Destroy Boys

The rowdy Riot Grrrls are ready to knock down barriers with dirty riffs, and they’re unapologetic about their originality. ‘I Threw Glass At My Friend’s Eyes And Now I’m On Probation’ thunders vocalist Alexis Roditis, who unleashes full-on metal roars above Violet Mayugba’s Nirvana-esque guitar. We’re falling in love second-by-second with the post punk wails that underline ‘Fences’, and Destroy Boys prove that they’ve got the skills to match their power stance.

PUP

PUP channel their old school heritage as the spiritual and melodic descendants of Weezer and Pennywise. ‘Morbid Stuff’ captures the crowd with a sun-drenched striking breakdown full of longing before the shouted open-road warmth of ‘Kids’. “We’re just gonna do as much rockin’ as we’re capable of”, Stefan Babcock cautiously promises. But the way ‘Dark Days’ portrays bliss as a passage of time through upbeat harmonies, piercing guitar brightness and thoughtful lyrics, makes this so much more than a “rockin” set from the Canadians. 

Pennywise

Jim Lindberg and the Pennywise guys are suffering from what they call a “heat hangover” following their show in Paris the day before… but if overheating them is what makes them play a set that’s harder and faster than they’ve played in a long time, we’re definitely not going to suggest they chill under the air conditioning anytime soon. A huge outdoor space like this is what their bass boom needs to kick up a circle pit for ‘My Own Country’. ‘Straight Ahead’, their “Floorbanger” throws out heavier riffs than some will remember, and the inflammatory energy of ‘Fuck Authority’ never gets old. Covering NOFX’s ‘Bob’ and Ben E King’s ‘Stand By Me’ offer genius moments for the fans, and there will never be a time we won’t sing our dust-filled lungs out to ‘Bro Hymn’.

Dropkick Murphys

If you think you know Dropkick Murphys, you really don’t when it comes to their 2026 incarnation. Ken Casey, back on frontman duties since 2022, is raging at the state of politics in America, and has channelled his fury into making the Murphys the tightest they’ve ever been. “Our purpose as a band is to travel around and apologise for America’s behaviour… learn from our mistakes, don’t do to yourselves what we did to ourselves!” he yells before ‘First Class Loser’, their novelty song transformed into a diatribe against their Commander-in-Chief.

They’ve become the courageous Johnny Appleseeds of middle-aged resistance, leading us jigging through ‘For The People’ and sending a surfer in a wheelchair flying across the pit to ‘Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya’. Suddenly their fixation on covering Woody Guthrie makes sense when we hear the joyful solidarity of ‘Boundary Line’ dragged into this century, and their cover of The Pogues’ ‘Body Of An American’ forms a perfect tribute to Shane McGowan. Even newcomers to Dropkick Murphys are converted by ‘Rose Tattoo’, and by the time they close with the obligatory ‘I’m Shipping Up To Boston’, we’ve all found our new favourite band. 

The Offspring

The whimsy is gone. The dad jokes are banished. The lightweight hits are there for fan service and breaks only. The Offspring have fully reversed course and become a proper punk band again, and we are ecstatic at their return to the form which catapulted them to fame all those decades ago. Ok, hearing guitarist Noodles shout, “Fuck yeah, Crystal Palace Park,” without a trace of irony is hilarious, but we can forgive him when it sits between a sharp ‘All I Want’ and the choral communion organ intro to ‘Want You Bad’. We don’t need gimmicks when the fun comes from within us; the tick-tock beat of ‘Staring At The Sun’ is an electric twitch to our muscles. Without varnish and with cute harmonies replaced with gang vocals, ‘Make It Alright’ feels so much more real, and Dexter Holland’s gentleness on the chorus is a balm to our sunburnt brains.

We didn’t expect a full Taylor Swift cover or the resulting wall of death for ‘Love Story’, but it absolutely works as a reinvention. The Offspring have discovered that less is more – if you can call a giant inflatable skeleton spewing smoke to ‘Hammerhead’ less, and ‘The Kids Are Alright’ is a perfect evolution of their punk roots. The community that the Offspring have built around themselves is the extra that they needed, and as we grin at Holland wearing an England shirt for a bright, sharp ‘You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid’, we’re struck by just how brilliant they’ve always been. Away from the gloss of the studio and their MTV viral era, they’re a tremendously slick band who have rediscovered how to give us exactly what we want. A note of pity in Holland’s delivery of ‘Self Esteem’ repaints the whole song, giving us the spark we need to shuffle back into the real world. Our faith in punk is fully restored after seeing our favourites give the best show we’ve seen from them in the capital in a long time.

