Festivals

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.

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.

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.

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”.

‘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.

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.

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.

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’.

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.

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.

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.

 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!”.

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.

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.

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!