For us, and for many, the mighty Download festival, now on its 23rd edition, has become an annual fixture – an event for which we seem to wait an eternity, only to find it is suddenly upon us. Certainly Download 2026, with its epic, genre-hopping line up, has been the cause of much anticipation, with tickets selling out well in advance.
Of course, not all the signs were promising. This year’s edition was presaged by deeply uncertain weather with squally rain showers and high winds making us question whether it might not be an occasion to break out the wellies. However, with the forecast looking optimistic and with relatively fair skies overhead as we set off for Donnington’s hallowed fields, our hopes are high for a dry weekend, even if the ground underfoot did take a right soaking on Thursday.
Arrival
Getting into Download seems to just get better each year. It’s one of many areas in which the organisers have been continually (and successfully) refining their approach. As such, while the site itself is not the easiest area to reach (name one festival that is), the clear signage, updates to the access points, and the army of marshals scattered about have all paid dividends. As a result, we find ourselves parked and ready to rock in record time.
District X
Last year’s updates to District X really made a difference to the Download experience and it’s pleasing to note that many have been carried over to the 2026 edition. In particular, the various covered bar and food areas, the silent disco, and the dedicated cinema tent all make for comfortable places to hang out both before and after the day’s live music and, while there’s no rain from Friday to Monday, it’s good to have the option. The only notable absence remains a tea tent. The shisha bar is cool, assuming that’s what you want, but a similar space offering tea and coffee would provide a welcome spot for those not after a beer or three.
Elsewhere, the rides remain present and correct, The Doghouse is bigger than ever (with a stage dominated by flame bursts and flanked by giant screens), The Den seems to be attracting more and more talent, and there’s a good range of stalls, with Raven Records being the standout attraction.
Even the food choice is impressive, with options for vegans, vegetarians, and allergy sufferers. As a festival veteran of [counts on fingers, runs out] nearly three decades, food is an area that has shown massive improvements over the years and Download turned up trumps this year, with everything from fast food to a picnic stall selling pork pies and scotch eggs, all of which helped to keep attendees well-fed throughout the event. The latter, by the way, was pure genius and became a key destination for us when in the arena.
All in all, Download has sought to refine the camping experience and it has reached a point now that, whether you want to hang back and have a quiet beer at one of the pop-up pubs or party all night to the biggest rock and metal anthems, District X has got you covered.
Friday
As we arrive in the arena on Friday morning, Tik-Tok sensations and self-proclaimed “bimbocore” rockers Scene Queen take to the stage to the strains of Aqua’s Barbie Girl. A neon-coloured explosion that finds djent riffs, pop melodies, and hyper-feminist lyrics all rolled into one over-the-top package, depending on your perspective, they either provide a fun start to the Day of Durst or a gloriously satirical antidote to Fred’s Frat-boy schtick. Either way, they draw a solid crowd early on.
Next up and also on the Apex Stage, we have P.O.D. One of the bands to which we’ve been looking forward, they don’t disappoint. With their most recent album, Veritas, proving to be an absolute stunner and new material on the way, the So-Cal rockers hit the stage with an explosive Here Comes The Boom, immediately igniting the pit. It’s not quite the perfect entrance, although it’s no fault of the band, for the sound takes a while to settle (something not helped by the heavily gusting wind). However, when it does, the band are in their element. Blasting through the likes of Drop (sadly with Randy Blythe only providing vocals through playback), a riotous Alive and, of course, Youth Of The Nation P.O.D. offer up a cool mix of classics and blistering new tracks. They even get the willing crowd to drop to the floor during a gruelling Southtown, making it clear that they still have the goods when it comes to a vibrant live show.
All in all, P.O.D. deliver a short, sharp set that brims over with positivity, setting a high bar for what follows. Frankly, they deserve to be higher up the bill when they return, but they surely made their mark with this performance.
Over on the Avalanche stage, Holy Watr have attracted a decent crowd with their high energy alternative metal / metalcore. At times reminiscent of Results May Vary -era Limp Bizkit, the band’s devotional music has atmospheric moments amidst the heavier riffs but, for all that it has the loyal crowd at the front of the stage in rapture, we’re in search of something heavier and soon find ourselves at the Opus stage for Paleface Swiss.