KATE ALLVEY

Photo by Federica Burelli

None of the snap to ‘Devil In A Midnight Mass’ has diminished over time and the ability of Billy Talent to reel us in has only grown. While it’s been twenty years since the boys from Ontario dropped ‘II’, tonight is chock full of their trademark crispness that makes their sound inimitable. Somehow playing ‘II’ doesn’t feel like a nostalgia-fest or a game of tracklist bingo: songs like ‘Worker Bees’ are jet- propelled to new heights, fuelled by our singalong and stinging bass lines. Of course, ‘Fallen Leaves’ is pure uncorked lightning in a bottle, and three minutes of the sensation of a crowd and band pushing to their absolute maximum is an energy that can’t be matched. 

However, as soon as it’s done, the vibe immediately changes like a flicked switch. “That Song” is over, and now they can concentrate on just being a really good rock band. “The theme of tonight is going to be gratitude,” declares Benjamin Kowalewicz, and the first crowdsurfer drifts slowly to the front as they open ‘Where Is The Line’. We see their scrappy past in the frontman’s every movement, but also the stardom that came after, every chord and stretch an autobiography poured into our favourite songs. There’s a deeper beauty buried beneath ’Surrender’, and a smile hits his face as he sees our loving reaction. The longing at the heart of ‘Navy Song’ sets off a pit full of people who are old enough know better than to slam with all their might, and as we slide into a slow burning headbang on ‘Rusted From The Rain’, we’re seeing Billy with new eyes. As they put it, tonight is “a bucket-list dream come true,” for them and us.

There’s no band that can clip in and out of focus like Alexisonfire. They’re the musical equivalent of a hypnic jerk, and the booming open to ‘Drunks, Lovers, Sinners, Saints’ is mentos dropped into Coke for us. ‘Mailbox Arson’ brings a rush to the centre of your mind before they weaponise feedback to bring in ‘Boiling Frogs’, a song which unifies our rush to the front that a single metal barrier barely feels like enough to control the flood. Vocalist George Pettit circling one finger above his head is enough cue to make the floor tremble under the great, earthmoving riffs of ‘We Are The Sound’.

“What a beautiful fuckin evening!” exclaims Wade Macneil, and it truly is. For the first time in over a decade we get to hear the thrashing sincerity of ‘Keep It On Wax’ and the live debut of ‘Thrones’, which flows so naturally into the ‘Crisis’ era that the setlist alone feels like artistry.

The way that ‘Rough Hands’ is reimagined live feels the arena with a velvet emptiness that the studio record was missing, and the entire song is a hammer blow to your emotional control, its layers of harmonies enough to shatter a frozen heart. Alexisonfire have grasped something intangible about the human condition and pressed it into industrial mysticism, and we’re hooked by their punk callouts as they close by chanting The Clash’s ‘Straight To Hell’ to close.

Album retrospective shows are always a risk. Is it just a chance for a fading star or two to make a couple of quid from nostalgic fans, or is it an opportunity to present a record in a new light and wipe off the dust accumulated over decades? Tonight is the latter. Not only did we get a unique double headliner, but also heard two seminal albums in a way that brings them to life in new and unforgettable forms. We’ve learned a lot about ourselves tonight, but far more about Billy Talent and Alexisonfire. 

KATE ALLVEY

Words: Kate Allvey // Photos: Emma Stone and Download Festival

Unpeople

A reward for the early risers, Unpeople are here to show off the harsher side of their sound. We’ve got a brand new blast of joy in the form of unreleased track ‘Bottle It’ and angelic harmonies on ‘Moon Baboon’, all from the band who know full well that they don’t really fit into today’s lineup, and don’t give a damn about it. ‘Clouds’, the first single from their upcoming album, is both as light and as shady as its namesake; a good omen for the future from Unpeople.

Kublai Khan TX

No one can sleep through this set. Everything Kublai Khan TX do feels so necessary, whether its the infernal riffs of ‘Supreme Ruler’ or the circle pit that radiates from the first drop on ‘Low Tech’. Vocalist Matt Honeycutt flexes his muscles as we shake the last of the stiffness from our bodies. “About three days ago I broke my back in Prague”, he confesses, channeling his pain into a mighty growl that rips through ‘The Hammer’ before transforming his anguish into rage for new song ‘The Mountain of Corsicana’.

