LIVE: Download Festival 2026

Nothing holds Download back. Not the mud that covers our boots long before the arena opens, not the 100-metre-long queue for the merch superstore, and definitely not our heavy heads the morning after 5ive’s completely unironic cameo at District X. Download XXIII kicks off with a Friday of wildcards united by a sense of fun: bring it on!

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