Download 2024

[Red Day]

7 minutes ago, FeverDream said:

They must have done, it’s been a sponsor for years hasn’t it?

As far as I'm aware they have been.  Certainly last couple of years at the least

[devilman]

2 hours ago, Red Day said:

You still using same phone number ? I'll give you a shout for a catch up over the weekend if you are (ends 41)

Aye! Be good to see you.

[Spiral_Low]

10 hours ago, Red Day said:

Scowl and Pest Control also appear to have pulled out.  Surely they all knew Barclays were a festival sponsor for ages and leaving it until the Monday prior to the festival to announce they're out is bit off.   Wonder if others will follow

Exactly. These bands have been booked to play for months and Download has been sponsored by Barclays for years. Way to screw over the fans. I do like Scowl and Pest Control but lost a lot of respect for them now.

[JimMacVeigh]

Don’t know if anyone has mentioned, but here’s the full six bands who have pulled out. 
 

scowl

negative frame

speed

zulu

pest control

Overpower

 

The dogtooth stage on the Friday has been absolutely gutted.  

Edited June 11 by JimMacVeigh

[Spiral_Low]

51 minutes ago, JimMacVeigh said:

Don’t know if anyone has mentioned, but here’s the full six bands who have pulled out. 
 

scowl

negative frame

speed

zulu

pest control

Overpower

 

The dogtooth stage on the Friday has been absolutely gutted.  

I imagine Download are livid. This sponsorship is not a secret it's ongoing and these bands have had months to pull out but to do it the final week? I can't imagine they will get touched again by Download /Live Nation. 

[FeverDream]

1 hour ago, JimMacVeigh said:

Don’t know if anyone has mentioned, but here’s the full six bands who have pulled out. 
 

scowl

negative frame

speed

zulu

pest control

Overpower

 

The dogtooth stage on the Friday has been absolutely gutted.  

It seems they must be part of the “Bands Boycott Barclays” movement which, ironically, Andy Copping follows on instagram.

[JimMacVeigh]

https://www.kerrang.com/scowl-speed-zulu-and-more-announce-palestine-benefit-show

 

Yeah, I can’t see any of these bands ever getting touched by Download again now. 

[Andre91]

4 minutes ago, JimMacVeigh said:

https://www.kerrang.com/scowl-speed-zulu-and-more-announce-palestine-benefit-show

 

Yeah, I can’t see any of these bands ever getting touched by Download again now. 

Live Nation blacklist. 

[sfoxwriting]

I'll be at the festival this year handing out leaflets and reviewing the festival afterwards but itd be awesome if you lovely souls could check out my rock and metal review site foxreviewsrock.com

[JimMacVeigh]

14 minutes ago, Andre91 said:

Live Nation blacklist. 

Reckon anymore drop off before the weekend?

[Spiral_Low]

4 hours ago, Andre91 said:

Live Nation blacklist. 

Ithaca just pull out too, and given they have been verbally abusive towards Bloodstock they seem to be burning all their bridges, shame as they are a good band. But bands shouldn't be pulling out as a PR stunt.

[northernangel]

Well Download don't care about booking racists do they so they won't care about anything. 

[JimMacVeigh]

47 minutes ago, Spiral_Low said:

Ithaca just pull out too, and given they have been verbally abusive towards Bloodstock they seem to be burning all their bridges, shame as they are a good band. But bands shouldn't be pulling out as a PR stunt.

I’m all for standing up for your beliefs but pulling out so close to the festival feels really off. 
Either don’t play at all or pull out with months to go. 

[Spiral_Low]

1 hour ago, JimMacVeigh said:

I’m all for standing up for your beliefs but pulling out so close to the festival feels really off. 
Either don’t play at all or pull out with months to go. 

Aye exactly.

[DomDom1984]

I support "protest is supposed to be disruptive" so fully support f**king things up at the last minute. 

 

That said, I don't see many other alternatives for Live Nation other than blackball either, so I hope the bands seriously considered that outcome. 

[clarkete]

1.  Presumably the sponsorship is specifically an issue this year due to Gaza, which has got worse and worse as the year progressed. 

