battlesnake - Summer Festival Guide

Bloodstock Open Air 2026: 25th Anniversary – REVIEWED!

August 13, 2026 by Anna Hyams

THURSDAY

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

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

© Anna Hyams – do not use image without permission.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FRIDAY

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

© Steve Dempsey (Courtesy of Bloodstock)

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

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

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

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

© Leigh van der Byl (Courtesy of Bloodstock)

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

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

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

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

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

SATURDAY

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SUNDAY

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BUT WAIT

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

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

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

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

BLOODSTOCK ANNOUNCES 27 MORE BANDS FOR 25TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

October 13, 2025September 16, 2025 by Anna Hyams

As plans for BLOODSTOCK’s 25th anniversary get underway, the festival has unveiled another 27 bands for 2026’s monumental event. With heavyweights, cult favourites, and rising stars joining the awesome bands already announced, this year’s line-up is shaping up to be one for the ages. And there are still plenty more names yet to come, with approximately 125 bands in total set to appear. Did you know? BLOODSTOCK is going to open the Ronnie James Dio main stage on Thursday now as well! Early bird, campervan, and VIP tickets are already sold out and weekend tickets are over 90% gone, so act quickly to get tickets if you don’t want to miss out!
And so to the bands…

THURSDAY – RONNIE JAMES DIO STAGE

Headlining the opening night on the Ronnie James Dio main stage are none other than British heavy metal legends SAXON. With over four decades of anthems and an iron-clad reputation for blistering live shows, SAXON’s triumphant return to BLOODSTOCK will kick off the weekend in classic style. Expect a masterclass in pure heavy metal power.

Also joining Thursday’s main stage are BLOODSTOCK favourites EVIL SCARECROW, who bring their eccentric, theatrical brand of tongue-in-cheek metal mayhem, and HEAVYSAURUS, the dinosaur-costumed heroes delivering family-friendly metal fun. Previously announced for the Sophie Lancaster stage, HEAVYSAURUS now stomp onto the RJD stage for maximum roar.

FRIDAY – RONNIE JAMES DIO STAGE

Prepare for the unnerving, true crime inspired, industrial sounds of SKYND, the outrageous brutal slamming, death metal riot of PARTY CANNON, and the serpentine heavy rock theatrics of BATTLESNAKE.

SATURDAY – RONNIE JAMES DIO STAGE

Warm up your necks, thrash-fuelled crossover aggression comes courtesy of London’s INHUMAN NATURE, flying the flag for the new generation of feral thrash.

SUNDAY – RONNIE JAMES DIO STAGE

Closing the weekend in ferocious style, BLOODSTOCK is thrilled to host the BLOODSTOCK debut of Canadian alt-metal pioneers KITTIE. Joining them are occult doom bringers CASTLE RAT – all hail the Rat Queen, boundary-smashing modern hardcore crew GRAPHIC NATURE, and Wild West metal rabble rousers BOOTYARD BANDITS (from Worcester no less).

FRIDAY – SOPHIE LANCASTER STAGE

Unleash the chaos with German grindcore absurdists EXCREMENTORY GRINDFUCKERS, Australian thrash squad HIDDEN INTENT, UK medieval power metallers SELLSWORD, Danish death metal beasts NECKBREAKKER, electro nu-core party-starters SEETHING AKIRA, and rising Scottish extreme metal outfit HAMMER.

SATURDAY – SOPHIE LANCASTER STAGE

Expect no compromises from UK hardcore institution STAMPIN GROUND, genre-bending heavy hitters URNE, death metal purists CELESTIAL SANCTUARY, swaggering stoner rock bruisers VIKING SKULL, down-tempo brutality from BOUND IN FEAR, technical groove maestros IMPERIUM, and amphibian doom oddballs FROGLORD.

SUNDAY – SOPHIE LANCASTER STAGE

Round off the weekend with the masked industrial spectacle of MUSHROOMHEAD, soaring alt-rockers DREAM STATE, and blackened extremists TRIVAX.

CHARITY FUNDS RAISED AT BLOODSTOCK 2025

BLOODSTOCK is also proud to share the incredible fundraising achievements from the 2025 event, supporting charity partners Metal For Good and The Sophie Lancaster Foundation. Guest & media donations raised a fantastic £11,698, with the always popular T-shirt Amnesty adding another £2,120, making a grand total of £13,818 – split equally to provide £6,909 for each charity. In addition, Shepherd Events, who run the BLOODSTOCK bars, made an extra contribution to The Sophie Lancaster Foundation by donating bar tips and running ‘spin to win’ competitions, plus Christopher Roberts and Taylan Rodgers, who worked tirelessly on the bars all weekend, generously donated their entire earnings. That pooled £1725 and Alan Shepherd then rounded it up to give The Sophie Lancaster Foundation an additional £2000.

Katy Baker, Co-Founder of Metal For Good, said:“We have been blown away by the generous support of the Bloodstock team and their wonderful festival goers. We raised a huge amount of money from our stand and through donations from the festival and the merch amnesty, all of which will support incredible community projects using music to change lives. The weekend itself was amazing, so many great bands, smiley faces and brilliant partners – including The Sophie Lancaster Foundation, who we are honoured to share the charity donations with. Thank you to everyone for putting on such an incredible event!”

