DOWNLOAD XXII – 2025 REVIEWED!

After an anxious couple of weeks constantly checking the weather apps, the time has finally come to bite the bullet and head to the hallowed ground of Donington Park once again – armed with both suncream and a raincoat. It may be the most controversial line-up year in the festival’s 22 year history, but DAMN it feels good to be home regardless.

Having missed out on the Vengaboys fun on Thursday night (though once again it has been proved that the tent-size-for-big-draw-bands is a problem, with crushing and a lot of people left outside) we are rocking up on Friday morning with hopes and dreams of hitting the Megastore first, for some exclusive merch.

FRIDAY

After an extremely painless ride in (no traffic whatsoever, easy parking, great staff) we trudge up the hill towards the box office to grab our wristbands and head through bag check into the bottom of District X. There’s already a sizeable queue for the Megastore and some kind of troll game going on outside of the massive Co-Op, on its very own stage. New life goal unlocked – headline the Co-Op stage.

Inside the Megastore honestly just gets more bougie every single year and I absolutely adore it. There’s an area with custom Download table games like foosball and air hockey, a full-on coffee bar with tables made out of old drums, and neon lights adorning the walls. On my wishlist (the one where I win the lottery, not what I’m actually buying…) from this year’s offerings is;

  • A set of Download bedding depicting the main stage
  • A new version of the Download hot sauce
  • EVERYTHING from Mary Wyatt’s collaboration
  • An evil spawn bath duck, birthed from the back of the giant duck
  • The Parabellum London necklace and ring collaboration
  • The Great Frog Baphomet limited edition necklace

What I actually got? A Download dog plushie with its own tshirt and battle jacket, for the kiddo. The Mary Wyatt collection had clearly been rinsed by campers over the last two days as there wasn’t a lot left sadly, hoping they see the demand and up the numbers for next year!

There is one thing I’d like to note though, there has been so much confusion this time surrounding weekend arena ticket holders and what they can and can’t do. Initially the advice was changed to, no wristbands and one-time entry via QR code only, making things like a trip out to the Megastore or Co-Op during the day impossible. I believe there was some backtracking on this to allow the code to work as a check-in check-out system instead, and randomly some people were given wristbands (which means they existed/were printed anyway?) but it did lead to a lot of frustration and crossed wires over the weekend. It’s also worth noting that a lot of people do collect and display their wristbands, so it’s a bit sad to see that having an attempted phase-out, especially as physical tickets have already been axed.

Having skipped through the guest area to catch a glimpse of a lush green empty arena, we are treated to the delightful views of the first punters bombing it down the hill to be in for a front-barrier spot at the main stage. Let me tell you, these people were going at full tilt with absolutely no self-preservation awareness whatsoever. 10/10 behaviour, and no-one died.

Main changes to the layout this year involved a slightly adapted shop/food van positioning around the access area (which did help with the flow of people quite a bit in peak times) and the HUGE WIN of the weekend – NEW LOOS. I can’t rave enough about this move away from portaloos to these new actual toilet blocks, flushing toilets and real running water sink areas? Revolutionary! As always, it would be nice to have more of them but really, bravo Download.

Our first band of the day Irish lads The Scratch give everyone a morning workout with a rowdy circle pit, and mark the first of the weekend’s open calls for a Free Palestine – which elicits a huge roar of agreement from the crowd. A great set, the mashup of Irish folk and heavy metal works so well, hope to see much more of them in the future. Over on the Apex stage, SiM bring us Japanese metalcore with ruthless riffage over a sun-baked crowd. I am already loving the diversity of acts booked for the weekend, it’s really something to bring all of this together in the heart of England.

In the Dogtooth tent we are treated to some extremely silly fun with Battlesnake – an Australian heavy metal band who are inexplicably dressed as… angels? The clergy? All I know is, I’d probably be up for going to church if it was more like this. Oh wait, no they’re wearing budgie smugglers under their sheets the bogans, heavy blasphemy, heavy metal. Everyone bloody loves it anyway, the “battle” “snake” chants are verging on ferocious as they end, and I’m going away with a giggle and a new favourite song titled ‘I Am The Vomit’.

Up next Gore yell “Y’all ready for some Texas metal?” before homunculus vocalist Hayley Roughton death-screams our ears off. It’s a heady mix of soaring melody alongside brutal rolling riffs and the crowd is truly rammed and wild. “This is our first ever festival, and we’re not even on our own continent” they joke, but what a fantastic first outing it is for them.

© Anna Hyams for SFG

Although we didn’t manage to catch much of Boston Manor’s set, they sounded great and pulled up our Palestine mention count shouting “Our government is complicit in this genocide!” to a sea of raised fists in the crowd. After a quick visit to get our Bunnychow fix (iykyk) we pitch ourselves ready for Rise Against in the baking sunshine. Despite the heat there’s a large crowd gathered in front of the stage full of pyrotechnics, and a giant panda plushie bobbing in the pit is in serious danger of getting toasted.

“We came a long way to have a good fucking time! This is our sixth time at Download, we always have a blast come rain or shine. We come to you tonight as citizens of a country in the throes of tyranny and fascism” is the lead into the 2006 but oh-so-currently-relevant ‘Prayer of the Refugee’. We also spot the now very famous little girl crowd-surfing by using her Dad as a surfboard rocking her way to the front, and sing ourselves hoarse to the iconic ‘Saviour’.

Miles Kennedy is playing to a packed-out Opus, which I must once again have a slight whinge about – it really is a too small/bottlenecked area for the calibre of bands they continue to put over there. Especially since off to the walkway side, the sound bleed between the two stages is horrendous and completely untenable if you actually want to be able to hear. Instead of remaining in the fray, we pop off for a bit of Jimmy Eat World and get our spirits uplifted by reliving our pop punk teens with ‘The Middle’.

Up next though, a personal pilgrimage to see a band that I’ve managed somehow to miss since I saw them with my college friends at Birmingham Academy in 2002. I remember being crushed on the barrier absolutely in awe of Weezer, no barrier for me this evening though – this is a wildly enormous crowd for a nerd-punk band.

© James Bridle for Download Festival

The nostalgia button is well and truly pushed as they just play solidly through their iconic catalogue with favourites like ‘Hash Pipe’ and ‘My Name Is Jonas’. They might look a bit like they’re on a day-trip from a residential home, in their khakis and button-up shirts but they sound exactly as good as they always have. ‘The Sweater Song’ has us all screaming along, ‘Island In The Sun’ and ‘Why Bother’ are perfection and there is no shortage of Rivers hitting the tap harmonics, truly just beautiful in the sunshine today. “Is it always like this in England?” they joke, looking out over the sun-bleached bodies, before ripping into ‘You Gave Your Love To Me Softly’ and ‘The Good Life’.

‘Beverley Hills’ gets a new special lyric “…living in Donington Park” and they close with 90’s anthem ‘Buddy Holly’. What a freakin’ epic hit-parade set. Wish I’d crowd surfed.

© Anna Hyams for SFG

Onto the main event – tonight’s long-awaited headliner, the mighty Green Day. I ask you, what better a year to hear American Idiot live? The serendipity of this timeline is not lost on me. The arena is packed, we’re all singing along to their Bohemian Rhapsody intro and marvelling at the impressive wall of lighting stacks adorning the stage, as the cameras pan across the crowd to show someone dressed as Trump holding a sign that says “Fuck Trump”. The Green Day ‘drunk bunny’ is careening about the stage in a classing black-shirt red-tie combo, to the Ramones’ ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’.

Rolling right in with ‘American Idiot’ and a cheeky little “I’m not part of Elon’s agenda” lyric change, it’s clear we’re in for a night of classic hijinks as a huge inflatable hand holding the heart grenade is ballooned into centre stage. ‘Holiday’ has everyone dancing around like absolute lunatics, I genuinely think Green Day are a band who have managed to transcend age groups – everyone is up and moving.

Billie Joe is yelling “This administration is a fascist government and it’s our job to fight back!”, and while we do know that he means the USA… he’s not wrong here either, so we join in on the screaming. Calling out for someone to join him on stage, Billie selects a girl dressed as a cheerleader who is frankly frothing with excitement, and proceeds to let her join in singing… except she’s clearly been screaming herself hoarse for the last 30 minutes and sounds like she chain smokes tree bark. Bless.

Tre Cool’s sparkly zebra drum kit is magnificently blazing under the cascading light boxes for ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’, which is truly the singalong song for all of us, but if you’ve ever heard the Green Day/Oasis/Travis mash-up it’s REALLY HARD not to sing that instead. Classics ‘Longview’ and ‘Welcome To Paradise’ have us oldies fizzing, but as a Nimrod album fan I can’t help but go wild for ‘Hitchin’ A Ride’, in which we take a pause for a little more Trump trolling;

“You know, we’ve been playing festivals here for thirty years. Back in the nineties people used to shout ‘You fat bastard’. I think I need a taste of that now for Donald Trump… I want everyone to sing ‘You fat bastard’… oh I love it hahaha”.

© Toddow Young for Download Festival

‘St. Jimmy’ features a huge red ribbon confetti blast and a lot of pyro, ‘Dilemma’ comes with a quick Tom Petty ‘Free Fallin’ intro and ‘21 Guns’ is absolutely flawless. This really feels like Download have hit the nail on the head finally bringing them in as a headliner.

‘Basket Case’ and ‘When I Come Around’ are just brilliant, no notes. The Bad Year blimp being slowly walked through the middle of the crowd is a fun touch for Dookie fans, and we are assured that the fates have decided Green Day deserve a headline set that goes down in history, when it starts to rain immediately following the lyric “here comes the rain again” during ‘Wake Me Up When September Ends’. I couldn’t have written it better myself.

‘Jesus of Suburbia’ gets a “from Ukraine to [the] Middle East” lyric change, and they finish up with ‘Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)’ as Billie Joe shouts “You ain’t getting me off this stage! England, you’re in my heart you’ll never get rid of me!” and a firework display as the rain dies off. I could gush about Green Day, this set, and the choice to book them, forever. Oh and I still love Billie Joe, even if he does look a bit like Michael Sheen in Good Omens these days.

© Anna Hyams for SFG

SATURDAY

Today is a day for scuttling, there’s a lot of wonderful things to see and do! We check out some skateboarders going full send at the little half-pipe near the main stage before traipsing up the hill to visit Mysticum Luna and have a go at their lucky-dip, then heading over to the Opus stage for the musical whirlwind that is Kim Dracula.