RØRY

RØRY lays her soul bare throughout a performance that sees many reaching for their tissues to wipe away their tears. ‘Anti-Repressant’ sets the tone for turning personal struggles into danceable anthems, and if we aren’t feeling something deep inside by the time she offers up ‘Alternative’ then we haven’t been listening hard enough. RØRY, on paper, makes for an unlikely main stage star, but the representation and sheer guts that she brings to the Apex today are beyond admirable.

Dogstar

The combination of getting to see Neo from the Matrix in real life while listening to some comforting Dad Rock proves an irresistible draw that overwhelms the Opus stage. The sweeping, grungy ‘Joy’ makes way for the Bowie-influenced ‘Exalted’, and we’re thankful for the calming, driving-rock respite that Dogstar offer.

Bloodywood

The IYKYK band of the weekend open with a roar from Jayant Bhadula and a blazing ‘Dana Dan’. Bloodywood are a powerhouse that opens pits which never close for their entire set. No one could have predicted a couple of years ago that Indian folk-metal would provide the Download moment that we’ve all been craving. ‘Berkhauf’ hides a serious message behind a thin covering of banging, unrelenting determination and ‘Nu Delhi’ is already an absolute anthem. Bloodywood will definitely be returning to Download by very popular demand within a few years, and likely far higher up the bill. 

Magnolia Park

They’re in their vampire era and moving far beyond their pop punk origins. Magnolia Park have sold their souls to the video game cutscene devil and now they’re producing darker, more intense and delightfully sinister metal in the form of ‘High’ and the dangerous, delicious ‘Cult’. As Joshua Roberts leads our voices from the pit, we realise that the signs of their dark turn were there all along, and they’ve now progressed to making music that is absolutely perfect for this festival and this space. 

Social Distortion

Mike Ness and co have circled back to their old school sound and the elder punks have still got the spark that made them great. Opening with ‘Born To Kill’, they focus on what they do best; raw riffs lit by drawling vocals which sound like the desert sun. ‘No Way Out’ meanwhile – their song about “growing up in a not-so-perfect situation” – is a blast of the energy that made their debut so striking all those years ago. In fact, when they mix the new tracks into classics, like ‘The Creeps’ and ‘Mommy’s Little Monster’, we realise we’re watching Social D as they always should have been, and it’s tremendous. 

Dinosaur Pile Up

Let’s keep it direct. We like fuzzy distortion and we like it when it’s really loud. That’s what Dinosaur Pile Up offer us, and considering they’re competing with the mighty Ice Nine Kills, the Avalanche stage is packed for ‘Bout To Lose It’. ‘Sick Of Being Down’ gives voice to an unrefined teenage desperation, and it’s perfect for the kind of song that you’d want to put on loud and mosh out to in your bedroom. ‘Stupid Heavy Metal Broken Hearted Loser Punk’ and ‘My Way’ are huge anthems for the disenchanted masses, maintaining the brilliantly elemental purity which sticks out in a crowded lineup. 

Ice Nine Kills

Who doesn’t love cinematic horror masterpieces featuring ska legends? Reel Big Fish’s brass section jump in for ‘Ex-Mortis’, a highlight in a show that never provides a millisecond without action. ‘The Great Unknown’ ignites the pit with dark euphoria, and there’s the thundering, hypnotic ‘Funeral Derangements’ to keep us going. Ice Nine Kills are possibly the only band with more costume changes than Axel Rose and while we love the anthem that is ‘The Shower Scene’, there’s a song even more surprising than seeing Spencer Charnas running around brandishing a knife. It’s their very straight, very devoted cover of NOFX’s ‘Linoleum’ that allows them to drop their masks for a second, and we are astonished by our glimpse behind the scenes. 

Tom Morello

A curated journey through the Rage Against The Machine guitarist’s life, politics and influences, backed by his son and bursting with hope for the resistance? What more could we want on a Sunday afternoon! Morello’s cover of Springsteen’s ‘The Ghost Of Tom Joad’ is a steely compassion for the common man, and while we’re kicking it to ‘Killing In The Name’, his heartfelt tribute to Chris Cornell during ‘Like A Stone’ is one of the most touching moments of the whole weekend. Morello believes in the power of the people, and delivering an intelligent and not-so-subtle anti-fascist message for half an hour fills us with the desire to make the world a better place. 

