Download 2025

[foolee]

10 minutes ago, tomjfx said:

I think if LP don't announce their own tour dates (presumably stadium shows) for next year in the UK they are pretty much nailed on for Download unless they do another festival

Didn't someone on here mention them doing another festival? Same person who confirmed Iron Maiden out of Download and doing their own tour. 

[RedJosh]

58 minutes ago, FeverDream said:

In that case Download, R&L, Glasto (other stage headliner?), are probably their only decent options for festivals next year then, unless they drop down to the medium sized stuff. Or they could do 0 festivals which I find unlikely. Who knows 😄

I would guess Other at Glastonbury and maybe an outdoor show.

[Spiral_Low]

No disrespect to Biffy, but they only ever appealed to part of the existing Download crowd, and now Download are heavily going after Gen Z that part is going to have significantly shrunk.

[Jonalyn bathan]

Who needs tickets for London 02 arena linkin park

Edited September 19 by Jonalyn bathan

[Jonalyn bathan]

Who needs linkin park tickets!

 

[Andre91]

Biffy will headline Download multiple times again before they retire. 

[Spiral_Low]

39 minutes ago, Andre91 said:

Biffy will headline Download multiple times again before they retire. 

Im sure they will. But the Gen Z alt crowd don't care about them. 

[Andre91]

28 minutes ago, Spiral_Low said:

Im sure they will. But the Gen Z alt crowd don't care about them. 

The same crowd that turned out for QOTSA and Royal Blood will turn out for Biffy. They’ve get a better crowd at Download 2.0. 

[northernangel]

6 hours ago, foolee said:

Didn't someone on here mention them doing another festival? Same person who confirmed Iron Maiden out of Download and doing their own tour. 

The person who mentioned that has also got information wrong about them doing a festival in the Czech Republic seemingly.

2 hours ago, Andre91 said:

Biffy will headline Download multiple times again before they retire. 

Doesn't mean they should, the weakest and worst headliner Download can book.

1 hour ago, Andre91 said:

The same crowd that turned out for QOTSA and Royal Blood will turn out for Biffy. They’ve get a better crowd at Download 2.0. 

QOTSA we're a trash booking too, and that's why thousands made way before Biffy started this. There is one thing being a biased big fan which is fine, many people are of many bands but there ther is just a moment to accept its an absolutely awful booking that sucks for Download.

[RedJosh]

4 hours ago, Spiral_Low said:

No disrespect to Biffy, but they only ever appealed to part of the existing Download crowd, and now Download are heavily going after Gen Z that part is going to have significantly shrunk.

I don't think it is Gen Z download are primarily targeting. I think it is Millennials with disposable income (Biffy's biggest fan group) along with Gen Z. Download's bookings scream 20-45 to me with who they are elevating to headline slots as legacy bands etc. 2023's headliners and undercard, this years and what I've heard about next year all scream this to me.

 

Biffy will get a much better turn out next time round and rightly so. Along with Slipknot, Biffy are the Download band.

Edited September 19 by RedJosh

[Andre91]

28 minutes ago, RedJosh said:

I don't think it is Gen Z download are primarily targeting. I think it is Millennials with disposable income (Biffy's biggest fan group) along with Gen Z. Download's bookings scream 20-45 to me with who they are elevating to headline slots as legacy bands etc. 2023's headliners and undercard, this years and what I've heard about next year all scream this to me.

 

Biffy will get a much better turn out next time round and rightly so. Along with Slipknot, Biffy are the Download band.

Josh is right. 

[Andre91]

36 minutes ago, northernangel said:

The person who mentioned that has also got information wrong about them doing a festival in the Czech Republic seemingly.

Doesn't mean they should, the weakest and worst headliner Download can book.

QOTSA we're a trash booking too, and that's why thousands made way before Biffy started this. There is one thing being a biased big fan which is fine, many people are of many bands but there ther is just a moment to accept its an absolutely awful booking that sucks for Download.

QOTSA a trash booking? From someone who wasn’t there and saw the big crowd they pulled? Sureeeee. 

[Andre91]

Where’s this idea come from that Download is trying to appeal to only Gen Z? They’re really doing that by booking QOTSA, Pantera, Machine Head, Avenged Sevenfold, Limp Bizkit etc etc. 