2000 TREES – 2025, REVIEWED!

July 17, 2025 by Shôn Douglas

Crowds descended on Upcote Farm for the 17^th edition of 2000 Trees and this year it wasn’t just the lineup that was smoking hot!

The forecast was hotter than hell, tipping the mercury to 32 degrees at one point, and so the wellies, ponchos and fleeces were discarded during packing in favour of sunscreen, caps and fans.

WEDNESDAY

The festival site is on a working farm approximately 20 minutes (when there are no queues!) drive from the centre of nearby Cheltenham Spa, where you can also make use of the shuttle bus services from the train station provided by Big Green Coach which runs on Wednesday and Thursday and then back on Sunday for £15 in advance or £18 on the day.

They’re only small roads on the run up to the site, so be prepared to have to wait for a while before entering, but on balance you’re so close to the site entrance once into the parking area that it evens out.

Once through the parking/drop off area it’s down a steep hill, across a narrow bridge, and then uphill again through a rugged pathway before some more wobbly terrain past the campervans.

This year I took a sack truck and it was a big help, even if the wheels weren’t as ‘All Terrain’ as I hoped and my failure to use enough bungee cords led to a couple of profanity laden spills enroute. Many others had trolleys which doubled up as modes of transport for the kiddos, doggos and beer(os) across the weekend.

Setting up my tent was one of the hottest (in the non-sexy way) activities I’ve ever engaged in, trumping even a sauna session. A thermometer I came to obsess over showed 45 degrees in there at one point, eliciting a Ralph Wiggum-esque chuckle of “I’m in danger”.

Festival organisers had been proactive in their advice to attendees to stay safe and make sure they were hydrated included Frank Water who offered unlimited cold, filtered water refills on site for £7.50 or a little more for an addition of cordial. In the run up they were short a few volunteers which caused some logistical problems and long queues initially, but was soon resolved and grateful punters got their fill of ice-cold water.

After an unexpected fly-by from the Red Arrows (in your FACE Glastonbury) it was time to get amongst it! As with previous years, all of the performances on day one were split between The Word stage and The Forest with the main stage area cordoned off until the next day while The Axiom and Cave tents provided some much-needed respite from the sun.

This made it easy to quickly slip from set to set and not miss too much of anyone – a theme for the weekend in all honesty, as the modestly sized site allows you to move quickly between performances – especially from Main Stage to Neu, and Axiom to Cave where you’re basically a minute between them.

Haggard Cat wasted no time in getting the first circle pit of the festival going over in The Forest, kicking off the weekend with a rowdy set, but the need for food was dragging me away from the music and so I hit up Kofu Korean for two of their tasty Bao Buns with extra kimchi (£13).

Then it was over to the merch tent to secure a clashfinder (£8)and pick up t-shirts I had reserved via the website prior to the festival (a really useful function!). There was a broad selection of gear there, including festival exclusives a 2000Trees x Head Above the Waves away football shirt (£45), Lou’s Brews’ 2000Degrees MKII hot sauce (£8), limited edition prints (£20) and even a Tragic: The Gathering playing card!

Festival t-shirts were available in black, white and yellow designs (Adults £30, kids £20) and a sweet glow in the dark long-sleeved number with skeletons on was £35, as was the three-headed dog Cerberus tee.

Back into the shaded Forest and Vower were starting their first of two sets of the weekend. Formed out of the ashes of Black Peaks, Palm Reader, and Toska the five-piece delivered a melodic metal set that filled the forest with big choruses and heavy riffs. Frontman Josh McKeown has an absolutely killer voice and thankfully held enough back for their Saturday afternoon slot.

Unpeople. had received a fair amount of hype ahead of trees and were a “must see” for many. Their Forest set was covers heavy (Beastie Boys, Weezer, Reuben and System of a Down) which is unsurprising given they’ve a handful of songs at their disposal and wanted to keep their powder dry for Thursday’s set– not an issue in this weather. The set was disrupted by two different ends of the spectrum, as one person broke an ankle while a couple became engaged, but the band duly delivered and whet appetites for tomorrow’s Main Stage set.

The shade was my friend at this point, so I stood firm in the Forest and waited for one of the bands I missed out on last year, Blood Command. The Norwegian/Australian collective out of Bergen rock Adidas trackies and in the case of the front row terrorising frontwoman Nikki Brumen a red sequinned tennis dress.

Brumen is a genuine star. Surfing the crowd, laying prone on the stage and doing her bit for the wellbeing of the crowd by spitting water into the crowd (hydration is key folks!). She dedicates a song to her sister, who won’t crowd surf due to having too much jewellery on her and promptly throws herself out there instead – continuing to give her all.

I next caught Welsh punk rock five-piece Panic Shack in the Forest. Their fun-filled, acerbic set was one of the weekend’s highlights. They’re clearly having the time of their lives but also using their platform to provide social commentary.