Mastodon

Emerging into the sunset like ancient gods, Mastodon open with the fiery, tunnelling ‘Tread Lightly’ .The heavy prog end of the metal spectrum always deserves representation at Download, and songs like ‘The Motherload’ flow like a timeless prophecy that keeps the Opus slopes enraptured. Newer tracks like ‘Your Ghost Again’ prove that after nearly three decades, the band are still able to craft thundering aural labyrinths that delight and provoke. Mastodon’s set feels like the bonus chapter to Tom Morello’s curated exhibition, and it’s one that we can’t get enough of. 

Letlive.

There’s always a place for in-yer-face post-hardcore, especially when accompanied by a hefty dose of class consciousness and almost-latin rhythms. ‘A Weak Ago’  is rowdy and inspiring, with Jason Butler’s satisfying growl making Letlive’s set feel purposeful and deliberate. There’s so much more to them than you’d expect on a surface level, and ‘Muther’ is oddly inspiriting and respectful in between the riffs. Letlive leave us with the impression that they’re a band raring to do good in the world and know just how they want to do it.

A Day To Remember

At this point, we’re split into three camps with each claiming the title of ‘the real closer of the weekend’. A Day To Remember prove to be strong contenders for the title, with ‘The Downfall Of Us All’ providing a lightning bolt of energy to open a set that’s simultaneously packed on and offstage. Their talent of being able to balance tough and fun sends our phones up to capture ‘Right Back At It Again’ before the huge rush that comes with ‘Bad Blood’. We wave as confetti falls, the ‘end of camp’ energy thick in the air, with crowd surfers stacked on top of crowd surfers, as the Opus explodes into one final mad jump to round off Download 2026.

Creeper

Of course, if A Day To Remember are just too jolly for you, then the Creeper cult are always waiting with arms open and fangs poised. Twice as many are in the crowd compared to their first set of the weekend, but now crammed into half the space, and ‘The Ballad Of Spook And Mercy’ has every single one of us eating from the palms of their leather-gloved hands. ‘Parasite’, or “one for the lovers” as frontman Will Gould calls it, has an even more majestic showing than before, and the outpouring of emotion from us all on ‘Prey For The Night’ shows the absolute devotion that Creeper are able to command.

Linkin Park

For the first time in Download history, a frontwoman is headlining the festival. There are few more worthy of that honour than Emily Armstrong, and Linkin Park’s set is one huge reminder that times are changing and we must evolve along with them. Of course, they drop iconic bangers that hit you right in the centre of the teenage heart but their mature, sensitive and heavily electronic set is one that’ll light up your synapses from back to front, especially when their entire ninety minutes onstage feels like a mantra for growth and change.

Opening with ‘The Emptiness Machine’ is a strong statement. We’re here for the new Linkin Park, and they’re ready to display their latest incarnation with maximum emotional release from the very start. Somehow, their constructed electronic direction feels more raw and real than we remember, and classics like ‘Crawling’, when stripped of their MTV gloss, hit so much harder. ‘Numb’ is enough to bring a tear to your eye, as it does for a fair swathe of us. Closing Download with the breathtaking catharsis of ‘In The End’ is as close to a perfect moment as we can hope for as we slam our demons away for another day, free from our pain before the long trudge back to camp. Linkin Park prove to be the “goldilocks” headliner; not too rough, not too slow, just right to end our weekend on the darkest depths and the most dizzying of highs. 

KATE ALLVEY

Words: Kate Allvey // Photos: Emma Stone and Download Festival

The Wildhearts

“Wakey wakey,” Ginger Wildheart yells across the stage, signalling an appropriately loud classic rock kick-off to the day. “We’re here to celebrate life!” The frontman’s zen optimism on ‘Failure Is The Mother Of Success’ and thundering Motorhead energy on ‘Suckerpunch’ beams through the cloud to brighten the morning for the Wildhearts fans who are out in force already. The surprise appearance of Maggie the Border collie is sweet, but ‘Diagnosis’ is the rousing and, in light of the vocalist’s recent cancer diagnosis, emotional highlight of the set.

South Arcade

The fizzy viral band are proving that they really do have some serious Y2K chops as ‘Supermodels’ draws the midday mosher crowd with its pep and pyro. South Arcade are rough, ready and eager to start a shoutalong on ‘Danger’, their freshness and passion a bright spot in the early part of the day. ‘Superman’s relentless shred and gleaming positivity sends surfers flipping over the barriers in force, much to South Arcade’s confusion and delight.