Jazz infused mech-metal with screaming and riffs off the chart, and a little hip-hop/rapping for good measure. It’s a clusterfuck of sounds but I can’t help loving it. The crowd is 90% goth girlies enjoying the weirdness so I guess I’m in good company. Oh and I fully dig the Lady Gaga ‘Paparazzi’ cover, niche.

© Anna Hyams for SFG

Zetra over in the Dogtooth tent are sporting a very interesting magic portal in their stage set and are barefoot, daubed in corpse-paint like they’re auditioning for extra Hellraiser Cenobite status. They’re very melodic and quite interesting, but there seems to be something a bit off with the sound.

Hatebreed bring the energy with their signature giant inflatable ball of death and a thrashy circle pit or two. The dust being kicked up can probably be seen from space. Poppy is bopping about in a red and white lace fringed mini-dress, looking a lot less robotic than she does online, and screaming like she’s about to excise a whole host of demons. There’s more than a touch of Babymetal about this that I can’t ignore, but everyone seems to be having a fun time.

© Carolina Faruolo for Download Festival

Awolnation give stoner rock vibes in the sun, ‘Kill Your Heroes’ and ‘Sail’ are perfect summer listening material (and I really rate the Paula Abdul tshirt). Traversing the gap down into the Avalanche stage area we take a moment to have a look around the various stalls around that area before heading in to see the ethereal Mothica. Dressed like the Corpse Bride and bathed in blue light she jokes with the crowd about it being her ‘New haira, new era’ before crushing a cover of Bring Me The Horizon’s ‘Can You Feel My Heart’.

© Anna Hyams for SFG

Australian band Polaris, returning to Download after a couple of years are providing solid heavy metal riffage and getting the crowd to sing Happy Birthday to Lance the lighting guy. Having played in 2023 with a fill-in guitarist owing to the ill health of Ryan Siew, who sadly then passed two weeks following the event – this return holds a special significance, and they truly smashed it.

Speaking of smashing, up next on the Avalanche stage are Swedish melodic electro-metal band Smash Into Pieces, with their LED-masked drummer APOC. There’s a hell of a lot of pyro on this small-ish stage, but the band are absolutely bombing about and enjoying themselves to a very full tent. Sure, ‘Heroes Are Calling’ could easily be the theme-tune to 90’s kids cartoon, but they are undeniably catchy and I like the unusual mix of styles. Singer Chris Adam Hedman Sörbye has an almost country lilt to his vocals and ‘All Eyes On You’ has a very Wild West/gospel feel about it, and ‘Six Feet Under’ is the closer – before APOC heads into the crowd to take selfies with fans, a really nice touch.

Don Broco are taking a simple but loud approach to the main stage, and there’s a huge amount of energy for ‘Gumshield’, but we are back at Avalanche for Scots Twin Atlantic. The lads lead with ‘Salvation’ in to ‘No Sleep’ before the anticipated rain finally arrives and the space in the tent gets rapidly tighter. It’s a stellar set from them though! A very quick run from there to the Dogtooth tent to settle ourselves in for Kittie as the rain turns from mild to ferocious, has us worrying about the state of the rest of the weekend.

© Anna Hyams for SFG

I have to bring up the fact that the entire front row for Kittie appears to be female – almost unheard of at Download festival, and something we truly love to see. Coming in hot with ‘Fire’ it is immediately the angsty emo youth extravaganza I wanted it to be. “We are Kittie from London Ontario, Canada! We haven’t been here for fifteen years, a lot of you probably weren’t even born then!” they yell out as the (mostly) women crowd surfers fly at them. ‘Spit’ and ‘Brackish’ are pure teenage-memory fuel and I’m so grateful to be here. This may be my set of the weekend, for pure brutal energy and fun.

On the Apex stage Shinedown are a bit of a culture shock after the raw power of Kittie, singing about love and god-blessing us all, and we do not appreciate a second bout of rain (not really their fault though), and there’s no getting anywhere near The Sex Pistols ft. Frank Carter – that area is just too damn small for what they put on that stage, they sound pretty good though, and I hope Frank manages to hold onto all his jewellery this year. It’s absolutely hooning it down now so we bug out to see a bit of Sylosis instead.

It’s jammed in the tent as the rain pours, but it’s clearly not just about the weather. Sylosis fans are surfing across the barrier at an incredible rate and it is LOUD – a bit of redemption after their horrific sound tech issues at last year’s Bloodstock festival.

Next up Cradle of Filth with a dramatically gothic graveyard-esque stage set and a lot of pyro, as well as a surprise marriage proposal from Dani Filth to his girlfriend Sofiya Belusova, n’aww. Very cute, very cool. Oh and the ring is suitably gothy, she shared a photo of it on her Instagram story later on.

© Anna Hyams for SFG

Finally the rain gives over to dry skies and we make our way down the hill to set ourselves up for tonight’s headliner, the ever controversial and divisive – Sleep Token.

As the sun begins to dip behind the horizon, Sleep Token take to the stage, not with a bang but with an unsettling whisper. Their entrance is shrouded in a near-ritualistic calm: ten long minutes of ambient wind chimes wash over the crowd like a dream on the edge of turning dark. Which sounds very nice when I put it like that, but I don’ t even allow wind chimes in my home, so the fact that I’m tolerating this is a miracle.

© Anna Hyams for SFG

 A huge black sheet masks the stage, but as the melancholy strains of ‘Look To Windward’ begin to leak through, Vessel is already projecting the mysterious ambiance the band have cultivated in the last few years.

Red anemone-like visuals bloomed on the screen, while pulsing purple and blue lights built slowly into a breathtaking visual crescendo. It was immersive from the outset—ticker tape falling like snow, towers strobing in sync, and a huge set made to look like crumbling ruins, complete with staircases and platforms.

Musically, it was heavier live than on record, a common (and welcome) trait among bands with studio polish – and something that was probably a good call to alleviate the “Sleep Token aren’t even metal” naysayers (bro, I saw you rocking out to McFly yesterday shut up).

A moment for the lighting designer because oh my god, what a show. ‘Rain’ saw huge rig squares drop from the ceiling to create tiny slivers of white strand lighting emulating a downpour on stage, and then delicious diffuse warm oranges and reds burned for ‘Caramel’. There is really something to be said for the level of care and production put into a Sleep Token show – which goes a long way to explain why the Download booking team felt so confident in bringing ST to a headline slot.

© Matt Higgs for Download Festival

Vessel himself cuts an interesting profile, with a stunning black and white mask laden with red filigree in his signature Kabuki-esque style, a long hooded duster coat complete with cosplay armour and a feathered back. The theatrics really elevate a headline set in my opinion – I know not everyone feels the same, but some of the most memorable shows have been the ones with spectacular staging (BMTH, Iron Maiden, Kiss, AC/DC to name a few).

A surprise jazz interlude (saxophone, for the second time that day across different acts) and a soft, piano-led ballad added unexpected texture. The crowd was caught between reverence and awe, watching as Vessel ran the stage, hands outstretched—singing “reap what you sow, rain down on me” while bathed in spotlight and mist. It does feel like the kind of time we should all be pulling out our lighters and swaying a bit.

‘The Summoning’ is ethereally gorgeous and I am completely immersed, but it is hard not to notice the definite thinning of the crowd. It’s pretty clear that a lot of people had turned out to give them a chance and were slowly peeling off back to the campsites and District X in search of different entertainments.

I guess that was always going to be the case, but it’s a shame as closing tracks ‘Thread The Needle’ and ‘Take Me Back To Eden’ are heavy with gorgeous emotion. I think you’ve got to acknowledge that it’s okay to have a headliner who evokes whimsy and nostalgia, on the same bill as one who performs for the artistry. Weaving diverse streams together is something I think Download has done really well in the last few years – no easy feat when everyone and their mam has a strong opinion. The verdict? Sleep Token a success, despite the whinge brigade’s pre-determined feelings.

© Anna Hyams for SFG

SUNDAY

We have a quick catch-up with Heavy Metal Hairdresser aka Simon Tuckwell, who works out of Nottingham but has quickly risen to fame cutting very stylish shags and mullets for the alt community and famous bands alike. He’s here this weekend coiffing backstage to make sure everyone looks their best going on stage – culminating today with his second go round with Korn’s Jonathan Davis, how freaking cool is that?

We check out The Great Frog stand in the press area which is overflowing with awesome stuff that I would like to spend a lot of money on, then head out into the arena to catch a little of Power Trip, who sound a bit like every metal band from a movie that you’ve ever seen. They’re good, but feel a bit lost in the vibe this weekend I think.

© Anna Hyams for SFG

Fan faves Jinjer from Ukraine are back again, absolutely throwing it down with their signature blend of Tatiana’s soaring vocals and brutal stormy riffs. They really have had a bit of a meteoric rise in the last few years, and it is so deserved.

Unfortunately Alien Ant Farm on the Opus stage aren’t faring so well. Again, the area is too small to handle the numbers who want to be there, and for some maddening reason the sound is catastrophically garbage. Non-existent vocals, meagre drums and just generally muted speakers are definitely to blame today since the winds have completely died down.  Frustrated after barely hearing ‘Movies’ we decide to bail and take ourselves on a little big wheel adventure instead.

© Anna Hyams for SFG

Never has there been a better placed ride in the history of festivals than the Download big wheel at the top of the hill, you get a magical view of both stages from the top – so much so that we can see how ridiculously sparse the crowd at Meshuggah is. Now I ask you – where are all the forum warriors who wanted “real metal back at Donington?” because if you’re over there watching Alien Ant Farm instead, after running your mouth – just know we are all judging you hard. On the other hand it is a bit of a shame, cause Meshuggah are actually really good.

Another big pool of people are in the Dogtooth tent awaiting the much-anticipated debut of President, the masked singer being peddled on every front but especially Download organiser Andy Copping’s socials. It’s an interesting opener for sure, I like their sound – but the eagle eyed fans have already spotted some incriminating bracelets, and the family of Charlie Simpson (of Busted/Fightstar fame) standing stage-side throughout. Oh and the fact that a helicopter left site immediately after, presumably for Busted’s London gig that night… so there’s that. Oh and apparently some absolutely mental dude get a President tattoo before they’d even played a show. That’s some wild dedication.

Spiritbox are a stellar main stage grab for Download this year, pulling a huge and messy crowd even in the blazing sunshine on day three. “If you were here in 2022, you were part of one of our favourite memories of our career!” shouts vocalist Courtney LaPlante and it strikes me that Download has been that for a lot of bands, a turning point or a place that has played a massive role in their journey. This is the legacy and the point of bringing fresh blood into the fold – safeguarding music for the following generations of Download goers as well.

