DOWNLOAD XXII – 2025 REVIEWED!

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

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

FRIDAY

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

© Anna Hyams for SFG

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

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

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

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

© James Bridle for Download Festival

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

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

© Anna Hyams for SFG

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

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

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

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

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

© Toddow Young for Download Festival

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

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

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

© Anna Hyams for SFG

SATURDAY

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

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

© Anna Hyams for SFG

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

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

© Carolina Faruolo for Download Festival

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

© Anna Hyams for SFG

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

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

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

© Anna Hyams for SFG

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

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

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

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

© Anna Hyams for SFG

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

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

© Anna Hyams for SFG

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

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

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

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

© Matt Higgs for Download Festival

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

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

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

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

© Anna Hyams for SFG

SUNDAY

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

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

© Anna Hyams for SFG

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

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

© Anna Hyams for SFG

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

© Andrew Whitton for Download Festival

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

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

© Anna Hyams for SFG

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

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

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

© Anna Hyams for SFG

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

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

© Anna Hyams for SFG

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

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

© Anna Hyams for SFG

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

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

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

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

© Anna Hyams for SFG

BLOODSTOCK reveal EMP stage line-up

BLOODSTOCK is thrilled to be partnering with premier alternative lifestyle and merchandise brand EMP to unveil the next wave of rising metal talent set to storm the EMP Stage this August. 

EMP declare, “After last year’s success, we are absolutely thrilled to announce our partnership again with BLOODSTOCK 2025! As proud sponsors of the 4th stage, EMP is ready to rock alongside the best in metal. Stay tuned for exciting giveaways and exclusive content in the lead-up to the festival. As Europe’s #1 for music, films & TV, gaming merchandise & alt fashion, EMP is honoured to be part of the UK’s biggest independent Metal Festival once again and can’t wait to join forces with BLOODSTOCK to make history on the EMP STAGE!”

A powerhouse mix of fresh faces and underground favourites, these bands represent the fierce diversity and raw energy of the UK and European metal scene.Get to know the bands who’ll be igniting the EMP Stage:
Joining Friday’s bill:

DESOLATOR – High-speed, high-impact thrash from Yorkshire, proudly flying the old-school flag.

LUST RITUAL – A doom-laden descent into occult ceremony, invoking heaviness with haunting atmosphere.

INSIDIOUS VOID – Belfast death metal trio unleashing old-school brutality with fresh venom.

SHRIKE – Ambient, orchestral, and utterly epic, if you like cinematic metal this band is for you!

HELLDOWN – South Wales thrash newcomers combining aggression and precision in lethal doses.

Added to Saturday’s line-up:

CROWN SOLACE – Scottish symphonic metalheads boasting soaring vocals and cinematic grandeur.

TIBERIUS – Edinburgh’s prog rockers, whose infectious energy and technical finesse have already earned them a cult following.

BAD SMELL – Raw, no-frills metal that hits like a pub brawl.

THRASHIST REGIME – Aberdeen’s thrash commandos bringing riff-fuelled chaos with a punk edge.

RITES TO RUIN – Classic metal stylings from a band built for festival stages.

Livening up Sunday’s proceedings:

THE FIVE HUNDRED – Nottingham’s melodic metalcore juggernauts, fresh off a sold-out show at Rescue Rooms and riding high with their latest blistering single.

Z MACHINE – Sax-driven Sheffield heavyweights blending groove and innovation – perfect for Bloodstockers with adventurous ears.

MAATKARE – Metal warriors bringing Egyptian history and mythos to life with fierce riffs and empowering presence.

ORME – Hertfordshire’s slowest power trio, dealing in drone, sludge, and tectonic-level heaviness.

PHON – Worcester’s heavy sludge/grunge trio delivering thick riffs and angsty hooks.
Known for championing emerging artists and killer festival style, EMP returns to BLOODSTOCK with some special offers… 

WANT TO WIN WEEKEND TICKETS?

EMP is giving you the chance to win a highly sought after, sold out pair of full weekend tickets to BLOODSTOCK! Head here for how to enter and join the action this summer!
GET BLOODSTOCK READY!

To celebrate 2025’s partnership, EMP is helping fans gear up with a 20% discount at their online store. Whether you need band tees, boots, or camping essentials, just use the code BOA20 at checkout and get 20% off your order (minimum spend £39.99).

Head to EMP UK and stock up now!

T&C: 20% off / MOV £39.99. Valid until 21.05.2025. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotional codes. Only redeemable once per customer. After entering the code, the discount will be automatically deducted from your shopping basket. Books, media, tickets, Rammstein, Die Ärzte, Die Toten Hosen, Feine Sahne Fischfilet, Broilers, New Balance, Böhse Onkelz, Funko Pop!, vouchers & items that include a donation in the price are excluded from the promotion.

