Download 2026

[King101]

46 minutes ago, h12101 said:

The Black Parade was massive, before then they were just another pop-punk/emo band.

 

Fall Out Boy and Panic at the Disco! did a lot of the heavy-lifting moving that whole scene into the mainstream around 2006.

This definitely isn’t true, MCR were comfortably bigger than either FOB or Panic prior to Black Parade.

 

They were 3rd top on main stage at Reading/Leeds in 2006 whilst FOB and Panic were both playing further down the bill.

[DomDom1984]

MCR had a VERY quick sell out of academies off the back of Three Cheers. The Black Parade put them in the arenas shortly after. It can be true that they were big, and then were made even bigger. 

 

As for FOB and PATD, MCR were clearly the front runners of that lot. There's nothing to suggest this isn't the case.

[andyrhodes24]

14 minutes ago, DomDom1984 said:

MCR had a VERY quick sell out of academies off the back of Three Cheers. The Black Parade put them in the arenas shortly after. It can be true that they were big, and then were made even bigger. 

 

As for FOB and PATD, MCR were clearly the front runners of that lot. There's nothing to suggest this isn't the case.

I’m still shocked they sold out Wembley x2, Liverpool and Glasgow quicker than they sold the MK reunion gigs.

[northernangel]

1 hour ago, foolee said:

Offspring seems like more of a resurgence whereas Ghost have been selling arenas well for a while now. It’d be quite shocking to see them do those shows over Download. If it is GnR over Ghost which I’m still very skeptical over I wonder if they’d book Ghost for 2027 or if they have actually fallen out. 

To be fair the Offspring have done two arena tours now with a few years, second bigger than the first and sold really quick, return to subbing Download, but the Crystal Palace Park show really shows where they are and at the sub level. That's not the show to go in and headline after the arenas if you think you're heading for headliner, that's the show to do before a bigger arena tour.

[Andre91]

MCR went from third down at R&L 2006 to headlining Download 2007.

[Andre91]

46 minutes ago, andyrhodes24 said:

I’m still shocked they sold out Wembley x2, Liverpool and Glasgow quicker than they sold the MK reunion gigs.

I’m not. Thousands of people with FOMO from those MK shows were always going to snap up whatever came next. 

[northernangel]

1 minute ago, Andre91 said:

MCR went from third down at R&L 2006 to headlining Download 2007.

And got bottled to f**k off the back of it, not a great choice at all then.

[andyrhodes24]

19 minutes ago, Andre91 said:

I’m not. Thousands of people with FOMO from those MK shows were always going to snap up whatever came next. 

Good point, I went on the Saturday at MK and still had fomo from the Sunday ticket I ended up selling.

[BillyBobJones]

No way did GnR sell anything like 45k tickets for Villa Park, a lot went on the cheap for a start.

 

Ghost have crossover appeal, moreso than Architects and Parkway. Obviously not on the level of GnR but look at the direction of travel 

[chatty]

31 minutes ago, BillyBobJones said:

No way did GnR sell anything like 45k tickets for Villa Park, a lot went on the cheap for a start.

 

Ghost have crossover appeal, moreso than Architects and Parkway. Obviously not on the level of GnR but look at the direction of travel 

I don't think anywhere near. Most people I know have not even heard of either Ghost or Architects. Both are basically known in music circles of their specific genres and not many else. 

[alexs7]

31 minutes ago, chatty said:

I don't think anywhere near. Most people I know have not even heard of either Ghost or Architects. Both are basically known in music circles of their specific genres and not many else. 

Architects fair but I know plenty of people who have heard of Ghost.

 

I have friends and family who don't listen to this kind of music and know them, Their new album did very well. If a band has Primark merch that means they have made it lol.

 

 

[kitatus]

32 minutes ago, chatty said:

I don't think anywhere near. Most people I know have not even heard of either Ghost or Architects. Both are basically known in music circles of their specific genres and not many else. 

I mean thanks to the rise via TikTok .etc, Ghost are everywhere imo. Saying your mates don't know them therefore they don't have crossover appeal is mad considering the reach they've had and continue to have. Sure, I like Ghost but it's not because I like them that I'm saying this, they're literally everywhere lol. They're a lot more popular than you're making them out to be.

[Audiorocker]

Ghost would be a new band for me to see and I would be keen. But I would need a juicier line up throughout the weekend. 

Sleep Token didn't quite do it for me this year but there was plenty across the festival for it not to matter that much.

Ghost - Muse - Linkin Park

[Spiral_Low]

1 hour ago, chatty said:

I don't think anywhere near. Most people I know have not even heard of either Ghost or Architects. Both are basically known in music circles of their specific genres and not many else. 

2 of the biggest bands in the metal

/alternative scene. Who cares if mainstream pop listeners haven't heard of them? That's irrelevant to whether they pull a metal/alt crowd or not.

