Festival Review: Download Festival // June 2026
Download 2026. With the past few years between alternating it Drownload and Melt-Download, even the weather was up in the air. The only certainties were metal music, mayhem, and people complaining about camping chairs in the arena again.
Already half-feeling like a distant memory, let’s go back to when it all started on Friday with the Californian foursome of Silent Planet — a name that feels more and more ironic as the years pass and the stages and crowds get bigger. A slot on the second stage to the 100,000 capacity Download meant that the ‘Planet’ was anything but silent, waves of applause and roars kicking up a hell of a ruckus in the early afternoon. Barefooted, long haired Garret Russell looked a carbon copy of any of the bedraggled crowd who’d crawled out of their campsite as he growled, screamed and headbanged his way through SUPERBLOOM fan-favourites ‘Collider’,, the emotional, shoegaze-exque ‘Euphoria’ and the blistering ‘Dreamwalker’. Elsewhere, the cinematic ‘Antimatter’ or the golden oldie ‘Panic Room’ — dedicated to victims of UK and US colonialism, particular in the light of institutions like ICE — or the Ukraine-dedicated ‘Wick’ helped give the heavy set an emotional core that unsurprisingly resonated strongly with the tight-nit metal community.
Fresh from selling out Camden’s Underworld, Holywatr brought their hauntingly dark heaviness to Download for their UK festival debut; and, from the sardine tin of a tent straining at the edges, it couldn’t have come sooner. Patrick Middelthon’s vocals remained the focal point throughout, flipping effortlessly between haunting cleans and vicious screams, even as a crowd in emotional ecstasy sang and shouted alongside. ‘Without U’ and ‘nail polish’ showcased the band’s more anthemic side, while ‘Mistake’ split the tent wide open with a huge wall of death after Patrick challenged fans to show him how to two-step — pre-empted by a couple getting engaged before the track kicked in. Closing with ‘loose ends’, Middelthon launching himself into the audience to crowdsurf alongside his fans, the set felt far too short for such a victorious debut.
Helping spearheaded Download’s slow embrace of the heavy gamut — aside from the ever present grumblings of the metal purists of course — come the Country-metal fusion of Lakeview. The Nashville duo blended Southern drawls, huge choruses and occasional breakdowns into one of Download’s most entertaining genre collisions. ‘Money Where Your Mouth Is’ and ‘Wrong Side of the Track’ landed particularly well, while flying beer cans and plenty of onstage drinking only added to the party atmosphere. Download has become increasingly eclectic in recent years, and Lakeview felt like another perfect example of the festival embracing new sounds without sacrificing heaviness.
Speaking of Download’s diverse tastes, next up were Donington favourites Pendulum. Backed by dazzling visuals and an enormous light show, the electronic-rock veterans transformed the field into a giant rave one moment and a metal show the next, with tracks like ‘Halo’ or the surprise of Roy Reynolds for the glorious ‘Sorry You’re Not A Winner’ helping to further muddy the divide. Massive beats collided with crushing guitars as thousands sang along to ‘Witchcraft’, bounced in unison to ‘Tarantula’ or just happily smiled along to the Australian favourites’ vibe-filled set. With their headline appearance at WAH in the city in July, there’s never a better time to see them.
It’s bizarre to think that it’s taken ten years to get the gentlemen of Periphery back in Donington. Originally due to headline a stage at the cancelled 2020 festival, the progressive metal giants finally got their chance to make it up to the UK festival with a set mostly composed of all the albums that the UK have missed in the meantime. Older tracks such as their self-titled debut’s ‘Letter Experiment’ or 2012’s ‘Facepalm Mute’ went hand-in-hand with the live debuts of ‘Mr. God’, ‘Everyone Dies Alone’ and ‘Heaven On High’ to showcase a band still on the cutting edge of prog metal, even all these years later, beautiful in their discordance. Somewhat surprisingly, though, was the absence of the sing-along crowd favourite ‘Marigold’, and a personal shame not to get the Will Ramos-featuring, face-melting brutality of ‘Subhuman’, but with so little time to work with, you can’t have everything. Prog-glorious.