Over at the Avalanche it’s a double header of abject silliness, first up – Turbonegro. ‘Get It On’ has everyone in this sweaty tent going berserk, and the band go all out matching the energy. Lipstick and Village People outfits, twirling and jokes, I just love them. “For two years leading up to this show I’ve been in Pre-hab, they gave me warm Carlsberg to prepare me” giggles Duke, and they end yelling “Just a little reminder! Trans women are women, trans men are men, and FREE PALESTINE!” joining the ranks of bands who have used their platforms this weekend to make similar important statements.

Next up, Me First and The Gimme Gimmes hit their palm-tree adorned stage ready for abject joy. Lead singer Spike Slawson is rocking a fully sequinned white jacket, the band are in very fetching purple silk shirts, and the microphone is draped in silver lamé – delightful. Cracking out Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’ first was a baller move, everyone loves Dolly – even metalheads. Maybe especially metalheads. ‘Country Roads’ and ‘(Ghost) Riders In The Sky’ also go down a storm with this crowd and I very much enjoyed the attempt to ride a very obviously deflating morose flamingo pool toy.

“You may not know this ladies and gentlemen… but we are a cover band! As such we are fielding requests… if we don’t know it we can learn it, give us seven or eight minutes backstage” they laugh, as people start shouting out progressively funnier options. Chappel Roan, Dua Lipa and Machine Gun Kelly all make it into the wishlist, but ultimately they decide to go with Bruno Mars. Aaaaand then completely don’t play that, instead opting for a little intro of ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ into ‘Love Will Keep Us Together’, and the entire crowd singing along. More people should have been here to experience this very fun set.

We do manage to catch a bit of Bullet For My Valentine, who seem to be the ones commandeering the large portion of today’s crowd, curating circle pits and yelling “We’re going to get in trouble with Download and do another one… and we have goals and desires you know… we will headline this stage one day!” which is a bold statement but hey, Sleep Token just did that. “I don’t care if people don’t like that… I don’t give a fuck!” laughs lead singer Matthew Tuck.

Time to grab some food and get ourselves nicely positioned to watch 2025’s epic final headliner. Oh boy has this been a long time coming.

© Andrew Whitton for Download Festival

It’s an enormous crowd gathered this Sunday night, with so many clad in souped up Adidas sportswear turned gothy (myself included obviously) in deference to the mighty Korn. Having played the bridesmaid never the bride for a loooong-ass time, I’m beyond excited to see what they can pull out of the bag here.

As the black curtain drops, revealing Jonathan Davis in his signature dreads and a black kilt, the band launch headfirst into ‘Blind’. I have no words, the sound is on point, the stage is once again stunning with clever lighting and the band are truly on top form. “Download, make some motherfucking noise!” is the war-cry they have so rightly earnt as a band on this stage, and the crowd response is nothing short of deafening.

© Anna Hyams for SFG

A huge whoop from the guy in the middle of the crowd waving a giant Scottish flag, when Davis brings out the bagpipes for ‘Shoots and Ladders’ and in another moment of serendipity, the rain starts up again out of nowhere. Extremely Scottish coded I must say. Luckily it’s just a small squall and we’re back on our bouncy way.

“Download, are you having a good time?” Davis shrieks, “We’ve been a band for 31 years… We’ve played every stage at this festival – back when it was still called Donington – and after 30 years, FINALLY, we’re headlining.” Which is honestly nearly enough to bring a tear to my eye. It’s true, it shoulda coulda woulda happened way before now but I’m sure there are ‘reasons’.

Anyway, we all join in with our middle fingers in the air to yell the iconic “Fuck that” refrain of ‘Y’all Want A Single’ before the band exit the stage calling out “Thank you so much guys you’re incredible, hope you have a great night!”.

© Anna Hyams for SFG

Encore tracks ‘4 U’, ‘Falling Away From Me’ and ‘Divine’ are delivered with explosive energy, dreadlocks flying, and Davis’ iconic mic-jamming madness. Just when we thought it was over, the sky erupts in red and white ticker tape confetti ribbons for ‘Freak On A Leash’. There’s nothing like watching an entire crowd share an experience like this, absolutely everyone is moving.

Crowd surfers fling themselves over the barrier, in a last-ditch attempt to get up close and as it comes to an end, as sadly all the best things do… I am left in awe that a band I have seen many times before can so powerfully become one of the best headliners I’ve ever seen at Download. It might have been a 30+ year journey to get here but my god was it worth it. Bathing in the warm white ‘go-fucking-home’ lights and Richard Cheese’s lounge version of Freak, we are blinking in the realisation that DLXXII is all over in what feels like a mere moment.

© Anna Hyams for SFG

Before we crawl into bed to rest for a couple of weeks, some final thoughts about Download Festival 2025…

One of the standout aspects of the weekend was the incredible welfare support available. Lost property was handled efficiently (a rare feat at any major event), and outreach services — including drug and spiking advice — were easy to find near the Megastore. The Safe Concerts For Women and Metal Therapy spaces added an extra layer of wellbeing, and we love to see the Sensory Tent and the incredible BSL interpreters doing their thing at as many bands as they could get to.

© Anna Hyams for SFG

Unfortunately, the weekend wasn’t without its low points — namely, the wave of thefts that hit both the arena and the camping areas hard. Numerous reports of bag snatches, pickpocketing, and tent raiding dampened what was otherwise a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

On a much lighter (and cleaner) note as I said before, the toilets were actually good. Yes, you read that right. With real handwashing facilities and improved cleanliness across the board, the bathroom experience was a massive upgrade. While queues still formed during peak times, the quality more than made up for it — a rare festival win.

As for the Opus stage, its layout remains a logistical puzzle. For its current size and popularity, the positioning in that particular field just doesn’t work well — bottlenecks around both exits made access a real headache. A redesign is clearly needed, though how that can be done without major restructuring remains a mystery. I know there’s no obvious solution but it really is quite problematic year on year.

This has been a big year of change and some turmoil I suppose, but I have to hand it to the DL team – I think a lot of good has been done to secure the future of this festival, and lots of site improvement feedback has certainly been taken on board from last year too. Moving with the times has to be a hard balancing act when you’re standing on the shoulders of giants (or, Monsters) but I am relieved to see it pay off. Roll on 2026!

© Anna Hyams for SFG

LUSH TEAMS UP WITH DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL TO BRING YOU THE ULTIMATE FESTIVAL REVIVAL KIT

DIVE INTO THE WASH PIT

This summer, Lush is turning up the volume on an unexpected collaboration that celebrates
both getting dirty and self-care! Introducing the Lush x Download Festival kit: a limited-edition, festival-revival trio of products crafted in celebration of Download Festival’s legendary community and the unapologetic spirit of alternative music culture.
 
This exclusive kit includes a bath bomb, a body spray and soap all designed for festival goers, from mosh pit to that first wash back home! Housed in a reusable box styled to look like a roadie’s flight case and plastered in playful stickers representing Download Festival, music lovers and Lush fans, this collab is as collectable as it is practical.
 
“This partnership is about more than just products – it’s about identity, belonging, and
celebration. Download Festival and Lush might seem like an unexpected duo, but our
communities are built on passion, creativity, and challenging the status quo. That shared ethos makes this collaboration feel not just natural, but necessary.” – Kalem Brinkworth, Concepts and Collaborations Lead at Lush.
 
With the Kit, Lush continues to push the boundaries of brand collaboration—demonstrating
how day-to-day self-care routines can find harmony even in the loudest spaces. This launch
aims to strengthen connections between Lush and subcultures that value authenticity,
individuality, and social connection. For Download Festival, it’s a chance to give fans a new
sensory dimension to their experience, while amplifying their reach beyond the mosh pit.
 
“We’ve always championed our Humans of Download. The partnership with Lush lets us bring the Download spirit into a whole new sensory space. This isn’t just about smelling great after the pit, it’s about celebrating the freedom, creativity and community that defines Download and our fans. The team are excited to debut a limited collection onsite at the Megastore and online.” – Glen Littlewood, SVP Marketing Live Nation.
 
The limited edition Lush x Download Festival Kit will be available online at lush.co.uk from the 19th of May and between 13 – 15 June at the Megastore on-site in Download Festival.

Download 22 Soap
Make washing the apex of your day by lathering up with this soapy opus. An avalanche of
scrubby activated charcoal and fresh, herbal basil oil washes away your post-festival blues.

Circle Pit Bath Bomb
Open up that pit! As the beat drops, descend into a vortex of bold fennel and bright tangerine oils. You bring the riffs; we’ll bring the relaxation.

Ace of Sprays Body Spray
If you like to gamble, this arresting and downright filthy blend of sultry sandalwood, spicy
tarragon and invigorating spearmint is always a safe bet.

Wash Pit Kit
The circle pit swept you up and spat you back out while epic riffs boomed in the background — now for the wind down. In one epic box, a refreshing fennel bath bomb, a crisp herbal soap and a spritz of sultry sandalwood body spray. Post-festival blues? No chance.

Download Festival 2025: Hit List

With just over one month to go, here’s the skinny on 10 things SFG are planning to tick off our DLXXII bucket-list…

  1. See the most divisive Headliner in Download history

Yeah yeah we’ve read all the whinging bros on the forums and comment sections, but let’s face it – Sleep Token ran a sold out tour, are bringing a different sound, and have an actual stage show to offer. I could name a lot of headliners who’ve come before who were boring as fuck, so I’m going in fresh and ready to experience something new. If your sensitive lil temperament can’t take it, go elsewhere – the beauty of Download is, there’s always something else on!

2. Grab a craft beer to drink on the fancy shmancy roof terrace of the Mercian Axe Brewery Bar

Ok, so this is probably a tall order with how many people are also going to be clamouring to do this… but doesn’t a lovely cold bev, in a rooftop beer garden, overlooking one of the 7 wonders of the world, sound absolutely divine? Pray for sunshine everyone.

3. Wear everything Adidas to watch KoRn

No. I didn’t get any of the actual Kornidas collaboration merch. Yes, I do want to live my best 90’s sportluxe life anyway.

4. Extracurricular activities

Apparently Download is the place to revisit the joy of Primary school this year, so catch me at a Live Blacksmithing workshop and then running the Egg-and-Spoon race at the Heavy Metal School Sports event. Jk, I think the Séance is probably more my speed, bring it on demonkind.

5. Get a giant bucket of churros and feel sick for the rest of the night

There is nothing more exciting than receiving your giant bucket of hot fried sugar on a cold festival night… and nothing more humbling than eating two and immediately regretting your decisions. Best shared by a group, friendly warning. I will however, be avoiding the fuck outta the Yorkshire Puddings after last years’ heavily reported Brownload fiasco.

