Download 2025

[foolee]

48 minutes ago, Spiral_Low said:

I'm 39 and have been to about 14 previous Downloads. I didn't go this year because of the poor headliners (poor as in my taste) and the way the festival is set up now so that gone half 8 other stages finish. I know about 20+ people who have previously been to multiple Downloads who didn't go and are put off by the current direction of the fest. 

 

Works both ways man.

That’s fair enough, maybe a bit of middle ground needed but thought I’d share from my perspective. What sort of lineup would get you and group back? 

[northernangel]

34 minutes ago, BenG92 said:

 

It's not normal, but it's also not really Download's fault if the bands they approach just aren't up for it. You have to imagine for instance they tried Pearl Jam who said no, we're doing our own obscenely overpriced shows instead, and that collapsed for them. Hopefully they've learned their lesson and Download will get them in the future. 

 

QOTSA weren't a horrible choice for headliners at all, they're still 110k+ UK ticket sellers, they're a massive name in rock and have been for 20 years. Could've been much worse if they'd had to resort to, say, Pantera headlining when they're struggling to shift 55k for next year, but there's an alternate reality where they were stuck with that. 

 

Edit: should've added, struggling to shift 55k for their first UK shows in 20 years. Korn play here about once every other year and still do well so should definitely be in the running for a bump-up if necessary.

 

I just don't think Queens were a decent option for Download myself but they are a festival who likely know more than the 3 songs.

 

For PJ, Download is probably a good option to save face for them tbh.

[Andre91]

2 hours ago, northernangel said:

 

If you look at the rest of the lineup they definitely aren't. The booker himself said we asked 44 bands to headline, the headliners were a results overall of this is what we are left to go with.

No he didn’t. He said they asked around 20 hands to healdine. Not 44. 

[Spiral_Low]

34 minutes ago, foolee said:

That’s fair enough, maybe a bit of middle ground needed but thought I’d share from my perspective. What sort of lineup would get you and group back? 

To be honest I think a big part of the problem (in regards to why so many people I know have stopped going) is the way the festival is run. It's gotten more and more corporate whilst other smaller fests retain that fun feeling. It's also the way the bands are scheduled - too many similar bands clash or you only have 5 mins to get from main to second (for example) which is just not practical. 

 

Bands wise certainly booking the likes of Pearl Jam and NIN and Korn as headliners would appeal. But honestly 2023 was actually the perfect line up, appealled right across the alt/metal/hard rock scene.

[foolee]

8 minutes ago, Spiral_Low said:

To be honest I think a big part of the problem (in regards to why so many people I know have stopped going) is the way the festival is run. It's gotten more and more corporate whilst other smaller fests retain that fun feeling. It's also the way the bands are scheduled - too many similar bands clash or you only have 5 mins to get from main to second (for example) which is just not practical. 

 

Bands wise certainly booking the likes of Pearl Jam and NIN and Korn as headliners would appeal. But honestly 2023 was actually the perfect line up, appealled right across the alt/metal/hard rock scene.

Yeah I get that. I do find I enjoy and like the less corporate feel of the live nation events like Glastonbury and 2000 trees. I’d imagine Bloodstock and ArcTanGent have a similar vibe. I do feel Download had less of a corporate money grabbing feel than say BST or R&L though and like they do slightly care with better food options and all the cool stuff they put on outside the arena for campers. 

 

With Green Day rumoured I’d love the other headliners to be Pearl Jam and NIN with Korn headlining second or subbing at some point so would be cool if they can reach the middle ground and appeal to both audiences. I think if they did that they could get up 

[NorthernSoul52]

Are Nine Inch Nails headliners at Download?

 

I mean, I'd gauge as a live draw, they're on the same level as QOTSA these days, but I don't really know.

[BenG92]

5 minutes ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

Are Nine Inch Nails headliners at Download?

 

I mean, I'd gauge as a live draw, they're on the same level as QOTSA these days, but I don't really know.

 

Really strange one, because they may not meet the UK ticket requirement stuff on paper, but they'd be a big draw, and I doubt Trent would accept anything less + probably want to curate the main stage and they wouldn't let him.

 

Doubt it'll ever happen. 

[NorthernSoul52]

1 minute ago, BenG92 said:

 

Really strange one, because they may not meet the UK ticket requirement stuff on paper, but they'd be a big draw, and I doubt Trent would accept anything less + probably want to curate the main stage and they wouldn't let him.

 

Doubt it'll ever happen. 

To be honest, if they had one mega-draw headliner another day, then it'd be great to punt on a NIN day.

[Spiral_Low]

1 hour ago, foolee said:

Yeah I get that. I do find I enjoy and like the less corporate feel of the live nation events like Glastonbury and 2000 trees. I’d imagine Bloodstock and ArcTanGent have a similar vibe. I do feel Download had less of a corporate money grabbing feel than say BST or R&L though and like they do slightly care with better food options and all the cool stuff they put on outside the arena for campers. 

 

With Green Day rumoured I’d love the other headliners to be Pearl Jam and NIN with Korn headlining second or subbing at some point so would be cool if they can reach the middle ground and appeal to both audiences. I think if they did that they could get up 

Well said mate, I'd concur with all that.

[Andre91]

2025: Sleep Token, Green Day, KoRn 

 

2026: Linkin Park, Iron Maiden, Ghost 

 

2027: Biffy Clyro, Paramore, Bring Me The Horizon 

 

2028: Parkway Drive, Metallica, Nickelback

 

2029: Bad Omens and a couple of others. 

[northernangel]

2 hours ago, Andre91 said:

No he didn’t. He said they asked around 20 hands to healdine. Not 44. 

