Our photographer Kane Howie went to Milton Keynes to check out Marshall Live at Arena MK. There were two stages at the event, the main stage and the Discovery Stage in which new and upcoming bands played and had the public vote on who they wanted to play the main stage that evening. Headlining the event was The Hunna with support from Yonaka, Barns Courtney, Keywest, Press to Meco, D_Drive, Rews, King Creature, Bad Touch and Thousand Thoughts. The night was hosted by Daniel P. Carter. Check out the photos below.
Festivals
Looking for the latest lineup, date, ticket information or latest news about your favourite festivals, look no further. Summer Festival Guide’s Festival News section covers all your needs!
Download Festival: last minute larry guide!
DOWNLOAD 2019! Are you a last minute larry? Have you just drunkenly spent your wages on a weekend ticket because your mates are going, but have no idea what you need? Ok, so – you’re probably screwed in all honesty. The weather is tracking to be vile (cue Drownload jokes) and if you haven’t sorted out a tent and sleeping bag you need to leg it to a camping shop immediately. For everyone else, here’s your last minute mini checklist for the DL2019 weekend!
- Rain poncho – yeah these come in clear, or funky colours… but everyone wants to swish about like a Dementor in the rain right?
- Absurd leggings – Sure, you’ll never have occasion to wear these ever again but they’re comfy, and they afford you ample lunge-ability for appropriate headbanging stance. Oh and Whitesnake are playing so you’ll be paying tribute to a better time, when hair and dreams were bigger.
- Wellies – Don’t pretend you’re too cool for wellies if it’s raining. Your mates aren’t going to be sympathetic to your self-induced trench foot.
- Inflatable guitar – hear me out. It’s a multi-use item in my opinion. Obviously you’ll look rad/tragic rocking out with it, but it can double as a waterproof/comfortable arena seat that folds back up to pocket size. Can also be used to smash the bonce of any friends who dare to snooze.
- Battle jacket – Ok, not essential buuuut… how else are you meant to proclaim your love for Nickelback? Extra points for covering it past festival wristbands, instead of keeping them on your wrist, you filthy bastard.
- Beanie hat – Categorically the best way to retain heat at night. Cover in studs if you’re precious.
- Bandana – Stylish, tames greasy day three hair, can be used over the face when entering offensive portaloos.
- Tissue packs – Small enough for the pocket and in a handy water resistant pouch for when you spill your beer all over yourself trying to throw horns at Slayer.
- Power bank – We all used to make it work without mobile phones back in the day, just meet back at the Dog right? But you’ll probably want to use your phone camera to capture some memories of your pal Dave mud surfing naked soooo, keep that battery charged for those magical moments.
- Sun cream – Yep. The forecast sucks. It doesn’t matter. For some inexplicable reason, Download is THE festival where you can get simultaneously burnt and soaked. I don’t know how or why. It’s just how it is.
- Foldable drinks sac – Download is going green, which means a ban on water bottles/single use plastics. These lil babies are about a quid from Sports Direct and will roll up in your pocket while you’re not using it. Also good for your ‘walking whisky’ between the campsite and the arena.
So, grab your stash, prepare yourself for mud and madness… see you at Donington!
BLOODSTOCK unveils Jager Stage acts and more Metal 2 The Masses winners
There’s just 8 weeks until BLOODSTOCK’s metal weekender gets underway and BLOODSTOCK HQ have now locked in some of the bands for 2019’s Jagermeister Stage.
Belfast’s SKYPILOT bring their heavy riffs and groove to Catton Park’s Jager stage on Friday, joined by Leicester grunge/hard rock outfit, GRAVES and blues metal squad, BEGGAR. On Saturday, we welcome Irish heavy groove trio, BLACK SHUCK and one man death metal outfit FOUL BODY AUTOPSY. Then Sunday’s bill features Irish/Australian hard rockers, JAILBIRDS and you-can-work-it-out-from-their-name, WOMENOWAR! A second batch of Jagermeister Stage bands will be announced next month!