Join us for the UK’s most spectacular weekend of metal and mayhem with your mates this August – and discover the future of metal live on the EMP Stage!
USE CODE BOA20 AT EMP TO SAVE 20%
Did you snap up a ticket yet? Day tickets are now running VERY low (only Friday left!), and weekend tickets have also already sold out, so don’t hang about if you want to join the fun this summer! If you already have a weekend ticket, a limited number of Wednesday early access passes are available for an add-on cost of £25 for those who want to max out their BLOODSTOCK experience, staying in any of the standard campsites (including Kyrr if you have a Kyrr-specific ticket) or the campervan field. This option is not available at present for the VIP or accessible campsites. 

Head to the ticket store to see all currently available options including pre-bookable car parking.

If you’ve missed out on your preferred ticket type, sign up to official resale partner Tixel. Simply set an alert for notification if your tickets of choice become available, or pre-authorise your card in advance, so no need for constant checking back. Tixel also allows you to safely re-sell tickets to a new home if plans have changed. You can sell ALL ticket types, including instalment plan purchases, plus any tickets sold via Ticketmaster or other third party ticket outlets. Click through to https://tixel.com/uk/bloodstock-tickets for more information on how it works. 

If you’re thinking about travel options, consider Big Green Coach, for the closest drop off on site. Check out routes here

Get more festival information over at bloodstock.uk.com. Watch a trailer here.

Skunk Anansie – Birmginham O2 Academy 2025, REVIEWED!

So Good

Tonight’s musical aperitif is a cheeky dip into the brat-punk pool of London artist So Good, backed up by band members in pink balaclavas, and singers in stompy doc marten boots. Frontwoman Sophie is decked out in pleated denim, neon pink socks and a matching Beret, spitting feminist anti-fascist lyrics with wild abandon – but giving distinct Leslie Knope’s Pawnee Goddess girl-guide energy.

I’m absolutely here for it, this infectious riot grrrl fun is coming back around, thanks (no thanks) to the state of the world around us right now, and we need more of it. “Her ex boyfriend is from Birmingham you know” Sophie points at one of her singers, “…so this one goes out to him, middle fingers up!” and the crowd obliges by joining in with the salute.

‘I Hate It Here’ about our repeatedly shit Prime Minister situation is very tongue in cheek funny, but also hits the nail on the head in so many ways. The line “…you ain’t stopped abortion just abortion that’s safe…” comes at a time where our news is full of professional victims hiding behind religion and free speech, to attack women in lawfully protected safe zones. Again, this kind of nonsense needs disrupting – and if it comes in the loud bright fun packaging of women’s rage-music, all the better in my opinion.

Just to break up the political discourse for a minute, “I heard a rumour that people from Birmingham have big dicks?” Sophie giggles before launching into ‘If I had A’ – a hilarious lament on penises and a very 70’s-porn twangy backing track.

Finishing up with a dose of blasphemy,  ‘I Rewrote The Fucking Bible’ is the ultimate angry girl theme tune. There’s a hint of Lady Sovereign, a bit of Bikini Kill, and a lot of London. Straight on the protest playlist. So Good might already be my biggest band recommendation of the year, and it’s only April.

© Anna Hyams Photography – Do not use without permission

Skunk Anansie

It’s a packed-out shoulder-to-sweaty-shoulder affair in the O2 tonight, a sold out show for the return of Brit-rock royalty Skunk Anansie. The stage, moody with fog and blue lighting, centres on a drum riser crowned with black inflatable spikes. Drummer Mark Richardson makes his way to the centre of the sea urchin structure to immediate roars of appreciation from the crowd, as Cass and Ace take to the stage below.

© Anna Hyams Photography – Do not use without permission

The electric opening bars of  ‘This Means War’ provide the perfect promenade for a duffel-coated Skin to enter the stage. Like some kind of menacing caterpillar waiting to break free, she bounces in on gigantic metal-plated boots, with a huge hood obscuring her face as she tears through the call-to-arms lyrics. Swapping into trainers and ditching the sleeping-bag for ‘Because of You’, we are treated to the soaring top notes Skin is famous for, the awed silence of the crowd as she holds an impossibly long note mid-song is truly something to behold.

Wearing a hybrid Adidas track top-turned tailcoat with the bouffant arms of a retro Nike shell-suit, and a swathe of leather and fabric kilt-ish skirts, Skin is known for her quirky stage dress – but this might be the one I would most like to own. It is hitting all the right nostalgia buttons for a fairly homogenously aged crowd – big up the 90’s teen crew,  I see you all.

© Anna Hyams Photography – Do not use without permission

“Wonderlustre was released 15 years ago, this is the first single from that album… it’s called ‘God Loves Only You’. They’re loud. You know those Christian nationalists who think God loves only them? How can God love only you? With all the different races and genders?”