As far as having fun goes, Electric Callboy win hands down. Regardless of the setting — headline tour, festival, music videos, whatever else — it’s not even close. Confetti, pyro, multiple costume changes and more clashed with an explosion of neon and relentless energy to transform the Apex Stage into a giant party from start to finish. ‘HYPA HYPA’, ‘MC Thunder II’, their covers of both ‘Still Waiting’ and their snippet of ‘Bodies’, ‘We Got The Moves’, ‘Pump It’… existing fans were more than happy with the fan-favourite set, while those newer to their antics were invariably won over by both the sheer maniacal enjoyment had by both the rest of the crowd and the band themselves. It’s easy to forget, then, that underneath all the tongue-in-cheek silliness and the visual absurdity, they’re also just a really great band. A genuine travesty if these aren’t headlining in the next five years.
First headliner of the night, over on the Opus stage, Halestorm delivered exactly what you’d hope for: huge riffs, massive choruses and a masterclass from Lzzy Hale. Opening with material from ‘Everest’, the band mixed new songs with fan favourites including ‘I Miss The Misery’, ‘Love Bites (So Do I)’ and ‘Freak Like Me’. Hale’s voice remained astonishing throughout, effortlessly switching between soaring melodies and throat-ripping screams. Confetti, costume changes and a fun cover of ‘Bad Romance’ added extra spectacle, but the emotional heart of the set came during the closing duo of ‘Everest’, dedicated to both the band’s journey and their fans, and the sing-along anthem of ‘Here’s To Us’. Although parts of the set did at times feel like they blended together, Arejay, Lzzy, Joe and Josh delivered as strong a set as ever.
Originally billed to headline the inaugural 2003 edition with Iron Maiden — and replaced by Audioslave — it’s wild that it’s taken a full 23 years for Donington and Durst to link up and make up for lost time. Because, love them or hate them, Limp Bizkit know exactly how to entertain a festival crowd. Edging the festival with a snippet of ‘Break Stuff’, Limp Bizkit’s set felt — rightfully or not — a touch self indulgent… but if anyone’s earned that right, it’s Fred Durst and company. Said ‘Break Stuff’, ‘My Generation’, ‘Nookie’ and ‘Rollin’ (Air Raid Vehicle)’ followed suit, generating huge singalongs and endless crowdsurfers. Fred Durst remains an oddly magnetic frontman, barely needing to do anything to command attention from the thousands of crazed and devoted fans, while fans invited onstage for ‘Full Nelson’ or ‘new’ artist Lauren Sanderson for ‘Hot Dog’ only added to the celebratory atmosphere. The Who’s ‘Behind Blue Eyes’ and a second ‘Break Stuff’ — why don’t more bands do the fan favourites again? — completed the night in style.
What felt like a lot of ‘dead air’ on stage as songs were played over the speakers, Fred content to just wave at fans, or the fact that the extra half an hour set compared to 2024 only resulted in three more songs probably won’t win over many doubters, but their existing fans left absolutely delighted. A set of fan favourites and debauchery — what more could they want?
Saturday began with one of Australia’s finest modern heavy bands making their Download main stage debut. Thornhill’s blend of shoegaze textures, delicate cleans and crushing heaviness felt like the perfect soundtrack to a slowly-warming Donington morning, even if the wind threatened to carry Jacob Charlton’s vocals away at times. Tracks such as ‘Obsession’ and ‘nerv’ showcased the band’s ability to pivot between haunting atmosphere and thunderous breakdowns, even as the steadily growing Download crowd limbered up for the mosh pits, while the chugging ‘TONGUES’ refused to let up for a second. A momentary crack in the heavy facade, a laugh upon spotting a ‘Horny4Thorny’ sign showed a band having just as much fan as their crowd, in an assured debut that felt long overdue; seriously, how did Download miss out on them over the past few years?
