LIVE: Download Festival 2025

Twenty two summers in, and Download shows no sign of ever slowing down. With a lineup to thrill everyone from hardcore slammers through to pop punk kids, the biggest weekend of the year channels the spirit of independence from the get go. By the time Friday closes, we’ll have experienced a politicised Billie Jo Armstrong conjuring the heavens to open, Boston Manor speaking their social truths, and recaptured our love for our millennial favourites, all while wishing we’d given in to the advice to slap on an extra layer of factor 50.

Words: Kate Allvey // Photos: Penny Bennett and Download Festival – Todd Owyoung

Dead Pony

As we already wilt in the shade of the Avalanche tent, Dead Pony deliver glitching, late night club energy in the middle of the afternoon. The spiritual descendants of the Prodigy pour a vodka lemonade fizz of a sound across the tent, which slowly fills as each siren song from vocalist Anna Shields entices us closer. ‘Freak Like Me’ is the grimy, pop-punk highlight of the Scots’ Download debut, and as they shift into ‘RAINBOWS’ gritty message of self-love, we feel, to quote Shields, absolutely ‘ready to fuckin go’ for our Download weekend.

Boston Manor

The boys from Blackpool add a dash of casual darkness early into our day. They drop “the heaviest song we’ve got”, ‘Container’, confidently and efficiently, exposing it’s melodic heart to an impressively-filled field of fans. Vocalist Henry Cox uses his spotlight to spread his message of support for Gaza before ‘Heat Me Up’s deep bass focus sends a seismic groove through the earth and ‘Halo’s chimes crunch inwards for the guitar breakdown. Far above us, planes soar, unaware of the joy we feel below at being part of the pit jumping our way through ‘Passenger’.

Northlane

Khaki co-ords and bass booms cut with piercing melodica draw us to the top of the hill. Assertive and raw, the profound echoes from ‘4D’ betray a heavy, optimistic Pendulum influence before Marcus Bridge’s screamo vocals drag us back to this reality, They display a whole festival’s worth of multi-faceted influences and moods on their own, with the moodily blooming ‘Bloodline’ as the centrepiece of a set from a band determined to give their all at every turn.

Graphic Nature

The hardcore heroes create a sound clash wherever they go, separating the loves of the seriously heavy from the lightweights. The smaller but dedicated crowd are loving the honest, refreshing brutality from Harvey Freeman and co. “You are now locked into the sounds of the 404,” he intones, his confessional rage poised to started a distorted hurricane. He’ll have won a lot of new fans by the time he’ll have finished his set, judging by the approving nods and raucous, riotous smacking beats that drive us to greater love for the British heirs to Slipknot’s crown.

Rise Against

“I think six times’ the charm,” laughs Tim McIlrath, and there’s a reason why Rise Against keep getting invited back to Download. They’re sticking to the roots of their sound, all jagged guitars and soaring choruses, and ‘Satellites’ is rich in stunning minimalism before the bouncing chorus fades into a whispered bridge. McIlrath poses with a megaphone, preaching unity, as we’re led into ‘Ready to Fall’, it’s explosive guitar and melancholy tinges to the melody twisting into the clouds as our shadows lengthen.

Jimmy Eat World

‘Sweetness’ rings across the arena, transporting us back to simpler times. Jim Adkins’ iconic everyman voice has a tougher edge acquired with age, adding depth and a contemplative touch to their punchy live takes on their classics. ‘My Best Theory’ and ‘Let It Happen’ are more than enough to bring a tear to the eye of more than one bearded metaller, and ‘A Praise Chorus’ feels like a pleasant dream renewed with uptempo vigour. Our hidden smiles are revealed as ‘The Middle’ drips sunshine with sunshine.

Opeth

You won’t expect a heavyweight band like Opeth, whose sets spark with drama and innovation at every turn, to have such a wry sense of humour. “We write songs about beer and the Royal Family,” Mikael Åkerfeldt grins, raising an eyebrow and apologising for his shortened set. ‘§1′ is hypnotic, the vocalist’s instantly recognisable growl reaching into the deep prog side of the heavy scene, and ‘Master’s Apprentices’ maximises heaviness and varies their narratives second by second. The guitar worshippers are more than satisfied with their four song set when each tune is this packed with absolutely everything that they can throw at it.

Weezer

Opening with a rough and ready take on ‘Hash Pipe’ spreads an aura of calm over the day that floats gently throughout Weezer’s set, blanketing us in nostalgic prom energy. Rivers Cuomo’s passionate, tender wailing blends with frantic solos to remind us that Weezer always were a rock band. When they speed up, we feel the distortion deep in our souls. Just like Jimmy Eat World, they stick close to their greatest hits, and ‘Undone (The Sweater Song)’ flips out a Mexican wave before the tropic slide guitar sends us off into the golden glow of ‘Island In The Sun’. It’s a warm respite, and reminder that Weezer are so much more than we recall them being.

Within Temptation

A whole Roman temple onstage and a frontwoman who strides in like a shakespearean queen? That’s how if you know Within Temptation are here, setting the standard for stagecraft this evening. Sharon den Adel rips off her gold mask midway through ‘We Go To War’, letting loose a tougher version of ‘Bleed Out’ that commands this corner of the field. The eighties tinges to their live take on ‘Faster’ are infectious; singing back to her at the top of our lungs feels completely natural, as does their pro-Ukraine stance to ‘Stand My Ground’, presented with passion and poise.

Apocalyptica

If pop punk on a huge scale isn’t to your liking, on top of the hill the world’s most gothic string section are brewing the antidote. With a sound like a classical murder storm, they unearth the serious side of Download like an ancient prophecy to expose the wild complexity at the heart of Metallica’s back catalogue. Their power and drama speak to the determined minority crammed into the Dog tooth stage in the mood for a musical nightcap, and in terms of technical wizardry they must be up there as one of the most intricate acts of the weekend.

Green Day

Billie Joe Armstrong is not happy with the state of the world, and he’s returning to his American Idiot era to channel that into maximum frontman gold. Of course there’s lashings of fun, with inflatable hands holding grenades and gently floating blimps above our heads, but the message is clear. “This song is anti-war!” Armstrong screams before ‘Holiday’ drops, punctuated with fire, the riff as clear and immediate as if the intervening years since our first listen mean nothing. “Ladies and gentleman, we are slipping into fascism,” he declares bluntly through a megaphone before the rolling boil of resistance we’ve felt in the air all the day erupts into ‘Know Your Enemy’. The cold goosebumps raised by ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’ are so real and every single voice, with no exception is raised. ‘Bobby Sox’ comes into its own as a gender-exploring pop hit, the newest songs shining just as vibrantly.

Green Day’s evolution has reached its peak tonight. Older hits like ‘Welcome to Paradise’ screech into view with a “yeehaw!”, and ‘Hitchin A Ride’ electrocutes Armstrong, his eyes wide as he shakes through our cheers. These earlier songs feel like a gift, an acknowledgement of the first stage of their development and a reward for our faith, while ’21 Guns’ emerges as an anthem for hope. On cue, we feel the first cold drops of drizzle kiss our faces as Armstrong sings of rain in ‘Wake Me Up When September Ends’, a perfect second of coincidence, and a sea of phone lights floats like art across the arena as they close with ‘Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)’. It’s a gorgeous sight, the perfect background to a band who move with the times, remoulding every song into a shape relevant for today to show off how magnificent they still are.