shows are never guaranteed.

GNR pay tribute to Ozzy with a giant commemorative backdrop and a cover of ‘Sabbath Bloody Sabbath’, which they also played last year at his final show, ‘Back To The Beginning’ at Villa Park.

Other highlights include opener ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ and ‘Rocket Queen’. And despite the pitch on ‘Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door’ being enough to summon every fox in Leicester, there’s something very endearing about a field full of crusty rockers trying their best to sing along.

Axl changes into a bejewelled black jacket and takes a seat at the piano for his Elton John moment, as the screens fill with a watery deluge for ‘November Rain’. I think we’re all collectively thinking: thank fuck we escaped the real rain this year, and only have to deal with the digital kind.

Laughing, “I dunno… it feels a little weird for us, for it to still be light out,” the band finish up with ‘Nightrain’ and ‘Paradise City’, Axl now in a studded leather jacket. You know what? It is early. There aren’t any fireworks either, and I do feel a bit salty about it, considering we’ve already had two slightly weird endings this weekend.

Also, the dirty rocker-to-glam pipeline for men needs to be studied. This man used to wear a kilt and a wife-beater that looked like it had never been washed, jeans that could stand up on their own, held together purely by the void between the rips — haunted by the ghosts of months-long tour legs. Meanwhile, the rest of them basically look the same as they ever did… just with slightly less enormous hair.

Sunday

Today we went for a wander around the shopping/activities area, now situated where the Avalanche stage used to be. It’s actually a really nice addition – loads of tables for sitting down, plenty of shade, food outlets, and another great new feature in the Hellfire Stage. We caught a brilliant grill demo, then watched a blacksmith making bracelets next door. The fossil and gem shop had a very cool rock trough where you could fill a little jar with shiny bits (honestly, bring your neurodivergent friends here if they need some calm-down time – ideal), and it was also pretty cool that Linkin Park had their own pop-up merch van.

Right. Let’s address something important. I DO NOT WANT THE BOOKTOK GIRLIES TO COME FOR ME. The Rebecca Yarros ‘Fourth Wing’ x Download hype was… not small. From the Download side it was just a small Instagram post about a pop-up, so I went to check it out – and let me tell you… a 45+ minute queue for that was brave. A low army tent with some hastily printed quotes hung up and a small photo setup where you could pose at a desk with a dragon on a screen in the background felt wildly underwhelming. The free commemorative patch was very cool, but this could have been so much better – especially because the fans were absolutely there. If they run something similar again, it has the potential to be a really nice extra… but lads, let me plan it. I can definitely do more.

We also got chatting to some OG indie vendors, including the amazing Scarlet in Chains, who make incredible body harnesses and jewellery. They’d also worked with The Sophie Lancaster Foundation this year on some really fun boot clips. They were metalworking on site, and we had a great chat about how much they love Download too.

On the Apex stage, Unpeople opened the day with a spectacular set, while over in the Dogtooth tent Private School got extremely wild – frontman Khaki diving into the crowd for a proper mosh with everyone.

Kublai Khan TX were also excellent, I’d love to see them back again. “Open that motherfucker up, I need a pit!” says it all. Over on the Opus stage, Mammoth — fronted by Wolfgang Van Halen (yes, that Van Halen) — absolutely killed it. I really love their sound, and he’s a genuinely fantastic vocalist. ‘The End’ is a truly epic track, and I’m so glad I got to hear it live.

I took a trip up the Budweiser tower for a look across the site – notably without the risk of sitting in something questionable on the Ferris wheel, and without the price tag. While up there, I witnessed one of the bar staff remember two people’s previous drink orders before they even asked – legendary behaviour. I did briefly consider stealing one of their denim Levi’s/Bud jackets on the way out… elite branding.

Big shoutout as well to the SwappieFest crew, who were handing out little trinkets throughout the crowd after hosting swap meets all weekend. Someone gave me a shiny sticker that matched my hair, and someone else was giving out 3D-printed Download logo keyrings – so, so cool.

The award for biggest Opus stage turnout of the weekend probably goes to Dogstar. To be fair, they’d deserve it anyway; very solid dad-rock/grunge vibes for your pre-emo era – but let’s be honest, a lot of the draw is Keanu Reeves on bass. Everyone wanted to see him with their own actual eyes. Including me. They were great – if a little stiff, but I did spot one of the coolest things of the weekend: a woman crowdsurfing in a wheelchair while holding up a custom Dogstar skateboard. I later found out it was one of Grandad Skateboards’ custom builds, gifted to the band backstage. They make headliner-specific boards every year, and they’re incredible.

