Download Festival is one of the main events of our year, and with such a star-studded line-up this time around, we couldn’t help but join in with all the shenanigans!
Review by Jane Howkins & Stuart Duthie
Photos by Stuart Duthie
It’s a fantastic event attended by around 100,000 unique rockers each year, although 2026 proved to be a little different in some regards. For example, we noticed that there seemed to be a lot more entertainment opportunities this year than usual, with things such as axe throwing, additional merch stores and some unexpected events (e.g. Scooter and Primary School Bangers) making for one of the most fun-packed festivals yet!
Technically you can attend Download from the Wednesday, although the music proper only starts on the Friday, which was our first day on site. We headed down to catch the last few moments of P.O.D (which stands for Payable On Death, a reference to the band’s Christian faith). They’re a band I’ve not thought about for a long long time, but even so, Alive was a banger to behold when the hit was finally played. The first full set we saw was for Hollywood Undead. Hollywood Undead are a genre-bending group, mixing elements of hip-hop and rap with rock and metal to create something that works surprisingly well. Non-rock bands don’t always go down well at Download, but the crowd seemed to love them, and Everywhere I Go was a resounding success.
Next up were Pendulum, one of the more unique bands at the festival that weekend (although the EDM-rockers have performed at Download multiple times over the years). I was really impressed with the way they managed to perform so many of the electronic effects live, seeing frontman Rob Swire using some kind of guitar-like MIDI controller to play his songs. The only real issue was that they only played a small snippet of Propane Nightmares, one of their biggest and most popular hits – surely it would have made more sense to have played the entire thing?
Electric Callboy were very popular, despite their eclectic sound. There’s something very Eurovision about their whole schtick, with cheesy costumes and catchy pop melodies combining with a heavy edge, offering something very distinct. It’s not really my cup of tea at all, but the band clearly have a lot of charisma, which has paid off exceedingly well for them. It was great to see a broader range of bands at the festival this year, with Cypress Hill fitting into the legacy category. They’re not a band I expected to see on the bill at Download and I would say that there was a 70/30 split in favour of them. We were excited to see them and it was great to hear their classics, but I couldn’t help wondering why (with such a wealth of rock talent around), they didn’t get some live guitar and bass playing alongside them – that would have been sick!
The main headliner for the day was Limp Bizkit. There was some nice continuity between Cypress Hill and them, with giant cassette cases on stage, include one by Cypress Hill – I really liked that touch. I also found myself surprised with just how big Limp Bizkit had become since their original chart appearances, although it was a nice touch to put the lyrics on the screen for the more casual fans. This made for a lively crowd with jumping, moshing and crowd surfing turned up to 11. The combination of that and the band made for a memorable evening, even if I can’t really get to grips with their cover of George Michael’s Faith. Maybe if you don’t know the original and love Limp Bizkit then you might think it’s okay… although the crowd certainly didn’t care and sang along anyway.
Whilst Limp Bizkit were the main headliners of the day, Halestorm put on a phenomenal performance heading up the second stage. Frontwoman Lzzy Hale has a fantastic voice which was demonstrated for all to see and hear, combined with a sense of attitude and energy that outmatched most of the other band’s at the festival. Songs such as I Miss the Misery and Love Bites (So Do I) got the crowd going, with new song Fallen Star showing off the band’s songwriting skills perfectly.
The Saturday was possibly our worst day in terms of acts we actually wanted to see, although there was some joy to behold throughout the day. The first band we saw was We Came As Romans, who create fairly generic metalcore music. It’s not really my sort of thing, but the audience seemed to enjoy their music whilst they played. I’d never heard a lick of Them Damn Crowes music before the weekend started, but by the end of their second stage set, they had won over a new fan. The Welsh hard rockers had the crowd contained within the palms of their hands, effortlessly whipping them up into a frenzy. Marmozets are a punk band that have recently reformed, making them one of the hottest smaller bands to see on the Saturday. The tent was absolutely heaving, as the band belted out their powerful vocals and explosive riffs to an expectant audience.
Trivium are no strangers to Download, having played the festival numerous times during their career. The band actually first came to fame due to their amazing performance at the 2005 iteration of the festival, so it’s always a special set when they return to these hallowed grounds. As you’d expect, the crowd went absolutely mad for them – I can certainly see Trivium headlining Download in the near future!
Guns n’ Roses were the Saturday night headliners, sadly proving to be the worst headliner of the weekend. Don’t get me wrong – the band themselves were on point and Axl Rose’s lower vocal range wasn’t too bad, but his higher vocals are now virtually non-existent. Combine that with a three and a half hour set consisting of a lot of covers, and it’s no surprise that people starting leaving the arena early.
