Top 10 bands you must watch at Download Festival 2026

“SCREAM FOR ME, DONINGTON!” It’s that time of year again – Download Festival is nearly upon us and the village of Castle Donington is once again preparing for 100,000 rockers, metalheads, punks and emos to barrel their way through en route to Donington Park for five whole days of music, mirth and memories. Will GUNS N’ ROSES actually play their full, three-hour-twenty-minute allocated slot? Has BABYMETAL’s appearance on the Main Stage immediately confirmed it will be a washout? Can anybody trust the Yorkshire pudding stand again?

Distorted Sound will once again be in attendance and, while we can’t answer the questions above, what we CAN do is whet your appetite a little bit further for those that are playing. As such, here are our picks for the Top Ten Bands to see while you’re there – along with one honourable mention…

Honourable Mention: The Secret Band – The Dogtooth Stage, Sunday – June 14th

When Download Festival announced their stage times, fans were quick to point out the suspiciously large gap between ANNISOKAY and ANKOR on the Dogtooth stage on Sunday, which is almost certainly an unannounced act. Secret bands at Download date back to the very first edition in 2003 when METALLICA appeared without warning; other acts that have popped up include BLACK STONE CHERRY, THE DARKNESS and, most recently, PARKWAY DRIVE in 2024. Naturally, there’s no clue who it will be right now, but expect somebody rather substantial playing 30 minutes in a tent their reputation far exceeds.

SCOOTER – The Avalanche Stage, Sunday – June 14th

Now look, yes, the fact that a techno trio are playing the main arena of the UK’s biggest rock and metal festival as opposed to the campsite will continue to be a point of contention, but SCOOTER are not a band to be demoted to an after-hours attraction. One of the world’s most respected electronic acts who continue to entertain large arenas across the continent, they are guaranteed to pack out The Avalanche Stage for their headline slot and will bring their full arsenal of bangers. “Where can I get some good fish and chips?” is dead, long live “How much is the fish?”.

PALEFACE SWISS – Opus Stage, Friday – June 12th

Blending the very best of nu-metal and deathcore, it’s no wonder PALEFACE SWISS are being touted as the successor to SLIPKNOT’s crown. The Zurich quartet have been on an absolute tear over the last few years, rising up to becoming one of the hottest bands in metal, and this has been rewarded with a slot on the open air Opus Stage. If you still haven’t properly woken up by mid-afternoon on Friday, then allow this mob to help you on your way; they’ll be more than happy to oblige.

MARMOZETS – The Avalanche Stage, Saturday – June 13th

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sheffield’s MARMOZETS were on the verge of superstardom with their infectious math rock-turned-punk, but then the world shut down and two of the members got married and became parents. It could have been the end, however in November last year their first new music for over seven years, A Kiss from a Mother, proved they had picked  up where they left off, a fact cemented by the release of excellent new record CO.WAR.DICE. If you want to get your Saturday evening off to the best start with huge earworms and catchy grooves, MARMOZETS have you covered.

UNPEOPLE – Apex Stage, Sunday – June 14th

Thanks to TRIVIUM’s now legendary set in 2005 (more on them later), the opening slot on Download Festival‘s main Apex stage has often been used to promote someone earmarked as ‘the next big thing’. This year, that honour falls to UNPEOPLE, a four-piece from London who combine huge riffs with soaring melodies and wrap it all up with some of the most contagious choruses this side of the Atlantic; they’ve even attracted the attention of METALLICA and opened for them in 2024. Brimming with potential, this promises to be a landmark showing from a band with the world at their feet.

CREEPER – Opus Stage, Friday – June 12th & The Dogtooth stage, Sunday – June 14th

Southampton’s spooky, goth metal sextet continue to delight with their bombastic releases and theatrical stage shows and would have probably made this list regardless of recent events. However, following the unfortunate cancellation of STATIC-X, they are now pulling double duty on Friday and Sunday. The band have already promised two completely different shows in terms of setlist, however expect a lot of material from their most recent releases, Sanguivore and Sanguivore II: Mistress of Death along with a smattering of other anthems for good measure.

CYPRESS HILL – Apex Stage, Friday – June 12th

One of the most seminal and well-respected hip hop groups of all time, it might be surprising to hear that CYPRESS HILL are no strangers to Download Festival; rapper B-Real performed with the supergroup PROPHETS OF RAGE at the festival in 2017. For all the obvious musical differences, the multiple crossovers between artists over the years (ANTHRAX and PUBLIC ENEMY, LINKIN PARK and JAY-Z and Ice T’s outfit BODY COUNT to name but a few) have left many rock and metal fans with a deep respect and love for hip-hop, so you can expect a healthy crowd on Friday going – pardon the pun – Insane in the Brain for this trio’s festival debut.

BLOOD INCANTATION – The Dogtooth Stage, Saturday – June 13th

The Dogtooth Stage on Saturday is packed with some of the hottest underground bands around like LOWEN, CONJURER and ELDER, but headlining above them all are BLOOD INCANTATION and for good reason. A four-piece from Colorado who effortlessly weave 70’s-inspired prog into pummeling passages of death metal, they create soundscapes as beautiful as they are bludgeoning and their one hour timeslot already feels too short. Regardless, this promises to be a sumptuous experience the likes of which are scarcely seen elsewhere.

LIMP BIZKIT – Apex Stage, Friday – June 12th

In 2003, LIMP BIZKIT were due to headline the very first edition of Download Festival, but pulled out at the eleventh hour. Over two decades later, they’ve got that rarest of chances in the music industry; a second one. GUNS N’ ROSES and LINKIN PARK are old hands at topping bills at Donington – these are their third and fifth appearances in that slot respectively – but after pulling a huge crowd in 2024 and, following KORN’s triumphant show last year, this is the performance that matters most of the three main headliners. The pressure is on, but if anyone can deliver, it’s Fred Durst and co.

TRIVIUM – Apex Stage, Saturday – June 13th

If LIMP BIZKIT are under pressure to show they’re worthy of making the step up to headliners, TRIVIUM are under just as much to show they’re ready to do so. For so long it had seemed like the seminal Floridian metallers would never reach the top of the mountain, but their resurgence over the last decade thanks to a run of stellar albums, incendiary live shows and Matt Heafy being arguably the nicest man in metal has given them, like BIZKIT, a second bite at the cherry. This isn’t just a show, it’s an audition to go one place higher on their next appearance here, but if there’s one band who can nail that, it’s TRIVIUM.

ELECTRIC CALLBOY – Apex Stage, Friday – June 12th

This has the potential to be the greatest hour of music in Download Festival history. German techno-metallers ELECTRIC CALLBOY’s last Download appearance, headlining The Avalanche Stage, saw the tent packed to the rafters a full 25 minutes before they started, and now they have the chance to bring that energy to an open field after dropping out of 2024’s edition through illness. Another band who could feasibly headline the festival in a few years, this will be sixty minutes of non-stop partying regardless of how the weather gods decide to play their cards over the weekend.

Download Festival takes place from June 10-14th, 2026 at Donington Park, Leicestershire. 

For more information on Download Festival like their official page on Facebook.