6 .Ooo-weee-oooo with Weezer

Come on, you’ve got to admit this is a class booking. Everyone likes Weezer, even people who pretend not to. If they bring merchandise I’m absolutely cooked.

7. Get brackish with Kittie and try out our MJ moves with Alien Ant Farm

This line-up is the stuff of my teenage emo dreams honestly, but the likelihood of me throwing my back out moshing, or falling flat on my face trying to do ‘the lean’ is feeling quite high.

8. RockFit mornings in The Village

So I read some comments on the FB group from people who are worried that they’ll be missing a few workout days while they’re living at Download. First of all – can’t relate. If you’re out running a circuit of the campsites before 8am, I both salute you, and wish you many hours of therapy. What I will stand by though, is the very silly fun time that RockFit presents. Will I actually drag my tired hungover ass there? TBD.

9. Live the cult Vengaboys experience.

For whom the Vengabus tolls; it tolls for thee. This is the single most brilliant booking Download have ever made, because it is 100% a very silly joke that has reached it’s pinnacle. My applause will be undying, and you must believe me when I say; hey now hey now, hear what I say now, happiness is just around the corner.

10. Finally find out who PRESIDENT are

Look, if it’s a national address from the Cheeto-in-Chief I’m going to be very upset. Please don’t be shit after all this hype, ok?

See you there, fellow field-dwellers – cross your fingers for a dry one!

DLXXII: BEYOND THE BANDS

With less than two months to go until the mighty return of Download Festival, DLXXII has unleashed its ‘Beyond The Bands’ offerings, giving Download-goers an even more exciting experience onsite with brand new food, drink, wellness and sport options. Taking place on 11-15 June 2025 at the hallowed grounds of Donington Park, Download will be headlined by Green Day, Sleep Token and Korn. You can buy the last remaining tickets here: www.downloadfestival.co.uk.
 
Brand new for this year’s DLXXII are the Mercian Axe brewery bar where you can find locally brewed beers, the Hair Of The Dog pub complete with roof terrace and beer garden, and brand new arena bar The Iron Harp. Our Low & No bar, Bar Zero returns, as well as the Raven Records’ pop-up vinyl store, which also offers alcohol-free options, coffee and heavy metal talking therapy.
 
For the first time, Download will see live blacksmithing workshops, new immersive experience Darkfield Séance and a Heavy Metal Sports Day. There will also be axe throwing, skate ramps, a new and improved wellness, yoga and talking therapy offering, wrestling, RockFit, live fire cooking demos, daily themed quizzes, and a bigger and better Download MegastoreOld Sarum Tattoo will also be returning to Download this year.
 
This year will see over 160 fantastic food traders across the festival, with returning festival favourites and some brand new ones, with more than ever catering to vegan, vegetarian and gluten free dietary requirements. There will be a huge variety of options on display, from Rock & Roll Toastie to C’est Cheese to Halloumination to late night shawarma at Kebab Kartel to puddings at Custard & Crumble and Yay Churros.
 
Additionally, the Welders Yard food and drink area will be returning to the top of the main arena on an even larger scale, complete with Beer Hall, the aforementioned Bar Zero, and an array of food options, including authentic American smokehouse BBQ, homemade Spanish churros and Bangladeshi / Indian street food.
 
Following on from the recent District X announcement featuring live sets from the likes of Vengaboys, DJ sets, comedy and live podcasts, the DLXXII’s Beyond The Bands offerings prove that Download is much more than just its stellar band line-up, with truly something for everyone to enjoy across the five days. More information and tickets at www.downloadfestival.co.uk

DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL UNVEILS THREE-DAY STAGE AT THE GREAT ESCAPE 2025


Download Festival is bringing the noise to Brighton next month at The Great Escape with its very own stage under the famous city seafront arches at The Volks. Spanning three days of heavy hitters, rising alt-stars and future Download favourites, the stage will spotlight the best of the new wave – all primed for bigger things.

Catch chaos-ready sets from Mouth Culture, Twenty One Children, Karen Dio, Zetra, Vower, James and The Cold GunBEXJayler and more across Thursday 15 to Saturday 17 May. Whether you’re scouting your next favourite band or want a taste of what’s to come at Donington at DLXXII, this is your chance to get up close and loud as the festival season kicks off.

The Download stage at TGE highlights the festival’s ongoing commitment to championing new music. Artists like Sleep Token made their mark at the festival in 2018 and now headline Download 2025 – a testament to the platform and progression the festival supports. Download also partners with Kerrang! Radio on ‘The Deal’, an initiative for unsigned bands, with the winner earning the chance to open the Avalanche Stage at Donington.

Expect three stacked days of riffs, noise and non-stop energy as Download shines a spotlight on the artists shaping the future of rock, metal and everything in between. Access to the shows is via a TGE festival wristband and is subject to capacity.

Synonymous with new music discovery and acting as a springboard for rising artists, The Great Escape is the festival for new music. Playing host to over 450 up-and-coming artists and hotly tipped talent across 35+ walkable venues, alongside the music industry-led TGE conference, the festival will kick off the 2025 season from 14 – 17 May in Brighton, England. Tickets for The Great Escape festival start from £50 and are on sale here.   

DLXXII will see Green Day, Sleep Token and Korn headline the festival with the likes of Jimmy Eat World, Weezer, Rise Against, Shinedown, Bullet For My Valentine, Spiritbox, Don Broco, Palaye Royale, Meshuggah, Within Temptation, Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter, Steel Panther, The Darkness, Eagles Of Death Metal, Myles Kennedy, McFly, Jerry Cantrell and many more joining them on the bill.  Download 2025 tickets are on sale now: www.downloadfestival.co.uk

DLXXII: District X unleashes biggest line-up yet

With less than three months to go, Download Festival has revealed its thrilling line-up for District X – Download’s renowned festival within a festival. Featuring iconic pop legends Vengaboysspecial DJ sets from festival favourites, intimate acoustic performances, electrifying secret sets, new quizzes, live podcasts, comedy, and unique entertainment experiences, District X promises to take Downloaders into another dimension. Taking place from 11–15 June 2025 at the legendary Donington Park, Download Festival continues to redefine festival experiences beyond the main arena. Last remaining weekend tickets are available now at www.downloadfestival.co.uk.
 
District X expands the Download experience with entertainment running around-the-clock, creating another dimension that sets Download apart. Offering a wide range of activities beyond the music, from immersive performances to interactive events, it ensures festivalgoers have something to enjoy at any hour. This year’s diverse programme makes District X an essential part of the Download weekend, giving fans a richer, broader weekend that extends beyond the main arena.
 
Headlining this year’s District X programme as one of the most requested bookings of all time, the legendary Vengaboys will take to Donington Park by fan demand, bringing their iconic hits and high-energy performance for a nostalgic and unforgettable party experience.
 
Joining the party, Cradle of Filth frontman Dani Filth will take to the decks for a blistering DJ set. Expect a nightmarish mix of gothic anthems and metal classics, curated by one of the most recognisable figures in heavy music. Further bolstering the Friday night schedule, Aled Phillips from Kids In Glass Houses joins the District X DJ line-up, kicking off the evening ahead of a special acoustic set from Welsh post-hardcore icons Funeral For A Friend, followed by McFly’s bassist Dougie Poynter who will promise a setlist packed with crowd favourites and unexpected gems. Liam Cormier of Cancer Bats also steps up for a heavy-hitting DJ set with high energy late into the night with a high-octane performance from MODESTEP (DJ Set) – the  bass-driven powerhouse known for fusing dubstep with rock and metal – rounding off the night in explosive style.
 
Further District X highlights include Now That’s What I Call A 00’s Mixtape – a full-throttle throwback party hosted by Sophie K, packed with the biggest noughties anthems and alt-rock favourites. DJ sets from Zoe London and Hang The DJs will bring high-energy genre-spanning selections to the late-night crowd, while She They Press Play delivers a bold and boundary-pushing celebration of alternative culture.
 
A special highlight for wrestling enthusiasts, District X welcomes the renowned Lucha Britannia wrestling showcase in an exclusive collaboration with festival favourites Slay Duggee. Taking place on Wednesday night, this unique fusion brings an edgy twist to classic wrestling entertainment.
 
Returning favourites like Emo Drag Karaoke, Silent Disco, and the End of The World Party will ensure the party never stops, while new additions such as live podcasts with special guest appearances including an eagerly anticipated session with rock royalty Justin Hawkins (The Darkness).  His acclaimed YouTube series, ‘Justin Hawkins Rides Again,’ has captivated music fans worldwide, making his District X appearance a must-see festival highlight. On Wednesdays We Wear Black, who champion inclusivity in the heavy music scene through their sharp humour and unfiltered takes, will also be bringing their much-loved podcast to Download.
 
District X will also feature a range of brand-new experiences, including interactive quizzes including Green Day, Sleep Token and Korn-themed quizzes with Kitty Cowellwrestling showcases, bingo with an alternative twist, Never Mind The Download pub quiz, comedy sessions from rising stars, aerobics and sports day events. With surprise secret sets scheduled across the weekend, as first revealed by the exclusive Download Family inner circle newsletter earlier this month, attendees can expect the unexpected at every turn.
 
Download Festival welcomes back DARKFIELD following last year’s surreal EULOGY show, this time with their flagship experience, SÉANCE—an immersive encounter guaranteed to unnerve and captivate. This intense 20-minute sonic performance places 20 festivalgoers inside a pitch-black 24ft container, transformed into a Victorian séance room where immersive 3D audio manipulates the senses. blurring the line between reality and the supernatural.
 
Flow State Wellness returns to Download with an expanded offering for 2025, providing festivalgoers with a perfect, calming way to start their day at the Outpost. Running every morning, these immersive sessions will guide attendees through breathwork, gentle movement, mindfulness meditations, and sound healing. In addition to morning sessions, Flow State Wellness will also offer daily drop-ins within the main arena, creating space for relaxation and grounding between sets.
 
New for 2025, Blink will be hosting wellbeing tents in District X, offering a dedicated space to unwind, take part in mindfulness activities, and have open conversations about mental health. Attendees will also have access to free professional single-session talking therapy with qualified psychologists and counsellors, providing vital support in a relaxed and inclusive environment.
 
Diverse UK is expanding its presence at Download this year, increasing from one space in the arena to two. Their sensory calm spaces offer a vital retreat for neurodivergent festivalgoers and those in need of a quiet, regulated environment, ensuring Download remains a festival that welcomes everyone.
 