Very much a band of the moment, Paleface Swiss have been attracting a good deal of attention lately and with good reason. Clearly eager to rile up the slowly baking mid-afternoon crowd, we’re told “Just because the festival is a pussy doesn’t mean you have to be one…” Um, Ok.
Still, the likes of Everything Is Fine – all mid-tempo riffing and melodic touches – do much to get the blood pumping, but it’s a brutal Let Me Sleep that really sets the pit off, the scything riffs and coruscating vocals emerging as Roots-era Sepultura-meets-BMTH. It’s a violent energy the band exude and it gives the lie to their mischievous claim that “We’re Swiss, we’re neutral!” – I’m not sure anyone in the steaming pit believes it for a second.
Back at the mainstage, a sea of red caps (already out in force ahead of the Bizkit’s headline slot) are watching Lakeview. Blending country, rock, and metal, they come off as a kind of new, nu-metal, with heavy riffs, bouncy rhythms, and tracks like Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is. Not really our thing but, with their big, very-American anthems, they’re kinda perfect for a sun-kissed afternoon at Donnington.
Following a short refreshment break, it’s back to the Apex Stage for festival favourites Pendulum. With a compelling line in pounding drum ‘n’ bass, blazing rock, and soaring anthems, often drawing a line between the Prodigy’s splenetic outpourings and the cleaner lines of BMTH (especially on tracks like Witchraft), they draw a huge crowd to the main stage and it’s clear that Download is more than up for their high-octane performance.
They go hard from the start and, after a short, humorous intro, they hit the ground running with Propane Nightmares and Napalm. For us, the set hits its peak with the band’s now legendary remix of The Prodigy’s Voodoo People, which exudes a meaner energy than their later works (some of which are somewhat undone by the overly polished vocals), although there are more than enough in the crowd going wild for Witchcraft to marks us out as a minority with regard this opinion. Overall, Pendulum deliver a solid, crowd-pleasing set.
The last time we saw Cypress Hill, it was at the Royal Albert Hall with a symphony in tow. This time around, they’re free from such encumbrances and, faced with a rock crowd, they come out with all guns blazing. It starts with a brief introduction from DJ Lord, whose mastery over the decks is a thing to behold. With a huge smile on his face, he unleashes a tidal wave of cracking tunes, all seamlessly mixed together, before landing on Metallica as a prelude to the band’s entrance and a raucous How I Could Just Kill A Man.
Boasting a huge energy from the off, Sen Dog and B-Real waste no time engaging in a call-and-response with the crowd. While there are some who initially seem a little non-plussed, the band’s intense performance, which includes When The Shit Goes Down, I Wanna Get High and Dr Greenthumb early on, soon wins them over.
As if to demonstrate that Cypress Hill know how to bring it in front of a diverse audience, we even get a blistering cover of Rage Against The Machine’s Bomb Track and an epic Rock Superstar. For most bands, this would be an end to it, but Cypress Hill aren’t done yet, and they throw in Insane In The Brain and Jump Around, the latter setting the immense (and growing) mosh pit off like a firecracker.
It is an immense performance that delights the faithful and converts the doubters. Nearly forty years into their career, Cypress Hill are still dropping bombs, and they rule the Apex Stage.
With the times overlapping, we make a quick exit from the seething maelstrom Cypress Hill have incited and head to the Avalanche stage, where the mighty Feeder are back with their first Download performance in twenty-two years, and it marks quite the homecoming.
With the stage so packed you can’t even get near the entrance, let alone make your way inside, Feeder deliver a triumphant, career-spanning set that has the entire audience singing along at the top of their lungs. From soaring anthems such as Feeling A moment and Just The Way I’m Feeling through high-octane rockers such as Buck Rogers, Seven Days In The Sun and, to my very great delight, Godzilla, Feeder deliver an emotionally charged performance worthy of the main stage.
It is glorious to see and, when the band wrap things up with a searing performance of Nirvana’s Breed, their absolute ascendency over the rock-leaning crowd is complete.
Feeder’s fortunes may have waxed and waned over the years but, as their loyal fans know all too well, they have maintained their ability to deliver an epic performance that has the mosh pit heaving and today is no exception. With any luck they’ll be back soon and on a bigger stage but, for now, Feeder can rest in the warm glow of having absolutely crushed the Avalanche Stage.
