Download 2026

[Gejonimo]

Having gone to the Fontaines/Kneecap Wythenshawe gig this year, I would be buzzing about a System show there, thought it was a great venue. One worry is how crammed the front gets if it's mildly split as it was when I went. It was a pretty brutal crowd for Kneecap, nevermind System.

[NorthernSoul52]

Interesting. 

[Andre91]

Brand New for DL?

[kale]

On 27/08/2025 at 19:34, Andre91 said:

Subbing Opus would be immense, especially under someone else great like an Alice In Chains or a Mastodon. 

think i would cum for an acid bath into alice in chains

[TWY2911]

1 hour ago, Andre91 said:

Brand New for DL?

 

The band? I really hope not 

[Spiral_Low]

8 hours ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

My counter-argument would be that Teenage Dirtbag is always the biggest singalong.

Haha well that is true but that's just one song, whereas with SOAD there's probably 15 to 20 that would get a big singalong! Pretty much anything off of Toxicity and the crowd goes crazy, plus the hits from the other albums. 

[Siddey1994]

2 hours ago, Andre91 said:

Brand New for DL?

Put them on the “cancelled” lineup under Marylin Manson & 30STM 😂

[SweetJesus]

20 hours ago, Spiral_Low said:

They could afford it if they wanted to. But livenation want to make as much profit as possible. I mean just look at Graspop, Hellfest etc to see what those festivals serve up. Livenation just doesn't care enough about the fans to sacrifice any profit margin.

 

Graspop is owned by Live Nation 🙂 

[northernangel]

6 minutes ago, SweetJesus said:

 

Graspop is owned by Live Nation 🙂 

 

Hell Fest sells out everytime though even on a weaker lineup, whereas Download doesn't. It still doesn't when having a 75k cap 

[SweetJesus]

Because Hellfest is nowadays like Coachella, it's important to be seen 🙂 but it's worth even with weaker lineup like this year.

This year was my first time on HF and I'll be back next year.

[Andre91]

Download would sell out every year if it put as much effort into everything like Hellfest does. Hellfest looks like a total experience. 

[northernangel]

9 minutes ago, SweetJesus said:

Because Hellfest is nowadays like Coachella, it's important to be seen 🙂 but it's worth even with weaker lineup like this year.

This year was my first time on HF and I'll be back next year.

Thats fair. I honestly wouldn't have even bene tempted by this years lineup. Sunday would have been the only day I'd have attended. LP ADTR and Refused is decent.

[Spiral_Low]

2 hours ago, SweetJesus said:

 

Graspop is owned by Live Nation 🙂 

Did not know that! 

1 hour ago, northernangel said:

 

Hell Fest sells out everytime though even on a weaker lineup, whereas Download doesn't. It still doesn't when having a 75k cap 

Hellfest nearly always has a better line up than Download in my opinion, so even it weaker years are strong!

 

 

[northernangel]

9 minutes ago, Spiral_Low said:

Did not know that! 

Hellfest nearly always has a better line up than Download in my opinion, so even it weaker years are strong!

 

 

 

I would agree yes normally but this year I would disagree. Two days at Download I was interested in this year, whereas I would not have touched more than 1 day at Hell Fest this year at all, not even remote interest there enough for two days. Two days for 2024 of interest being the last two, The Prodigy might have got me there a 3rd but even those two days the undercards weren't great. I would have found a couple of bits but the undercard for LP Sunday this year way better. Foos and The Offspring clashing was a big problem too. Saturday was Metallica for what I'd have actually got to see. 2023 overall better with Sunday harder hitting but Friday having the most overall for me. Some of the USA rock festivals though put all 3 of those years to shame.

[OllieJ77]

23 hours ago, Spiral_Low said:

They could afford it if they wanted to. But livenation want to make as much profit as possible. I mean just look at Graspop, Hellfest etc to see what those festivals serve up. Livenation just doesn't care enough about the fans to sacrifice any profit margin.

 

Of course SOAD could do a stadium. One of the biggest bands around full stop, let alone in rock/metal. Cult band? Come off it. Take it you are unfamiliar with the UK rock/metal club scene? SOAD always one of the biggest crowds singing along anywhere they are played. 

Yeah very true, might take a look at doing an EU festival next year line ups depending. 
 

agree on SOAD being able to do a stadium too!

[TWY2911]

I always find hellfest undercards to be pretty poor overall especially the main stage 

 

But I guess that's down to certain bands being bigger or smaller in France than over here 

 

Hellfest is definitely on my bucket list to do based off the experience and headliners alone but I'm glad I didn't decide this year was the year as I felt the lineup was poor 

[NorthernSoul52]

Hellfest has the reputation now, and it can hold it. Download, for whatever reason, doesn't quite have that appeal for overseas fans perhaps to trip over the Channel.

 

I tend to try and avoid giving the French any credit for anything, but I will give them credit for Hellfest.

[northernangel]

56 minutes ago, TWY2911 said:

I always find hellfest undercards to be pretty poor overall especially the main stage 

 

But I guess that's down to certain bands being bigger or smaller in France than over here 

 

Hellfest is definitely on my bucket list to do based off the experience and headliners alone but I'm glad I didn't decide this year was the year as I felt the lineup was poor 

I think that’s certainly correct and you need a wider interest in heavier rock and metal than I do I think to appreciate it. I find Hell Fest has a lot of larger rock/metal festivals plus Bloodstock like inclusion which I probably wouldn't attend if someone paid for me lol.

 

Download also happens to be in the UK which doesn't havs a great weather rep. It also happens to be overpriced compared to European fests and it is poorly organised on the whole including the care given to the ticket buyer. In fact, the shuttle bus service for Download is probably the one thing I wouldn't complain too much with but there has been a gripe worth a mention everytime I've attended Download for a weekend which has been 3 times, kinda 4 as I stopped two days this year and the best overall experience wasnt even a camping one. Some problems though going back 13/14 years now still happened recently so they aren't a festival that learn anything and ignore a lot. Gig in a field though. Go if you're really bothered, leave and that's that.

[NorthernSoul52]

Where did the chat Iron Maiden would be back in Europe come from anyway?

[DomDom1984]

1 hour ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

Where did the chat Iron Maiden would be back in Europe come from anyway?

 

They're definitely still doing the tour next year. It's really just guessing from that though. Having STILL not actually confirmed anything for it yet, I'm beginning to think it might just be different territories.

[Jos92]

Can probably count on a couple from here

[NorthernSoul52]

Certainly puts a few in the frame.

 

After the praise he picked up at the Ozzy show, do wonder if Yungblud might cross over onto the Download turf. Not sure where you'd stick him - in my head, he's a mid-afternoon main stager, but obviously selling arenas well enough to suggest he'd need to go higher.

[Andre91]

YUNGBLUD would sub the Main Stage, no question. 
 

Papa Roach about again. I wonder if DL will finally get the back? They would need a hefty slot themselves so I wouldn’t be too shocked to see them as high as subbing Main too. 

[NorthernSoul52]

Like the idea Papa Roach could be at The Piece Hall to be fair. Very convenient for an old-school mosh.

[foolee]

You’ve got to think all of TOP, The Offspring, Yungblud & Papa Roach could be in for sub or 2nd stage headliner slots with this only being a week out. I do wonder where all this end up if not at Download.