BLOODSTOCK is also pleased to announce the second wave of New Blood winners from their ‘Metal 2 The Masses’ finals, who all bag a spot to perform on the Hobgoblin New Blood stage. The finals are still taking place around the country, so get down to your local event and support grass roots music and help shape BLOODSTOCK’s line-up
Landing a Friday New Blood Stage slot are Burnley’s winners, the Southern/doom metal squad, GRAND ELDER, Bournemouth’s black/death metal victors ANAKIM, and thrash/prog groovesters BLIND DIVIDE who triumphed in Cardiff’s final. Saturday’s lineup welcomes Wrexham’s top dogs, SCARS OF REMEMBRANCE. Joining Sunday’s New Blood fun are ELYREAN, the melo/tech thrashers who won in Wolverhampton, Hitchin melodeath victors FEAR BOUND, and instrumental tri-guitar Stoke champions, LOST IN LAVENDER TOWN.
BLOODSTOCK RELEASE DAY TICKETS; ANNOUNCE FIRST ‘METAL 2 THE MASSES’ WINNERS
It’s time for BLOODSTOCK to unleash the day tickets!! A limited amount of day tickets for 2019’s event go on sale at 9.00am this Thursday 30th May, priced at £65 (+ fees) for adults and £20 (+ fees) for children aged 4-11. Children under 4 go free! Head here to snap them up! You can still also pick up 4-day ‘weekend tickets with camping’, priced £145 (+ fees) and children’s weekend tickets at just £35 (+ fees). VIP tickets are expected to sell out shortly, so grab yours soon if you want one, including limited Podpads, Bellepads and Octopads, plus limited remaining VIP upgrades (for those who’ve already purchased a standard ticket). Camper van plots & Luxpads are already SOLD OUT! For full VIP details click here.
BLOODSTOCK is also pleased to announce the first batch of New Blood winners from their ‘Metal 2 The Masses’ finals, who all bag a slot to perform on the Hobgoblin New Blood stage! The finals are still taking place around the country, so get down to your local event and support grass roots music and help shape BLOODSTOCK’s line-up!
Saturday’s New Blood stage bill welcomes Coventry winners DJINOVA, Glasgow victors INFERIEM, and DEFORMATION OF MAN, who took top prize in the Sheffield heat. They’ll be joined by Belfast top dogs, LOCK HORNS. Black Country band MASTERS CALL also win a New Blood slot after impressing the booking team via their CD submission.
Sunday brings Dublin champions AESECT, Norwich leaders BASTARD, and TAKE REFUGE, having clinched first place in the Milton Keynes final. You’ll also get to see 28 DOUBLE, who took Leicester’s gold medal! Stay tuned for more results to come!
BLOODSTOCK’s second batch of club nights kick off from 1st June. Head on down for a great night out with your mates to warm up for BLOODSTOCK and you might just win yourself some goodies while you’re there.
Sat 1st June – Brighton – Apocalypse @ Envy
Fri 7th June – Leicester – Feedback @ Firebug
Sat 8th June – Stoke-On-Trent – Devil’s Night @ The Sugarmill
Sat 8th June – Southampton – Apocalypse @ The Engine Rooms
Sat 22nd June – Sheffield – Corporation
Fri 28th June – Altern8 @ The Cavern
Sat 29th June – Birmingham – Eddie’s Rock Club
Sat 29th June – Newcastle – RISE Rock Bar
Sat 29th June – Pandamonium @ Electrik Warehouse
Fri 5th July – Plymouth – Altern8 @ Envy
Sat 6th July – Brighton – Apocalypse @ Envy
Sat 6th July – Stoke-On-Trent – Devil’s Night @ The Sugarmill
Sat 13th July – Apocalypse @ The Engine Rooms
Sat 22nd July – Sheffield – Corporation
Fri 26th July – Leicester – Feedback @ Firebug
Fri 26th July – London – Voodoo Summer Ball @ Elektrowerkz
Sat 27th July – Birmingham – Eddie’s Rock Club
Sat 27th July – Liverpool – Pandamonium @ Electrik Warehouse
BLOODSTOCK UPDATE…
BLOODSTOCK have locked down the last handful of Ronnie James Dio main stage and Sophie Lancaster stage bands, as the Metal 2 The Masses finals roll through the UK to find the best of the grass roots to flesh out the New Blood stage. BLOODSTOCK can also reveal that a limited number of day tickets for 2019’s event will go on sale at the end of May. Don’t miss out – sign up for a reminder here.