Adding their voice to support for Kneecap and Bob Vylan, addressing body shaming, during 2022’s ‘I Don’t Really Like It’, a song about the male gaze, they blend into Ting Tings’ anthem ‘That’s Not My Name’. It’s a seething rendition with more bite than the original, and it rocks.

With their self-titled debut released the week after Trees and a UK tour starting in October, Panic Shack are coming for you and we should all be here for it.

I made my way back through to the main site and on the way saw a crowd gathered around Camp Kev’s stage and saw a young lad, called Finnley, probably around four years old, rocking out with his ukelele with the audience cheering and clapping along.

This show will definitely be a core memory to this little Trees-er, and who knows maybe one day he’ll be crushing it on the main stage himself?

Heading to Jerk Yard I grabbed a portion of boneless jerk chicken with rice and peas (£15) which was genuinely belting and set me up for the rest of the evening.

By the time Kid Kapichi walked out in the Forest the humidity levels were well up as bodies filled the space for a glimpse of the first of the band’s two shows.

They announced two of the founding members of the group were standing down, making these their last gigs as a fourpiece and grateful for the crowd turning out. Using their slot to play some of their older material, frontman Jack Wilson admitted they felt a bit rusty playing some of them but the crowd loved it no matter what.

Mancunian rockers Hot Milk were the final act of the night. The band released its latest album Corporation P.O.P. earlier this year and have been touring relentlessly all year with more dates to come, but there were no signs of fatigue on show.

At one point frontwoman Han Mee made reference to some other band from Manchester being on tour “But they’re not ‘ere are they?” and I don’t think anyone in the Forest minded one bit. The emo-pop anthem BLOODSTREAM would absolutely CRUSH IT at EuroVision and I mean that with the utmost praise and sincerity. It’s fucking rad!

With great charisma, a genre hopping sound and the vocals of Mee and Jim Shaw interlinking perfectly, there is definitely scope for Hot Milk to deliver a mega set on the Main Stage at some point – although a rammed Neu or The Axiom may suit them too.

I called it at this point, knowing there were still three full days to go and anticipating a fairly feral night’s sleep with the temperature still being in the high teens at this hour.

THURSDAY

Waking up to absolute furnace levels of heat at only 7am required an immediate exit from the tent and finding solace in the arms of a bacon roll with extra pork patty (£9.50) from Halls Dorset Smokery.

With the main arena area now fully opened, I took a tour of the various merchants offering their wares and including charities Safe Gigs for Women who work with venues, promoters, artists and gig-goers to fight sexual assault and harassment at live music events and Metal For Good who use the positive values of rock, metal and other alternative subcultures to make a positive difference in communities.

Seeing so many charities at the festival, with people donating and buying their merch, added even more to the feel-good factor on site. That being said, it was a shame the device charging function provided by a charity last year had been taken over by a company selling camping gear and some decidedly overpriced supplies (£4 for a loaf of bread…) and hopefully something the organisers reconsider next year.

Unbeknownst to me I’d set my tent up alongside a group of friends from Cambridge who turned out to be Grieving – a post hardcore quartet who only found out a few weeks prior to Trees they were playing.

On getting into The Forest for their mid-morning set there was a large gap in the middle/front of the stage which I thought was the start of a frankly terrifying looking “Wall of Death” but it was actually to avoid being stood in the intense sun which was shining down through the canopy like a sunbeam through a magnifying glass.

Frontman James Parrish, guitarist Ned Wilson Eames, bassist Jack Hurst and drummer Matt Simper hadn’t played a gig in six years prior to this slot, but the release of their debut album ‘Everything Goes Right, All At Once’ last Spring caught the bookers’ attention and they were invited along. Their half hour slot of post hardcore and emo sounds channelled the likes of American Football and Fugazi and was a perfect start to the day.

Midday on the main stage brought out Karen Dió, who proclaims herself to be ‘your favourite Brazilian punk rocker’ on her Instagram, for a set nearly as fierce as the baking sun!

Entering to the theme from Rocky, Dió overcame some technical difficulties with the click track to deliver a charismatic, energetic and downright fantastic set filled with punk rock riffs and plenty of fun. Her cover of Chappel Roan’s ‘Casual’ is better than the original and I will not be taking any questions on the matter.

Having toured with Limp Bizkit in the UK and Europe in the Spring, Dió is definitely in the ascendency and James Scarlett has tipped her to headline Trees in the future. On the evidence of this set it’ll be sooner rather than later!

Capping off the set with the certified pop-rock banger ‘Sick Ride’ the band then brought out a birthday cake for guitarist and Karen’s husband, former Dinosaur Pile-up frontman Matt Bigland, serenading him with a chorus of Happy Birthday – Parabéns from all at Summer Festival Guide!

The price of beers is always one of those hot topics at festivals, and it’s something that Trees organisers are very aware of. While they do encourage folks to buy beers where they can, they’re also okay with folks bringing their own drinks from the campsite which helps reduce costs.

What I will say though is the quality of the beers and ciders on offer is a level up from other festivals. There’s none of the “Big Beer” here – it’s independent, delicious and well worth the outlay. So, if you’re at Trees, follow the unofficial mantra “Heroes buy Beeros!” and enjoy a cold one rather than a lukewarm can of cider from your tent – you won’t regret it.