Landmvrks

We’re practically running to the Apex stage to catch the burst of energy that is Landmvrks and their snappy French metalcore, equal parts graceful and grating. It’s their Download debut, and they’re practically skipping with genuine glee at dropping ‘Blistering’. Their new song, ‘A Line In The Dust’, is evocative and destructive, with layers of melancholy beauty in the chorus, and ‘Sulfur’s delicacy amid all the distortion is what keeps us hypnotised. 

Die Spitz

Die Spitz are instantly intriguing, whether they’re thrashing or creating waterfalls of layered elongated sentiment. ‘My Hot Piss’ is so raw and so complex that we’re looking on in wonder as they’re constantly dipping between dark grunge tuning and a healthy dose of female rage. It’s when the punk-ish elements are pushed to the foreground that we’re treated to the full breadth of what these searing outsiders can offer. 

Black Veil Brides

The sun might be shining, but Black Veil Brides exist in a plane of perpetual midnight. From the confident and captivating ‘Knives and Pens’ to the masterfully vampiric corrupting howls of ‘Bleeders’, we’re enthralled, screaming along from the front to the far reaches of the field. They’re focusing on their latest record today, and ‘Hallelujah’s all sacrilegious drum-driven fury that hits hard. The rolling thunder of ‘Vindicate’ gives as renewed energy from a band always bettering themselves with every show.

Mouth Culture

Open and expansive, Mouth Culture are the kind of beautiful soundclash which keeps you on your toes every Download. ‘Everyday’ ushers us into an evening vibe with its ‘lighters up’ moment and provocative attitude. The crowd spills out from beyond the Avalanche tent by the time they drop ‘Don’t Pull Up’, drawn to the lighter end of the musical spectrum on display from Mouth Culture. While Download might not exactly be their home turf, Mouth Culture know how to win fans and influence people with a set that feels far too short.

Melrose Avenue

Melrose Avenue sound like the future, and we didn’t even realise it until halfway through their set. ‘Taste’ rushes and chimes, but it’s on ‘Inside Your Mind’ that the Aussies really start to hit their flow with one eye on the stadium rock . By the time they’ve reached ‘Cemetery Friend’, all blunt drum solos and raving metalcore, the Avalanche tent is packed and we’re convinced they’re going to be the next Parkway Drive. The newest song, ‘Bad Guy’, is a huge shredder of a track, but they’re more than capable of keeping it soulful on tracks like ‘Through Hell’ in case we need even more convincing. 

Babymetal

Last time they tried to play Download, Babymetal were rained offstage. This time, we’ve sacrificed an emo kid to the Fox God and the weather is just as glorious as their set. The energy on ‘PA PA YA!!’ is perfect; absolute festival gold and the culmination of a journey towards being taken seriously. The entire crowd have completely bought in to the Babymetal phenomenon and we’re whirling our shirts over our head for every second of ‘METALI!!’ Playful, unapologetically different and here to hype us up, the living anime goddesses don’t disappoint for a second.

Marmozets

The metal offspring of X-Ray Spex enter with a theatrical wail and the promise that if you don’t like their style, another genre of music will burst into their next song. ‘Mes Désirs’ is delightfully unpolished and after the gloss of a lot of the bands today, we’re relishing Becca Bottomley’s vocal whirlwind. She pirouettes above us as the determined pit grows to encompass the whole tent as ‘Move, Shake, Hide’ provokes a riotous party that kicks us into the evening.

Hot Milk

And the award for ‘Set Where You Have No Chance Of Getting Close To The Stage’ goes to the Mancunian duo embracing their dark side once again. “We’re gonna make this tent look like the best place to be in the whole festival,” Han Mee declares and she achieves it and more during the Nightmare Version of ‘Candy Coated Lies’. Our hands are raised and our sense of community is through the metaphorical roof as she lays her past bare on ‘Breathing Underwater’, a song which never loses its emotional impact no matter how many times we’ve heard it. Hot Milk’s set will be a massive highlight of the weekend for their growing fans, and we can expect to see them on a much bigger stage next time. 

Architects

The biggest clash of the weekend divides the crowd between those camping in the main field and the vast swathe of those jammed in for the sophisticated sound of Architects. It’s a set with unfortunate pauses and emotional confessions, but the memory of ‘Elegy’ blooming against the sunset to create an emotive and desolate scene is what will stick with us. ‘Whiplash’ is the sound of possibility, made to be played against open skies before ‘Doomsday’ feels like a sonic exorcism. It’s ‘Black Lungs’ with proves to be circle pit nitro and by the time they play ‘Blackhole’, we’re going absolute nuts, screaming our release to the stage. Raw yet considered, Architects present an all-consuming vision of their sound which magnetically attracts their half of the festival. 