District X is bigger and better for 2025, with enhanced décor, vibrant lighting, and a transformed festival space. The popular ‘Ace of Spades’ venue has been expanded, now welcoming crowds of up to 2,000 fans, while the all-new ‘Gravers Return’ bar and food area offers festivalgoers a lively spot to unwind and recharge. Thrilling skate ramp demos across District X & the Main Arena, and improved accessibility throughout the festival guarantee an unrivalled experience from start to finish.
 
Families aren’t forgotten at Download DLXXII, with the dedicated Mini Moshers campsite (application required) offering a family-friendly environment to ensure even the youngest rockers have an incredible festival experience. Packed with fun and excitement, Mini Moshers can look forward to live performances from the much-loved Slay Duggee, known for transforming children’s favourite songs and theme tunes into high-energy metal anthems and Rock Kids, whose energetic, interactive shows include everything from epic singalongs and snow machines to their famous ‘wall of hugs’.
 
This packed line-up confirms that District X remains the ultimate late-night entertainment hub, offering Downloaders an unforgettable festival experience from dusk until dawn.
Tickets and full information available at www.downloadfestival.co.uk. Sign up for exclusive news and offers as part of the Download Family at https://downloadfestival.co.uk/family/.
 
DLXXII will see Green Day, Sleep Token and Korn headline the festival with the likes of Jimmy Eat World, Weezer, Rise Against, Shinedown, Bullet For My Valentine, Spiritbox, Don Broco, Palaye Royale, Meshuggah, Within Temptation, Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter, Steel Panther, The Darkness, Eagles Of Death Metal, Myles Kennedy, McFly, Jerry Cantrell and many more joining them on the bill. 
 
Book your tickets now: www.downloadfestival.co.uk

100 DAYS TO GO UNTIL DOWNLOAD XXII

Download Festival, the greatest rock and metal festival of all time, is now only 100 days away. With the countdown now truly on, celebrate this year’s festival with our round up of Download By Numbers. This year’s festival will take place on 13-15 June 2025 at the spiritual home of rock in Donington Park, Leicestershire. Tickets are available now at www.downloadfestival.co.uk.
 
DOWNLOAD BY NUMBERS
 
22 years of Download Festival
9 stages across the site, offering an array of entertainment across the weekend
120+ artists, from headliners Green Day, Sleep Token and Korn on the Apex Stage, to new talent on the Avalanche and Dogtooth Stages, to DJs and secret sets in District X
90,000+ fans set to descend on Donington Park
100,000 expected mosh and circle pit steps per person
30,000 Download t-shirts in production
6000 new Download patches in production
5000 members of crew needed to build the site in 20 days
3690 barrels of beer and cider being brewed
3000 Download rubber ducks in production
3000 Download pin badges in production
1500+ yurts, chalets, tipis and airstreams in RIP Metal Meadow
931.56 acres of land to host Download Festival
300 bottles of champagne on the band riders
200 horns thrown by the Download Dog across the weekend
170 food and drinks traders onsite
150 miles cycled by the Heavy Metal Truants to get to Download each year
127 Big Green Coach vehicles used to get fans to the festival in the greenest possible way
57 golf buggies onsite to transport artists and crew
50 fans heading to the festival on their own to create a community in Camp Loner
48 countries represented by fans
46 tattooists onsite
34 hours of live music
20 British Sign Language interpreters available for customers
17 countries represented on the line-up
vegan food outlets 
3 secret sets in District X
4 exclusive plush Download Dog designs in production
Download Dog groomers onsite
and only time McFly have performed
1 unforgettable weekend of the best rock and metal music the world has to offer
0 Kilowatts of unrenewable energy used to power the Rock Retreat
 
DLXXII will see Green Day, Sleep Token and Korn headline the festival with the likes of Jimmy Eat World, Weezer, Rise Against, Shinedown, Bullet For My Valentine, Spiritbox, Don Broco, Palaye Royale, Meshuggah, Within Temptation, Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter, Steel Panther, The Darkness, Eagles Of Death Metal, Myles Kennedy, McFly, Jerry Cantrell and many more joining them on the bill.
 
Book your tickets now: www.downloadfestival.co.uk.

Download 2025: Headliners and 90+ bands revealed

Download Festival, the greatest rock and metal festival of all time, returns for its 22nd edition, reborn and recharged in 2025 as DLXXII. Announced today are three first-time headlinersGreen Day, Sleep Token and Korn—alongside over 90 more colossal names spanning the full spectrum of rock, metal, punk, emo, hardcore, alternative and classic rock.

This year’s festival will take place on 13-15 June 2025 at the spiritual home of rock in Donington Park, Leicestershire.

 General tickets are onsale at 9pm on Thursday 14 November at www.downloadfestival.co.uk.
 
For the first time in Download Festival’s history, next year’s edition will showcase a trio of headliners who are entirely new to topping the main stage. This exciting milestone underscores Download’s unwavering commitment to delivering a fresh, groundbreaking lineup year after year, giving fans even more reasons to be part of this unmissable experience.
 
Also announced today are UK and international heavyweights Weezer, Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter, Jimmy Eat World, Within Temptation, Eagles Of Death Metal, The Darkness, Poppy, Loathe, Spiritbox, Meshuggah, Steel Panther, Airbourne, Jerry Cantrell, Cradle Of Filth, Alien Ant Farm, CKY, McFly, Don Broco, Mallory Knox, The Ghost Inside, Turbonegro, Sylosis, Whitechapel, Fit For An Autopsy, Lorna Shore, Kittie, Jinjer and so many more.
 
Punk-rock royalty Green Day are set to make their long-awaited debut at Download Festival, headlining for the first time in their 37-year career. Known for their high-energy performances and a career that’s shaped the landscape of rock, Green Day has built a legacy of unforgettable live shows that will electrify the crowd on Friday night. The band are fresh off celebrating two major milestones—the 30th anniversary of their trailblazing album Dookie and the 20th anniversary of the culture-shaping American Idiot—Green Day continues to prove why they’re one of the most iconic and influential bands in the world.
 
The mysterious Sleep Token have skyrocketed since their inception in 2016, and the anonymous masked collective have gone from strength to strength, headlining arenas this month and now about to embark on their very first Download headline set. Clocking up millions of monthly listeners, the alternative rock outfit are set to play the performance of their life at the hallowed grounds of Donington on Saturday.
 
The festival’s grand finale will come at the hands of nu-metal legends Korn, who will also be headlining Download for the very first time. The Californian five-piece formed in 1993 but have never been more relevant, and their recent shows have caused a huge buzz in the rock community. Having inspired the likes of Slipknot, Limp Bizkit, Machine Head and Sepultura during their 31 years of being a band, Korn are well and truly ready to finally headline Download.
 
Download Festival’s Andy Copping says: “Following on from last year’s sold out 21st edition, Download’s legacy not only includes the incredible artists who have performed at the hallowed grounds over the years, but also our unrivalled community, safe and warm atmosphere, and fantastic afterhours entertainment at District X, with something for truly everyone.”
 
The DLXXII line up was announced at a very special Metal Gala launch event at One Marylebone this evening, where the rock and metal elite gathered under one roof. The one and only Paddy Considine (House Of The Dragon, Peaky Blinders), who will be playing at this year’s Download with his band Riding The Low, stars in this year’s announcement video, alongside other Humans Of Download. Like he says in the short film titled ‘Est Momentum’, Download is “a place where legends are born. This is where you belong.”
 
This is only the beginning for DLXXII, with many more acts and surprises yet to be announced. Book your tickets now: www.downloadfestival.co.uk.
 

Download Festival 2024 – THE BIG REVIEW!

Return to the Castle! Donington, we’ve missed you – but we are home on your hallowed fields for Download Festival XXI, and it feels like the beginning of a new era.

There’s a new production company running the site this year, who when quizzed at the DL Press Conference earlier this year, mentioned that they had a lot of plans in place to avoid the colossal road issues of 2023. As it stands, we sailed right in with no traffic whatsoever, which means something has gone right. Sure last year was a bit of an outlier with an extra day to contend with and a considerably higher volume of people entering, but still – this may be the smoothest it has ever gone.

One notable dark stain on this year’s event though, is the fact that a cadre of bands have pulled out of the line-up due to the ongoing sponsorship of Download by Barclays, who have clear financial links to companies supplying arms to Israel. The bands who have pulled out up to this point are; Speed, Scowl, Zulu, Ithaca and Pest Control who commented “We cannot sacrifice the principles held by this band and by the scene we come from and represent, just for personal gain.”. As it stands, Download have made no comment on the boycott, but it is later announced that Barclays have pulled sponsorship from all of Live Nation’s 2024 events, which include Download, Latitude and the Isle of Wight festival.

Following this announcement, Enter Shikari posted on their social media that they had previously been in talks with Download, expressing their objections about the sponsorship and working with other bands to exert pressure, through ‘Bands Boycott Barclays’ and that they are satisfied with this result.

Aside from all that news, the one other thing we are all keeping a worried eye on is the weather. We’ve had a good run of a few dry years, but it seems we aren’t going to escape the Midlands monsoon season this time around. As we pull into the lush greenery of the carparks, the ground is looking decent but the skies are looking ominous.

FRIDAY

Starting our day off at The Village to check out the Download Megastore, we are greeted by an absolutely torrential downpour to really get the weekend going, and we watch as people start racing for the queue-free Co-Op store across the tarmac. One meal deal and a poncho please.

Inside, the store is chock full of fun merchandise, interesting displays and even a tiny café and some arcade games. The basic point of it seems to be, as a place to sell some of the more niche products that Download have started offering over the years, but I have to say, it’s a helluva trek for anyone on a weekend or day ticket who isn’t camped out this way – especially since external bus terminals are about an hour and half walk in the opposite direction.

For those that do make it out here though, you can spend your hard earned cash some some really silly brilliant stuff like; a full DL bedding set, a rock-duck (stored inside a giant rock-duck), jewellery, posters, boiler suits and an array of special edition tshirts. If that doesn’t tickle your pickle, how about a Grandad Skateboards deck which looks like one of the stage Totem poles? Or maybe a bottle of Lou’s Brews bright green Download hot sauce, and a Father’s Day ‘Rockin’ Dad’ tshirt? Actually I did try and purchase one of these but a lot of sizes had already sold out.

One thing I did go in for, was some of the once again excellent collaboration of Mary Wyatt x Download. The designs are really interesting and unique, and the quality of the clothing is second to none. I could have spent a fortune (especially after I missed out last year, the merch sells so quickly!) but I ended up with a cropped vest featuring Donington Castle and a black-metal style Download logo. Long may this collaboration continue, it’s a perfect match.