A huge roar of agreement erupts as Skin laments,


“They’ve aligned themselves with the far right, the KKK, fascism and Trumpism… which to me seems the opposite of religion. They want to go after immigrants, after women… the only way to defeat them is to go into our communities and families, and BRING EVERYONE BACK TOGETHER!”

“We are Skunk Anansie, we believe everybody is always equal. SMASH FASCISTS, SMASH RACISTS” comes the rallying cry. The following frenzy of the crowd serves a cathartic purpose for the pent-up anger and energy for the current state of the world, it’s obvious everyone needs this.

© Anna Hyams Photography – Do not use without permission

‘Weak’ is undeniably the anthem of the night, Skin’s voice is stunningly vibrant, perhaps better than I’ve ever heard her – but there is no vying for attention nor eclipsing of the band, who are non-stop pumping the energy as well. It may be as close to a perfect balance as I’ve come across in music, they just deliver on all fronts. The crowd is eventually singing along so loud that Skin gives over the spotlight to the voice of the masses.

Caressing the bald head of one of the security guards, before jumping down to the pit barrier to sing with the crowd during ‘Twisted (Everyday Hurts)’ it doesn’t take long before she has jumped into the melee full throttle.

Another Wonderlustre classic ‘My Ugly Boy’ keeps the hits coming with barely room to breathe, and the room is an absolute furnace with all the jumping. So much so that someone appears to have suffered a collapse near the middle of the room. Skin stops the show to check staff can get out to retrieve the person, and it’s all very quickly and efficiently done. Rolling onto a track from the new album (releasing on May 23rd – ‘The Painful Truth’) called ‘Animal’ – a full heavy metal moment, with a NIN-esque dirty beat behind it. I can tell this is going to be one of my most played albums of the year.

© Anna Hyams Photography – Do not use without permission

‘Yes It’s Fucking Political’ sees Skin calling for a circle pit, and the momentum of the night shows absolutely no sign of dropping. After a short exit, the encore houses another new one ‘Cheers’ which tiptoes the pop rock line in a very accessible way. I think this is going to be the one that draws in new Skunk fans for the 2020’s.

The iconic ‘Hedonism’ is followed by Led Zep’s ‘Whole Lotta Love’ for a bit of riffy fun while doing band introductions. ‘The Skank Heads (Get Off Me)’ gives another opportunity for Skin to dive into the crowd, in which she calls for “all the girls to the mosh pit!”. Closing out with “We’ll do one more. Something loud? Something fast? Something delicate?” as she puts it, is another new song ‘Lost and Found’ – a slow, but gorgeous almost operatic wind-down, to a furiously dynamic show. As they thank the crowd and send set-list paper aeroplanes shooting out to grabbing hands, I think I can safely conclude that this might rank as my top gig of 2025 already.

As the new ‘Lost and Found’ lyric goes “Heavy is the crown” – but Skunk Anansie are really out here, 31 years into their career – seemingly lifting that crown higher each time I see them.

Setlist 

  1. This Means War
  2. Charlie Big Potato
  3. Because of You
  4. An Artist Is an Artist
  5. I Believed in You
  6. Love Someone Else
  7. God Loves Only You
  8. Secretly
  9. Weak
  10. I Can Dream
  11. Twisted (Everyday Hurts)
  12. My Ugly Boy
  13. Animal
  14. Yes It’s Fucking Political
  15. Tear the Place Up
  16. Little Baby Swastikkka

Encore:

  1. Cheers
  2. Hedonism (Just Because You Feel Good)
  3. Whole Lotta Love (Led Zeppelin cover)
  4. The Skank Heads (Get Off Me)
  5. Lost and Found

Nights out with BLOODSTOCK + more bands announced

With 4 months still to go before you can shout BLOODSTOCK is next week, festival HQ has got all the details of some raucous nights out to help you pass the time and get a sneak peek at some of the freshest talent to perform at BLOODSTOCK this August, in rock clubs around the country and at the Metal 2 The Masses tour dates which kick off imminently! Plus, even if you can’t make any of those events, read on for the low down on 8 hellacious acts who’ve already seen off all the challengers to claim spots on the Timothy Taylor New Blood stage, so you can discover your new favourite band right now.

Have you been following the earlier events of BLOODSTOCK’s phenomenally successful Metal 2 The Masses (M2TM) scheme? If not, now’s the time! The final 31 tour dates are locked and loaded! With a different line-up every show, one band from each night will be selected to join the line up on the Timothy Taylor New Blood Stage this August.
With 31 regions taking part, across the UK, Poland, Norway, and Cyprus, 2025 marks the biggest Metal 2 The Masses scheme yet! The first final kicks off in Cyprus on April 11, but you can get details of all venues and dates on BLOODSTOCK’s website, Facebook, or by clicking the region below.

