Download 2026

[rock_on]

1 hour ago, Andre91 said:

Paramore are another who don’t strike me as an album in full kind of band. Nor should they be. They’ve got too much excellent material from across all of their albums. 

 

If you ignore After Laughter.

[Andre91]

8 minutes ago, rock_on said:

 

If you ignore After Laughter.

It’s got a few of bangers on. Granted, it’s my least favourite album of theirs but it’s still pretty solid. That last album is phenomenal, though. The set should always be packed with material from it. 

[DomDom1984]

Falling in Reverse getting the nod in order to get told to f**k off again would be very funny. So yeah, book em.

[rock_on]

1 hour ago, Andre91 said:

It’s got a few of bangers on. Granted, it’s my least favourite album of theirs but it’s still pretty solid. That last album is phenomenal, though. The set should always be packed with material from it. 

 

Hard Times is an acceptable song - the rest I can leave. 

[Spiral_Low]

2 hours ago, SweetJesus said:

10 pages of nonsense

Yup. Weird takes, getting offended and clearly not down with the kids. And that's just me, you should see the other guys.....

Edited October 18, 2025 by Spiral_Low

[Audiorocker]

Do we reckon they will look at stage position and volume this year? I think bands on opus had a rough deal last time out. 

[3Dimensions]

After Laughter and TIW are fantastic albums, just because they’re more on the pop side doesn’t make them bad. The only down side I can think of is whether they can get an undercard booking that will sell the day tickets to the Paramore fans, just like how Biffy was quieter.

[rock_on]

6 minutes ago, 3Dimensions said:

After Laughter and TIW are fantastic albums, just because they’re more on the pop side doesn’t make them bad. The only down side I can think of is whether they can get an undercard booking that will sell the day tickets to the Paramore fans, just like how Biffy was quieter.

 

Get Avril Lavigne and Evanescence on the undercard and jobs a good'un. 

[Andre91]

Paramore subbed by Turnstile would be the best thing Download could possibly do. 

[Spiral_Low]

1 hour ago, Audiorocker said:

Do we reckon they will look at stage position and volume this year? I think bands on opus had a rough deal last time out. 

I was chatting to a few friends at Paradisw Lost earlier this week (millennials like me and saw a Gen X mate too) and general consensus id that Download has become too much hard work. These people all go to other fests (inc Bloodstock and/or Arctangent) and have done Download in the past (1 couple even did RIP this year) yet tve feeling with Download is that it has become a proper slug. Moving between stages is one of the major reasons I think, the trek between Main and Opus has become a proper exhausting mission! The way Download could fix this is by going dual main stage like alot of the European fests do but sadly they just won't do it.

Edited October 18, 2025 by Spiral_Low

[rock_on]

1 minute ago, Spiral_Low said:

I was chatting to a few friends at Paradisw Lost earlier this week (millennials like me and saw a Gen X mate too) and general consensus ia that Download has become too much hard work. These people all go to other fests (inc Bloodstock and/or Arctangent) and have done Download in the past (1 couple even did RIP this year) yet tve feeling with Download is that it has become a proper slug. Moving between stages is one of the major reasons I think, the trek between Main and Opus has become a proper exhausting mission! The way Downlkad could fix this is by going dual main stage like alot of the European fests do but sadly they just won't do it.

 

Sorry but if walking a few hundred metres between stages has become a slog for you you need to get down the gym not moan about the festival. Dual main stage would be awful. 

[rock_on]

6 minutes ago, Andre91 said:

Paramore subbed by Turnstile would be the best thing Download could possibly do. 

 

Aren't Turnstile pretty adamant they won't play Download? 

[charlierc]

7 minutes ago, Andre91 said:

Paramore subbed by Turnstile would be the best thing Download could possibly do. 

Surely the fact Hayley is talking about solo touring, as is their drummer with his HalfNoise project, means maybe not for 2026.

[northernangel]

1 hour ago, 3Dimensions said:

After Laughter and TIW are fantastic albums, just because they’re more on the pop side doesn’t make them bad. The only down side I can think of is whether they can get an undercard booking that will sell the day tickets to the Paramore fans, just like how Biffy was quieter.

I think Paramore for Download now unless they went heavily on their first 4 albums would be a bit of a dead booking. The pop angle isn't the issue with the albums themselves although I thought both of them albums weren't much cop with AL being the better, the latter sales were terrible.

 

And if Download do booking for example Ghost, Muse, GNR or LB as two of the other headliners, they wouldn't really be continuing in the vein of punk rock/pop punk that they have recently but I think without that earlier stuff in, Paramore can't even be put in that group. I also say that as what was a HUGE Paramore fan.