BLOODSTOCK’s final main stage band are classic UK thrash squad, XENTRIX, who are set to play on Friday. Having recently signed to Listenable Records, the band are set to release a new studio album, ‘Bury The Pain’ on 7th June. Check out the brand new track, ‘Bleeding Out’ here; https://youtu.be/vFgiw7XOiGo. The album has been produced by Andy Sneap and you can pre-order it over at www.shop-listenable.net/en/268_xentrix.
Joining the Sophie stage bill on Friday are British death metallers, KARYBDIS. The band released their third studio album, ‘In The Shadow Of Paradise’ last year, which you can pick up over on their Bandcamp page; https://karybdis.bandcamp.com/. Watch the video for the title track and get yourself up to speed – https://youtu.be/g09x4f8cVUc.
A former winner of BLOODSTOCK’s Metal 2 The Masses competition back in 2012, melodic metal crew CONTROL THE STORM have gone from strength to strength, and we’re delighted to now welcome them to Friday’s Sophie stage. With plans afoot to release their second album, ‘Forevermore’ this summer, hopefully they’ll treat everyone to some new songs live! See what you think of new single ‘Follow Me’ at https://youtu.be/7SzIq8yc0T4 and if you dig it, help them along by contributing to their Kickstarter at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/controlthestorm/control-the-storm-forevermore-help-fund-the-album.
The pioneers of Norwegian Viking Metal, HELHEIM land a Saturday set on the Sophie stage. Hailing from Bergen, you can find their latest blackened sounds on new album, ‘Rignir’, released late last month by Dark Essence, who have kindly added no less than three songs from it to their YouTube channel, including the title track at https://youtu.be/ECRCW94pW_o.
There’s more from our Norwegian brethren, with GUARDIANS OF TIME also bagging a Saturday slot on the Sophie stage to showcase their brand of heavy/power metal. Don’t know them yet? Their fifth album, ‘Tearing Up The World’ came out in Oct 2018 and features guest appearances from none other than Abbath and Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens. Investigate that title track with Abbath here – https://youtu.be/69ItcYo8txU.
Bulgarian metalheads, ODD CREW also land a Saturday slot. The band take their influences from classic metal like Black Sabbath through artists like Pantera through to modern day acts like Killswitch Engage. Check ‘em out storming through ‘Death Trap’ here; https://youtu.be/MSpAig3cxaI. The band released their fifth studio album, ‘The Lost Pages’ last year, which you can check out on Spotify or via all major DSPs.
BLOODSTOCK GOES GREENER
Following along from 2018’s ‘Drastic On Plastic’ initiative, this year we’re committing to the ‘BLOODSTOCK Goes Greener’ campaign! This year we aim to recycle at least 50% of the festival’s waste and send nothing at all to landfill. We’re encouraging everyone to say a big ‘NO’ to single use tents and plastics on site and we hope to completely eradicate single use plastics atBLOODSTOCK by 2020 as well as lower BLOODSTOCK‘s carbon footprint as a whole by 2021. Our initial 6-point plan for 2019 runs as follows:
DONATE YOUR TENT & WIN TICKETS TO BLOODSTOCK 2020! Fat Franks Camping Shop will stay open until 12 Noon on Monday morning after the festival to enable you to take back any unwanted camping equipment (tents, sleeping bags, chairs, bedding, airbeds, etc) whether purchased from Fat Franks or elsewhere. For those of you that drop off unwanted tents at Fat Franks, we will enter you into a prize draw to win a pair of tickets to Bloodstock 2020 (our 20th Anniversary event)! Winners will be announced approximately 28 days after the festival. All donated items will go to Pathways Homeless Charity and a local scout group.