With Good God, Baad Man, Corrosion Of Conformity delivered one of the albums of 2026 and there was no way we were going to miss their set over at the Dogtooth Stage. With Limp Bizkit having siphoned off a good proportion of the day’s crowd, the tent is far from full but, with the faithful present and correct, the energy throughout the band’s too-short set is off the charts.
Flying the flag for old school metal and gloriously defiant, the band hit hard with Asleep On The Killing Floor and Who’s Got The Fire, the amps shaking as they drown out the sounds of Bizkit over on the Apex Stage. With Gimme Some More and a monumental Clean My Wounds wrapping things up, Corrosion Of Conformity are the perfect band for battle-jacket wearing metallers unconvinced by Bizkit’s bouncy anthems and they deliver one of the sets of the weekend – authentic, powerful, and untroubled by fads or trends.
Two years ago, Limp Bizkit took to the mainstage and comprehensively showed up headliners Avenged Sevenfold with a scattershot set that included a few wildcard covers and Break Stuff played twice. Yet, for all that it felt a touch ad hoc, it drew one hell of a crowd, and it had the whole of Donnington jumping. In short, this headline set has been a long time coming – something to which the countless red-cap-wearing fans spread throughout the insanely large crowd can attest.
And, for the most part, the band deliver, although something does feel a little off. Perhaps scarred by the memory of previous heaving crowds, the band frequently temper their aggressive anthems with between song interludes that seem to drag on interminably. Thus, while you get the likes of Hot Dog (with a scene-stealing guest spot from Lauren Sanderson) and a fists-in-the-air rendition of Nookie, a lengthy gap opens up before Full Nelson. While this is ostensibly a chance for Fred to pull four ladies from the audience to join the band on stage, it also acts as a firebreak, enabling the steaming pits to cool down. Unfortunately, for those a little further back, it disrupts the flow, as do the countless skits that break up the likes of Dad Vibes and Rollin’ (the latter with baggy-trousered dancers joining in the fun), making for a frustrating performance that fails to connect as you feel it should. This is further exacerbated by a setlist that largely repeats the band’s 2024 performance, right down to airing Break Stuff twice, which is annoying when you consider the band’s seven-album strong back catalogue.
All in all, Limp Bizkit deliver a solid, rather than an exceptional, performance. That said, they draw a MASSIVE crowd and, while we have our misgivings, there are plenty more (especially down the front) who are enthralled, and there’s no doubt that these nu metal titans, rather like Korn before them, have earned this main stage slot. Nevertheless, it would have been good had the set had a more even flow to it.
Back over on the Dogtooth Stage, chaos is brewing as Cavalera bring Chaos AD to Download. Taking to a stage that utilises the shrouded body from the album cover as a backdrop, Cavalera deliver an absolute masterclass in intensity. Quite simply one of the most thrilling performances of the weekend, it sees Max leading the band through one of the most seminal albums in metal and my god does he deliver.
While one could debate the merits of Cavalera re-recording Sepultura’s early works, seeing Max and Igor tearing through an album so pivotal to their musical development is an absolute joy, not to mention a chance to hear some deep cuts rarely played across the years. It’s all here, the unsurpassed Refuse / Resist, a clattering Biotech is Godzilla, a devastating Territory, a delirious Kaiowas, and, the absolute peak of this insanely brilliant set, Propaganda, delivered at breakneck speed and with all the power and vitriol of its recorded counterpart.
Not every album deserves a complete play-through, but Chaos AD is a sublime exception. A stunning performance from Cavalera, it stands as a celebration of one of the greatest metal albums of all time and it is a privilege to witness.
Saturday
It may only be 11:00, but there was no way we were going to miss the rejuvenated Wildhearts as they tear Donnington a new one. For the faithful who turn up, the band should be headlining, and they certainly have the songs, with Ginger churning out riff after motherfucking riff with a glee that is irresistible.
