jump

Fuck sake! Stray From The Path have announced a show the same day as Alexisonfire are playing. I can't decided which one to go to now.

Nah, Download was good at bumping bands up that looked like headliners before the other major festivals like A7X, My Chemical Romance, System, Slipknot etc. It's only the last 10 years that they have decided to book the old shit more at the expenses of the younger shit, literally their first year at the height of nu-metal they booked Limp Bizkit to headline.

They should have gone with Ghost this year to be honest, one because they are fucking awesome live and two to strike whilst the iron is hot or whatever that phrase is. Five Finger looked ready years ago however as they have waited so long they are starting to cool off much like when Biffy did finally headline and are now a bad word to the Downloaders. When a band is shit hot and big enough is when they should headline to cement their headline status so all the Status Quo fans can't complain they aren't headliners. It's fucking lucky they bumped A7X and Slipknot when they did otherwise they never would have.

Yep, apart from Pilot I've not been to Download for a few years as it's become abit boring now. There are so many great smaller festivals about where it feels like it's more like a party and less hard work than the major fests. However a decent major rock festival in this country is the dream!

The issue isn’t really metal is dead though as there’s a lot of metal bands playing arenas both new and old. The issue is Downloaders bitch about the idea of anything that isn’t the equal of Metallica or Guns n Roses being made a headliner leaving the rather shallow pool it now has.

Of all the years to actually have the second and main stage headliners clash they chose that one. They should have sacked off Def Leppard and just had Slayer headline but with a big sub. Yes they aren't big enough but neither are Def Leppard!

Yeah, those UK NIN shows sold out fucking quick as they were way too small for them. I've seen them play at the O2 before, I would say they are more on the level between Wembley and the O2 though. I found it odd the first night of the Eden Session wasn't sold out as I would have gone to that night too but all the hotels were booked already. I found out from my cab driver whilst I was there that apparently that date was NIN taking over from Lionel Richie who had pulled out and all the hotels had bookings from the Lionel fans but they didn't cancel at the time NIN were announced so a lot of fans were put off by not having anywhere to stay since it's such an isolated location.

I just don't reckon they would play at all. Trent only seems to want to play if he fancies it nowadays and doesn't want to do massive arena tours so forcing himself onto a Download line up with Alestorm and Limp Bizkit would make him vomit. Hellfest had to make a line up that appealed to him first which is why Killing Joke and Ministry are specifically there in slots bigger than they would normally get and the last few shows in the UK have been for things like Robert Smith's Meltdown Festival. All Points East is where my money is on if he plays an UK fest again. To be honest good on him, he's noticeably happier playing now unlike his misery set at Reading I saw.

Bollocks. If Download is only successful because it's the only big rock festival then that's not really a justification for it to BE the big rock festival. There's clearly a market now that R&L is moving away from rock. On this year's Euro fest circuit where Metallica, Slipknot, Nightwish, Five Finger Death Punch, Gojira, Sabaton, The Offspring etc have no UK dates and there are acts like Slaves, Placebo, Weezer, Nine Inch Nails, Turnstile, Jack White, Green Day etc which Download can't seem to book then there's space for another festival. Nine Inch Nails just headlined Hellfest to a great reception. It's because of people like you would rather have Status Quo play!

I've heard the a band doesn't exist but could headline in 5 years line from him before. What a load of bollocks, it took them over 5 years to get Bring Me back after changing their minds about them headlining Download. There needs to be another rock festival to replace R&L and Soni just to generate headliners for Download at this rate.

Is he just naming names as he can't think of a realistic act that will headline one day? They are all new bands on an upward protectory and will get bigger (but there's bands like that who appear every year) rather than the type of shit hot act soon to becomes a headliner the same way Drake or Billie Eilish has done at other fests this year.

I've been told before on this forum Bring Me, While She Sleeps and Architects who are the three bands flying the flag of the current UK metal scene are R&L type bands so fuck knows what the chances are of getting stuff like Amyl or Slaves playing or if IDLES would come back now they are a name let alone Fontaines D.C.