1 – RECYCLABLE BRANDED BLOODSTOCK CUPS ACROSS ALL BARS – BLOODSTOCKers pay a one-off sum of £2 for a recyclable BLOODSTOCK-branded plastic cup which can be used across all bars. The added bonus is that you’ll have a souvenir to take home too.
2 – RECYCLING POINTS – BLOODSTOCKers to use the clearly signed recycling points in the arena & campsites.
3 – 100% BIODEGRADABLE FOOD PACKAGING – Food traders will only be using 100% biodegradable food packaging and cutlery this year.
4 – RECYCLE PLASTIC BOTTLES ACROSS THE SITE – Coca Cola will collect and recycle your plastic bottles on site and have them back in circulation within weeks of the festival.
5 – SAY NO TO SINGLE USE TENTS – Together with our tent partners Fat Franks Camping Shop and Tangerine Fields, we want to encourage you to either take your tent home with you after the festival or if you don’t want the hassle of bringing a tent with you in the first place, you can either ‘Click and Collect’ a tent and camping equipment from Fat Franks Camping Shop in advance – http://www.fatfrankscampingshop.com/sustainable-camping – or you can simply hire a pre-erected tent, airbed, bedding, etc, from Tangerine Fields – https://www.tangerinefields.co.uk/events/bloodstock-open-air.html – which will be ready and waiting to move into when you arrive at the festival. Both Fat Franks Camping Shop and Tangerine Fields are situated in the Midgard Campsite.
DONATE YOUR TENT & WIN TICKETS TO BLOODSTOCK 2020! Fat Franks Camping Shop will stay open until 12 Noon on Monday morning after the festival to enable you to take back any unwanted camping equipment (tents, sleeping bags, chairs, bedding, airbeds, etc) whether purchased from Fat Franks or elsewhere. For those of you that drop off unwanted tents at Fat Franks, we will enter you into a prize draw to win a pair of tickets to Bloodstock 2020 (our 20th Anniversary event)! Winners will be announced approximately 28 days after the festival. All donated items will go to Pathways Homeless Charity and a local scout group.
6 – LOWER TRAVEL EMISSIONS – We want to offer low impact ways to travel to the festival so have partnered with Big Green Coach who have 34 pickup locations around the UK. This creates a huge reduction in carbon emissions, coming by coach rather than car. For every customer who books travel with Big Green Coach, they sponsor and protect 5 sq ft of Amazonian Rainforest for 10 years. This has resulted in over 1,200,000 sq ft of Peruvian Rainforest being protected by Big Green Coach for the next 10 years since they began the commitment. Their target is to protect an area covering 3 million sq ft over the next 5 years. This is all thanks to you! For more info click to https://www.biggreencoach.co.uk/why-are-we-green. To book coach tickets; https://www.biggreencoach.co.uk/events/bloodstock-festival-tickets-coach-travel. Alternatively, you can travel via Carshare to BLOODSTOCK with GoCarshare.com for the cheapest festival travel prices to site. GoCarShare connect metal-loving drivers and passengers going in the same direction. By sharing a spare seat or two, this reduces the number of cars on the road travelling to BLOODSTOCK and subsequently reduces carbon emissions. Click to https://gocarshare.com/festival/bloodstock for full info.
Let’s work together to make the world a better place for us and our children.
DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL DEBUTS MINDFULNESS PROGRAMME – MIND THE DOG
DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL DEBUTS
MINDFULNESS PROGRAMME – MIND THE DOG
ON SITE IMPROVEMENTS FOR 2019
INCLUDING NEW DAY ENTRANCE, CAR PARKS, AND MORE!