Undeniably the most emotional set of the weekend, The Wildhearts are not here to rue Ginger’s illness, but rather to celebrate a life in service of rock ‘n’ roll and so, with the band looking entirely delighted, they tear into recent single Failure Is The Mother Of Success with unbridled force. Unfortunately, while the band themselves are on form, the sound hasn’t quite caught up – cue frantic signalling as guitars and vocals frequently drop from the mix. It’s a mildly frustrating start but, ever the professionals, the band weather the storm and, by the time they land on Sucker Punch, things have settled and the only thing left to worry about is the gusting wind that threatens to derail Ben’s scrim.
Here for a short time but a good one, the Wildhearts don’t fuck about. We get a sneering Maintain Radio Silence, a glorious Diagnosis and, of course, I Wanna Go Where The People Go, all of which have the crowd singing back to the band at the top of their lungs. And, throughout it all, Ginger and his band trade grins, leap about like they’re possessed, and essentially give a performance closer in spirit to that of a new band than one that’s been going for nearly forty years. Ginger’s beloved dog, Maggie, even makes a couple of guest appearances, much to the delight of band and crowd alike.
Easily a highlight of the weekend, The Wildhearts delivered an amazing set of timeless anthems to an emotionally charged crowd and it makes for an amazing celebration of a storied career.
Next up on the Opus stage, the resurrected Snot unleash their groove-laden metal, paying tribute to Lynn Strait with a short set that amounts to a best of their classic debut (and only release), Get Some. The band open with their eponymous track, before racing through the likes of Snooze Button, Stoopid, and Absent with irresistible enthusiasm. It’s a potent blast of 90s hardcore which, while rooted very much in its era, still packs a punch – the more so given the band’s frequent heartfelt allusions to their fallen singer.
Elsewhere, Tailgunner play to a packed Dogtooth stage, bringing their old-school, Judas-Priest-approved heavy metal to Donnington. While the likes of Midnight Blitz have a certain charm, and there’s no doubting the band’s skill or enthusiasm for the form, it feels a touch too derivative for our tastes, and we head off in search of food.
Somewhat strangely, as we traverse the arena, the Apex and Opus stages appear to have a pair of bands that, frankly, end up being somewhat indistinguishable. With French metalcore mob Landmvrks on the Apex Stage and US metalcore titans We Came As Romans on the Opus stage, what comes across most firmly is that the juxtaposition of djentish riffs, deathly roars, and soaring choruses has settled into a formula from which some bands struggle to escape. Both bands pull big crowds, but it’s hard to escape the notion that theirs is a somewhat one-dimensional sound. Time to shake things up a tad…
What is there to be said about Baby Metal? It’s gloriously over the top, utterly ridiculous and, once again, the gods of Download have favoured this most tenacious of acts with less-than-perfect weather. Nevertheless, they bring a splash of colour to the festival, with the crowd going absolutely mental for Electric Callboy collaboration Ratatata and Gimmee Chocolate!!
Not for everyone, perhaps, but for those who don’t take themselves too seriously, it’s a lot of fun and you can hardly argue that the likes of Baby Metal Death don’t have killer riffs.
it’s time for another of our bands of the weekend next. Brit rockers Bush had a rocky ride during their first iteration, with the UK press seemingly sharpening their knives any time Gavin Rossdale and company so much as uttered a word. However, the band’s second act has highlighted both their tenacity and the longevity of their music. Recent album, I Beat Loneliness was something of a highlight of 2025 and so it’s with no small amount of anticipation that we head over to catch them on the Opus stage.
And it is a triumphant performance indeed.
Arriving on stage to Machinehead, Gavin assaulting his guitar with fiery gusto, the band kick off a performance that packs in a great deal over the course of forty minutes. “I’m never sure what to expect” beams a delighted Gavin, before leading the way into an electrifying Land Of Milk And Honey. Highlights come thick and fast, with Everything Zen and More Than Machines both showcasing the band’s powerful grasp of dynamics. However, it’s during Flowers On A Grave that Gavin pushes the performance into legendary territory, as he walks right into the heart of the seething crowd, getting up close and personal with as many fans as possible before returning to the stage for an absolutely outstanding rendition of I Beat Loneliness.
With great songs, a lively, energetic performance, and pristine sound, Bush put on a phenomenal show and it would be good to see them return far higher up the bill next time around.