Trees also always has heaps of great food available, catering to all comers – from your omnivores, to carnivores, vegetarians, vegans and coeliacs. I visited the excellently named Beetbox for a beetroot falafel wrap (£12) which was equally excellent and enjoyed with a pint from the Arbor bar – sampling the Tree’s collaboration “Holding Out For A Beero” (£7) – a super drinkable IPA which was very popular and soon sold out.

Unpeople.’s second coming occurred on the Main Stage and there were a lot of VERY up for it fans down front and centre but as soon as the menacing riff of ‘Waste’ kicks things off that has soon spread beyond the pit and engulfed all in attendance. The lyrics “Give the people what they want, no question” seems to be something Unpeople. take very much to heart.

Crowd surfers were flung gleefully into the air and over the barrier as the rockers delivered a half hour set filled with heavy numbers with hook riddled choruses. This included the monumental sing-along set closer ‘The Garden’ which the crowd chanted along to with fervour – possibly worried the heat would render them incapacitated for the rest of the day and wanting to give it their all.

The heat by this point was kicking the ever-loving heck out of me, so I had a lie down besides a big old tree to listen to Snayx during their slot. Having been forced to cancel their show last year, it was a strong return for the band and their riotous set complete with huge cover of The Prodigy’s ‘Breathe’ was worth the wait alone.

Dragging myself to my feet via a strategically positioned I rose to my feet for The Hunna’s set. Frontman Ryan Potter has mighty lungs on him, both in terms of his vocal range and the energetic performance levels. They debuted new single ‘Hide & Seek’ along with some more familiar tracks including the radio-friendly singalong ‘Bonfire’ and it was

Flagging like an overenthusiastic Sea Scout I headed into the welcoming, shaded embrace of the Forest for one of the unexpected highlights of the weekend.

Battlesnake walked out to monastic chanting wearing white bedazzled robes and with singer Sam Frank bedecked in a hood with golden horns. While I may have been hallucinating, something seemed different about this Aussie troupe, and when Frank began his satanic spoken-word intro and one of the THREE guitarists lifted their Flying-V, I knew it was about to get heavy as fuck!

Their most recent album’s name is ‘Dawn of the Exultants and the Hunt for the Shepherd’ and the theatricality doesn’t stop with their naming of records. Ending each song with “Thank you we are Battlesnake!” the Sydney rockers led a crowd frothing at the gills in cult-like chants of “Murder, Murder” during ‘Murder Machine’ and giving us all the pageantry you’d expect from a 70’s metal band.

During the monstrous ‘Sanctum Robotos’ it is possible Frank was briefly possessed by the gods of rock, a suspicion confirmed once he stuck his tongue out and started shaking his golden horns at the front row before he and the rest of the band flung themselves into the crowd for a mass crowd surfing.

The set finished with the guitarist clambering onto the bassist’s shoulders to be carried aloft around the Forest while Frank stripped to his budgy smugglers and writhed around on the floor.

For the whole 45 minutes I didn’t stop smiling, laughing and making devil horns with my hand and I wasn’t the only one! They dragged a group of sun-scorched souls from the pits of heat induced despair before condemning us en masse to the depths of a heavy metal hell, one mega-riff after another and I’ll be honest – I’m ready to join this cult.

Hoisting the bar to monumental heights, Battlesnake were going to be a tough act to follow in my eyes – and so it was on to PVRIS.

Now, it was clear there were a lot of people in the crowd who were incredibly stoked for the co-headliner’s sundown slot but there was also a sense that a lot were getting themselves positioned for Kneecap.

Frontwoman Lynn Gunn has an absolutely incredible voice, and genuine star quality, and songs like ‘Smoke’, ‘Fire’ and closers ‘My House’ and ‘GODDESS’ are cool as hell but during a sprawling set I have to be brutally honest I lost interest.

Too many of the songs felt they had another couple of gears to go through, but never really hit full speed. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, and whether it was the ‘Battlesnake effect’ I drifted toward the bar to get a drink and bag a Buffalo Chicken Burger from Chicken Shack before wandering to The Axiom for Scottish indie-rockers Twin Atlantic.

To borrow some Scots patter, the tent was absolutely hoatching with people ready to fill their boots with something of a slightly different persuasion to a lot of the guitar-based bands of the weekend.

They know how to work a room full of fans ready to get in amongst it, and their anthemic sound filled out The Axiom and beyond – which is handy considering how full the tent was.

I have a huge fondness for singers staying authentic to their geographical roots rather than wandering into a trans-Atlantic drawl – so it’s a pleasure to hear Sam McTrusty’s Glaswegian twang laced throughout their songs, whether that’s on earnest acoustic tracks like ‘Crash Land’ or the stank face conjuring ‘No Sleep’.

Closing out with ‘Heart and Soul’, an iconic track with almost 28million streams on that streaming platform, the tent empties rapidly as many head down to the main stage for Thursday’s finale with Kneecap.