FIVE CONTINENTS OF ROCK TALENT TO DESCEND
ON THE HALLOWED GROUNDS OF DONINGTON PARK
Download Festival, the world’s premiere rock event, has announced that a full mindfulness
programme will be implemented in 2019 for the first time. Announced ahead of Mental Health
Awareness week next month, the Mind The Dog initiative will run morning, afternoon, and evening
sessions where rockers can share a fully immersive, live music and mindfulness experience, from
Thursday 13 – Sunday 16 June. Day and weekend festival tickets available at
www.downloadfestival.co.uk
One in six people in England report experiencing common mental health issues including anxiety and
depression in any given week (1) and by 2030, it’s estimated that two million more adults in the UK will
experience mental health problems than there were in 2013 (2). The recent loss of music legends
including Keith Flint (Prodigy), Chester Bennington (Linkin Park), Chris Cornell (Soundgarden), and
Scott Hutchinson (Frightened Rabbit), calls for action to open up the conversation surrounding mental
health, something Download organisers are committed to.
Festival Republic’s Melvin Benn said:
“Download Festival has gone from strength to strength in its sustainability and accessibility offerings.
We have been awarded 4 star Creative Green Result by Julie’s Bicycle for the second year running, and
level gold from Access Is For Everything last year, which is highest possible award for accessibility, so
it only made sense to offer an on site programme for mental health, as well as physical. By introducing
Mind The Dog this year, we are hoping to provide a mindfulness haven in The Doghouse across the
weekend, with meditation, sound baths, and more. I couldn’t be prouder of how much Download
Festival has accomplished already.”
Fans can channel their zen under ambient lighting and atop woven tapestries, before immersing
themselves in hour long classes under the roof of The Doghouse which will transform into Mind The
Dog by day, offering FREE mindfulness gatherings. Morning meditation will host curated live music
sessions, designed to ready campers for the day, whilst the afternoon offers a healing sound bath, encouraging fans to pause, connect, and tune into themselves, and the evening class brings a calming
focus to elevate fans state of consciousness. Designed with conscious breath work sessions, the
programme aims to bring fans together in the now, becoming closer to themselves, the music, and
each other. Full schedule details can be found in notes to editors.
Recent studies show music can prevent feelings of loneliness and provide social connection (3), whilst
the global heavy metal community provides a strong sense of “belonging and acceptance”(4). In line
with the success and return of on-site DO.OM Yoga (yoga to Doom Metal music), and the thriving
return of Camp Loner, (the campsite dedicated to welcoming individuals attending the festival solo),
organisers are now excited to bring their elevated mindful offerings for Download fans in synergy with
the festival spirit.
In support of the programme, Rou Reynolds from Enter Shikari, who headline The Avalanche Stage at
this year’s festival said: “We often go through life on autopilot, getting caught up in the stressors, the anxieties, the intensity of it all. We’re rarely consciously in control of our turbulent mind. Mindfulness allows us to regain
control as we learn to observe our thoughts instead of getting caught up in them.
It has been an incredible help to me and I couldn’t recommend it more. Not only does it help with
anxiety and depression, but it also improves focus, emotional intelligence, compassion, tolerance and
objectivity and has even been proven to help boost your immune system. Big up Download for
introducing this programme to the festival”
Improved changes for 2019 include a new devoted entrance for day visitors and non-camping
weekend ticket holders, weekend campers will also have their own dedicated car park, plus The Village
is moving close to The Arena meaning festivalgoers can go from mosh to party with ease. The NXT
Arena moves closer to the guest area, where NXT UK will be live taping to broadcast as part of a weekly
show on the WWE Network, and the introduction of Metal Movies, a new open-air cinema with
hammocks and lounge areas, will allow fans to kick back and watch music documentaries including
being a metal band from Nepal with Underside along with a Q&A with the band afterwards, and
Pursuit Of The Vikings with Amon Amarth.
