25 Bands I Want/Expect To See At Festivals Next Year

[Hart Attack]

The following is a list of twenty-five bands that I both want and, at least to some extent, expect to see at festivals in 2012. The festivals I'm referring to in particular are Download, Sonisphere and Reading (and by extension Leeds, I guess); nothing against the other festivals, those are just the three that I generally go to. Note that it reflects my own personal taste, so bands that are likely to play but that I'm not a fan of, for example Van Halen, Machine Head or Kasabian, have not been included. I have also chosen to exclude any bands that played at any of the festivals in question this year, so bands like You Me At Six, Rise Against and Bullet For My Valentine have also been left out, despite the fact that both I like them and think they will play somewhere.

Nickelback - Despite a large bandwagon of haters, they're supposed to be great live. They also don't seem to come to the UK often, and almost never for festivals, so they would be a fresh addition to any line-up. With a new album entitled 'Here And Now' coming out soon, 2012 may well be their year to finally headline a major UK festival, and given their style of music and affiliation with Live Nation, that festival is likely to be Download.

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Back with a new guitarist and a new album, the Chilis will most likely be playing somewhere next summer (after getting their own shows out the way in the form of a huge arena tour next month), the only question is where? Reading seems unlikely after the band's trainwreck performance in 2007, while Download has generally been sticking with metal, classic and hard rock headliners in recent years. Given that Kilimanjaro Live are promoting their tour, it seems logical that the Chilis will end up headlining Kili's own festival, Sonisphere.

Foo Fighters - They've come out with one of the best albums of the year in 'Wasting Light' and played several festivals around the UK, as well as two massive shows of their own at Milton Keynes, but I doubt we've seen the last of Dave Grohl and company on their current run yet. The band are known to particularly enjoy Reading, and when better to return that the 20th anniversary of Nirvana's legendary headline performance. Although they were rumoured to be in talks with Sonisphere, and are frequently requested or predicted for Download, I would be shocked if the Foos don't headline next year's Reading.

Evanescence - After falling off the radar for several years, Evanescence are back with a self-titled third album, which from what I've heard so far, sounds pretty damn good. Absent from UK festivals since 2007, they will almost certainly be making a return next summer; my best guess says they'll probably be sub-headlining, or headlining the second stage, at Download or Sonisphere.

3 Doors Down - A rarity here in the past, 3 Doors Down have shown an increased interest in the UK as of late, following up a tour earlier this year with another run of dates next Spring. As far as I'm aware they've never played a festival here before, and considering their recent exposure and great collection of catchy post-grunge songs, that really needs to change. I suspect (or at least hope) we may be seeing them at Download next summer.

Lostprophets - In my opinion one of the best bands in Britain, yet they've never quite reached the levels of success and popularity that they really deserve. With a new album in the works for early 2012, I expect we'll be seeing them somewhere in the summer; a return to Reading (where the band are known to particularly love playing) is a strong possibility, but an appearance at Download or Sonisphere would not be at all surprising either. Second stage headliner seems like a good call at any one of the three.

Within Temptation - Their latest album was released earlier this year but the band had to postpone all tour dates and miss out on the festival season due to their vocalist's pregnancy. With the rescheduled dates taking place throughout the autumn and winter, expect to see them playing the European festivals in the summer and surely making an appearance in the UK along the way. They'll probably be taking a mid main/high second slot at Download or Sonisphere.

A Day To Remember - A band that's grown rapidly over the last few years, I was expecting them to play this year's festivals after releasing their latest album 'What Separates Me From You' at the end of 2010, but sadly they were kept busy across the Atlantic with the Warped Tour for most of the summer. It seems very likely that they'll be back next year though, and could potentially play at any one of the festivals in question, maybe even two.

Incubus - Back from a three-year hiatus with a new album, Incubus are a pretty safe bet for next summer. Arguably not as popular as they once were, they still have a fairly large fanbase and ought to take a mid-high to high slot somewhere... my gut feeling says Sonisphere, but they should fit in fine wherever they play.

Shinedown - They went down very well at Download back in 2009, which I believe was the last time they played a UK festival, so a return to Donington is probably the most likely scenario. A new album is on the way, which should help the band build on their growing popularity over here and increase their chances of making an appearance.

Alice In Chains - The iconic grunge/alternative metal band are overdue for a performance at Download, or would work well at Reading (where I'm surprised they've never played before) as something a bit different but with enough popularity to avoid alienating too much of the crowd. Probably a bit too soon for them to be back at Sonisphere though, having played two-out-of-three years at Knebworth.

The Prodigy - Wildly popular and always a huge draw, these guys will be successful at any festival. They are known to be great live and are arguably big enough to headline, but then haven't released any new material or done anything to justify climbing up the line-ups since they last played, when they took second stage headlining or main stage sub-headlining slots.

Halestorm - This dirty hard rock band has been around for a while, yet they've only really been getting noticed since the release of their self-titled debut album in 2009. The momentum will surely continue with their upcoming sophomore effort, and will likely put them in line for some festival appearances. Download seems like the most likely place to see them; having played on the third stage there before, expect to see them on mid second or low main.