It would take a frankly spectacular ability to avoid the news for you to be unaware of the three-piece from West Belfast and Derry. Before the festival there was a LOT of noise around the group, with Sharon Osborne’s comments after the band’s Coachella set putting wheels in motion for a campaign calling for festivals including Trees to remove them from the billing.

There was never any doubt Kneecap would be making their third appearance at Upcote, even if it took until just over a month prior for Trees to issue a statement confirming. This made it one of the most anticipated sets of the weekend, especially after cancellations of their scheduled performances at Radar and TRNSMT festivals.

Emerging to a sea of Ireland and Palestine flags, Celtic shirts, GAA jerseys and balaclava wearing kids, the group were ready to give the crowd what they wanted as ‘It’s Been Ages’ started a riotous set punctuated by equal parts standup comedy and political discourse from Mo Chara (Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh) and Móglaí Bap (Naoise Ó Cairealláin).

For ‘Better Way to Live’, Fontaines DC frontman Grian Chatten pops up on a video from DJ Próvaí’s (JJ Ó Dochartaigh) deck and ahead of ‘Guilty Conscience’ Mo Chara references the court case regarding alleged terror offences which takes place towards the end of August – promising a gig outside the court “It’s going to be like a criminal Live Aid!”.

The band regularly praise the festival and the audience during their performance, but I can’t help but feel there is a lot of filler in their set. That’s hardly surprising with one LP behind them and a lot of EPs, and there’s no denying the singles are massive – especially ‘H.O.O.D’ – but you have to hope there’s something in the pipeline to move them from comedy collective into mainstays on the rap scene.

New single ‘THE RECAP’ is hopefully a nod to that, and an absolutely incendiary version to (knee)cap off the night has the scorched ground shaking. It’s an exhilarating performance and the toll of “keeping her lit” sends me off to bed in the hope of a cooler night’s sleep!

FRIDAY

Temperatures did indeed drop overnight, but were soon up again and the 8am alarm of a USAF U-2 “Dragon Lady” bomber taking off from nearby RAF Fairford had cricked necks craning to the sky for a peek.

A slow start to day two began with some tasty veggie samosas from Curry Bae and built up to Aussie punk rockers Press Club on the main stage. The Melbourne natives played their first show in the UK at Cheltenham’s legendary Frog & Fiddle pub, so in some ways this felt like a bit of a home from homecoming.

Frontwoman Natalie Foster’s main character energy filled every corner of the main stage as she sprinted around, clambering down to the barrier and getting into the crowd. Their half hour set flew by as they rattled through songs from May’s ‘To All the Ones That I Love’ album and 2019’s ‘Late Teens’.

During the total bop ‘Headwreck’ Foster informs us she’ll “bring her A-game” and I can confirm she and the band duly delivered. A* from me!

In an interview ahead of Trees James Scarlett had shouted out Julia Wolf, saying: “Every so often, I book an act in a small slot, and they suddenly get much, much bigger” and that definitely seemed the case here as the Forest was absolutely rammed on arrival.

Wolf stood in a fetching yellow 2000Trees football shirt and it felt like she was drinking in this intimate stage setting, knowing in her heart that she’s going to be playing much bigger venues from here on in.

Recent single ‘Jennifer’s Body’ is dedicated to Megan Fox, star of the film of the same name, and tackles body imagery, before TikTok hit ‘My Room’ closes out a dreamy set which could have carried on for another hour as far as I was concerned.

MAJOR GRIPE ALERT! A load of people had created circles of camping chairs, taking up heaps of space. Those groups combined with a load of hammocks creating a limbo situation when trying to navigate the sloped hill to find a spot made what is ordinarily my favourite corner of the festival an absolute waking nightmare.

I get that it was hot and that area was shady but come on people!? Hopefully something is done to negate that at future Trees, because it stopped people getting in and out which isn’t particularly safe for one and is bloody irritating for another!

A late recommendation from a friend sent me across to the main stage for The Dangerous Summer, not for a talk about the merits of sunscreen and shade, but for a set filled with soaring guitars and frontman AJ Perdomo’s yearning voice.

They’ve been around for almost 20 years as a band and the nostalgic tone of ‘Where I Want To Be’ and ‘Coming Home’ evoke all those feels from a more innocent time, while ‘Fuck Them All’ triggers many clenched fists being raised to the sky. During ‘The Permanent Rain’ Perdomo hands his bass over to Ben Landford-Biss from As It Is and gets himself into the crowd to drink in some of what he has created.

As the curtain falls, AJ Perdomo shouts “We are The Motherfucking Dangerous Summer” drops his mic and leaves, job well done.

On a wander between stages I hear a bit of Delta Sleep and Trash Boat, both of which draw good crowds, but the shade is calling so it’s back under that trusty tree with a couple of pints from Arbor.

My friends are absolutely STOKED to see these cult heroes FIDLAR in their backyard and a chaotic and deeply enjoyable performance makes it easy to see why! The sunshine, surfer rock of ‘No Waves’, playschool protest of ‘Sober’ and infectious teen rebellion hooks of ‘West Coast’ bring the vibes while covers of ‘Wonderwall’ and ‘Feel Good Hit of The Summer’ bring a little bit of familiarity to those not in the know.