Download continues its commitment to provide the best experience for fans, with accessibility
improvements implemented in 2018, resulting in the awarding of Gold Level status by Access is
Everything ahead of this year’s festival.
Sustainability remains a priority for Download Festival. Car parking donations last year via Energy
Revolution raised £15,811 for Solar to Schools, a project which funds schools with solar roofing panels
across the UK, and the festival continues its zero waste to landfill policy, as recycling points in the
campsites will double in 2019. Last year saw the recycling and composting rate increase to 46% from
2017’s 41%, and single use cups were reduced by a million with reusable alternatives. The Eco
Campsite opened in 2018 which saw zero tents left behind and returns this year with an increased
capacity for a total of 2000 campers, a 33% increase from last year.
Additional water points for 2019 will be introduced across the arena, refillable Download Festival
metal water bottles will be available for purchase the first time, and Co-op are excited to continue
their Deposit and Return Scheme with their reverse vending machine returning to Download, which
proved popular last year with festivalgoers who want to recycle plastic bottles, in return for a coupon to spend in the on site Co-op shop. Since 2016, all single use plastic cutlery, containers, and straws
have been banned from traders, caterers and bars.
Donnington Park, the spiritual home of rock, has always called for international talent to grace its
stages, with 2019 as no exception. With over 100 bands performing across the weekend, hailing from
18 countries including Australia, Canada, England, France, Finland, Japan, Mongolia, Nepal,
Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Scotland, South Africa, Sweden, Ukraine, United States
and Wales, Download Festival remains the King of rock festivals.
(1) Mind
(2) NHS Mental Health Network
(3) Reachout.com
(4) Journal of Community Psychology
PENGSHUi ANNOUNCED FOR DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL WINNERS OF KERRANG! RADIO’S FINDING FRESH BLOOD COMPETITION
Download Festival the UK’s premier rock event has today announced the winner of Kerrang! Radio’s
Finding Fresh Blood competition as grime-punks PENGSHUi. Crowned by Download Festival promoters
and a panel of Kerrang! Radio presenters, the London trio triumphed over thousands of entries to come
out as champions of the hottest new talent search for the festival. The band are now set to open
The Avalanche Stage and guarantee to bring their unrelenting, raw mix of rap and riffs to the crowds for
an utterly unmissable Download debut.
Download Festival’s Andy Copping said: “A big thanks to everyone that applied, and to the Fresh Blood
team who had to narrow down thousands of bands to the shortlist we were given, but PENGSHUi have
something special with their effortless blend of metal and grime, they are the perfect opener for The
Avalanche Stage this year. Get yourselves down on Friday afternoon, and watch history being made as I
can see big things for them!”
Hailing from London and made up of Illaman on vocals, Fatty on Bass and Pravvy Prav on drums, the trio
have made already made huge waves with their unique sound.
Kerrang! Radio’s Alex Baker said: “Pengshui are without a doubt one of the most exciting bands on planet
earth today and their win is a testament to their unbelievable, powerful, innovative sound! Ultimate vibes.
They are going to light The Avalanche Stage UP!!”
DOWNLOAD REVEALS PROGRAMME OF VILLAGE AND ARENA ACTIVITIES AND ENTERTAINMENT
Download Festival, the UK’s premier rock event has today announced a plethora of extracurricular
and extra spectacular rock n’ roll activities and entertainment for fans in The Download Village.
Alongside the world’s biggest rock bands; including headliners Def Leppard, Slipknot and Tool and the
high-flying WWE NXT UK, fans will enjoy a stunning array of unique performances, experientials,stalls,
food, drink and more at the three-day rock extravaganza. Day tickets for the festival have also now
been released and are on sale from £79.50 + booking fees from www.downloadfestival.co.uk.