As we head into the arena, it’s pretty clear that the ground isn’t going to survive. There’s already mud, we’re putting on and taking off raincoats every half hour, but you know what? It’s damn good to be back in a field with the gang. On Apex we catch a bit of Welsh rockers Those Damn Crows who are putting on a lively set in the face of some pretty wild wind, followed by local Derbyshire talent The Struts whose vocalist Luke Spiller is indeed strutting about the stage confidently in his white cowboy boots, despite the rain slick. It does kinda seem like classic rock has been pushed to the early slots this year, but there are a lot of people out having a damn good time.

Unfortunately the storms keep comin’ and it isn’t long before the arena is swamped. Standing in the rain isn’t the end of the world or anything, but not being able to sit down between sets or eat a non-soggy burger it is kind of annoying. Luckily we are too awestruck to care when Polyphia hit the Apex stage. Wow is an understatement for this band, the euphoric and intricate guitar-work is unrivalled in current rock music. Sure there’s a bit of pyro and guitarist Tim Henson calls out “Let’s see some fucking crowd surfers” to tick off some festival bingo boxes, but honestly most people seem to just be standing around mesmerised. I’d be happy if they played every year.

© Toddow Young for Download Festival

Over on the Opus stage Soft Play (formerly known as Slaves) are having a delightfully rowdy time, telling everyone they “…used to play to absolutely no-one, now we’re here” and making everyone chant “fuck the hi-hat” for no apparent reason. It’s a decent crowd but I’ll be honest – not really my jam.

© Andrew Whitton for Download Festival

Slip-sliding back over to main for Black Stone Cherry who are trying their very best to bring some Kentucky warmth to the UK, “Download! Are we having a good time yet? Even in the rain and cold?” elicits a roar. We might be good at whinging, but we’re also good at just getting the fuck on with things here. ‘Soul Creek’ and ‘In My Blood’ are excellent but it’s the very singable ‘White Trash Millionaire’ and ‘Blame It On The Boom Boom’ that get everyone going, it’s a great set.

I do have a bone to pick with the arena set up though. Why does the sound tent centre stage keep getting taller and taller. The Liquid Death plastered monolith now completely eclipses an entire runway up the hill, there’s no peak point you can see over the top of it from. With the huge sound towers (of Babel as Andy Copping puts it) as well, there’s quite a lot of view obstruction in the arena now, but especially of the artist runway into the centre.

©Matt Higgs for Download Festival

Great strides have also been attempted when it comes to accessibility after last year’s fiasco – there’s a clear run of festival flooring between routes in from camping and stages, but I suspect that they won’t last long unencumbered as the weather continues.

Before the next biblical downpour we fight our way around some of the stalls and food outlets in the centre to grab some delicious gyoza and have a mooch around the Mysticum Luna shop for some jewellery.

Next up, Royal Blood are fun and upbeat jumping all over the damp stage, but they are plagued by technical issues throughout their set. I guess the weather situation is affecting all areas. We make the trudge back over to Opus, (which is already getting difficult) to see our favourite Horrible Histories nostalgia band Heilung… aaand so has everyone else. It is jam-packed out here, spilling across the road and right up to the shops. There is something undeniably hypnotic about Faust’s throat-singing overlayed with the rhythmic percussion of cursed instruments (no really, there’s a rattle filled with human ashes dontcha know) and it is utterly enthralling to watch. To be completely honest though, there is one point where it sounded exactly like the music that plays in the steam/forest room at a fancy spa, and you can’t convince me otherwise. I also wonder if it takes hair and make-up a long time to make it look like they’ve been dragged through a bush, because I already look like that and I’ve only been here a few hours. Anyway, Viking dance party? 10/10, I’m here for it.

© Matt Higgs for Download Festival

At Avalanche, Wheatus – the little band that could are brining the noughties nostalgia for a change-up and we LOVE it. Their line-up might have almost completely changed over the years, but Brendan B Brown’sunique vocals still sound exactly like the Teenage Dirtbag we all loved. Last year they played a stonking 42 date tour, with entirely crowd-curated sets spanning their entire recording history and it seems so fitting that they get to crown that here at Donington, singing “I’ve got two tickets to Iron Maiden baby…” at the very location Iron Maiden have inhabited many times over.

Following that, the queue for Busted at avalanche is impassible. There’s a long history of Download booking enormously popular bands in tents that aren’t able to adequately house the numbers, and it seems like this year is no different. Though Busted might seem like a controversial line-up inclusion, the times they are a-changing, and they probably represent quite a large number of people’s gateway into the rock and metal scene from the now core age group of Download. At any rate, the bangers are there of course, but it seems like a much heavier version of them that has come to play, and I’m never not going to giggle at swearing from wholesome people.

© Matt Higgs for Download Festival

Unfortunately some set time changes meant we missed all but the last little snippet of Biohazard over on the Dogtooth stage, but they did end strong and fantastically chaotic as always.

Queens Of The Stone Age take to the Apex stage to bring home night one, with a very aesthetically pleasing stage set up. Receding neon lights form a sort of pyramid shaped tunnel for the band to stand inside as they kick off with ‘Little Sister’ and ‘Burn The Witch’.

“What beautiful English weather were having” laughs Josh Homme before he yells“Repeat after me, I’m so fucked up I feel amazing” and “You cunts are alright” but really it all sounds a bit forced.

‘Go With The Flow’ and ‘The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret’ go hard, but as the set progresses I can’t help but think it’s a bit samey and not the kind of exceptional show I expect to see from a headline act. Yes they’re really good at what they do, but something feels off and flat in the crowd – indeed a lot of people seem to be heading off early.

Yelling “Girls get on the boys shoulders, tonight the security works for me.. this place is ours” is maybe the most lively it has gotten tonight, as people clamber on top of their friends to acquiesce. Closing out with ‘No-one Knows’ and ‘A Song For The Dead’, gives QOTSA a brighter uptick to end on but I don’t know if it really saved the whole set. They weren’t bad by any means, they just weren’t spectacular – and we have come to expect spectacular from Download headliners.

© Danny North for Download Festival

SATURDAY

On our way into the arena this morning, we spoke to a couple of members of the car park management team who were just being radioed to put their golf umbrellas away, as one of their members elsewhere on site was struck by lightning this morning. Thankfully they’re ok and on their way to hospital, but given the tropical weather we’ve been having I’m surprised we’ve seen nothing struck in the actual arena up til now. In the Press area we go visit the Liquid Death pink hearse and grab a couple of cans from the cooler-casket (where can I get one, what a rad idea for a Halloween party) and visit the Mary Wyatt pop-up who are handing out ponchos both there and out in the crowd. They are sincerely doing the lord’s work, this poncho saved my life.

Unfortunately yet another announcement mars this morning, with Electric Callboy cancelling their hotly anticipated set due to vocalist Nico Sallach being ill. I think this would have been one of the busiest sets of the weekend, after last year’s tent fiasco where people were crammed into the oven-like Avalanche stage like lightly baked sardines.

Bambie Thug up first on Apex has really suffered from the weather situation, there are a lot less people eager to arrive before the morning’s downpour has concluded, but they put on an engaging and fun show, ending with the brilliant ‘Doomsday Blue’ off the back of their Eurovision entry. Wargasm also deserved a rowdier crowd, but alas the rain was relentless at this point.

© Sarah Louise Bennett for Download Festival

A brief reprise of sun heralds Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes but the arena is now an absolute state. Whilst site crews have been skimming the arena to remove some of the mud, the rain is just making for an impossible task – and unfortunately there’s nowhere near enough hay to make headway in the high traffic areas. Frank fans make no concessions however, and seem to be going hard down at the front, as Frank himself – wearing a pink cardigan, yells “I fucking love you Download” and leaps into the crowd for a quick surf.

© Matt Higgs for Download Festival

Karnivool on Opus are just good solid metal with a decent turnout, but following that, Bleed From Within’s set was severely delayed, and basically ended up as just a performance of Metallica’s ‘Enter Sandman’ with comedians Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan, for their Sky TV show. Yeah sure it’s funny and something special but, I’m fairly sure the people we actually came to see the band weren’t super pleased that’s all there was.

Also unfortunately for RØRY (an artist who has actually been making music for a long time, but has recently blown up on social media for her and her partners’ posts about living with ADHD) she has been scheduled at the exact same time as Babymetal, in an area that is accessed only via mudslide.

Sadly, we probably should have been over there instead since Babymetal went a little something like; They walk slowly on stage like they’re bridesmaids at a wedding, wearing rainbow warrior outfits. They play one and a half songs before the music screeches to a standstill and they’re ushered off stage. The deluge begins, and is so strong we have to crouch to avoid getting knocked over by the sideways barrage. Fifteen minutes elapse, the rain finally ceases. We get three more songs when they finally re-emerge, but the last one is ‘RATATATA’ which probably should have included a cameo from Electric Callboy but obviously couldn’t. Sigh. They also decided to ask everyone to “Get down low” and crouch after a massive storm shower which just seems a little ridiculous, and I am more than a little miffed that this is the second time I’ve stood in the rain to watch Babymetal at Download.

© Toddow Young for Download Festival

Luckily the sun actually begins to shine and the clouds are replaced by bright blue skies – at least for now. I am especially thankful for this at the start of Enter Shikari, with Rou Reynolds practically catapulting himself onto the stage with glee, wearing extremely risky white trousers and a pink Shikari footie shirt. Starting off with his ‘System…’ monologue, and then launching straight into ‘Meltdown’ there is no doubt that this is going to be an absolutely stellar show.

‘Live Outside’ might not be aimed at being taken literally, but I do not in fact want to live outside this weekend thanks. Sorry to everyone camping. We love the ‘Sssnakepit’ circle pit that strikes up in the absolutely sodden front lines, and as Rou finishes his classic mid-show banana (not a euphemism) he shouts out “Make some noise for Wargasm right now” and is joined on stage by the duo for ‘The Void Stares Back’. We also get a snippet of their tour with Rou scaling a ladder and then falling backwards into one of the lighting effect towers, to be replaced by a dancing thermal image as he sneaks to the other side of the stage for a crowd surfing moment.

© Andrew Whitton for Download Festival

“I’m so tempted…” he says, being filmed frantically by the tech crew, and then launches himself backwards off the gangway right into a mud swamp. A true man of the people. Later, I found a tiktok of Rou’s stylist watching this in abject horror – a beautiful thing. After the inevitable changing of the fucked monitor he had on him, the band finish up with an expected Rou soliloquy “Enter Shikari would like to stand with our Jewish friends, our Muslim friends, our atheist friends, all of you. I hope to God there’s a Gaza left when this fucking atrocity ends.” to a huge roar of solidarity from the crowd. Closer ‘A Kiss For The Whole World’ seems entirely fitting, and is crowned by a huge double rainbow over the arena. I would very much endorse a Shikari headline set here.

