FESTIVAL PREVIEW: Download Festival 2025
It’s almost time for the 1 week a year that the sleepy town of Castle Donington and its nearby racetrack Donington Park plays host to the UK’s largest alternative festival. For the first time in many years, Download Festival will at last see three brand new headliners atop its bill, as 100,000 people descend on its fields for three days of musical mayhem. As ever, we at Distorted Sound will be on the ground – but first, a preview of what festival goers can expect from this year’s festivities.
Friday – June 13th
Those onsite early Friday (and no doubt nursing the first of many hangovers) can treat themselves to the dulcet tones and beer garden party riffs of UNPEOPLE on the Avalanche Stage. Shortly afterwards, Texan metalcore trio GORE. will make their Download Festival debut appearance on The Dogtooth Stage – they’ve made quite the splash since last year’s EP so maybe get in early if you’re wanting a spot at the front. Mid afternoon, the returning punk rock titans RISE AGAINST will be on the Apex main stage, while clashing with the latter half of their set is nu-metal upstarts GRAPHIC NATURE in the Dogtooth, whose live shows have already earned a ferocious reputation.
Immediately after that are emo royalty JIMMY EAT WORLD again on the Apex Stage, once more clashing with the intense emotional blackgaze/post hardcore onslaught of SVALBARD, again in the Dogtooth tent. If that’s not your thing, then kings of the inconsistent back catalogue WEEZER will be setting up shop on Apex, dishing out Pork & Beans for those of the alt rock persuasion. While symphonic metal legends WITHIN TEMPTATION headline the Opus stage and pop-punks MCFLY terrorise eardrums on the Avalanche, the Dogtooth tent plays host to something far more experimental; French blackgaze pioneers ALCEST subheadline immediately before the intense EIVØR, who’s well worth your time if you like forward-thinking folk. Capping the day off are American idiots extraordinaire GREEN DAY, making their Download Festival headline debut.
Saturday – June 14th
If you thought Friday was already stacked, the weekend only gets bigger and better. Opening the main stage is the one-two punch of 00s post-hardcore revivalists STATIC DRESS, followed by Liverpool metalcore DEFTONES worshippers LOATHE, who’ll surely be playing their excellent new song Gifted Every Strength to those not dealing with too big a headache. If corpsepainted goths are more your thing, ZETRA will be casting their synthy spell over the Dogtooth shortly after KIM DRACULA on the Opus. ZETRA are followed on the Avalanche Stage by Bristolian nu-gazers SPLIT CHAIN, who sound like the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater soundtrack in the best way.
Like pop metalcore? Make sure you catch POPPY on the Apex, as the singer will bring the hits from latest album negative spaces likely along with a smattering of her more experimental earlier tracks. She’s followed on Apex by rockers PALAYE ROYALE, while on the Avalanche stage, rising alt pop star MOTHICA will be bringing her shimmering, morose melodies. The Dogtooth tent once again proves itself the home of Download’s most extreme offering, as the blackened grinding aural terror that is ANAAL NATHRAKH will make a rare appearance, before the reformed nu/groove metallers KITTIE and modern groove/thrash titans SYLOSIS lay waste. The Opus Stage is headlined by the returned SEX PISTOLS (fronted by ex-GALLOWS mainman Frank Carter), while the Avalanche bill is topped by melodic metalcore crooners DAYSEEKER. CRADLE OF FILTH will headline the Dogtooth tent, but it’s certain that the vast majority of eyes will be on brand-new headliners SLEEP TOKEN whose ascent from clubs to Donington Park is remarkable – meteoric feels like an understatement, and there’s rumblings that their performance will feature something never done before at Download Festival.
Sunday – June 15th
Entering the final stretch of the weekend, with bruised necks and aching muscles, the Sunday won’t relent on quality. Danish death metal newcomers NECKBREAKKER will assault The Dogtooth Stage with their putrid (but bloody excellent) riffs, before Scottish metallers BLEED FROM WITHIN decimate the main stage – although far lower than a band of their quality deserves. Meanwhile, “fairy doom metal” outfit FAETOOTH will cast a spell over the Dogtooth and nu-metal/shoegaze newcomer AMIRA ELFEKY, who has had a rapid rise thanks to TikTok, will perform on the Avalanche Stage. Ukrainian prog metallers JINJER return to the Apex Stage this year with their latest album Duél in tow, while ALIEN ANT FARM will wind back the years on the Opus. If you’re in the mood for something more boldly experimental, HOUSE OF PROTECTION will make their debut at the Avalanche Stage.
Immediately following them on The Dogtooth Stage are masked metalcore newcomers PRESIDENT, who’ve already garnered significant hype through cryptic teasers and their first single In the Name of the Father. While they’re anonymous currently, there’s certainly an unmistakable voice fronting them (and no, it’s not a SLEEP TOKEN side project as some fans have theorised). Back to the Apex Stage, and following their triumphant show at London’s Alexandra Palace and with excellent second album Tsunami Sea in tow, the modern metalcore titans SPIRITBOX will make their claim to ascend up the rankings. Groove deathcore outfit FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY demolish the Dogtooth at the same time STEEL PANTHER trot out the same joke that hasn’t been funny for decades in their Opus headline slot (a nonsensical booking, frankly), while returned pop-punks KIDS IN GLASS HOUSES headline the Avalanche Stage. While American deathcore legends WHITECHAPEL headline The Dogtooth Stage, the finale of the festival will be Apex headliners KORN, whose phenomenal appearance two years ago before BIFFY CLYRO no doubt helped secure them this long-awaited, much deserved slot.
All this and much, much more awaits festival goers when they arrive at Donington’s hallowed grounds (some from the Wednesday, if livers and tents are strong enough), with a full array of shops, fairground rides and inventive, unofficial campsite entertainment sure to follow. If you can’t make it this year, keep your eyes peeled for our full review.
Download Festival takes place from June 14-16th at Donington Park, Leicestershire.
For more information on Download Festival like their official page on Facebook.