[TWY2911]

Mainstream people might not know Ghost but if I show them Mary on a Cross or Square hammer they'll know them 

 

I'm personally not a fan and was quite bored through most of their set at Manchester arena (my brother is a massive fan) but saying they aren't in the mainstream eye means absolutely nothing 

Edited October 13, 2025 by TWY2911

[chatty]

55 minutes ago, kitatus said:

I mean thanks to the rise via TikTok .etc, Ghost are everywhere imo. Saying your mates don't know them therefore they don't have crossover appeal is mad considering the reach they've had and continue to have. Sure, I like Ghost but it's not because I like them that I'm saying this, they're literally everywhere lol. They're a lot more popular than you're making them out to be.

I think my mates are actually more likely to know them as they listen to music and go to gigs often etc. 

 

If I asked around at work or the local pub Ill be met with blank stares.

 

They have a very good fanbase within their genre but they don't really mean much outside of that. 

[chatty]

23 minutes ago, Spiral_Low said:

2 of the biggest bands in the metal

/alternative scene. Who cares if mainstream pop listeners haven't heard of them? That's irrelevant to whether they pull a metal/alt crowd or not.

Calling them metal is a bit of a stretch tbf, Ghost are way more closer to pop than metal. Architects are definitely far more the other side on the heavier side of metal. 

 

But it obviously does mean something. You'll have a higher ceiling on sales, mainstream attention, attracting other audiences with GNR than either of these. 

 

This is the same daftness as on the Glastonbury thread a few years ago when people were trying to say The Killers would match Oasis and Oasis wouldn't be a big draw if they came back. It's basically people being in their own bubble but most people who go to festivals aren't on music forums and have a very different taste to those who are. 

[kitatus]

20 minutes ago, chatty said:

I think my mates are actually more likely to know them as they listen to music and go to gigs often etc. 

 

If I asked around at work or the local pub Ill be met with blank stares.

 

They have a very good fanbase within their genre but they don't really mean much outside of that. 

 

"They have a very good fanbase within their genre but they don't really mean much outside of that" - I still can't tell if you're trolling or not. Their recent album reached #1 on US billboard, they're not the niche band you're making them out to be. If I recall, it also reached number one in Sweden, Germany, Australia and a handful of others.

Like I get it if Ghost isn't your thing, but you're massively downplaying their reach.

[OllieJ77]

9 hours ago, Jrose said:

appetite for destruction is universally acknowledged as one of, if not the best rock album ever made. the reason gnr are so mega is in reality they only actually released 3 proper albums in their heyday and had so many hits from them, they were the biggest band on the planet. any rock band that has mass crossover success is going to be bigger than a ghost or parkway drive, who are complete unknowns to general population, they have zero crossover appeal so will never be megastars. download wants to sell 100k tickets, you need those mega bands. ghost parkway drive aritects bring me the horizion might placate a modern day rock fan, but they're not justifying £300+ tickets to 100k people. at the end of the day, the thing they care about most is max profit max attendance, so it wouldnt surprise me if its gnr, but as i said gnr will be in usa next year, so it'd be odd they came here for download

Thing is though I think a lot of younger fans which I include myself in and my friends whom I have discussed with have all said we wouldn’t go for GnR. They might have a big name but I don’t see the pull these days because their fans are older now are they going to want to turn up after the reported bad performance on the tour?

[OKMess]

6 hours ago, Andre91 said:

MCR went from third down at R&L 2006 to headlining Download 2007.

Lostprophets went from 3rd down at R&L in 2007 to Download headline 2008 and Slipknot went from 3rd down at R&L in 2008 to DL headline 2009

[OKMess]

1 hour ago, chatty said:

Calling them metal is a bit of a stretch tbf, Ghost are way more closer to pop than metal. Architects are definitely far more the other side on the heavier side of metal. 

It's not realy METULLLLZZZ vibes

[chatty]

1 hour ago, kitatus said:

 

"They have a very good fanbase within their genre but they don't really mean much outside of that" - I still can't tell if you're trolling or not. Their recent album reached #1 on US billboard, they're not the niche band you're making them out to be. If I recall, it also reached number one in Sweden, Germany, Australia and a handful of others.

Like I get it if Ghost isn't your thing, but you're massively downplaying their reach.

That's not the UK though which we are talking about here

 There's loads of huge acts in the US that I've never heard off as I imagine in Sweden, Germany as well etc

 

 

I actually don't mind them, I'll be happy if they are headliners and I'll go see them. They aren't out big in the UK though.

 

[chatty]

29 minutes ago, OKMess said:

It's not realy METULLLLZZZ vibes

It's not though is it? 

 

Got a very pop sound. They dress up gothic but your more likely to have a doobie to their music than bop about tonite. 

[RedJosh]

14 hours ago, alexs7 said:

If a band has Primark merch that means they have made it lol.

https://www.primark.com/en-gb/p/architects-graphic-t-shirt-black-991157327804

[alexs7]

23 minutes ago, RedJosh said:

https://www.primark.com/en-gb/p/architects-graphic-t-shirt-black-991157327804

Ahahah to be fair I had no idea this existed