[Spiral_Low]

11 minutes ago, rock_on said:

 

Sorry but if walking a few hundred metres between stages has become a slog for you you need to get down the gym not moan about the festival. Dual main stage would be awful. 

It takes at least 10 to 15 mins to get from front of main to back of Opus, getting, through the crowds (and chais), and when it's muddy it's even worse. That's not just about fitness, it's time not spent watching bands.

 

Dual Main stages would mean being able to watch bands all weekend rather than trekking around between stages non stop. 

[northernangel]

14 minutes ago, Spiral_Low said:

I was chatting to a few friends at Paradisw Lost earlier this week (millennials like me and saw a Gen X mate too) and general consensus id that Download has become too much hard work. These people all go to other fests (inc Bloodstock and/or Arctangent) and have done Download in the past (1 couple even did RIP this year) yet tve feeling with Download is that it has become a proper slug. Moving between stages is one of the major reasons I think, the trek between Main and Opus has become a proper exhausting mission! The way Download could fix this is by going dual main stage like alot of the European fests do but sadly they just won't do it.

Yup. Downloads biggest problem is arena format and layout. If they had brains and well looked at the weather forecast before Wednesday of the festival they could really help themselves but the buck stops at them wanting tour money. RIP right now is the easiest decision to make over going to Download for a weekend now.

[rock_on]

6 minutes ago, Spiral_Low said:

It takes at least 10 to 15 mins to get from front of main to back of Opus, getting, through the crowds (and chais), and when it's muddy it's even worse. That's not just about fitness, it's time not spent watching bands.

 

Dual Main stages would mean being able to watch bands all weekend rather than trekking around between stages non stop. 

 

Pro tip - if you want to see a band on the 2nd stage that badly watch the main stage act from further back. It's not rocket science and that way it only takes a few minutes to get between stages. If you insist on going down front then that's your problem. I accept it takes longer in the mud but Download is in June - it's normally dry and sunny.

 

Dual main stages would mean you're paying the same money for the opportunity to see less bands and the only reason to do it is to appease unfit fat bastards like you and your mates who can't plan their day properly. 

Edited October 18, 2025 by rock_on

[craigcharles420]

Rock_on is a nice guy

[MasterHand]

New rumour! Made by myself 😀

 

Slayer will headline Friday! 
 

news just in!

 

 

[rock_on]

4 minutes ago, MasterHand said:

New rumour! Made by myself 😀

 

Slayer will headline Friday! 
 

news just in!

 

 

 

I don't think so, weren't they selling so badly they ended up giving out freebies for their London gig?

[Andre91]

34 minutes ago, charlierc said:

Surely the fact Hayley is talking about solo touring, as is their drummer with his HalfNoise project, means maybe not for 2026.

Oh yeah, definitely not for 2026.

[charlierc]

22 minutes ago, Spiral_Low said:

It takes at least 10 to 15 mins to get from front of main to back of Opus, getting, through the crowds (and chais), and when it's muddy it's even worse. That's not just about fitness, it's time not spent watching bands.

 

Dual Main stages would mean being able to watch bands all weekend rather than trekking around between stages non stop. 

The dual main stage thing depends on how its done imo. Lollapalooza Paris and Mad Cool had theirs quite close together so there wasn't much walking from one to the other in my experience of having dual main stages at these two events.

 

I gather Reading, by contrast, put them at diametric opposite points of the main field, meaning it was basically a non-stop schlep from one to the other and didn't work for anyone. I admit I didn't go before they dumped that experiment, but the Reading threads from the years it was tried hinted it was an unwelcome experiment.

[charlierc]

Just now, Andre91 said:

Oh yeah, definitely not for 2026.

Tbf the interesting thing that came out from this is that for all people are speculating over her relationship with Taylor York, Hayley herself said she wants to make more music with him & Zac and that she only wants to do Paramore stuff going forward rather than solo material.

 

So who knows. Maybe Paramore will be around for festivals like this in 2027/28 or something like that.

[Andre91]

Going to Bloodstock absolutely ruins Download. You realise what a ball ache everything at DL is, from the walk from the carpark, the walk to the arena, the fact you can’t just nip back to your tent. the queues, everything. 

[rock_on]

If you're doing dual main stages the only answer is to have a spinning one like they had at the Sabbath final gig with next to no turn around between the acts; of course the festival won't do that because then people would just stay in the crowd rather than use dead time to buy alcohol.