© Andrew Whitton for Download Festival

On Opus, Tom Morello is giving a masterclass in Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave hits, and thanks everyone for all the times he’s been able to play Download festival. I for one would probably throw up with joy if Rage decided to reunite for return to Donington – the last time they played was absolutely mindblowing. As a former touring guitarist with Bruce Springsteen (wild diversity I know) it’s fitting to hear a cover of ‘The Ghost of Tom Joad’, especially when he flips it over to play with his teeth, revealing a giant ‘Ceasefire’. Finishing up with “…an old English folk song” – the best Christmas Number 1 we ever had ‘Killing In The Name’ and ‘Power To The People’ with guest drummer, 14 year old sensation Nandi Bushell, secure Tom’s set as one of the best of this weekend.

© Abbie Shipperley for Download Festival

Pantera have a large crowd despite Phil Anselmo’s pretty well recorded history of well, saying racist shit. It’s an interesting booking to be honest, especially in a punk/activist stacked lineup. They seem to be having a nice time and keeping it schtum, but I do wonder if their ‘fuck the Tories’ exit music is an attempt at reparative lipservice.

On the main stage, The Offspring deliver one of the best shows of the entire weekend, it’s like mainlining pure nostalgia right to the heart. They look as cool as they ever did to me as a teenage punk, and they sound phenomenal. ‘All I Want’ is screamed at the top of everyone’s lungs, and Dexter and Noodles joke around like we’re hanging with them at a jam session “Can you feel the love coming off this audience?”“I can feel a lot of stuff coming off this audience…”. Each song gets it’s own digital backdrop of which album it has come from, the true Eras tour. Dex yells “Download Fest you are fucking beautiful once again” before they up the ante with ‘Staring At The Sun’ and a cover of Ramones’ ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’.

© James Bridle for Download Festival

“Do we have any classic metal fans… this is a classic metal song…” did not lead where I thought it would lead, and instead to Edvard Grieg’s ‘In The Hall Of The Mountain King’ otherwise known in the UK as, the Alton Towers theme music, which was quite fun as a punk rock song. ‘A Million Miles Away’ from Conspiracy of One and ‘Why Don’t You Get A Job’ from Americana are both iconic, and this is the most crowd interaction I’ve seen for a band all weekend.

“They don’t care if they got rained on, they’re out here rocking their ass off” shouts Noodles, before they throw giant marble-like inflatable balls out into the crowd and give us ‘Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)’. The Offspring are just consummate showmen, something I think a lot of punk rock bands have in common – they’re comedians as well as musicians and it really gives them the edge in crowd engagement. ‘You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid’ is a lot of fun, there are quite a few giddy kids who are excited to sing the word ‘fuck’ out here, but ‘The Kids Aren’t Alright’ and ‘Self Esteem’ are the absolute cherry on the cake of this truly brilliant set. They are the anthem to my youth and I’ve loved every second.

© James Bridle for Download Festival

Tonight’s headliner Fall out boy, are hotly anticipated – off the back of last year’s sold out stadium tour the arena is full right back to the big wheel ready for them. Starting off with some interesting staging we see Patrick Stump on the screens, dressed in… a hospital gown. He is let loose from his backstage hospital bed onto the main stage with the rest of the band, where there are giant video walls and a curiously large black sofa.

There’s no adaptation to a heavier style here whatsoever, they are unapologetically themselves and I love that. ‘Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy’ is an immediate throwback, to easier times of sideways hair and multiple studded belts. ‘Sugar, We’re Going Down’ hits a lot of people right in the singing-at-house-parties-with-your-mates feels and ‘Dance, Dance’ with those keyhole logos splashed all over the screens, is absolutely iconic.

The Infinity on High portion of the night comes with a flying sheep (yes really) and a ton of pyro to really solidify that headline slot production value. Also, if you aren’t singing the misheard lyrics of “Golf cart arse face” to ‘This Ain’t A Scene It’s An Arms Race’ then we can’t be friends.

“Thank you for trusting us with your entertainment this evening. Last time we played here was 10 years ago, and we were kinda nervous to play this festival… but there’s 80 thousand of you making us feel better” laughs Pete Wentz, “I used to watch VHS tapes of Metallica playing Donington. The dream. This is so fucking special” he saysbefore giving us the fantastic ‘Thanks Fr Th Mmrs’.

Not to be outdone by other bands who have graced this stage (Kiss, Rammstein) Pete rocks a flame-cannon attached to his bass guitar for ‘Phoenix’, there’s an angry inflatable bear, heaps more pyro for ‘My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em’ Up)’ of course, then scary cheerleaders and even a little Munsters riff to pass the time. Truly I feel like they could play for half the night and I wouldn’t get bored.

© James Bridle for Download Festival

‘Immortals’ is another arena-wide singalong, with a sassy social media comment backdrop joking “Wow a one-word song title from Fall Out Boy” which racked up likes as they played. Can’t fault their eye to detail on this set, they’ve made it fun to watch as well as fun to listen to – something I really feel sets those great headliners apart from the average ones.

There’s a beautiful starry backdrop with a giant moon hanging above the stage for  ‘So Much (For) Stardust’, and then a fan throws a Ziploc bag with a card inside up onto the stage to ask the band to do their gender-reveal live. “Oh ok a gender reveal? Will it be a Fall Out boy or a Fall Out girl?… you’re having a boy!”.

‘Centuries’ is absolutely perfect and could easily have been the closer, but they give us one more with ‘Saturday’ – and, I’ll admit there’s something very brain-itchingly pleasing about ending with the namesake of the day you’re headlining, bravo. What I enjoy even more is the bonkers scene of a bunch of doctors and nurses helping Pete Wentz fly into the air on a bunch of balloons, surrounded by confetti and streamers blasted into the crowd. I’m not sure I really got the full screenplay of the night but I liked it regardless. What an incredible headline choice, this really was a highlight.

There’s a few fireworks to end the night but they’re mostly caught inside their own crowd of smoke so it isn’t that impressive, and of course it is beginning to rain once again.

SUNDAY

Cursed with the state of the arena, Download issue a statement that the arena will open an hour later today so that they can get a handle on the ground work – after yet another blast of rain this morning. Unfortunately with a big walk to the arena from shuttles and camping, shortened sets to accommodate and the now drying mud creating a shoe-sucking trench to go anywhere, it’s looking difficult to fit many bands into our schedule today.

We head off to see Royal Republic who play one of the most lively and fun shows of the weekend, we loved dancing with them to ‘Tommy Gun’ and ‘Ratatata’ (no not the Babymetal one). Zebrahead follow up with some pop-punk to a respectable sized crowd, but we decide to check out some of the shops along the back of that area. Amazingly, this whole section is on the dry stone standing and is relatively mud free.

We check out chains and rings at Tomfoolery, frog hats and silly sunglasses, patches, a vintage clothing store selling heaps of blank battle jackets for you to curate, and a Viking drinking horn shop. It reminds me that I really miss the (age) old set up of having all the shops along the racetrack itself – it was nice to have a shopping destination if you had a gap in your plans.

© Gobinder Jhitta for Download Festival

Over on Apex Kerry King is obviously slaying (ahem) but it does feel a bit strange that we said goodbye to Slayer at Download 2019 on their farewell tour, but today we get… well, basically a Slayer set. In the Dogtooth tent the must discussed secret act turns out to be a roaringly intense set from Aussie metalheads Parkway Drive who almost blast the roof off – I’m expecting to see them on the main stage next year and certainly for more than a very short thirty minutes. On Opus, Elvana have yet again pulled a huge crowd for their Elvis/Nirvana mash up silliness. I love them but they’ve pulled the short straw going up against Bowling For Soup in the beautiful sunshine.

I’m absolutely convinced that ‘Girl All The Bad Guys Want’ is Bowling For Soup’s response to The Offspring’s ‘Want You Bad’, but it’s such an ingrained iconic song that we are all singing along at the top of our voices. “It’s so weird being up here without Chris (Burney). He had to fly home to Oklahoma for some health stuff” the guys lament their missing member, before bringing a special guest onto the stage.“Isn’t that the guy from wheatus over there… the teenage dirtbag?” BBB does indeed come on stage to sing a little, and announce their joint tour coming in 2025. What a fun nostalgic collaboration to make January a little nicer next year.

After rudely Rickrolling us, they also bring out Zebrahead for ‘Punk Rock 101’ and then end with ‘1985’ – singing the absolutely perfect line for sharing the stage with another band today She rocked out to Wham, not a big Limp Bizkit fan”.

Sum 41’s final performance at Download is a bit of a tear-jerker, they like others on this bill were part of the pop-punk makeup that was so many people’s teenage gateway to rock and metal. I’d say they’re one of the big reasons I ended up here myself, and the huge crowd around me suggests a lot of people feel the same way.

Deryck Whibley is looking better than he has in a long time, jumping around the stage with wild abandon in his signature red creepers. ‘Motivation’, ‘In Too Deep’ and even a cover of Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’ are all excellently performed, but it’s Deryck’s words that catch us in the feels “We are so honoured to be here, this festival and these crowds hold a very sacred space in our hearts. It’s the last record we’re gonna make”. Cue the loud boos across the arena.

© James Bridle for Download Festival

“Your boos are so heartwarming… It’s been almost 30 years hasn’t everyone had enough of sum 41?” as the resounding ‘No’ is screamed back at them they tell us“We’re gonna fucking miss You we promise you. Thank you for all these years. There might be one more chance this year we can see you. Keep your ears peeled.” and launch into ‘Fat Lip’ and finally ‘Still Waiting’. The refrain “This can’t last forever” is a nice little note to remind you, go see your favourite bands while they’re still around.

A giant travesty of the weekend is putting Limp Bizkit, Corey Taylor and Hoobastank on all at the same time, with impassable mud trenches in between.

In the end we can’t help but choose Limp Bizkit – mostly for the memories. Swanning in wearing baggy white trousers, a baseball jersey and a baby blue bucket hat, Fred Durst struts to ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ before throwing down with ‘Break Stuff’. He might have a grey beard these days but damn does he sound just the way I remember. It’s powerful, it’s nostalgic, and it does indeed make you want to break stuff.