It’s a fun-filled set and they leave telling everyone they’d been ‘Taking Back Sunday’ but they’re fooling nobody – they’re FIDLAR and they’re awesome.

Before mainstays of the scene Coheed and Cambria I get myself a portion of the frankly world beating Birria Tacos from Bristol’s Gourmet Warriors. There was a bit of a wait for them to arrive, but DAMN were they worth it…I could gleefully have eaten about twenty of them, but it was back to the main stage for Coheed’s set.

With the sun dipping down and bathing the stage in gold, Coheed and Cambria were up for this co-headliner slot.

Having already played an acoustic set during a Forest Q&A session you could be forgiven for thinking they’d be a little fatigued, but the New Yorkers absolutely work their socks off to deliver a set laced with songs from 2025 album ‘The Father of Make Believe’ but still bringing out the classics including ‘A Favor House Atlantic’,

Claudio Sanchez hasn’t lost a bit of his impressive near falsetto and as he leads the band into an encore of ‘Blood Red Summer’ the crowd tries to keep pace, straining already well used vocal cords to their limit and probably compromising a few in the process!

Then it’s time for them to leave, but not before a set and potentially world ending rendition of ‘Welcome Home’. There are certain bits of kit that a guitarist pulls out that immediately signify something awesome is about to happen (see earlier reference to Flying V’s) and a white, double-necked Gibson SG is one of them.

Wheeling the 12 stringer we’ve been left in no doubt as to Coheed’s penchant for the epic. It’s a huge set and they’ve given their all, throwing down the gauntlet to all comers. Awesome.

Frank Turner is no stranger to 2000Trees (indeed he played ‘Love, Ire & Song’ in the Forest earlier) but Million Dead broke up before the festival was born in 2005 – so when James Scarlett heard whisper that they were getting the band back together he wasted zero time in telling Frank he’d book them for the festival, forcing his hand a little in the process.

This is unbridled nostalgia and The Axiom audience is 100% here for it!

While Frank’s voice doesn’t quite hit the high notes of yore he’s not the only one – as neither does drummer Ben Dawson’s which Turner describes as “like a gerbil being murdered”. Something about “those in glass houses” springs to mind but it doesn’t take anything away from what feels like a reunion of best mates for all in a sweaty Axiom.

A frenetic ‘Smiling at Strangers on Trains’ brings things to an end, sating those in the crowd who doubted they’d ever see Million Dead back on a stage – if only due to the relentless schedule of Frank who passed the 3,000 show mark in February – and then it was time for another shot of nostalgia delivered by Taking Back Sunday.

This is the band’s only UK show of 2025 so there’s plenty of elder emos ready to let loose and when the opening to ‘A Decade Under the Influence’ kicked off the years rolled back, arms were raised and lungs started emptying into the night’s sky.

There’s been quite a few reports of poor-quality shows in recent years and frontman Adam Lazzara’s voice isn’t the finely tuned tool it once was – but having played a few festival slots in the US already earlier in the year, there was hope for a return to form.

Unfortunately, despite a set packed out with genuine emo anthems including Liar (It Takes One to Know One)’ and ‘You’re So Last Summer’ it seemed like there was some ring rustiness among the band and it felt like much of the crowd were counting down to the “big two” which, unsurprisingly came at the end of the night.

When the iconic intro to ‘Cute Without The ‘E’ (Cut From The Team)’ started the audience, including the casuals Lazzara had called out earlier, were back in the fight and by the time ‘MakeDamnSure’ came round it was like it was 2006 all over again. It was good to live out the emo dream again, and I can’t say I’d have gone to see them on tour, but the perpetual teething problems made for a bit of a disappointing headline slot.

To the uninitiated you may not know that one of the staples of Trees is the Silent Disco which is spread over multiple channels and stages and even involves live sets from bands. You can pre-order the headsets for £26 (£20 of which is refunded after the event) and then collect using a barcode or rent them on site for £28.

It’s honestly one of the best bits of the festival, and having been unable to sleep due to the sound of revellers last night I thought it was time to join in!

Tonight, Thrill Collins is playing a set in the Forest and it goes OFF! A setlist packed with pop and rock hits, as well as a UK Garage medley interspersed by the brand’s trademark witticisms got a crowd going – to the point of unexpected crowd surfing which the security guards expecting a quiet night were soon called into action!

After a couple of hours of hopping between channels and tents to find the best vibes, slinging back White Russians and having a thoroughly excellent time – I picked up a tasty mushroom and spinach pizza from Slice One for supper and finally got to bed as the temperature dropped and meant I could actually justify having brought my sleeping bag with me!

SATURDAY

A few hours later and it was back to phenomenally spicy temperatures in the tent so I covered the outside of it with emergency foil blankets in the vain hope of surviving another night.

I was definitely feeling the accumulative effects of the heat, the lack of sleep and probably some of the White Russians, so I tackled the day with a frankly glacial pace.