LONDON | CYPRUS | BRISTOL | COVENTRY | BURNLEY | DEV & CORNWALL | MERSEYSIDE | BRIGHTON | OXFORD | NORTHANTS NOTTINGHAM | STOKE | CHELTENHAM KENT | NEWCASTLE | HITCHIN | SOUTH WALES NORTH WALES | NORWAY | SOMERSET | BIRMINGHAM | EAST ANGLIA | ESSEX | MANCHESTER | SOUTHAMPTON | LEICESTER | SHEFFIELD | LEEDS | BELFAST | SCOTLAND | POLAND
Kicking off at the beginning of May are this year’s riotously fun BLOODSTOCK CLUB NIGHTS! Another fun way to get out there and support your local venues and perhaps take home some BLOODSTOCK tickets while you’re at it! With only a very small handful of festival tickets left available to buy, every club night will have a ticket competition on the night and you might just be the lucky winner!

Party nights line up as follows, air guitaring is optional: 

Sat 3rd May – York, Bluebox – Deadbolt
Sat 10th May – Manchester, Rebellion – Deadbolt
Sat 17th May – Bristol, Basement 45 – Apocalypse
Sat 31st May – Brighton, Above – Apocalypse
Sat 31st May – Southampton, Sobar – Apocalypse
Fri 6th June – Glasgow, Cathouse Fridays
Fri 6th June – Guildford, All Bar One – Schism
Fri 20th June – Cardiff, Metros – Heresy
Sat 28th June – Stoke-on-Trent, The Sugarmill – Devil’s Night
Sat 12th July – Nottingham, The Sal – Hexx
Fri 18th July – Exeter, The Cavern – Altern8
Fri 25th July – London, Elektrowerkz – Voodoo
The best (days and) nights out in August are of course those you can spend at BLOODSTOCK! With such high quality acts applying to the festival this year, here’s the low down on 8 bands who have already been locked in to make everyone wish the New Blood tent was twice the size.

Friday welcomes Mancunians THE MACHINEST (video), offering up a particularly gnarly and intense flavour of industrial extreme metal, for fans of Anaal Nathrakh and The Berzerker. They’ll be joined by Hertfordshire-based squad LOWDOWN (video), firm believers in riffing like their lives depended on it, who’ve just signed to Damage Records for their debut.  If you’re a fan of Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy, Ghost, Heilung or Nightwish, save some space in your schedule to catch Northern powerhouse LN (video) and their transcendental blend of Pagan/Viking metal. 
Did they foresee they’d be joining Saturday’s bill? FORTUNE TELLER (video) is the power metal brainchild of Ross McLennan (Ingested, Viscera, Abhorrent Decimation), paired with Meyrick De La Fuente, Ian Rockett, and Theresa Smith (Metaprism). Saturday also adds prog metallers HEKZ (video), who’ve been splendidly described by Prog magazine as sounding like “Queen having a barney with Dream Theater as Rush and Iron Maiden duke it out on the sidelines.” 

Local Derbyshire lads THE CARTOGRAPHER (video) clinch a spot on Sunday’s line up, a spine-shattering embodiment of modern deathcore. Also part of Sunday’s affray, the evocatively named SPITTING TEETH (video) are sure to wake up the pit – if you dare – with their filthy riffs and relentless and punishing live set.

For a change of pace that day but no less captivating, why not check out Belfast’s alt rock tribe PREYRS (video), featuring singer Amy Montgomery. The group were previously nominated for both Best Live Act and Best Artist at the Northern Ireland Music Prize and are sure to make new fans at BLOODSTOCK!
Did you snap up a ticket yet? Day tickets are now running VERY low (only Friday left!), and weekend tickets have also already sold out, so don’t hang about if you want to join the fun this summer! If you already have a weekend ticket, a limited number of Wednesday early access passes are available for an add-on cost of £25 for those who want to max out their BLOODSTOCK experience, staying in any of the standard campsites (including Kyrr if you have a Kyrr-specific ticket) or the campervan field. This option is not available at present for the VIP or accessible campsites. 

Head to the ticket store to see all currently available options including pre-bookable car parking.

If you’ve missed out on your preferred ticket type, sign up to official resale partner Tixel. Simply set an alert for notification if your tickets of choice become available, or pre-authorise your card in advance, so no need for constant checking back. Tixel also allows you to safely re-sell tickets to a new home if plans have changed. You can sell ALL ticket types, including instalment plan purchases, plus any tickets sold via Ticketmaster or other third party ticket outlets. Click through to https://tixel.com/uk/bloodstock-tickets for more information on how it works. 

If you’re thinking about travel options and your dinosaur isn’t giving you a lift, perhaps consider Big Green Coach, for the closest drop off on site. Check out routes here

Get more festival information over at bloodstock.uk.com. Watch a trailer here.