A blur of motion and sound, the slight figure of Florent Salfati letting loose with a deluge of tormented, existential French rap as thousands of Downloaders stood witness — Landmvrks had arrived, and last year’s ‘Creature’ was in full swing. Flanked by towering, despairing statues, and surrounded by blasts of pyro, the Marseille group’s long-awaited Download debut — how has it taken so long? — was every bit as dramatic and destructive as you could hope. Cleans, screams, gasps and hip-hop-esque hardcore were liberally applied, the set seeming to fly past — the pleadingly emotional intro of ‘La Valse Du Temps’, twinkling keys underpinning Salfati’s gentle vocals before launching into the thunderous tune, a final, bloodcurdling scream of ‘Am I Broken?’ left unanswered, somehow managed to have it all within about thirty seconds. Even the Red Arrows made an appearance, rocketing overhead just to see what all the fuss was about. Just a shame it was too bright for phone flashlights. Otherwise, fantastic.
Sometimes, the heaviness gets a little too much and you just want some good, ol’fashioned, soulful rock. Enter, Those Damn Crows. The Welsh outfit provided a welcome change of pace, delivering soaring melodies, huge choruses and some soul-stirring heart that were perfect for a mid-afternoon set on Opus. Shane Greenhall’s rich, soulful voice enveloped the crowd, ‘Who Did It’, ‘Find A Way’, the exhilaratingly cinematic ‘Man on Fire’ and the endlessly catchy ‘Sin On Skin’ flying past, while the emotional, heartfelt ballad ‘This Time I’m Ready’ felt surprisingly intimate despite the thousands watching.
Fresh off a UK No.1 with last year’s ‘God Shaped Hole’ and already teasing new music, Those Damn Crows continue to grow into one of Britain’s most dependable rock bands. Catch them supporting Shinedown in November.
Drowning Pool’s eventual Dogtooth slot felt criminally small. The tent was packed long before the band emerged — as well it should be, even if most might only have been there for the iconic, scream-along anthem rather than the Texans themselves — and the rows of people clamouring outside only proved the failed logistics of it all. Electric Callboy’s biggest sing along of yesterday was their snippet covering Drowning Pool, so whoever thought the actual article would have a smaller turnout was painfully wrong. ‘Bodies’ is very much one of the songs that made the scene.
When the band came on stage though, space opened up. For chasmic circle pits, sure, but it counts! Tracks like ‘Sinner’ or ‘Pity’ warmed the crowd up nicely, the post-grunge metal infectiously addictive, with a good half the tent screaming along to every word, every note, but the other half stood waiting, tense. So, when ‘Bodies’ finally arrived? The entire tent felt like a maelstrom, crowd-surfers cascading over the security like a waterfall as phones, drinks and shoes were flung every which way, the song’s celebrating of mosh culture in general taken to the absolute limit. With how small the tent was, and how intimate the set felt, it was insane.
Ryan McCombs taking the time after the set to meet fans at the barrier, posing for selfies and signing anything put in front of them, was just the cherry on top.
It turns out, Electric Callboy weren’t the only explosion of neon at Download. Instead, the Swedish outfit of Self Deception were more than willing to offer a challenge to the most crazed act of the weekend — or at least, bassist Patrik Hallgren was, looking like the aftermath of a level of Splatoon, green and pink everywhere. Water pistols sprayed the crowd, dancefloor rhythms collided with rock riffs — there was even a flash mob in the pit during ‘Matthew McConaughey’ apparently! — and frontman Andreas Clark somehow managed to keep everything under control. Bits of the set felt unpolished, true, but if anything that just added to the anarchic freedom of the show, with tracks like ‘PSYCHO’, ‘ONE OF US’ or ‘Fight Fire With Gasoline’ coming across as ecstatically, beautifully unhinged. Definitely catch them next time they’re back.
After failing to turn up to their heavily-rumoured-but-not-actually-a-thing secret set last year — campers dragged out of tents by the droves for a supposed 11am gap left disgruntled by the bemused staff’s attempts at explaining that no one was on — Trivium’s return to Download felt even more highly anticipated than their 7 year absence already called for. Raised horns and pumping fists were soundtracked by the Florida metalcore legends as they tore through a set that spanned seven albums, guitars ablaze as riff after iconic riff drifted over the crowd, Matt Heafy grinning in excitement and grimacing in fury in equal measure as they reminded Donington just what made them such titans of the genre. Older material — ‘A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation’, ‘Like Lights to the Flies’ — drew some of the biggest reactions of the afternoon, while the band’s trademark blend of melodic hooks, thrash precision and metalcore aggression ensured the momentum never faltered. It felt slightly strange not to see anything from last year’s ’Struck Dead’, or 2021’s ‘In The Court Of The Dragon’, but as crowd pleasing sets go, it was pretty on point.