Providing a marked contrast to Bush’s lively alternative rock, Polish blackened death metallers Behemoth are consummate showmen. They also have a line in surprisingly memorable tunes considering the extremity of their delivery, and an ambition that has taken them far. Led by the irrepressible Adam “Nergal” Darski, who is probably already eying up the dimensions of the main stage, the band are currently promoting the excellent (if ludicrously titled) The Shit Ov God, and it’s clear that they intend to make every second of their performance count.
They arrive to the strains of Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer, Nergal seeking to blot out the very sun with his imperious performance. What follows is a short, savage set that does much to underscore the artistry that lies at the heart of Behemoth’s enduring success. The searing Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel, an atmospheric Bartzabel… hell, they even throw in a Bathory cover (The Return Of Darkness And Evil) for good measure. They wrap things up with Chant for Eschaton 2000, leaving the large and growing crowd with the firm impression that they have just spent the past forty minutes in the presence of greatness.
How much longer do we have to wait for a headline spot?
And so to Guns ‘n’ Roses, returning to Download with an epic, three-and-a-half hour set and a fuck-ton of attitude. Ignore the excoriating criticism from a small number of social media firebrands – it is the nature of the beast that extremity is rewarded, and, for the most part, Guns ‘n’ Roses do exactly what they set out to do.
That said, the band are not in the best position. Unlike Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park, their lengthy set faces considerable opposition – both from the much-loved Architects (playing over on the Opus Stage) and from cult favourites Blood Incantation (bringing their unique take on prog-metal to the Dogtooth Stage). Moreover, with Guns ‘n’ Roses having been almost perpetually on the road since reuniting, there simply isn’t the sense of anticipation that there might have been had they taken a year or two out (or released a new album), making their headline slot somewhat less popular than it might otherwise have been. This, combined with a meandering setlist and Axl’s narrowing vocal range, makes for a solid, if unspectacular performance that rewards the faithful but does little to attract the uninitiated.
Certainly, it starts well. Welcome To The Jungle finds the band on fire, with Axl husbanding his voice effectively. Despite what some may say, he can still hit those highs (as he does consistently across the night). However, it is with less power, grit, and duration than formerly – something that is not helped by a patchy mix that sees the vocals frequently drop in volume. Nevertheless, with Bad Obsession, It’s So Easy, and Mr Brownstone all leading the charge, Guns ‘n’ Roses play to their strengths, hooking the audience in with some of the biggest hitters in their catalogue.
Not everything goes quite so well. You Could be Mine suffers from a lack of vocal punch, as does Yesterdays and, although both Live And Let Die and Estranged do much to keep things moving nicely along, they pave the way for a patchy second hour that includes two new cuts (Atlas and Nothin’), neither of which are particularly strong; and a cover of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. On the flip side, the rarely heard Black Leather (sung by Duff) is a nice change from Attitude, the Rolling Stones-esque Dead Horse is always a pleasure to hear, and Double Talking Jive remains an acerbic assault on the senses.
The final third starts to pull things back together with another raft of hits, although the pacing feels a little off. The epic-length Coma is a highlight, but it feels odd to stick three ballads – Sweet Child O’ Mine, Don’t Cry, and November Rain –back-to-back, even if they do engage the crowd in a massive singalong. It leaves an energetic Night Train to whip things up before Paradise City brings the set to a raucous close. For the faithful, it’s a thrilling conclusion but the lingering sense remains that, in the festival environment, a shorter set would have been wiser.
Sunday
It’s an early showing for manic Texans Kublai Khan TX, who rip into the Apex Stage with a ferocity worthy of Pantera themselves. With music this primal, picking a highlight might seem moot, although the twin peaks of The Hammer and The Mountain Of Corsicana do stand out slightly above the maelstrom. Arguably music that is better felt in a hot, sweaty club, than unleashed on a massive outdoor stage, Kublai Khan TX nevertheless make good use of the space to deliver an early-morning dose of sinus-cleansing metal that comprehensively batters a slightly shellshocked crowd.
Over on the Opus Stage, it’s the turn of Wolfgang Van Halen and Mammoth, and they do a great job. Emerging as a more technical Alter Bridge, they have the chops and the melodies to go far, and they attract a sizeable crowd in consequence.