Other bands I caught bits of today that I loved included Bloodywood, metal from New Delhi with one of the most unique sounds on the scene right now.

Once the Dogtooth secret set was revealed to be Skindred, it was obvious that tent was going to be absolutely rammed. While waiting, there was loads of singing, inflatable beach balls flying around – it felt like a full-on party. They’ve been a Download staple forever but haven’t played for a couple of years, so this felt like a proper triumphant return. Announced by F1 commentator Crofty in a Dreadload T-shirt, iconic. “There’s a race on, and I’m here instead!”

Benji appears in a fluffy white horned hat, full white outfit, and matching sunglasses – never disappointing on the outfit front. From the very start, there are waves of crowd surfers, and ‘Nobody’ is pure, riotous fun. They close with ‘Warning’, triggering the legendary Newport Helicopter – rows upon rows of spinning T-shirts stretching outside the tent. This really is their home turf.

The Pretty Reckless, fronted by Taylor Momsen in a white slip dress and stompy black boots, are another example of women absolutely owning the main stage this weekend. Despite her Cindy Lou roots, there’s nothing kitschy here; it’s emotive, confident, and genuinely captivating. ‘Heaven Knows’ is a standout moment.

Spanish band Ankor are another one-to-watch – I’m so glad I caught them. Pure fun, and impossible not to get swept up in their energy, dancing and headbanging along with them.

On the main stage, Ice Nine Kills bring their full cinematic horror experience, complete with an array of bloody props to match their catalogue. Highlights include Hannah Hermione from Creeper joining them for ‘A Work of Art’ (formerly ‘Twisting the Knife’), only to be promptly slaughtered, and Art the Clown making an appearance to decapitate the Download Dog. A cover of NOFX’s ‘Linoleum’ was an unexpected treat, and ‘The American Nightmare’ is still my personal favourite.

Tom Morello on the Opus stage is one of the highlights of the entire weekend. Not only is he incredible in his own right, he’s joined by his son Roman Morello, who actually wrote the riff for ‘Hold the Line’ – which is just ridiculously cool. Imagine touring with your dad at 15.

They also pay tribute to Ozzy with a cover of ‘Mr Crowley’, referencing Roman’s performance with Jack Black at last year’s ‘Back to the Beginning’ show. Huge cheers erupt when Tom flips his guitar to reveal a sign reading “Fuck Tommy Robinson”, before announcing, “…we learned a special English folk song just for today” and launching into Rage Against the Machine’s ‘Killing in the Name’. Honestly, Rage are probably the band I’d most love to see back at Download.

Mastodon take to the stage in the sunshine for a beautifully heavy set, though they do suffer from sound bleed thanks to clashing with Bad Omens. “Thanks for bringing us back to one of the most magical places on earth,” they say, dedicating ‘More Than I Could Chew’ to their “fallen brother” Brent Hinds.

Spineshank in Dogtooth are a magnet for constant crowd surfers, while Bad Omens’ set seems to suffer from a bit too much stop-start energy.

Creeper return once again – their fourth appearance of the weekend (a lot, even for vampires). Emily Strange presents Will Gould’s severed head following the previous show’s guillotine theatrics, casually stating, “I have some sewing to do.” It’s theatrical, chaotic, and brilliant – with gorgeous lighting and a crowd full of painted faces.

Linkin Park headlining Download brings back a flood of memories for me. I was there in 2004, crushed at the front, desperate to see the band whose CD I’d completely worn out. Coming back now, this time as the first female-fronted headliner – feels genuinely significant. For the band, for the festival, and for music more broadly. It really does feel like the start of a new chapter.

That said… the Windows 95-style visuals on the screens are making me laugh – that is exactly what my computer looked like when I was blasting that album back in the early 2000s.

The blend of old and new material is seamless, and the energy is constant. Emily Armstrong’s vocals are absolutely stunning. No, she’s not Chester Bennington – and she’s not trying to be. She even steps back during ‘Crawling’ to let the crowd carry it, acknowledging the weight that song still holds.

Another standout moment: “I wanna see ladies only in the pit right now! Guys, open it up – help them out!” Emily beams, “This makes me so happy,” before launching into ‘Two Faced’. Unfortunately, there are a couple more stoppages due to injuries — dealt with quickly, but there have definitely been more interruptions this year than usual.

‘Numb’ and ‘Heavy Is the Crown’ are absolutely breathtaking live, and the encore of ‘Papercut’ and ‘In the End’ is a perfect, emotional close. For me, this is the best headliner of the weekend and a genuine history-book moment to go with it.