Sam Carter and co. should have been indulging in one of the biggest sets of their career. Instead, the set became a lesson in what not to do. Namely, repeatedly urge a crowd to mosh and crowdsurf, despite numerous security-mandated stoppages and song interruptions. To their credit, the Brighton metalcore giants handled every stoppage with professionalism, trying to ensure that fans looked after one another… but then he’d goad them on some more. Songs such as ‘Whiplash’, ‘Black Lungs’, ‘Impermanence’ and the ever-emotional ‘Doomsday’ landed brilliantly whenever the band were allowed to build momentum, alongside the delightful deep-cuts of ‘Gravedigger’ and ‘A Match Made In Heaven’, while newer material from The Sky, The Earth & All Between — especially ‘Elegy’, the spiritual successor to ‘Nihilist’, or the Florent Salfati featuring ‘Brain Dead’ — sounded colossal, but between the stoppages and Sam’s voice seeming to lack the signature cohesion of the past decades, it fell slightly flat. Still, that’s only really compared to Architects of the past — a slightly flat Architects is still head and shoulders above most others of the genre!
Finally, the main event. Guns N’ Roses felt like a celebration. Sure, the legendary rockers’ mammoth set length created some brutal clashes elsewhere on the bill, and the questions around Axl Rose’s continued ability to sing to the same standard that make the band such a household name reared their ugly (but not completely wrong) heads throughout the night, but once Axl Rose, Slash, Duff and company settled into their stride, thousands happily surrendered themselves to a catalogue that helped define modern rock music. Slash remained as iconic a figure as ever, those legendary riffs of his mesmerising throughout, while Rose, grinning ear to ear, wisely adapted and dropped his vocals where needed. ‘Welcome To The Jungle’, ‘Sweet Child o’ Mine’, ‘November Rain’, their covers of ‘Live and Let Die’, ‘Sabbath Bloody Sabbath’ and ‘Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door’ — whatever you thought about how the performance lived up to the Guns N’ Roses of the past, there’s no denying how much of an impact they’ve had on music as a whole, and rock and metal in particular. Seeing Axl dance across the stage during ‘Paradise City’, his mic stand as his noble steed, was truly magnificent. One beautiful, celebratory hurrah for the legacy of a band who’ve soundtracked generations… though saying that, a second hurrah might be pushing their luck.
Fresh from supporting Sleep Theory on their UK dates, sister duo The Pretty Wild delivered one of the most exhilarating sets of the weekend, as Jyl and Jules Wylde seamlessly wove rap, metalcore, pop hooks, electronics and hardcore aggression into a tapestry of chaotic, explosive fun. ‘PARADOX’, ‘OMENS’ and ‘INFRARED’ demonstrated the duo’s refusal to be boxed into a single genre — other than perhaps ‘caps lock’ — while ‘button eyes’ felt like a infectiously sinister fever dream pulled straight from a Coraline x Tim Burton nightmare. The pair spent much of the set grinning, spinning and screaming their way around the stage, clearly having the time of their lives. Plus, boasting a packed out tent when clashing with Keanu Reeves’ Dogstar is no small thing!
From the Wild to the Reckless, then, as Taylor Momsen took to the stage. Opening with ‘Death By Rock And Roll’, The Pretty Reckless delivered a polished set built around Momsen’s distinctive raspy vocals and undeniable stage presence. Singalongs like ‘Since You’re Gone’ and ‘Heaven Knows’ went hand-in-hand with Dear God’s ‘For I Am Death’ and ‘When I Wake Up’, a tease of what to expect at their headline show at O2 Brixton in December, to deliver a refreshingly new take on classic rock. And, although the crowd’s reaction felt at times a little muted, the set slightly restrained compared to some of the chaos unfolding elsewhere across the festival, it was a still a hell of a set.