It's already been sorted out, too late to the party on that one.

[NorthernSoul52]

Think after Sleep Token, Ghost and Parkway Drive should be the next cabs off the rank, unless we're going to book heritage acts who haven't quite had the leg up before a la Limp Bizkit or Korn.

 

But even then, booking those requires having some big names alongside them to shore up interest.

[Andre91]

New current guess: 

[Sugar Cane]

6 minutes ago, Andre91 said:

New current guess: 

not sure about spiritbox and MiW playing same festival with FIR

[Andre91]

2 minutes ago, Sugar Cane said:

not sure about spiritbox and MiW playing same festival with FIR

Unsure of the context but they will take the pay cheque. 

[FloopFiller]

18 hours ago, Andre91 said:

2025: Sleep Token, Green Day, KoRn 

 

2026: Linkin Park, Iron Maiden, Ghost 

 

2027: Biffy Clyro, Paramore, Bring Me The Horizon 

 

2028: Parkway Drive, Metallica, Nickelback

 

2029: Bad Omens and a couple of others. 

Literally no chance they go this many years without Slipknot being in the mix again, and probably more than once. 
 

Paramore also just not headlining Download, especially as they veer further and further from any semblance of pop/punk. 
 

Nickelback also not ever getting the gig, even now that they’re no longer enemy #1 in the rock music scene. 

[Andre91]

1 hour ago, FloopFiller said:

Literally no chance they go this many years without Slipknot being in the mix again, and probably more than once. 
 

Paramore also just not headlining Download, especially as they veer further and further from any semblance of pop/punk. 
 

Nickelback also not ever getting the gig, even now that they’re no longer enemy #1 in the rock music scene. 

Willing to bet that Paramore and Nickelback both headline before the end of this decade. 
 

Slipknot just need to go away for a long, long time. 

[northernangel]

1 hour ago, FloopFiller said:

Literally no chance they go this many years without Slipknot being in the mix again, and probably more than once. 
 

Paramore also just not headlining Download, especially as they veer further and further from any semblance of pop/punk. 
 

Nickelback also not ever getting the gig, even now that they’re no longer enemy #1 in the rock music scene. 

I'm leaning more towards this being correct. Slipknot not being booked by Downlowd in the next 5 years is actually a mad suggestion.

[FloopFiller]

2 hours ago, Andre91 said:

Willing to bet that Paramore and Nickelback both headline before the end of this decade. 
 

Slipknot just need to go away for a long, long time. 

I suppose Paramore could always veer a little closer to pop/punk for their next release which could put them in the frame… but I still don’t see it. There’s very little ‘heavy’ there that would make them a viable headliner for a metal festival, even if they were in the same scene as a lot of Download bands 15 years ago.

 

Nickelback have still just got that lame stench attached to them and I don’t see why they’d not just do their own shows as they always have. More chance of Slipknot doing both ‘26 and ‘29 than Nickelback doing it imo, but guess we’ll see. 

[RedJosh]

2 hours ago, FloopFiller said:

Nickelback have still just got that lame stench attached to them and I don’t see why they’d not just do their own shows as they always have. More chance of Slipknot doing both ‘26 and ‘29 than Nickelback doing it imo, but guess we’ll see. 

People at Download love lame and cheesy. This is the place where sh*t like Elvana, Alestorm and Steel Panther get their biggest crowds and Busted had 30,000 people trying to get into a 10,000 capacity tent for Thunderbirds Are Go.

 

Now they have been retconned as a band with bangers a headline set by Nickelback will get a huge turnout and would most likely be the most anticipated set of the weekend. Andy Copping has also said is onto booking Nickelback as a headliner. 

 

Same for MCR if they headline again. An MCR headline set would be the most anticipated of the weekend now they have been retconned as rock and emo gods. They would get an absolute hero's welcome at Download now and look at what happened in 2007.

[Judas Yeast]

The thing that makes Nickelback so unlikely is not so much that Download wouldn't accept them or Copping wouldn't book them, it's more that Nickelback just don't seem to do festivals in Europe that much

[RedJosh]

54 minutes ago, Judas Yeast said:

The thing that makes Nickelback so unlikely is not so much that Download wouldn't accept them or Copping wouldn't book them, it's more that Nickelback just don't seem to do festivals in Europe that much

They have said in the past that if they were asked to headline Download that they would do it and are up for the challenge.

[BrutalLegend]

49 minutes ago, RedJosh said:

They have said in the past that if they were asked to headline Download that they would do it and are up for the challenge.

Pete Bailey:

One of the biggest rock festivals we have in the UK is Download Festival which you guys haven’t played before.

There’s always debate in the fan forums about it, if invited, if Andy Copping gets on the line and says to you, would you like to headline Download? Would you do it?

Ryan Peake

I think Download’s a great festival. I think it’s amazing. It’s rock and it leans very heavy for sure but rock fans can be fickle, I gotta say. I say this with me being a rock fan, they like what’s in their club and they might like other things, but they don’t always wear it on their sleeve proudly.

We cover quite a breadth of styles of music and I think we definitely could hold our own there for sure because we are a rock band first and foremost. If they called and they wanted to do it, that’d be fine.

We haven’t done festivals as we like doing our own shows in the UK. We did them a long, long time ago but I think they might be back on the menu, so, we’ll just keep our ears open.

[Heyzoos]

Today's DL social media reads like a Greenday hint... Green firework smoke coupled with "Wake us up when it's June".

 

Seems pretty clear, but don't remember them playing the hints game in previous years - anyone got a better memory than me?!

[Sorcha17]

Andy Copping used to post hints on his Instagram the day before announcements for a few years