Guns n Roses

Let’s be real for a second; Guns n Roses, a band in their sixties, were never going to put on the kind of show they did in the eighties, and planning a three hour career-spanning retrospective would be an ambitious move for any band of a certain ago. What we got instead of nostalgic cringe was professionalism, gorgeous vibes on the big hits, about a million shirt changes from Axel, a lot of filler that only the hardcore fans would delight in… and, most surprisingly, a moment of pure honesty. 

As an opening salvo, a blistering rendition of ‘Welcome To The Jungle’ can’t be bettered, and anyone who doesn’t get a few goosebumps during their cover of ‘Knocking On Heaven’s Door’ has to be slightly dead inside. Just hearing ‘Sweet Child O Mine’ live feels like a personal accomplishment and getting to see Slash do his thing is a bucket list item for all the guitar worshippers in the crowd. ‘November Rain’ will always pack one hell of a massive punch, and social media reveals at least three couples got engaged during that song. However, it was a quiet little cover of Jimmy Webb’s ‘Wichita Lineman’ that knocked us though. For five minutes, there was no posturing or image; they were just a really good band playing an old country song about loneliness, and it felt like they had revealed more about the men behind the icon label in those short seconds than we’d seen in years.  While their set might have disappointed some who were hoping to see their heroes turn it up to eleven, there was a lot to love and a lot more to respect about Guns n Roses’ set.

KATE ALLVEY

Words: Kate Allvey // Photos: Emma Stone and Graham Finney

Scene Queen

The feral monarch of Bimbocore finally gets her main stage moment, and unholy growling, family support and a ‘twerkle pit’ bedazzles a performance which attracts “a shocking number of men” to the crowd. Her doll-shaped love of vengeance flows freely on ‘Mutual Masturbation’, as does her support of the LGBTQ community. The sight of hardened metalheads gleefully singing along to ‘18+’ while Scene Queen skips across the sunlit stage in pink tassels gives us hope for the future, kicking off the day in perfect bimbo style. 

Silly Goose

We’re “rocking with the goose” and their nu-nu-metal energy packs out the Avalanche stage. ‘Live It Up’ prowls on the chorus, adding a dash of seriousness that splashes against their moniker, while ‘Tsunami’ scorches with blistering Korn-style guitar playing. Jackson Foster raps like a doberman straining at the leash, albeit with surprisingly thoughtful drops, and new song ‘Goodnight’ is vicious and explosive – their chaos barely contained within the tent. Surviving the pit that’s ignited by the incendiary ‘Set It Off’ is an early-game achievement for this weekend, and that’s the baptism of fire we need today.

James And The Cold Gun

Soulful, motoring, and filled with authenticity – in contrast to P.O.D., who are playing on the Apex stage at the same time – James And The Cold Gum brings a breath of fresh air with their crashing, rushing and completely honest rock. ‘Fragile’ beams casual cool with James Joseph’s vocals dropping like an ice cube into a fizzing glass of guitar, and the bounce they can conjure from the mid-afternoon Dogtooth crowd is remarkable.

Paleface Swiss

Vocalist Zelli is hangry. If not snacking enough is what drives Paleface Swiss’s thunderous and compelling set, we’d advise him to skip more meals. They’re the kind of band that keeps up the Opus Stage’s reputation of being the home of heaviness, especially with tracks like ‘Hatred’; its live-wire innovation sparks a pit for the metal purists. ‘Please End Me’ is blunt and direct, a scathing scream into the void – as if the lava on every banner has been transmuted into sound; and we’re living for ‘Everything Is Fine’s unexpected melodic breaks. 

Creeper

It’s the first of a few outings for the vampires, and their Opus set feels like a sampler for the uninitiated that focuses on the hits. ‘Mistress Of Death’ is as majestic and polished as ever as it careens through theatrical solos. Meanwhile, ‘Blood Magick (It’s A Ritual)’ practically roars over the slopes of Donnington like a lit firework – Will Gould’s intonation burned into our minds. ‘Lovers Led Astray’ strikes the balance between drama and the type of metal we expect from this weekend, with vast wailing on the chorus from what seems like half the entire festival.