I always find these lists are abit boring as it's doubling down on the same stuff of major bands that have headlined other fests but Download aren't able to book, Download bands on the rise but the regulars will forever complain aren't big enough even when they are established as a big arena act or who have headlined before. Like when Soni bumped Biffy up or Download got Prodigy to headline they were really well received despite not being the exact thing people were expecting. Not that I'm even a fan of some of these but why isn't Fall Out Boy, Queens Of The Stone Age, Nine Inch Nails, No Doubt, The Cure, Kings Of Leon etc being talked about at all as possible future headliners when Status Quo and Arctic Monkeys of all things have been seriously suggested. Some would probably flop but there's a rarity to them at Download that could make them unique enough to pull off a headline set just the once and it's not like Download regularly gets stadium acts anyway. The "they aren't big enough" and "that's a R&L band" crowd need to start lowering their expectations abit. It's started to become a self-fulfilling prophecy where no one new will ever headline or crowd won't be up for them like when they let Biffy cool off from being white hot so they couldn't establish themselves for the Download crowd.

I saw Jack White last night. Fuck me the man's incredible.

Forbidden Door was great. I'm surprised with as many injuries to both New Japan and AEW the card was that good. Also I kinda wanted Tana to become champ, it would have been so cool. The shit being discovered about Vince looks like there's no chance of him coming back.

So you're not gonna join in the calls for Status Quo to finally headline Download then? Hollywood Vampires are touring Europe next June. They are a shout for second stage headliner.

Skindred where an emergency booking imo, after Gojira,The Offspring and Disturbed pulled out there was no other option but them that they could get away with. People were calling it out as weak booking for that slot at the time. Also I like ‘em but Volbeat aren’t selling out Wembley.

But they need more 80s cock rock, it’s the only thing the yoof know!!!

Old bands attract old people. 😜 Now if they were to book a few younger bands like Turnstile on the main stage…

They don’t even need wildcats headliners in my opinion. They just need to start booking new bands on the main stage and not just the tents so by the time they get big enough to headline or take a major slot on the line up the old timers aren’t confused by this new fangled music. Bring Me who are the biggest British metal act for the last few years have played the main stage once whilst the old Status Quo fans are only just recovering from discovering nu-metal is a thing. They need to be introduced to these new bands (who have been around 20th years) slowly to avoid panic! 😜

LOL! Do the Download regulars really hate new music that much they want Status Quo to headline? Monsters Of Rock died off 30 years as it wasn't relevant enough then let alone today. It's fine if Download wants to be downgraded to a smaller festival but it's meant to be the pinnacle of the UK hard rock/metal scene not a country fair for your Granddad on life support to be wheeled out to by a nurse for an afternoon out. If you go to a metal night club the band shirts people are wearing are not Santana and the music that is being played is not Black Magic Woman. Just go to Ramblin Man if you are that desperate to avoid new rock.

If Download starts booking Status Quo and Santana to headline then it fucking deserves to die! In it's place will come a new rock festival just like how Download replaced Monsters Of Rock.

Booking new metal/hard rock band doesn't make Download suddenly Glasto or R&L for fuck sake! It's that type of shit thinking from the regulars has what lead to the doubling down to appease the double denim dinosaurs and kills off the more adventurous booking so you're stuck with the old shit like Def Leppard, Status Quos and Saxon in rotation and the handful of bands that rised through the line ups like Killswitch and Skindred. With the boomers who are into WASP and Journey going less and less every year and the younger rawk fans are put off by not having the rock they know being a major presence or even the regulars who are just sick of seeing the same old bollocks on the line up every year the festival is slipping and has been for awhile. Go back 10-20 years and Download was managing to book new acts and old acts alot better. They gave Limp Bizkit a shot at headlining on their first festival as a statement of intent, take off the rose tinted glasses and remember when Download booked Slipknot to headline they were called angry kids music who aren't even big enough to sub reading etc. Whilst everyone may not be happy with Greta Van Fleet they are add for more value to the line up both now and for the future that alot of other bands can't, even if it somehow now makes Download Reading festival.

I tried to get tixs for their Ally Pally show at the weekend but it sold out and people were picking them up too quick on Twickets. They will sell out Wembley or maybe even The O2 next. I'm not a massive fan but they are someone I want to check out and since they aren't popping up at any fests in this country it looks like it will have to be at their own show. It's been said before but Download juts doesn't like new bands. One of the hottest bands in rock for the last few and they were booked once not even on the main stage. The fest needs a rebulbing phase like what happened to Glasto and R&L otherwise it will end up like its predecessor Monsters Of Rock and it will be their own fault.

Saxon is the typical Download band, Spiritbox were shoved onto a smaller stage so not to disturb the double denim dinosaurs. 😜