BLOODSTOCK will take place at Catton Park, Derbyshire on 7th-10th August 2025.

BLOODSTOCK’s 2025 Ronnie James Dio stage headliners are TRIVIUM, MACHINE HEAD, and GOJIRA. Headlining the Sophie Lancaster stage will be ME AND THAT MAN, KATAKLYSM, STATIC-X, and OBITUARY. You’ll also be able to see MASTODON, NAILBOMB, MINISTRY, EMPEROR, FEAR FACTORY, LACUNA COIL, HERIOT, ORANGE GOBLIN, CREEPER, KUBLAI KHAN TX, CAGE FIGHT, RIVERS OF NIHIL, FLOTSAM & JETSAM, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, FEUERSCHWANZ, LORD OF THE LOST, PALEFACE SWISS, AUGUST BURNS RED, WARBRINGER, UNDEATH, SPIRIT ADRIFT, THROWN, ALL FOR METAL, BREED 77, HIGH PARASITE, and 3 INCHES OF BLOOD.

Joining them are SHRAPNEL, FAMYNE, KONVENT, THE SPIRIT, GHOSTS OF ATLANTIS, ONE MACHINE, MY DILIGENCE, SHADE EMPIRE, EIHWAR, WATERLINES, PHOENIX LAKE, NEONFLY, WALL, DOGMA, SIGLOS, DEADFLESH, FOURWAYKILL, GNOME, TURIN, LOCK HORNS, OFNUS, ROUGH JUSTICE, IREOSIS, BA’AL, FRAYLE, PENGSHUI, VNDER A CRVMBLING MOON, APATHY UK, and BARBARIAN HERMIT.

Stay tuned for many more bands and on site activities to be announced over the coming months.

DLXXII: District X unleashes biggest line-up yet

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

100 DAYS TO GO UNTIL DOWNLOAD XXII

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

Announcing… BLOODSTOCK’S WINTER GATHERING

Be part of BLOODSTOCK history!! Will you be one of the very first to bear witness to BLOODSTOCK’S WINTER GATHERING this December?! This brand new, one-day edition of the premier heavy metal summer weekender is set to debut this festive season on 6th December 2025. Raising the roof at the fabled KK’s Steelmill in Wolverhampton, this not-to-be-missed headbanger’s extravaganza will begin at 2pm in order to pack in as much high quality metal as possible. 

BLOODSTOCK are proud to announce the main stage headliner will be none other than legendary Swedish doom metal fiends CANDLEMASS. Celebrating their 40th anniversary, the epic five-piece are still taking stages by storm at festivals across the globe. Look out for their awesome upcoming Black Star EP, slated for release in May 2025. 

CANDLEMASS share, “Candlemass are proud to be a part of the Bloodstock Winter Gathering! We have always felt welcome on British soil and we’re excited to be there once again and deliver our special brand of Swedish doom metal! See ya all soon… Love you!!!”

Joining CANDLEMASS will be very special guests British thrashers VENOM INC (playing Ave in full for the first time ever!), plus hilarious extreme metallers RAISED BY OWLS, Scottish speed freaks HELLRIPPER, thrashcore mainstays TORTURED DEMON, and Welsh heavy hitters KING KRAKEN

But that’s not all! BLOODSTOCK’S WINTER GATHERING will also have a second stage for your aural delight, headlined by theatrical devils RED METHOD, powerful metalcore act THUUM, and Mancunian thrashers HELLBEARER, plus artist signing sessions, DJ sets, and more still to be announced.

Tickets cost £49.00 + booking fee, and are on sale right now here! With a strictly limited capacity, don’t hang about if you want to go!

Situated a 20-minute walk from Wolverhampton station and with all-day parking located around the venue for just £2, what better way to give yourself and your loved ones an early Christmas present. As well as a stacked lineup of skull-splitting bands, KK’s Steelmill also offer a range of snacks to satiate your hunger and drinks to quench your thirst from the bar, accepting cash, card, and contactless payments. And if December means you need your big coat, there’s a cloakroom for £1 per item!  

For all the latest info, keep your eyes peeled on the official event website here.

BLOODSTOCK launches 2025 ‘Metal 2 The Masses’ grass roots scheme across the UK

BLOODSTOCK wants to find the hottest new metal talent to appear across festival weekend next August! With weekend tickets for BLOODSTOCK 2025 now sold out, festival HQ is getting cracking on this year’s instalment of the phenomenally successful Metal 2 The Masses (M2TM) scheme, to fill out the bands who’ll be appearing on the New Blood Stage, in conjunction with sponsor Timothy Taylor.

No other festival does more to support grass roots metal and local venues in the UK. BLOODSTOCK was honoured to be recognised for this at the Heavy Music Awards earlier this summer, taking home top accolade The H Award, for exceptional positive contribution to the heavy music scene by way of the M2TM initiative.