Pendulum

Watching 100,000 people losing their minds to ‘Propane Nightmares’ is an unforgettable image, but that’s all in a day’s work for the mighty Pendulum. We’re loving the absolute musical departure that they bring to their Apex Stage set, and the cheer that signals the start of ‘Voodoo People’ is probably large enough to register an earthquake reading in Derby. ‘Tarantula’ as a closer will go down as a core memory for most of us raving, as we finally and definitively answer the question of whether Pendulum are truly metal. 

Lake Malice

The electronica continues at the top of the hill, albeit with a far harsher edge. Dancers in holographic tutus usher in a cool breeze to the scorching Dogtooth Stage, and new single ‘Ghost In A Hell’ feels like jumping off a cliff with its bass-heavy depth and crystalline synth. Alice Guala’s furious screams channel an inner rage far greater than her fairy-like form, and their entire set is a hypnotic catharsis that deserves a bigger crowd. 

Electric Callboy

It’s been a long time coming. Finally, however Electric Callboy take to the Main Stage. It’s worth the wait too, as ‘Tanzneid’ is an instant party starter. We’re then swept from a relatively loyal cover of  Sum 41’s ‘Still Waiting’ into the top-notch silliness of ‘Tekkno Train’. The peppy Germans bring the musical equivalent of Haribo to a relatively serious day and we’re dancing like there’s no tomorrow to their collab with the Offspring, ‘Let The Good Times Roll’. At this rate, and judging by the overwhelming love they’re getting, Electric Callboy will be headlining within the next few years. 

Sleep Theory

Sincere and deep, Sleep Theory’s set is a haven for those in search of emotional release. Their set is the point in the weekend where the Avalanche Stage begins to feel like a secret club for those revelling in the more intriguing bands on the bill, and the near acoustic regret that permeates ‘Words Are Worthless’ captures our voices for a mass singalong. The sweetness lurking at the edges of ‘Numb’ proves these guys are a band more complex than we first realised, and they’ll find themselves with a far bigger fanbase after this show.

Story Of The Year

Dan Marsala’s gorgeous vocals on ‘Tear Me To Pieces’ cements Story Of The Year as the band who’ll make you cock your head with lyrical interest while you’re slamming in the pit.  “We’re the fourteenth best band of the entire show, give or take,” he jokes before dropping ‘Anthem Of Our Dying Day’; the sound of determination sweeping away loneliness distilled into a rapid few minutes. We’re staring in awe at the needle-sharp longing that fills ‘In The Shadows’, and Story Of The Year are the reminder that sometimes what your day needs is just a smart, honest rock band, playing their hearts out.

Halestorm

An oxygen-defying yell from Lzzy Hale kicks us into ‘Fallen Star’ and Halestorm’s next-level set on the Opus Stage. The classic rock levers are out in force for the Sabbath-influenced ‘Love Bites (So Do I)’, and when they push the metal chug in their sound to the forefront, we sense that this is a band who can take on anything with style. We’re treated to their cover of ‘Bad Romance’, played for the first time in the UK, which just proves that they not only have a sense of humour, but that whatever they touch turns to gold.

Limp Bizkit

Some bands would cancel a set if they learned that their longtime friend and crew member had passed away while en route to Download. We wouldn’t begrudge any band taking the space to grieve, especially one whose former bassist died only months beforehand. However, that’s not exactly Limp Bizkit’s style. From the very start of their set, Fred Durst and co were determined to honour the memory of their friends by putting on the biggest party of the weekend. Yes, the set was marred by a medical emergency in the pit, a band who were clearly going through a tough time, and, errrr, the suggestion that crowdsurfing was a good way to remember your deceased loved ones, but when they slapped down the hits? – there’s nowhere in the world we’d rather be. 

“We’re about to turn it on like it’s 1999,” yells Durst, before a sea of circle pits erupts for ‘My Generation’. Meanwhile, the immaculate vibes for ‘Rollin’ show that we’ve got enough dance in us to power an explosive time machine. Freestyling and innovating is the name of the game that brings a freshness to a guitar-filled celebration of all things Bizkit. ‘Behind Blue Eyes’ is a pure lighters-up moment, and the old school mosh that rips through the beyond packed-out arena on the reprise of ‘Break Stuff’ is the fuel that festival dreams are made of. There’s enough highlights, enough camaraderie built with rapping to the stranger next to you, and enough massive beats to excuse any extenuating circumstances. This is the kind of set which explains Limp Bizkit’s enduring appeal and will go down as a Download memory that’ll go rollin’ home with us. 

