FESTIVAL PREVIEW: Download Festival 2023
One of the biggest events in the mosh calendar is almost upon us; Download Festival makes its triumphant return, this year celebrating twenty years of the festival with a special, expanded lineup sprawling over four days. It’s also the healthiest lineup it’s had in a long time, selling out for the first time in at least a decade and finally introducing some major new blood to its coveted headline slots. Here, then, is the Distorted Sound preview for Download Festival 2023!
Wednesday – June 7th
The day most punters will be rocking up and pitching their tents, Wednesday doesn’t feature any main music attractions but the party will already be starting with comedy sets over at the Sidesplitter Stage and a Doghouse appearance from everyone’s (including the man himself) favourite Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater soundtrack covers band THE 900.
Thursday – June 8th
As people are crawling out of tents, many with the first sore head of the weekend, the Doghouse welcomes anyone so inclined for some morning exercise at Rockfit, before the day gets started proper at the Opus Stage. CANCER BATS are sure to blow away a few hangovers with their riotous, sludgy hardcore; immediately following them are the legendary THE BRONX, while JINJER will level the main stage with their technical metalcore. A.A. WILLIAMS will be leaving the Doghouse speechless with her beautifully gothic melancholia, before PERTURBATOR brings the synthwave party, while the main stage is closed out by the combo of ALTER BRIDGE and the first of two totally unique METALLICA sets we’re graced with over the weekend.
Friday – June 9th
If Thursday wasn’t enough to wreck legs entirely from dashing between stages, Friday at Download Festival is downright huge. STAND ATLANTIC open the main stage with their raucous Aussie pop-rock and country fellows REDHOOK will smash the Avalanche Stage with their bouncy, groovy alt metal with AS DECEMBER FALLS taking a victory lap after their Heavy Music Awards win for Best UK Breakthrough.
The Dogtooth, though, plays host to a who’s who of some of the best in off-the-beaten-track alternative music; the doom punk of WITCH FEVER, PUPIL SLICER bringing their phenomenal new album to festival stages, New York death metallers UNDEATH, the emotive post-hardcore majesty of BRUTUS AND the much-anticipated debut of BIFFY CLYRO’s Simon Neil and Mike Vennart bringing the noise with EMPIRE STATE BASTARD. Second and main stage appearances from EPICA, WITHIN TEMPTATION, EVANESCENCE, make it a great day to be a goth, before ARCHITECTS and BRING ME THE HORIZON close out the day in a celebration of chart-topping British metalcore.
Saturday – June 10th
Exhausted? We bet. Well get a coffee in you, get down to Rockfit again, or just drag yourself out the tent because Saturday is slinging riffs. Post-hardcore upstarts STATIC DRESS are immediately followed by metalcore agitators STRAY FROM THE PATH on the Opus Stage, while UK alt-trap-metallers LAKE MALICE are sure to incite furious pits over at the Dogtooth. Then there’s a set from the returning beloved heartbreakers CASEY on the Avalanche Stage, while grinding death metal heroes CARCASS bring the heavy, and obscure medical terminology, back to the Opus.
CLUTCH will treat the hallowed turf of Donington to a masterclass in blues rock, before The Only Band Ever ALEXISONFIRE tear it up; don’t miss GREG PUCIATO’s solo set over on the Dogtooth either, before you head back to the Avalanche stage for the poppy prog brilliance of COHEED & CAMBRIA, then close out the night with the second masterclass from the titanic METALLICA.
Sunday – June 11th
The final day at Download Festival won’t have mercy for you either. You’re probably bruised, tired, a little broken from near five days in a field, but BLOODYWOOD will get grins on faces and fists in the air with their joyous, confrontational folk-tinged nu metal on the main stage; Finnish Eurovision stars BLIND CHANNEL will get middle fingers raised on the Opus Stage, before LORNA SHORE do the previously unthinkable and bring symphonic deathcore to the mainstage – and it’s barely even lunchtime.
GRAPHIC NATURE will show you what real violence looks like in the Dogtooth tent, before circus melodeath metallers AVATAR show the Opus Stage what Avatar Country looks like, while BEHEMOTH are busy bringing the blackened blasphemy on main stage. If you’ve anything left to give, give it to hardcore phenom SOUL GLO as they rail against injustice, before treating yourself to the hazy riff glory of GREEN LUNG. After that, it’s the mother of all clashes to finish your weekend; do you see hardcore stalwarts TERROR as they clash with the end of stadium metallers PARKWAY DRIVE’s likely pyro-laden set? You should. Equally, don’t miss masters of the macabre cabaret GHOST, or the Eurodance, neon-flooded metal rave that ELECTRIC CALLBOY command. If you’ve got anything left to give, SLIPKNOT will close out your day in a blaze of glory – or achy everything. But it’ll be worth every second.
Download Festival takes place from June 8-11th at Donington Park, Leicestershire.
For more information on Download Festival like their official page on Facebook.