On Sunday we headed to the Opus Stage (the second stage) to see the first act of the day, Ego Kills Talent. They weren’t going to let that happen, and it was great to start the day with a different feel to many of the bands here: the band have a Brazilian tinge to their music, overlaid with a punk rock delivery. South Arcade on the Saturday were similarly open with their pure delight to be playing to such a large audience on such a large stage – keeping it real and delivering a great show.
Keanu Reeves’ band Dogstar pulled a huge audience at the second stage, such that it was difficult simply to walk around the area. Shouts from the audience of the characters that Keanu played and calls of “Keanu I love you” provided a hint as to who the audience were really there for, but most people stayed for their full show rather than grabbing a glimpse and wandering off. As I was eating lunch, I could hear some great music emanating from the Dogtooth tent. It turns out this was Annisokay from Germany – they had some great sounds and drew a crowd far bigger than their tent could handle, and rightly so. It’s great to discover new bands at a festival like this.
Bloodywood took to the main stage to deliver a colossal set, winning over many new fans by the end of their time. The band are from India, mixing elements of traditional Indian music with heavy metal – it sounds odd at first, but it truly works! I saw them last year supporting Halestorm so knew what to expect – I highly recommend catching them next time they tour.
Later, we found ourselves watching Magnolia Park, this time in the Avalanche tent. Most people understand that at a festival you don’t get an encore, so no one asks. That didn’t stop the tent from chanting “one more song” at the end of their set, such was the strength of their performance. That all hyped the crowd up for some major crowdsurfing during Dinosaur Pile-Up, before a change of gear with Ash. I have seen Ash a few times now, with a memorable gig at the Crescent in York earlier this year. There seemed to be a challenge with the sound mix as there was way too much bass (which drowned out the vocals and the guitar) – this was a shame, as I could see that the band were otherwise on great form.
The Pretty Reckless also put on a great performance. Last time I saw them at Download, they were on much earlier in the day, had a much smaller crowd and had a vastly reduced stage presence compared to this year. Taylor Momsen had the audience in the palm of her hand throughout the show, with You Make Me Wanna Die being a particular highlight. Punk band Social Distortion have been a firm favourite of mine for many years, but this was the first time I’d managed to catch them live. The sound on the second stage wasn’t brilliant, but songs like Reach for the Sky had everyone singing along in time.
We managed to catch a bit of Ice Nine Kills, putting on a great show with many dramatic stage effects. However, our attention was drawn to the second stage where Tom Morello was playing, running through a number of tunes from his back catalogue. A particular highlight was a cover of The Ghost of Tom Joad by Bruce Springsteen, as well as a visible protest against far-right agitator Tommy Robinson. We then stayed on the second stage to catch Mastodon perform. The band have been going for decades now, with a number of prog-metal albums under their belts. The tribute to deceased member Brent Hinds was nice to see alongside the killer guitar riffs on offer here.
However, the peak of the weekend for us was Linkin Park. We were right down at the front which, which was not the most comfortable place to watch from (particularly as I am more of a watcher when it comes to gigs). But wow, what an exciting performance! Emily Armstrong seemed like a great fit for the band, although you could tell the band were tired from the last two years of practically non-stop touring. Although tragic circumstances preceded her joining the band (after a 7 year hiatus), she was a commanding and integral part of the band. The tracks for their current album sounded absolutely amazing and the classics were delivered with cohesion and style. You can see why they rightly maintain their status as one of the biggest bands on the planet.
One of the things that struck me about the festival was the number of bands using video clips as part of their performance. For me this simply diminishes the energy and momentum of the performance – the band disappear, only to return once the video has finished to start the next song without talking to their audience. Limp Bizkit, Bad Omens (and others) I am looking at you. Even Linkin Park, whose performance was truly excellent, had a lengthy section with a video where everyone simply stood around waiting!
All in all though, Download Festival 2026 was a resounding success, particularly in terms of the musical talent on offer. However, there were some issues that need to be addressed next time around. The staff didn’t seem to have much information about the festival and what they were supposed to be doing, and despite the capacity being reduced substantially a few years ago, the arena still felt oversold at times. The layout had been changed with another stage added to the main arena, making the site seem much bigger than before, so it’s interesting that it still seemed to be overcrowded later in the day. And the less said about the ferris wheel, the better!
Download took place at Donnington Park from Friday 12 June to Sunday 14 June 2026.