Bloodstock’s Simon Hall at The Heavy Music Awards – photo by Dev Place
There are 31 regions already confirmed to take part this year, ensuring regional heats the length and breadth of the country (plus Cyprus and Poland for good measure), making this the biggest Metal 2 The Masses scheme yet! 

The list of participating regions this year include: LONDON | CYPRUS | BRISTOL | COVENTRY | BURNLEY | DEV & CORNWALL | MERSEYSIDE | BRIGHTON | OXFORD | NORTHANTS NOTTINGHAM | STOKE | CHELTENHAM KENT | NEWCASTLE | HITCHIN | SOUTH WALES NORTH WALES | NORWAY | SOMERSET | BIRMINGHAM | EAST ANGLIA | ESSEX | MANCHESTER | SOUTHAMPTON | LEICESTER | SHEFFIELD | LEEDS | BELFAST | SCOTLAND | POLAND

If you’re in a self-released or unsigned band and want to try out for a slot on the BLOODSTOCK bill, get in touch with the region nearest you and get yourselves involved!  After a series of heats, one winner from each region will secure themselves a slot on the New Blood stage and some of the very best runners-up may also get lucky, space permitting.

Bands should get their applications into their nearest regional promoter ASAP, as the first heats kick off in the coming weeks.  Any local promoters in regions not yet represented can email Simon Hall ([email protected]) for information if they wish to host the scheme in their local area.

Full details of venues, and who to contact to enter in each region, can be found by clicking the locations above, here, or on Facebook.

BLOODSTOCK’s 2025 Ronnie James Dio stage headliners are TRIVIUM, MACHINE HEAD, and GOJIRA. Headlining the Sophie Lancaster stage will be ME AND THAT MAN, KATAKLYSM, STATIC-X, and OBITUARY.

You’ll also be able to see MASTODON, NAILBOMB, MINISTRY, EMPEROR, FEAR FACTORY, LACUNA COIL, HERIOT, ORANGE GOBLIN, CREEPER, KUBLAI KHAN TX, CAGE FIGHT, RIVERS OF NIHIL, FLOTSAM & JETSAM, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, FEUERSCHWANZ, LORD OF THE LOST, PALEFACE SWISS, AUGUST BURNS RED, WARBRINGER, UNDEATH, SPIRIT ADRIFT, THROWN, ALL FOR METAL, BREED 77, HIGH PARASITE, and 3 INCHES OF BLOOD.

Joining them are the most recently announced SHRAPNEL, FAMYNE, KONVENT, THE SPIRIT, GHOSTS OF ATLANTIS, ONE MACHINE, MY DILIGENCE, SHADE EMPIRE, EIHWAR, WATERLINES, PHOENIX LAKE, NEONFLY, WALL, DOGMA, and SIGLOS.

Stay tuned for many more bands and on site activities to be announced over the coming months.

Get full festival information over at bloodstock.uk.com.  Watch a trailer here.

BLOODSTOCK will take place at Catton Park, Derbyshire on 7th-10th August 2025.

BLOODSTOCK’s Halloween Treats

It’s showtime! In honour of it being Halloween week, BLOODSTOCK was going to treat you to a spooktacular vampire pun. But it sucks. 

So let’s creep it real with some more bands joining the bill, because we all know that you ghouls just wanna have fun. And in case you missed the fangtastic news about more weekend tickets being released, read on for further details and mark your calendar for 9am, November 5th, for that’s when they go on sale! No tricks!
Hot on the heels of the monstrously good news about MASTODON joining the bill last Friday, here’s another 15 bands to bewitch you… 

BLOODSTOCK is pleased to welcome thrash-lovin’ Norwich metal maestros SHRAPNEL, innovative Canterbury doomsters FAMYNE, and Danish blackened death/doom metal merchants KONVENT to the Ronnie James Dio stage on Friday. Emerging from Germany’s extreme metal void with a fresh take on all things black/death, THE SPIRIT are added to Saturday’s bill. Sunday’s lineup now includes atmospheric, dark symphonic metallers GHOSTS OF ATLANTIS, and ONE MACHINE, the heavy metal brainchild of Steve Smyth (Nevermore, Forbidden, Testament) which also features members of Biomechanical, Savage Messiah, and Savage Grace in its ranks. 

BLOODSTOCK also has these spine-tingling acts to unmask for the Sophie Lancaster stage! If you like your heavy psych, don’t miss Belgium’s prog stoners MY DILIGENCE, performing on Friday. Joining them that day are well established Finnish symphonic black metal squad SHADE EMPIRE and Vikings EIHWAR, who promise “pagan dancefloor” music, composed of Nordic folk sounds, ritual chants, shamanic drums, and electro machines!