Kate Allvey

Discussing the record’s sound is quite difficult without mentioning the idea of genre collapse. Genres are basically categories for discussing music. They’re elastic and difficult to define, especially after the late 90s when the boundaries between genres became increasingly blurred. Once nu-metal hit the mainstream, it became difficult to describe what sound a band was pursuing or separate what a mainstream sound might be. In effect, it can feel like metal despite displaying none of its characteristics. Hence, ‘Every House We Built’ is difficult to classify. Mostly it’s a series of lush soundscapes that border on soft rock, often it’s the kind of ballad you might find on a film soundtrack but occasionally it’s heavy enough to give Sleep Token a run for their money. Sometimes it’s all these things combined. However, it’s always coherent, thoughtfully assembled and, if you allow yourself to be swept along, breathtaking. A good point of comparison is Within Temptation or perhaps Delain (or again, Sleep Token) but because the sound is allowed to shift and evolve you might also find yourself thinking of Tori Amos or even Whitney Houston.

‘Archipelago’ gently eases you into their sound, beginning like a gentle wave rushing up the shore and then breaking against the rocks. The sound is rich but uncluttered and deep without being too unfocused. It’s a fantastic opening, kicking the record to life while establishing its beauty and sense of scale. It also gives you a taste of Lynsey Ward’s incredible talents.

Ward is a member of Espera, the vocal trio famous as Sleep Token’s backing band. Obviously, you don’t get to be part of a vocal trio if you aren’t a great a singer, but her actual talent is writing great vocal parts. However the album is far more than a showcase for her abilities, it’s a rich and affecting journey with just enough dirt under its talons to ensure you don’t wriggle out of its grip.

The overall sound is based around piano but they’re not afraid of guitars either leading to some surprisingly heavy songs. At its most straightforward ‘42’ is expressed in the form of hard rock and the metal-adjacent ‘You Like It Best When It Hurts’ is built around a chugging guitar sound. ‘Romanticise’ features such a massive breakdown that’s so crushing it threatens to split the song in two. However these statements of power sit comfortably together. Each song is a clear expression of an idea, fleshed-out but also adhering to the rule ‘Less is more’ so they sound lush and lived-in without becoming indistinct. This is further enhanced by the crisp sound mix which gives each instrument its own space and ensures none of the little details get lost.

The album isn’t shy of slower, more atmospheric songs like ‘Arrhythmia’ and ‘Cartography’ which dwell on the beauty of Ward’s voice and use soft strings enhance her melodies. However, the album’s middle section dips its toes into keyboard-laced power ballads on songs like ‘I _ You’ and ‘Spy In The House Of Love’ allowing her to belt out some big choruses, giving it a slight change of pace and grand sense of momentum. This sets the stage for ‘You Like It Best When It Hurts’ to sweep in, a powerful, arresting apogee.

As you expect with a debut, there is a certain explorative feel to the album, where ideas push songs like ‘The Warning’ and ‘You Like It Best When It Hurts’ slightly outside the overall shape. It’s a more streamlined version of the ideas they played with on their previous EPs and gives the album a contoured outline but with a clear vision holding it together it’s never enough to break the coherence.

As the title suggests, ‘Every House We Built’ is a record about looking back and the melancholy found in forgotten structures. It’s an exploration of the choices that leave people as islands. It’s about romance and territory, all those things we mentioned that birds sing about. The lyrics repeatedly refence the difference between ‘houses’ and ‘homes’ and the words are chosen carefully so they capture both a feeling and have mellifluous flow. Notably the opening song  ‘Archipelago’ and closer ‘Meadowlands’ engage with the same ideas and phrasing making the album into a complete story arc.

If you’re looking for highlights, they include the powerful single ‘You Like It Best When It Hurts’, the dance flavoured ‘Romanticise’ and the incredible ‘Footprints’ which is a slow, thoughtful piece that drifts on soft “Oooo” sounds. However, each song has its own personality and is intoxicating in its own way, be it the gentle drip-drop of the title track or the crushing stampede of ‘The Warning’ it is always making an effort to draw you in and leave you hanging on every moment. It’s the kind of record you find yourself holding your breath through each unfolding chapter, hoping that each will be as good as the last, and it is.

‘Every House We Built’ is as achingly beautiful as a nightingale welcoming the morning. It’s a breathtaking debut album. Highly recommended.

IAN KENWORTHY