2.  It's clearly not an easy choice for any band, especially considering how hard it is to make money in music these days.  what kind of PR stunt is biting off your nose to spite your face? 

3.   Anyone whose an old git like me will remember that Barclays had extensive boycotts 4+ decades ago, due to them being dubbed "the apartheid bank". https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/british-students-force-end-barclays-bank-s-investments-south-african-apartheid-1969-1987

[Spiral_Low]

8 hours ago, clarkete said:

1.  Presumably the sponsorship is specifically an issue this year due to Gaza, which has got worse and worse as the year progressed. 

 

 

2.  It's clearly not an easy choice for any band, especially considering how hard it is to make money in music these days.  what kind of PR stunt is biting off your nose to spite your face? 

3.   Anyone whose an old git like me will remember that Barclays had extensive boycotts 4+ decades ago, due to them being dubbed "the apartheid bank". https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/british-students-force-end-barclays-bank-s-investments-south-african-apartheid-1969-1987

On point 2 it's worth pointing out that at least one of these bands (I haven't checked the others) still has tickets for their own gig on sale through ticketmaster, which is owned by live nation, which is sponsored/partnered with Barclays. So given they have dropped out of Download but are obviously still happy to sell tickets through  live nation, yes it does feel like a PR stunt.

Edited June 12 by Spiral_Low

[Gejonimo]

12 hours ago, JimMacVeigh said:

I’m all for standing up for your beliefs but pulling out so close to the festival feels really off. 
Either don’t play at all or pull out with months to go. 

Pulling out two months ago would not have stirred up half as much conversation as pulling out last minute would/has. This forum has two pages discussing it, there are articles in Kerrang, other forums are chatting about it. Disruption is the best and most effective way of protesting, so you must understand why they have done it this way. 

[JimMacVeigh]

26 minutes ago, Gejonimo said:

Pulling out two months ago would not have stirred up half as much conversation as pulling out last minute would/has. This forum has two pages discussing it, there are articles in Kerrang, other forums are chatting about it. Disruption is the best and most effective way of protesting, so you must understand why they have done it this way. 

fair enough, I can’t disagree with that.

[Red Day]

1 hour ago, Gejonimo said:

Pulling out two months ago would not have stirred up half as much conversation as pulling out last minute would/has. This forum has two pages discussing it, there are articles in Kerrang, other forums are chatting about it. Disruption is the best and most effective way of protesting, so you must understand why they have done it this way. 

They could have used their time on stage to highlight things.  I don't disagree with any of the bands stance and I don't know anyone who condones what's happening in the Middle East, but there was maybe a better way to get a message across.  

[clarkete]

4 hours ago, Spiral_Low said:

On point 2 it's worth pointing out that at least one of these bands (I haven't checked the others) still has tickets for their own gig on sale through ticketmaster, which is owned by live nation, which is sponsored/partnered with Barclays. So given they have dropped out of Download but are obviously still happy to sell tickets through  live nation, yes it does feel like a PR stunt.

I doubt the band gets a say in the agents who sell their tickets, but clearly every band gets a say in where they play. 

 

What PR are they gaining?  Half the folks here seem to be clutching their pearls as they disagree. 

 

2 hours ago, Red Day said:

They could have used their time on stage to highlight things.  

 

Surely we've all been to festivals where artists try to do that?  It's hardly a receptive audience 

[efcfanwirral]

My assumption on this is that, while they will be principled to an extent, they've worked out that they stand to lose a lot more from their fans abandoning them or getting hassled under every social media post than they stand to lose through not playing Download. 

 

Will be interesting to see what Soft Play do after dropping out of the Great Escape. Surely based on the whole "disruption" thing they're going to drop out closer to the weekend?

[wro_lap]

Anyone know how strictly they're enforcing the 24 cans + one litre of spirit policy?

[DomDom1984]

3 hours ago, clarkete said:

Surely we've all been to festivals where artists try to do that?  It's hardly a receptive audience 

 

Yup. And even if they were receptive, who's going to be listening? Smaller crowds compared to the attention this is getting?

[Ausländer]

Corey Taylor canceled today's show at nova rock and yesterday concert in prague