 

They aren’t R&L. 

Edited September 19 by Andre91

[Spiral_Low]

26 minutes ago, Andre91 said:

Where’s this idea come from that Download is trying to appeal to only Gen Z? They’re really doing that by booking QOTSA, Pantera, Machine Head, Avenged Sevenfold, Limp Bizkit etc etc. 

 

They aren’t R&L. 

Not only Gen Z, but more towards them. As standard for any festival to move on with the times.

 

I agree with Josh's assessment of who they are aiming for, I just don't think Biffy are as popular with that crowd as you and him do.

[northernangel]

3 hours ago, Andre91 said:

QOTSA a trash booking? From someone who wasn’t there and saw the big crowd they pulled? Sureeeee. 

 

Yes headliners than came from for a choice of 3 with another 41 turning them down on the lowest attendance year for the festival recently. I dont need to be there to know them facts. You act all clued up but you're actually not and base it all on who like because you attend the festival a lot rather what is good for the festival.

[RedJosh]

5 minutes ago, northernangel said:

 

Yes headliners than came from for a choice of 3 with another 41 turning them down on the lowest attendance year for the festival recently. I dont need to be there to know them facts. You act all clued up but you're actually not and base it all on who like because you attend the festival a lot rather what is good for the festival.

Festival was busier this year than 2019 or 2022...

[northernangel]

4 hours ago, RedJosh said:

I don't think it is Gen Z download are primarily targeting. I think it is Millennials with disposable income (Biffy's biggest fan group) along with Gen Z. Download's bookings scream 20-45 to me with who they are elevating to headline slots as legacy bands etc. 2023's headliners and undercard, this years and what I've heard about next year all scream this to me.

 

Biffy will get a much better turn out next time round and rightly so. Along with Slipknot, Biffy are the Download band.

 

I majorly disagree with you about Biffy getting a bigger turn out next time and rightly so. For the last 10 years Biffy Clyro have been making music that makes a large amount of the Download crowd want to walk away which is what they did. Booking them to close the festival was one of Andys most ridiculous decisions he's made as the head of the festival.

[northernangel]

5 minutes ago, RedJosh said:

Festival was busier this year than 2019 or 2022...

Well apparently they both had between 80 - 90k and this yesr was capped at 75k. They had KISS AGAIN! and Biffy Clyro closing the final day, did you expect is to be really busy? I actually like a lot of earlier Biffy stuff but they've easily been the worst I've seen them both times there.

[Chavmeisterdeluxe]

If they were booking for Gen Z they'd be 3 minute sets by some random knob off tik tok. I think they're more aiming for 30 somethings who loved Reading back in the 2000's and early 2010's

[northernangel]

40 minutes ago, Chavmeisterdeluxe said:

If they were booking for Gen Z they'd be 3 minute sets by some random knob off tik tok. I think they're more aiming for 30 somethings who loved Reading back in the 2000's and early 2010's

 

If you look at the rest of the lineup they definitely aren't. The booker himself said we asked 44 bands to headline, the headliners were a results overall of this is what we are left to go with.

[foolee]

I’m 31 and this year was my first Download festival excluding the Pilot. I know around 10+ of a similar age that have also starting going in the last few years and even preferred this years lineup to last years. I think this is the age range they’re aiming for now. I’m a big QOTSA fan and my partner loves Busted. The Saturday and Sunday main stage were also massive parts of why we came along with the progressive bookings on the 3rd/4th stage that have improved. We would’ve come in 2023 too but couldn’t get it off work. We went to Victorious for Biffy and they have a very big crowd and played a hit packed set that went down very well, I could easily and happily see them headlining download and I’d go if the rest of the lineup was in line with the last few years. 

[Spiral_Low]

42 minutes ago, foolee said:

I’m 31 and this year was my first Download festival excluding the Pilot. I know around 10+ of a similar age that have also starting going in the last few years and even preferred this years lineup to last years. I think this is the age range they’re aiming for now. I’m a big QOTSA fan and my partner loves Busted. The Saturday and Sunday main stage were also massive parts of why we came along with the progressive bookings on the 3rd/4th stage that have improved. We would’ve come in 2023 too but couldn’t get it off work. We went to Victorious for Biffy and they have a very big crowd and played a hit packed set that went down very well, I could easily and happily see them headlining download and I’d go if the rest of the lineup was in line with the last few years. 