Let’s get this out of the way. Ice Nine Kills don’t need all their production. If you whisked away all the actors, the props, the theatricality, they’d still be a phenomenally good metal band. Having said that, as the horror-obsessed metalcore outfit transformed Donington into a full-blown cinematic production, complete with Hannibal Lecter masks, chainsaw-wielding butchers, oversized props and enough ‘fake’ blood to warrant a warrant, you really can’t complain. Between a fake fight between Neo and Agent Smith in ‘The Great Unknown’ — no Keanu! — Art the Clown swinging an aflame foetus around his head by its umbilical cord during closer A Work Of Art, and hypnotic circus performers on stilts and smoke grenade-wielding goons on the Batman-themed ‘The Laugh Track’ — plus being joined by Hannah Hermione Greenwood of Creeper for ‘Twisting The Knife’ — it was sensory overload, a visual smorgasbord of depravity. Unreal.
Bad Omens’ rise over the past few years has been stratospheric, and their packed-out crowd only reinforced that fact. Noah Sebastian remains one of modern metal’s most captivating frontmen, his silky clean vocals often giving way to strangely distinctive screams, packed with ferocity and bereft of mercy, with almost unsettling ease. ‘CONCRETE JUNGLE’, ‘Nowhere To Go’, ‘ARTIFICIAL SUICIDE’, ‘Just Pretend’ — almost without being aware of it, those tracks have fundamentally infested the scene, and the tens of thousands in the field knew it, screaming and crying along. Visually, the set matched the music’s dystopian atmosphere perfectly, blasts of fire and gouts of steam contrasting with the stark lighting to add to the experience, and by the time the crowd’s call-and-response chants accelerated into the chaos of ‘Dethrone’, it felt impossible to argue against Bad Omens’ rise to the top.
Some Downloads, the Sunday headliner feels slightly like an afterthought. Always a massive name, to be sure, but rarely the lynchpin of the weekend. Not so this year. Judging by the crowd, Linkin Park’s set was the moment the entire weekend had been building towards for the majority of the 100,000 strong attendees. Tens of thousands greeted Emily Armstrong and Colin Brittain’s emergence, and Shinoda, Hahn, Farrell and Delson’s return, with deafening enthusiasm.
It feels like a long time since Linkin Park announced their return with the drop of The Emptiness Machine back in 2024, so it felt right they announced their return to Donington in the same way. Led in by celebratory-yet-emotional elements of the Chester-led ‘Castle Of Glass’ over the speakers, the From Zero standout immediately justified its place alongside the classics, while ‘Points of Authority’, ‘Somewhere I Belong’, ‘Burn It Down’ and ‘What I’ve Done’ reminded everyone just how absurdly stacked Linkin Park’s catalogue remains. ‘Crawling’, left Armstrong barely needed to contribute at all, such was the volume of the crowd, while snippets of ‘Where’d You Go’ and ‘Lost’ felt like they’d have drawn tears from a less rowdy crowd, even as phone flashlights emerged from the ruckus. And, of course, crowd favourites ‘Numb’ and ‘In the End’ became giant communal moments stretching all the way back to the sound tower.
But the emotional moments were few and far between. Instead, heaviness all the way. ‘Two Faced’ became ‘A Place For My Head’; Heavy Is The Crown’ became ‘Bleed It Out’ became ‘Papercut’. It was as if the band had to cram all the anger of their usual two hour set into the 90 minutes allotted to them — which felt a little wrong given Guns N’ Roses’ 200 minutes, but hey ho.
Download has welcomed some colossal headliners over the years, but few arrivals have carried quite the same weight as Linkin Park’s return. Emily Armstrong’s appearance as the festival’s first female headliner marks one hell of a significant milestone, sure, but the sea of people stretching across Donington made one thing abundantly clear: whoever’s at the helm, Linkin Park’s Donington appearances are always monumental, and they’re always welcome.
Words by James O’Sullivan