For those looking to get revved up in moshing shape, Download is proud to welcome heavy metal
exercise class RockFit™ to make its festival debut. The classes will see fans throwing shapes and
working out to an energising soundtrack featuring AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses, Metallica as well as acts
from the bill like Slipknot, Def Leppard, Slash and Rob Zombie and more. The classes are suitable and
adaptable for everyone and fans are invited to take part.
DO.OMYOGA™ is back after an incredibly successful first outing, where fans can perfect their asanas,
practice their downward facing Download Dog, and reconnect to themselves through the ancient
Indian practice of Nada Yoga where music and sound become one. Welcoming all to taking a leap into
the heavier world of wellness and fitness in a slow vinyasa based practice, set to a selection of dark,
‘vibrational’ end of the music, along with up to 250 other Metal Yoga enthusiasts, experts and curious
beginners alike.
The SINDROME Arena will be back this year playing host to a programme of death-defying stunts,
bohemian freaks, mechanical madness, Viking battles and a heavy dose of love, peace and air rock n
roll. Fan favourite, Area 51 and their wandering Caravan of Lost Souls are back with their dark circus
sideshow and human curiosities to hype the crowds. In an Official World Premiere The Thunderdome
comes to Download, where Young Wall of Death stars Luke and Kerri Fox defy death right before your
eyes on a 9m mesh wall in their brand spanking new adrenalin fuelled stunt show. The hugely popular
‘Demolition Download’ from Battle Heritage are making the charge back to Donington for a sixth year
where medieval fighters from all over Europe will gather to take each other on in battle to be crowned
champions in this full force, full contact sport. By popular audience demand, festival goers will be able
to try their hand at this most ancient of sports, at the Demolition Download workshops featuring
Battle Heritage Fighters in the SINDROME.
Fans are invited to make air, not war as the UK Air Guitar Championships makes its grand return to
Download. Festival fans are invited exclusively to enter into this internationally recognized
competition and to gain the chance of becoming the UK’s ultimate 2019 Air Guitar Hero and a shot at
the world title in Finland. DR HAZE the Undead Ringmaster of The Circus of Horrors hosts the
competition and at the end of each heat, performers from the Circus of Horrors will hit the SINDROME
Stage.
The beloved Doghouse features a stacked bill including fan favorites Circus of Horrors, who are back
with two wild new shows ‘Asylum’ and ‘Welcome To The Freak Show’. Each featuring an amazing
amalgamation of bizarre, fantastic circus acts and the darkest of magic. Expect unbelievable sword
swallowers, whirlwind acrobats, flaming limbo twisted contortion, blade walkers, fiery hula hooping
divas and lots, lots more in this roller coaster of a show, hosted by undead ringmaster Dr Haze with a
metal soundscape of devil driven rock n’ roll.
The World’s Greatest Wall of Death returns to The Download Village providing non-stop high-risk
performances from the legendary Luke and Kerri Fox and team that will leave the Download audience
utterly awe struck and totally exhilarated. Deep in the Woods in the heart of the Village, The Metal
Den can be discovered – where revellers can lay in hammocks and savour Download’s very first
Outdoor Cinema The Metal Screen and its hand curated Cineprogram. From noon to midnight each
day an awesome collection of Arthouse, classic, comedy and documentaries will be screened. As the
witching hour strikes the Metal Screens’ resident metal VJ Harry K will take to the decks spinning
metal & rock classics into the early hours. Download’s revered resident tattooists, Old Sarum are on
hand ready to ink the masses, for those who want a more permanent memento of their weekend.
The Download Village also plays host to delicious food and drink stalls fairground rides and lots of
surprises!
Further lineup additions to Reading and Leeds Festival
Comedy is an essential part of Reading and Leeds and today the first wave of funny acts have been announced. Panel show favourite Josh Widdicombe will headline the Alternative Stage, entertaining audiences with his quick wit, guaranteed to have festival-goers in stitches. Having found fame as a regular on Channel 4 series The Last Leg, Widdicome has continued his storied career with stellar stand-up shows and rave reviews for his BBC sitcom Josh.