I'm 39 and have been to about 14 previous Downloads. I didn't go this year because of the poor headliners (poor as in my taste) and the way the festival is set up now so that gone half 8 other stages finish. I know about 20+ people who have previously been to multiple Downloads who didn't go and are put off by the current direction of the fest. 

 

Works both ways man.

Edited September 20 by Spiral_Low

[BenG92]

11 hours ago, northernangel said:

 

Yes headliners than came from for a choice of 3 with another 41 turning them down on the lowest attendance year for the festival recently. I dont need to be there to know them facts. You act all clued up but you're actually not and base it all on who like because you attend the festival a lot rather what is good for the festival.

 

Bit ironic using the word facts when that number gets bigger every day you mention it, it was 21

 

https://www.nme.com/news/music/download-boss-approached-21-bands-to-headline-2024-festival-in-hardest-year-for-line-up-3534827

 

 

[northernangel]

1 hour ago, foolee said:

I’m 31 and this year was my first Download festival excluding the Pilot. I know around 10+ of a similar age that have also starting going in the last few years and even preferred this years lineup to last years. I think this is the age range they’re aiming for now. I’m a big QOTSA fan and my partner loves Busted. The Saturday and Sunday main stage were also massive parts of why we came along with the progressive bookings on the 3rd/4th stage that have improved. We would’ve come in 2023 too but couldn’t get it off work. We went to Victorious for Biffy and they have a very big crowd and played a hit packed set that went down very well, I could easily and happily see them headlining download and I’d go if the rest of the lineup was in line with the last few years. 

 

In fairness, Biffy Clyro for Victorious is a much different prospect, it's not a metal head festival. It's a primarily indie and pop music festival with a side of dance. I think you would find 3 acts on the Victorious lineup this year that Download would book. 

14 minutes ago, BenG92 said:

 

Bit ironic using the word facts when that number gets bigger every day you mention it, it was 21

 

https://www.nme.com/news/music/download-boss-approached-21-bands-to-headline-2024-festival-in-hardest-year-for-line-up-3534827

 

 

 

Andy did a show of some sort where he said he approached 44 bands to headline, it was mentioned on here back at the time I'm sure. The reason I said 41 was because the other 3 said yes. So there is nothing ironic about it.

 

If for some reason I've got it wrong and it was 21, are we still saying considering the narrow amount of acts Download have actually had headline that needing to ask 21 bands sounds normal anyway? Given the point a fair wack of those bands won't have been acts in the last couple of years before that so you could take KISS, Slipknot, BMTH, Maiden, Ozzy and GNR probably out of the equation with the point that if you go back 3 years, 4 max, you are actually just seeing bands they've either booked that year or the year before.

 

Edit to this: I may have got confused between him asking 21 bands announcing 44 bands ar a different time so that's my error if so.

Edited September 20 by northernangel

[BenG92]

20 minutes ago, northernangel said:

If for some reason I've got it wrong and it was 21, are we still saying considering the narrow amount of acts Download have actually had headline that needing to ask 21 bands sounds normal anyway? Given the point a fair wack of those bands won't have been acts in the last couple of years before that so you could take KISS, Slipknot, BMTH, Maiden, Ozzy and GNR probably out of the equation with the point that if you go back 3 years, 4 max, you are actually just seeing bands they've either booked that year or the year before.

 

It's not normal, but it's also not really Download's fault if the bands they approach just aren't up for it. You have to imagine for instance they tried Pearl Jam who said no, we're doing our own obscenely overpriced shows instead, and that collapsed for them. Hopefully they've learned their lesson and Download will get them in the future. 

 

QOTSA weren't a horrible choice for headliners at all, they're still 110k+ UK ticket sellers, they're a massive name in rock and have been for 20 years. Could've been much worse if they'd had to resort to, say, Pantera headlining when they're struggling to shift 55k for next year, but there's an alternate reality where they were stuck with that. 

 

Edit: should've added, struggling to shift 55k for their first UK shows in 20 years. Korn play here about once every other year and still do well so should definitely be in the running for a bump-up if necessary.

Edited September 20 by BenG92