© Danny North for Download Festival

“I hope you don’t mind we brought the California Sun with us” Fred jokes, but quickly notices those rowdy front centre pits “If someone falls down we pick em back up. Help each other out”. We are also made to sing-along with Oasis’ ‘Wonderwall’ a cheeky little diss from Fred, who once said that he was a big Oasis fan and even had Liam Gallagher’s autograph, despite Liam publically labelling Limp Bizkit as “Shite”. “Liam, you hear that? We are fucking waiting on you Oasis!” Fred quips, but the laughs subside and we are given what we really came for – ‘Rollin (Air Raid Vehicle’. Suddenly half the crowd seems to be wearing a red hat (remember when they were cool, before MAGA idiots co-opted them?) and we are all dancing the moves like true noughties kids.

Rollin’ is outtro’ed with a little bit of ‘Proud Mary’, because the rain this weekend really has us rollin’ on the river, and it’s onto hit after hit with ‘My Generation’ and ‘My Way’. There is a short stoppage mid-song for Fred to make security aware of an issue in the crowd “There’s something wrong over there, get someone in there”, but he then brings someone from the crowd up onto the stage to sing with him – “Great job brother let’s hear it for the Loco!”.

The band play a fun little request section with snippets of George Michael’s ‘Faith’, Nirvana ‘Come As You Are’ and Metallica’s ‘Master of Puppets’, then spin up a circle pit frenzy with ‘Take A Look Around’ – “Let’s do that weird song Tom cruise likes”. Bookending the set with a second blast of ‘Break Stuff’ is a great choice, it goes even harder the second time, and Download head honcho Andy Copping hitting the stage in his own red-hat is extremely joyful. I kinda wish they’d headlined instead of QOTSA in all honesty, maybe next time.

Headlining the Opus stage Machine Head give an absolute masterclass in how to bring a full showcase experience. I find it hard to express how incredibly powerful and impressive this set actually was, this band have proved time and time again that they have the capability and the crowd support to headline the main stage but here we are. You just know that if they start the show with a visible Fireman at the side of the stage, there’s a good chance you’re going to get your eyebrows singed.

© Matt Higgs for Download Festival

In true Moshy Ned style, there is so much pyro in the opening ‘Imperium’ that you can barely even see the band, which probably doesn’t matter as everyone around us seems to be moshing, screaming and throwing their middle fingers up in reference to the song.

Rob Flynn yells “Scream for me Download” (someone has to do it, Bruce Dickinson isn’t here) and “Download are you ready to lose your minds with Machine Head tonight?” before inciting circle pits and a giant wall-of-death “push back, push back”, for ‘CHØKE ØN THE ASHES ØF YØUR HATE’.

‘The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears’ sees bright red ticker tape confetti raining down like a cloud of blood, and there’s a very providential rainbow just to the right of their stage during ‘Is There Anybody Out There?’. I can dig a god who loves Machine Head.

“I went crazy at download festival, chant with me!” is the scream that ends the show, ‘Davidian’ and ‘Halo’ are beyond sublime, and this is the first time this weekend I’ve seen some proper old school hair-windmilling and headbanging – it’s a comfort. I have no notes, it was perfection.

So, we sacrificed most of Avenged Sevenfold for Machine Head, and I’m not sorry about it. Getting across the arena in the waning light, with even the access roads now covered in a sucking gloop of mud… treacherous. We didn’t make it far down the hill but I can totally appreciate the reason A7X were booked onto that Sunday headline slot – they are smashing it. Sadly they seem to have been hit with a couple of unfortunate coincidences this evening, as the field is nowhere near as full as it was for last night’s FOB set.

The weather has done a number on people’s resolve, I think a lot have favoured heading off early or following Machine Head, and there is information circulating already about car-parking being horrendous with cars stuck in the mud. At any rate there’s a steady stream of people heading for the exits.

Regardless, there’s a lot of people down the front having the time of their lives still, and you can’t overstate A7X’s incredible melodic guitar work for a great way to cap this weekend of amazing musical talent. ‘Hail To The King’ was dedicated to all the Dads in the audience, on Father’s Day, a nice moment – especially when so many have brought their children with them this weekend.

© Andrew Whitton for Download Festival

“We’ve played many times…. Download festival, and we are honoured. You have so much great fucking music that comes to the UK, so much.” Shouts vocalist M. Shadows, but unfortunately as they dive into ‘Nightmare’ the main stage suffers from a power outage issue that seems them summarily cut off, only to be karaoke’d by the crowd. It does seem like there have been more than a few issues with sound this weekend.

Luckily it is fairly quickly resolved so that the band can come back for ‘Unholy Confessions’, ‘A Little Piece of Heaven’ into ‘Save Me’ and finally ‘Cosmic’. They might not be on my personal highlight menu for the weekend, but it was a great show.

It would be remiss of me to note a few things that have come up post-festival, even though it isn’t all good news. Rob Kellas (of the now infamous TPDTV gang) reported that his sister Mary Kellas was hit with food poisoning after eating one of the giant yorkshire pudding meals, and had to leave the site early due to being so ill. Photos have also arisen of raw chicken being served to punters, and a brisket stall also being the culprit for multiple food poisoning incidents this weekend. Apparently environmental health had been contacted and the affected outlets were shut down once it had been reported to them.

I must also note that there has been yet another significant and obvious price hike on the arena food, there now aren’t many meals available under the £12 mark. The inclusion of an alcohol-free cocktail bar has been a great one, but I do wish that this was part of their regular bar options instead of having to take a trek to the specific area to get one. Merchandise offerings were decent, and the queues to get stuff was nowhere near as bad as last year due to seemingly having a lot more staff on board. I do however wish DL would take a leaf out of Wacken’s book, and offer some cheaper small items for sale – or bring back the reusable branded beer cups that can be taken home as souvenirs.

Thefts seem to also have been a massive issue this year, with one photographer working the festival asking for help online as someone had actually unclipped and stolen a lens off her camera as she was walking through the site. A huge number of phone thefts have also been spoken about online, and even Frank Carter had a sentimental item – a gold chain, stolen from around his neck whilst crowd surfing; “Which one of you c***s stole my f***ing chain. I’m fuming. I’ve had that chain for 10 years. And do you know what, I’ve sacrificed it to the mosh pits of Download. If 24-carat gold doesn’t buy us some f***ing love…”.

All in, I’d say there were some significant issues that need to be addressed following the festival this year, but despite that and the unfavourable weather – we still had a fucking magnificent time. This is testimony to the family, the ethos, the vibe of this festival, long live Download. See you next year!

One Month To Go: Download Festival Unleashes Its ‘Beyond The Bands’ Offerings

#DLXXI
12-16 JUNE 2024

With only one month to go until the mighty return of Liquid Death presents Download Festival, DLXXI has unleashed its ‘Beyond The Bands’ offerings, giving Download-goers an even more exciting experience onsite with brand new food, drink, gaming and sport options. Taking place on 12-16 June 2024 at the hallowed grounds of Donington Park, Download will be headlined by Queens Of The Stone Age, Fall Out Boy and Avenged Sevenfold. You can buy the last remaining tickets here: www.downloadfestival.co.uk.
 
Bigger, better and bursting with exclusive goodies, the Download Megastore is set to impress with new product lines, limited editions and exclusive collaborations with the likes of P&Co, Mary Wyatt and more. From Lou’s Hot Sauce to patch and pin badges and exclusive plush toys, there’s something for everyone. Plus, fuel up with an exclusive 200 Degrees Coffee x Download Festival blend, complimentary with every reusable cup purchase.
 
For those looking to murder their thirsts, Liquid Death hydration stations will be dotted around for festival-goers to grab a cold can of Liquid Death. And if you’re super lucky, you might just catch a glimpse of their iconic branded Liquid Death Hearse somewhere too. Will their beloved mascot Murder Man make an appearance and get up to his usual antics?
 
Step into a realm of audio wonder with the Eulogy immersive experience housed in an intriguing shipping container. Created by Darkfield, and free for fans, this is a 30-minute journey of complete darkness, using binaural sound and sensory effects to situate each participant in the centre of intense evolving narratives.
 
The Outpost is set to host live fire cooking demos with Shropshire Lad & Boca Loco, fire lighting and primitive skills showcases from Axe & Paddle, chilli eating contests from League of Fire, hot dog eating contests, wellness mornings, and classic Hammer Films screenings for the ultimate fright night experience. Footy fans will also be able to watch the key opening games in EURO 24, as The Outpost will screen the Scotland (Friday) and England (Sunday) games live.
 
Elsewhere, the food and beverage offerings onsite promise to be better than ever, with dozens of vendors catering for all dietary requirements, including the likes of In For A Penne, Bunnyman’s Chow, Happy Maki, King of the Yorkie, The Rock and Roll Toastie Company, Spud Gun Loaded Fries, Señor Churro, Crooked K’s Macaroni, No Frickin’ Chicken and many more.
 
Back by popular demand is the LoNo bar, serving up a choice of non-alcoholic beers and cocktails, proving that you don’t need alcohol to have a good time. But for those who fancy an ice cold beer, The Tap House and Beer Hall are also returning for this year, as well as Rocktail Cocktail, who will be serving up tasty cocktails alongside a host of DJs playing epic tunes.
 
New for this year are The Gooseneck Inn, a biker bar with premium spirits, and the Ace Of Spades Tavern, which will host food and entertainment in District X. The Welders Yard, by the arena entrance, will host some fantastic food stands and specialist bars, and Nohrlund will be holding cocktail making classes and demonstrations and serving their organic cocktails across the festival.
 
Inside the arena, festival-goers will find a Liquid Death Skate Ramp where they can catch pro skateboard and BMX riders in action. Tattoo booths from Liquid Death Tattoo and Old Sarum will be ready to make this year’s Download a memorable one, Mantorship will be running an open circle for men to discuss their mental health, plus iconic fairground rides and more than 80 independent market traders offering everything from jewellery, camping goods to body art.
 
Sega and Atlus Games will be bringing a gaming experience like never before to Download, with festival-goers among the first to play Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance at the immersive gaming experience. In honour of this, Friday night’s hugely popular fancy dress theme will be based on Video Game Icons, with people invited to dress for the anime / manga / cosplay theme.
 
BBC Radio 1 will once more broadcast live from the festival and give fans the opportunity to enjoy their photobooth activation with some very special surprise guests!
 
Following on from the recent District X announcement featuring Silent Disco, Comedy and Podcasts, the DLXXI’s Beyond The Bands offerings prove that Download is much more than just its stellar band line-up, with truly something for everyone to enjoy across the 5 days. More information and tickets at www.downloadfestival.co.uk.