Final Thoughts

To close out the weekend, and to touch on a few things I haven’t mentioned yet – I’ve been keeping an eye on the forums since getting home, and there’s been a lot of discussion around the site layout. A common theme is that it felt overcrowded at times, particularly with the number of chairs and the lack of clearly defined walkways, which made moving between stages more difficult than it should be. There were also repeated comments about there not being enough toilets in the arena, leading to consistently long queues.

One much more serious concern that seems to have been raised far more this year is the issue of sexual assault – particularly towards women. There have been multiple posts and even photos circulating of men in the crowd, with some alleged to be repeat offenders over the course of the weekend. It’s deeply concerning, and something that absolutely needs addressing to ensure Download remains a safe space for everyone.

On a more positive note, I spoke with one of the campsite managers, who mentioned that this year attendees were largely very good about taking their tents and rubbish home with them – which is genuinely great to hear. That said, getting out of the car parks on Monday proved to be a challenge for many, with some people reporting waits of over three hours.

I also want to highlight again how appreciated it was to have more seating areas and shaded spaces this year – it made a real difference across the weekend. However, additional water points would be a very welcome improvement. As always, the BSL interpreters and the sensory tent staff continue to be incredible; the effort and care that goes into making Download more accessible does not go unnoticed, and it’s fantastic to see these provisions in place.

One final shoutout goes to the Lemmy Kilmister tribute ceremony, led by Duff McKagan. The idea of placing some of Lemmy’s ashes inside a fruit machine at Download is so perfectly fitting, a brilliant and heartfelt way to honour him. There’s something really special about knowing a part of him will remain in the places he loved, alongside the music.

All things considered, this may well have been one of my favourite Download festivals to date. The lineup feels thoughtful and forward-looking, pointing towards a new era of rock and metal that feels genuinely exciting. Can’t wait to see what the 2027 picks are…

BLOODSTOCK adds 12 bands + more news about 2026’s event

June 19, 2026June 9, 2026 by Anna Hyams

With just eight weeks to go til you can finally scream, “BLOODSTOCK we’re home!” there’s an ever constant stream of news to share.

Have you been following the first batch of the METAL 2 THE MASSES finals? Cue much excitement and a drum roll please, for the first group of winners landing slots on the Stowford Press New Blood Stage can now be revealed!

On Friday, bear witness to East Anglian aggressors REGICIDE, offering a blend of thrash/groove metal with hardcore elements, Belfast death/thrash champions MICROTONAL, modern melo-death crew ATARKA who won the Birmingham round, and explosive hardcore five-piece BAILED OUT from Leeds.

Saturday welcomes Sheffield metalcore victors DESCENDANCY and cathartic Northants noiseniks DEAD BAIT.
Sunday adds diverse Scottish top dogs CHEKHOV’S GUN (whose striking sound is matched by a visceral live show, fronted by a flamboyant Lithuanian ballroom dancer!), Manchester’s prog metal quintet TECHNOLOGIST, doom-inspired SUNK who came first for the South Coast region, collaborative Cyprus conquerors JOAKEM, and formidable death metal unifiers KA’APER, comprised of both Russian and Ukrainian musicians.

Lots more bands to be confirmed still as the METAL 2 THE MASSES finals around the country continue! Make your way to the one nearest you and help shape the festival line-up!

BLOODSTOCKers, unfortunately we also have to share that OF MICE & MEN have cancelled performing, sending this note: “Due to circumstances beyond our control we sadly won’t be able to make it out to Europe this summer as planned. Thanks to all the fans, festivals & promoters we were looking forward to playing for.” BLOODSTOCK wishes the band well.

While we know that is disappointing news, BLOODSTOCK has lined up excellent death metal squad SANGUISUGABOGG to step into their shoes. The band declare, “Hey mate! Seems like your favorite death dealing degenerates just hocked up their hairball of a logo all over your Bloodstock flyer! We can’t wait to be in England to melt faces and rock out at Bloodstock, so pack up your broomsticks and your toast and beans and let’s party together – we couldn’t be anymore psyched!” You can catch them as direct support to LEPROUS on Saturday on the Sophie Lancaster stage. Rumours you can win a prize for correctly spelling their name in a BLOODSTOCK Spelling Bee are unfounded.

How about an on site treasure hunt to win BLOODSTOCK 2027 tickets? Are you a master of the side quest?!

Get yourself over to the Sophie Lancaster Foundation charity stand (next to the main stage) to get an entry form and then get hunting for 10 special S.O.P.H.I.E. signs around BLOODSTOCK.

If you are able, a recommended donation to the charity is £2. One winner will get a pair of BLOODSTOCK 2027 weekend tickets! Competition closes at 4pm on Sunday.