Spicing up Saturday, self-proclaimed “dirtbags of the North” WATERLINES bring their blend of nu-metal and EDM-flavoured metalcore, melodic metal outfit PHOENIX LAKE will no doubt delight fans of Within Temptation and Evanescence, and if that’s not enough, the live spectacle of rock beasts NEONFLY (complete with fire-breathing guitarist) ought to get your pulse racing. Sunday’s no slouch, adding instrumental riff machine WALL (formed by the twins from Desert Storm) and status quo challengers DOGMA, who are keen to wield their music as a weapon against ignorance and oppression.

Last but not least for Sunday, don’t miss SIGLOS, from Ministry alumni Sin Quirin, offering up a unique dose of extreme metal (think black, doom, & industrial) combining ancient indigenous chants and brutal gutterals. 



More boos? Why not treat yourself to a devilishly good bottle of “Iron Maiden Darkest Red” wine this Halloween. Full bodied, rich & moody….not for the faint hearted. You don’t have to be prehistoric, but you do need to be over 18.

Our friends, IRON MAIDEN and THE BOTTLE CLUB, want to give Bloodstockers 6.66% off with code BOA666. Why don’t skeletons fight over drinks? They don’t have the guts! 

Snap up your bottle of “Iron Maiden Darkest Red” here.



Additional weekend ticketsFestival HQ saw a lot of social media posts after weekend tickets for next summer’s event sold out, with fans disappointed they missed out on tickets. While a limited number of day tickets will be made available in due course (once more of the line-up has been announced), festival HQ has managed to acquire some extra camping space in a new field. 

It’s important to note that BLOODSTOCK is not increasing its capacity – the festival will have the same maximum number of headbangers. However, the number of day tickets available each day will be reduced to a smaller quantity to accommodate some additional standard weekend tickets. 

Details of the new standard weekend tickets

This new campsite – called Kyrr – will and needs to be quiet camping. Please be respectful of that. The Ragnarok campsite will also remain quiet camping. The name comes from an Old Norse word meaning calm & peaceful!
To avoid overcrowding in BLOODSTOCK’s existing campsites, the new standard weekend ticket will have a different wristband – you will only be able to camp in Kyrr. 

On arrival, you will collect your wristband directly at this campsite.

Kyrr is situated directly behind Vanaheim (campervans) and is approximately a 10 minute walk from the arena entrance. You will walk through the Hel campsite to get there (not through Vanaheim).

As an additional benefit, there will be a car park right next to the Kyrr campsite. The new weekend ticket will be available to buy with or without parking in this car park. This parking is only valid in this specific Kyrr car park.
The new standard weekend ticket is the same cost as the original standard weekend tickets. This is much cheaper than buying 3 individual day tickets as some fans were considering – and you get Thursday included too!

These tickets will go on sale from the ticket store at 9am on November 5th. We expect them to go quickly so be ready!



EARLY ACCESS!!If you already have a weekend ticket, Wednesday early access is available for an add-on cost of £25 for those who want to max out their BLOODSTOCK experience, staying in any of the standard campsites (including Kyrr) or the campervan field. This option is not available at present for the VIP or accessible campsites. Head to the ticket store to see all currently available options including car parking.
If you’re looking for sold out tickets or need to sell your tickets on, BLOODSTOCK’s secondary ticketing partner, Tixel, might be able to help. Simply set an alert for notification if your tickets of choice become available, or pre-authorise your card in advance, so no need for constant checking back. Tixel also allows you to safely re-sell tickets to a new home if plans have changed. You can sell ALL ticket types, including instalment plan purchases, plus any tickets sold via Ticketmaster or other third party ticket outlets. This partnership helps BLOODSTOCK streamline all resale tickets into one place to guarantee the safety of the sale, avoiding social media scam bots and rip-off pricing. It’s a very simple process for the customer and most importantly, it’s a trusted platform. Click through to https://tixel.com/uk/bloodstock-tickets for more information on how it works. 
BLOODSTOCK’s 2025 Ronnie James Dio stage headliners are TRIVIUM, MACHINE HEAD, and GOJIRA. Headlining the Sophie Lancaster stage will be ME AND THAT MAN, KATAKLYSM, STATIC-X, and OBITUARY. You’ll also be able to see MASTODON, NAILBOMB, MINISTRY, EMPEROR, FEAR FACTORY, LACUNA COIL, HERIOT, ORANGE GOBLIN, CREEPER, KUBLAI KHAN TX, CAGE FIGHT, RIVERS OF NIHIL, FLOTSAM & JETSAM, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, FEUERSCHWANZ, LORD OF THE LOST, PALEFACE SWISS, AUGUST BURNS RED, WARBRINGER, UNDEATH, SPIRIT ADRIFT, THROWN, ALL FOR METAL, BREED 77, HIGH PARASITE, and 3 INCHES OF BLOOD.