Comedy genius Bridget Christie is ready to take on the Alternative Stage crowds this summer with a headline set. A regular on the comedy scene since 2004 where she won the Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Award the multi-award winner has since gone on to become a regular favourite on TV and radio.
Further Alternative Stage comics include Abigoliah Schamaun (R), Andrew Maxwell (R), Brennan Reece (L), Carl Donnelly, Dane Baptiste, David Morgan, Ed Gamble, Fin Taylor, Kae Kurd, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Lloyd Griffith, Marcus Brigstocke, Masud Milas, Nick Helm (L), Russell Kane, Shappi Khorsandi and Tom Allen. David Olshanetskyand Naledi Dube will present a live episode of their hit podcast, David’s Out For A Good Time, and spoken-word poet Luke Wright will also be live at Reading Festival. Late night DJs include Hot Dub Time Machine, Buttoned Down Disco (R) and Trangressive Takeover, with special guests to be announced. Festival goers will also be able to take the weight off their feet and settle down to catch film screenings of documentaries including ‘Liam Gallagher: As It Was’ and Frank Sidebottom’s ‘Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story’.
Alongside the Alternative Stage, more names have been added to the remarkable music line up across the festival weekend. British singer-songwriter Mabel joins the BBC Radio One Stage bill ahead of the release of her anticipated debut album ‘High Expectations’ this July. Fans can expect to hear hits including 2017 platinum record ‘Finders Keepers’ and 2019 top 10 single ‘Don’t Call Me Up’. Irish rock band Picture This will thrill fans when they bring their eagerly anticipated new album, MDRN LV to life alongside indie rockers CHILDCARE. Rap-rock morphers The LaFontaines join the BBC Radio One Dance Stage with rising rap star Barny Fletcher and pop queen Kim Petras. Laura Jane Grace & the Devouring Mothers will bring songs from their emotionally charged debut album ‘Bought To Rot’, the undisputed kings of ‘fashion-art’ rock Palaye Royale join the Pit Stage bill with Californian punk rockers Plague Vendor. Merseyside crew Queen Zee will not hold back bringing their quirky style to The Pit.
American punk rock band Bleached will head to the festivals off the back of their US tour and siblings Sons Of Raphael will also be crossing the pond to bring their unrelenting energy for performances not to be missed. Oddity Road will deliver their heavy riffs and tight infectious songs, Philadelphia singer-songwriter Pink Sweat$ will bring his soothing R&B jams and Kawala, who are currently making waves within the indie music scene since the release of their first single, ‘Small Death’, will also be joining the Festival Republic Stage.
East London drill rapper Unknown T best known for his breakout hit Homerton B will be making his Reading and Leeds debut on the BBC 1Xtra Stage, as well as rapper and producer NAV who will be bringing his trademark vocals and hypnotic trap beats to the festival following the release of Billboard number one sophomore record ‘Bad Habits’. Elsewhere, US rapper YBN Nahmir is set to deliver an unforgettable performance, while BiG HEATH, DigDat, Geko and Tyla Yaweh will also be joining the the BBC 1Xtra stage bill.
If that’s not enough, Relentless After Dark have also announced an eclectic line-up for Leeds Festival including Alma (live), Amy Becker, Charlie Sloth & Friends Presents,Crucast (feat Skepsis, Darksy, Mr Virgo, Bru-C, TS7, Lazcru and Window Kid), DJ Jonezy, DJ Semtex, Hannah Wants, Jaguar, James Organ, Jay1, Jess Bays, L U C Y,Mason Maynard, MIC Righteous, Prospa, Rude Kid, Solardo, Stardom, The Menendez Brothers and Unknown T. Relentless After Dark will provide a late night hangout from Thursday to Sunday evening, keeping Leeds Festival energised till the early hours.