Soundgarden - After announcing their reunion at the start of 2010, they were expected to headline several European festivals across the summer; however they instead opted to play a handful of North American shows and get to work on a new album. This continued through 2011, but with the tour and album both now approaching completion, they ought to be free to finally hit Europe by summer 2012. They would be a perfect sub-headliner for Foo Fighters at Reading, but may prefer the headline slot that they would surely be offered at Download or Sonisphere.

Simple Plan - A fun, catchy pop-punk band that would surely bring waves of nostalgia and memories from teen years, Simple Plan would be a solid addition to any festival line-up (especially since they haven't played any here since 2008, I believe). Probably too irrelevant for Reading, these guys would fit in nicely at Sonisphere in keeping with their habit of booking older pop-punk bands (Alien Ant Farm, Good Charlotte and Sum 41 all come to mind).

Rammstein - For years they were one of the most frequently requested bands for a UK festival until 2010, when they finally accepted a headline slot at Sonisphere. This is still high demand for future performances though, and following a handful of arena shows here in the spring, a return in the summer for a festival appearance may be on the cards. Since it's probably too soon to play Knebworth again, I should think the German metallers will most likely head to Donington for a long-awaited Download headline show.

Staind - They're sadly nowhere near the levels of popularity they reached ten years ago with the chart-topping platinum album 'Break The Cycle', but Staind are still somewhat successful and of course have several hits that everyone should at least recognize. With a seventh album recently released, I expect we'll see them revisit Download next year; look for them on mid main or high second stage.

Papa Roach - Heavily requested and predicted for Download this year, but it didn't end up happening. Between that and the fact that they're always good fun live with plenty of well-known hits and singalongs, I reckon they'll be at Donington in 2012. After sub-headlining the second stage in 2009, they ought to be about halfway down the bill on the main stage this time round.

The Used - Missing from UK festivals since the inaugural Sonisphere in 2009 (after pulling out of Download 2010), The Used should be back next year to promote their fifth album, 'Vulnerable', which is scheduled for release in February. Where they will end up playing is unpredictable though, as they would fit in on any of the top three stages at any of the festivals in question.

Seether - They'll be joining 3 Doors Down on their spring tour, which will get them some exposure and hopefully expand their British fanbase; hopefully this will give them the opportunity to come back for a festival a few months later. Download or Sonisphere are the only likely options for them; either on low-mid main or high-mid second stage.

Lacuna Coil - The Italian alternative metal group will be releasing their sixth album 'Dark Adrenaline' at the start of 2012, and a festival appearance in the summer to promote it is practically inevitable. They have a big UK tour coming up next month, which should boost their status and increase their drawing power, so expect a mid main or high-mid second stage slot at Download or Sonisphere.

Creed - They're supposedly reconvening in 2012 for another tour and possibly also a new album, and despite being one of those bands that it's cool to hate, they still have a reasonably large following and should go down well at a festival. They didn't play any European shows on their first reunion tour (as far as I know), so we're really due for some this time round; they'd certainly be a fresh addition to any festival line-up. If they do play somewhere, it'll likely be an upper-mid main stage slot at Download, or maybe Sonisphere.

Saliva - A UK rarity, but they often pop up in wishlists and predictions for Download. A solid, enjoyable hard rock band with some catchy tunes, they would surely be successful in a low main or mid second stage slot and a real crowd pleaser since many people here will have never had the chance to see them live before. Probably the least likely of all the bands on this list to actually play, but I don't think the possibility should be discounted.

Billy Talent - Always a lot of fun live, and with a strong, seemingly cult-like fanbase, they would be welcomed with open arms at any festival. A new album tentatively titled 'X' is on the way and should be out in time for the summer, so the band will likely be playing somewhere. Billy Talent are regulars at Reading, and have also made numerous Download appearances in the past; but could 2012 be the year they make their Sonisphere debut?

Orestea - With a bit of luck, the up-and-coming Surrey-based melodic metal group could go a long way; they certainly have the potential to be the future of British metal. Their seemingly relentless touring and fantastic debut album 'Love Lines And Blood Ties' has been slowly but surely earning them fans, and they already have a Download performance in the form of a 2009 Boardie Takeover slot under their belt; 2012 may well be their year to finally play a well-deserved main arena set.

Edited October 8, 2011 by Hart Attack

[lharris92]

if billy talent have a new album then they will probably do one or more of the fests and then a tour at the latter end of the year

also i expect InMe to be at sonisphere again - although could be at download as AC booked the lead singer as a solo act (possibly trying to persuade them to play)

as for the bands you've mentioned yeah probably most of them will appear somewhere

[teeman89]

Would love to see playing at sonisphere is RHCP, Foo Fighters, the used, evenescence, 3 doors down, a day to remember, incubus and the used. al though like its been said unlikely to all play one festival, maybe over a few.

also want to see Pearl Jam, three days grace, chevelle, flyleaf, breaking benjamin, janes addiction and lifehouse playing.

[spwan-of-the-devil]

Would love some of them bands to play for me Lit, Alkaline Trio and Pearl Jam would be nice!