Keep your eyes peeled for many more bands and on site activities will be announced over the coming months.
Get full festival information over at bloodstock.uk.com.  Watch a trailer here.

BLOODSTOCK will take place at Catton Park, Derbyshire on 7th-10th August 2025.

BLOODSTOCK announce MASTODON; additional weekend tickets available soon



This news needs no added fanfare. Time for a mic drop! 

BLOODSTOCK is thrilled to announce that special guests on the Ronnie James Dio stage on Sunday will be…. wait for it…. none other than highly revered, four-headed metal behemoth MASTODON

The group are just off the road in the USA with festival alumni pals LAMB OF GOD, dropping the collab track ‘Floods Of Triton’ to celebrate their co-headline Ashes Of Leviathan tour. You can check out a ‘making of’ interview here.  Perhaps you caught MASTODON headlining BLOODSTOCK all the way back in 2016? Investigate the treasure trove of live tracks from that set on BLOODSTOCK’s YouTube at your leisure, including ‘High Road.’



If you’re extra crushed now you didn’t manage to snap up a weekend ticket before they sold out, read on for good news… 

Additional weekend ticketsFestival HQ saw a lot of social media posts after weekend tickets for next summer’s event sold out, with fans disappointed they missed out on tickets. While a limited number of day tickets will be made available in due course (once more of the line-up has been announced), festival HQ has managed to acquire some extra camping space in a new field. 

It’s important to note that BLOODSTOCK is not increasing its capacity – the festival will have the same maximum number of headbangers. However, the number of day tickets available each day will be reduced to a smaller quantity to accommodate some additional standard weekend tickets. 

Details of the new standard weekend tickets

This new campsite – called Kyrr – will and needs to be quiet camping. Please be respectful of that. The Ragnarok campsite will also remain quiet camping. The name comes from an Old Norse word meaning calm & peaceful!
To avoid overcrowding in BLOODSTOCK’s existing campsites, the new standard weekend ticket will have a different wristband – you will only be able to camp in Kyrr. 

On arrival, you will collect your wristband directly at this campsite.

Kyrr is situated directly behind Vanaheim (campervans) and is approximately a 10 minute walk from the arena entrance. You will walk through the Hel campsite to get there (not through Vanaheim).

As an additional benefit, there will be a car park right next to the Kyrr campsite. The new weekend ticket will be available to buy with or without parking in this car park. This parking is only valid in this specific Kyrr car park.
The new standard weekend ticket is the same cost as the original standard weekend tickets. This is much cheaper than buying 3 individual day tickets as some fans were considering – and you get Thursday included too!

These tickets will go on sale from the ticket store at 9am on November 5th. We expect them to go quickly so be ready!



EARLY ACCESS!!If you already have a weekend ticket, Wednesday early access is available for an add-on cost of £25 for those who want to max out their BLOODSTOCK experience, staying in any of the standard campsites (including Kyrr) or the campervan field. This option is not available at present for the VIP or accessible campsites. Head to the ticket store to see all currently available options including car parking.

If you’re looking for sold out tickets or need to sell your tickets on, BLOODSTOCK’s secondary ticketing partner, Tixel, might be able to help. Simply set an alert for notification if your tickets of choice become available, or pre-authorise your card in advance, so no need for constant checking back. Tixel also allows you to safely re-sell tickets to a new home if plans have changed. You can sell ALL ticket types, including instalment plan purchases, plus any tickets sold via Ticketmaster or other third party ticket outlets. This partnership helps BLOODSTOCK streamline all resale tickets into one place to guarantee the safety of the sale, avoiding social media scam bots and rip-off pricing. It’s a very simple process for the customer and most importantly, it’s a trusted platform. Click through to https://tixel.com/uk/bloodstock-tickets for more information on how it works. 
BLOODSTOCK’s 2025 Ronnie James Dio stage headliners are TRIVIUM, MACHINE HEAD, and GOJIRA. Headlining the Sophie Lancaster stage will be ME AND THAT MAN, KATAKLYSM, STATIC-X, and OBITUARY. You’ll also be able to see NAILBOMB, MINISTRY, EMPEROR, FEAR FACTORY, LACUNA COIL, HERIOT, ORANGE GOBLIN, CREEPER, KUBLAI KHAN TX, CAGE FIGHT, RIVERS OF NIHIL, FLOTSAM & JETSAM, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, FEUERSCHWANZ, LORD OF THE LOST, PALEFACE SWISS, AUGUST BURNS RED, WARBRINGER, UNDEATH, SPIRIT ADRIFT, THROWN, ALL FOR METAL, BREED 77, HIGH PARASITE, and 3 INCHES OF BLOOD. News of many more bands and on site activities will be announced over the coming months.

Get full festival information over at bloodstock.uk.com

BLOODSTOCK will take place at Catton Park, Derbyshire on 7th-10th August 2025.