Philadelphia natives Catbite are the main stage’s first offering to the sun gods and it couldn’t have been a better start to the day. I genuinely believe there are few better things than ska tinged punk at a festival in the sun – it just fits!

Brittany Luna is a phenomenon of a front woman, engaging the crowd with her patter, getting them to air scratch during ‘Scratch Me Up’ and delivering a wild performance during ‘Call Your Bluff’ – but the whole band is giving it FULL BEANS up there, this despite having to fly back to the US in a couple of days and having two sets booked for the after hours sets in the campsite.

They’ll be back in the UK in the Autumn on the Common Thread tour and if they’re in your postcode you need to get some of their live performance in your life!

DaytimeTV make their Trees debut in the Neu tent and bring their own Royal Bloodiness of chonky riffs and stadium filling noise to a small space in a field in Gloucestershire. There’s definitely a radio friendly element to their sound and I would be shocked if they’re not occupying much larger stages in the future.

The only downside of being in the covered stages for these performances was the humidity in there, rivalled only by the portaloos which made a fella very pleased to have brought Immodium, despite the regular cleaning.

Saturday is traditionally fancy dress day at Trees, with the best outfits receiving a ticket to next year’s festival and this year’s theme was heroes! Despite the heat, hundreds and hundreds of attendees joined in and some of the highlights were assorted WWE legends, Postman Pat, a can of Arbor’s 2000Trees beer collab, Cadbury’s chocolates and my personal favourite Chad Kroeger and Josey Scott from the Spiderman soundtrack – complete with mini Spiderman and New York skyline.

I went back to The Forest for the first time and the shade greeted me like an old friend, as did Kevin Devine’s performance. I first heard Kevin’s music at University in 2005 when an ex introduced me to ‘Circle Gets the Square’ but had never seen him live, so this was one of the sets I most looked forward to over the weekend.

A folky set filled with the heartfelt lyrics and Kevin’s vocal range of soft and gentle to lung busting screams was just what I needed – you could say it was, devine…(sorry).

Fans sang gently along to ‘Just Stay’ with it’s “I’m okay, okay. I’m okay, okay” outro, and ‘Cotton Crush’, while Devine dedicated ‘Another Bag of Bones’ to a Free Palestine before performing an Elliot Smith cover (‘Between the Bars’) and teasing the crowd with a few intros including Mr. Jones, Enter Sandman and Smells Like Teen Spirit before announcing “Anyway, here’s Wonderwall!” and closing out his first set at Trees since 2017.

The much needed, calmer set in the shaded sanctuary of the Forest, brought me back to life and I was ready for the rest of the day via a trip to Bunnyman’s for their legendary chilli in a hollowed out bread stick. Last year I made the chronically poor decision to take on their ‘Hot As Hell’ flavour and nearly combusted – so this time I opted for 50/50 while liberally applying the free Factor 50 the stall owners kindly provided.

It was amazing and complimented a restorative cider in the sun perfectly.

Next were Vukovi but I took the opportunity to pack up my tent ahead of exiting site in the morning. I could hear them from the campsite, and they sounded brilliant from afar. I definitely regret not being in the crowd to see the iconic Mr Fridge meet his final end after years of Trees domination (RIP), but it sounds like Vukovi owned their slot and I will 100% be making an effort to see them next time around.

I dipped in to catch some of La Dispute in The Axiom and Lowlives playing Neu on the way back to the main stage for letlive.

The former had filled the tent to the rafters, with the overspill of shade seekers enjoying the show and singer Jordan Dreyer’s emotionally strained vocals, while Lowlives delivered a proper rocking set as Snatch villain Brick Top’s grimace watched over them from the kick drum.

Letlive. split in 2017 and in 2024 announced a remaster of ‘The Blackest Beautiful’ as well as details of their farewell tour – including a stop at 2000Trees – which was music to the ears of many who thought that was that.

While this performance may be goodbye, there’s nothing Irish about – they are going HARD AS up there! Frontman Jason Aalon Butler’s voice is monumental and the band are rocking out to the fullest as the crowd bays for more.

He uses his platform to talk about the band, to thank the crowd and touches on his own challenges with his mental health and anger which he’s worked on with therapy (it’s cool to talk about how you feel, folks).

That anger is put to good use during ‘Good Mourning, America’ which feels as relevant now as it ever has against the political backdrop in the USA and beyond as does the fury laden ‘The Sick, Sick, 6.8 Billion’.

It’s both a vitriolic and reflective performance and he dedicates ‘Muther’ to the women in the crowd proclaiming to the men in the audience “Women don’t need your help, they need your respect and the courtesy they deserve!” while also informing them he’ll gladly mete out a beating if they don’t heed his call. But he’s also in a playful mood, gently chiding a fan Charlotte who saw him and said she’d had a dream he gave her a shoutout only for her to not be there (she was, she was just away from her friends) before getting her on stage – along with the Marshall amp mascot who dutifully kneels down to take their space on the stage as Butler warns him: “Remember how I used to break amps on stage? Your times up motherfuckah!”

On that, Butler is proving an absolute nightmare for the stage crew with his running around, throwing mics, dragging the drum kit along the stage, jumping down to the barrier and dragging leads across monitors – and that’s the tip of the iceberg!

During ‘27 Club’ he’s down to his underwear and scaling the stage up to the light scaffolding, causing more than a few sharp intakes of breath and worry we’re about to see a major spill – but thankfully he makes it back down safely, albeit leaving his microphone dangling (not a euphemism).

It was one of the sets of the weekend and cued the hunger pangs, so Pad Thai and Spring Rolls from…well, Pad Thai…were on the menu before the final headliners of the weekend, Alexisonfire.

Now, I have to confess I never had an Alexisonfire phase (I know, I know – it isn’t a phase…) but this was one the elder emos in the crowd were absolutely bouncing in their Posturepedic Vans for.

Entering to the theme tune from The Last of the Mohicans they salute the crowd, thanking them for “sticking with us all these years” and as soon as ‘Accidents’ kicks in there is a massive release of pent-up energy and by the time the singalong “woah, woah, woah” comes in we’re at escape velocity and being carried by the momentum.

You can tell they’ve been touring their arses off this last year, as the band don’t miss a step – a far cry from last night’s headliners! But they’re also clearly having a blast up there.

At one point George Pettitt ends up crowd surfing and sitting on an inflatable armchair as the adoring crowd carry him aloft in between slinging themselves over the barrier.

Before the encore the band leads a singalong to a huge ‘This Could Be Anywhere In The World’ returning for a somehow even louder sounding ‘Young Cardinals’ and shutting it down with ‘Happiness By The Kilowatt’ which bleeds into Neil Young’s ‘Hey Hey, My My’ leaving the last shreds of the chainmail sporting Wade MacNeil’s voice hanging by a thread.

The band leave the stage to rapturous applause with the crowd’s beaming faces slowly moving away from the stage into the night – hearts filled by an astonishing headline set. Alexisonfire wasn’t a band I listened to back in the day, but fair play they absolutely delivered the perfect closer to the main stage action and one of those legendary performances folk will talk about for years to come.

I finally made my way into the campsite for one of the highlights of the weekend, a series of afterhours sets from musicians across several stages set out along the main route through the campsite.

Last year there were a few grumbles about the congestion caused by these shows, with folks crammed between tents, standing on guy ropes and blocking the pathway. This year the set-up crew had created a more formalised space for each of these, Camp Turner in particular, which solved the problem.

Bouncing between stages I managed to catch two sets from Catbite (Camp Turner and UTB Manchester) with an acoustic set including mouth trombone and slick harmonies and cover of Amy Winehouse’s ‘Valerie’ and their own bangers ‘Die in Denver’ and ‘Excuse Me Miss’ among others. I also saw Olivia Rose (Camp Turner) who jumped in to save the day for Catbite with a Capo ahead of her own slot, before moving on to Cheltenham locals Truck (Camp Frabbit) who’s singer Jamie had managed to shred his vocal cords screaming along during the weekend but still delivered a fun set including the excellent single ‘Spit It Out’.

A last flick between Silent Disco channels and a hotdog with fries from Piggie Smalls later and it was time for bed – with the only disappointment from the day being the lack of appearance from last year’s Saturday night headliners…No, not Don Broco…The Cockchafers! I say disappointment, those winged behemoths caused chaos last time round so it was quite nice to wee in peace!

SUNDAY

The usual challenges of 15,000 people leaving site via a tiny B road occurred on exit, compounded somewhat by a local highways operative directing traffic from the junction and the Big Green Bus coaches squeezing their way down the lane – but it wasn’t too long before I was home and checking out the gnarly tanlines from my wristband.

As sunkissed/ravaged revellers made their way from the dustbowl site and back to reality, it’s worth a pause to reflect and thank everyone involved in 2000 Trees. From the organisers to all the staff and volunteers who put this beaut of a festival on for us.

The heat was unrelenting all weekend and they stood firm, smiling and bringing the vibes that help to make this festival what it is.

A word on those vibes too. Many first timers I spoke to commented on this intangible quality, some having abandoned small festivals that grew exponentially and sold out to the corporations years ago – ruining that community feel you get at those festivals and that community is so powerful at Trees.

2000Trees maintains its fierce independence and has done since 2007 and in my opinion is all the better for it. Considering the economic challenges faced by so many and with 204 UK festivals closing altogether since 2019, it is testament to the powers that be at 2000Trees that they’ve resisted the lure of corporate dollar – with only Marshall Amps really having any overt presence there as a partner.

Glastonbury’s fallow year in 2026 provides an opportunity for the mid-sized festivals to hoover up new fans and convert them into lifers. With discounted early bird ticket packages available and instalment plans available for next year, regulars already committing and festival director James Scarlett’s knack for picking a belter of a lineup, I’d wager it won’t be long before the best kept secret on the UK festival scene is anything but secret.

2000Trees 2026 takes place from Thursday 9^th to Saturday 11^th July, so get it in the diary and I’ll see you at the Silent Disco!

DOWNLOAD XXII – 2025 REVIEWED!

June 21, 2025 by Anna Hyams

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.

© 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’.

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!