From the moment they kick off, somewhat paradoxically, with The End, they have the audience waving their fists in the air, while The Spell and Like A Pastime keep things bubbling along nicely. It’s compelling stuff and it’s easy to see the band, with their radio-friendly hooks, continuing to grow if they put on performances of this kind.
The crowd has grown considerably by the time Dogstar arrive with their airy, post-punk-infused alternative rock. While it’s fair to say that a good number have turned out to see Keanu Reeves in action (at least one person shouts out for Wyld Stallyns during the set), they stay to hear the likes of Sirens and Joy, which mix light-touch riffs and melodic vocals. Honestly, it feels a little too staid at times, but it’s good to see Dogstar back on stage once again, it happens all too infrequently.
Staid is certainly not the word for culture-clash nu-metal titans Bloodywood who, delighted beyond measure to be returning to Donnington, go full throttle.
From the moment they hit the stage with Dana Dan and Aaj, they have the Download crowd moshing front to back, while Nu Delhi serves as a particular highlight. A brilliant example of glocalisation (where global and local culture intersect), Bloodywood challenge the US-centric nu metal movement with vibrant anthems and a strong stage performance that has the bulk of the vast crowd hooked.
Meanwhile, over at the Avalanche Stage, alt-rockers TX2 whip up their own storm in front of a screaming crowd, tearing through a short, sharp set of electronically enhanced anthems, including a crushing take on their Ice Nine Kills collaboration, Mad, and thrilling set-closer I Would Hate Me Too. With strong stage presence and gut-wrenching sound, TX2 have an irresistible youthful energy that has the tent heaving.
We remain at the Avalanche Stage for the genre-hopping Magnolia Park and, if their computer-game-live-show schtick is drawn straight from the Bring Me The Horizon playbook, they do at least have the hook-laden anthems to back it up. With Animal, Shadow Talk, and Cult all ripping through the tent like a hurricane, Magnolia Park mark themselves out as a force to be reckoned with, and the screams from the pit suggest the crowd agree.
It helps that Joshua Roberts is a charismatic frontman and, while his “fuck Trump” chant is an easy win, it’s good to see the band displaying a rebellious spirit worthy of their coveted place on the respected Epitaph label.
Still, if it’s punk you want, however, then the Opus Stage is your essential destination for Social Distortion. With new album Born To Kill underscoring the fact that this junkyard dog has far from barked itself hoarse, Social Distortion deliver a slow-burning masterclass in old school punk authenticity.
Led by the indestructible Mike Ness, who makes for a charming frontman between tracks, the band rip through a set that covers all the bases, from new tracks such as Born To Kill, Tonight, and No Way Out, to classic cuts including Dear Lover and Don’t Drag Me Down; the latter pointedly dedicated to the Orange One currently squatting in the White House.
One of the bands of the festival, while Social Distortion don’t garner the crowd they deserve (they may have been better taking to the stage after The Wildhearts), they nevertheless demonstrate just why they’re so revered by everyone from Pearl Jam to The Offspring, the latter having based pretty much their entire career off of Social Distortion’s melodic punk rock.
It’s a race back to the Avalanche Stage for Dinosaur Pile Up. Oh man, what a festival band! With recent album I’ve Felt Better still burning up our stereo on a regular basis, they take to the stage like conquering heroes and deliver an absolutely killer set of memorable tracks.
You want highlights? Well, assuming I can’t have the whole damn thing, then I guess I’ll have to settle for My Way, Big Dogs (prompted throughout the set by a fiercely partisan crowd), and Thrash Metal Cassette. Bouncy, bruising, beautiful, it is so cool to see Dinosaur Pile Up receiving such adulation and it’s hard not to see them playing much higher up the bill upon their return.
It’s back up to the Opus Stage for Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello, who offers a set of recent cuts (Soldier In The Army Of Love, Adjourn It), covers (Mr Crowley, The Ghost of Tom Joad – complete with “fuck Tommy Robinson” sign), and tracks from across a storied career, including Audioslave and, of course, RATM.
Despite some great moments and good intentions, it’s all a bit inchoate to be honest, with medleys and shortened cover versions proving to be less engaging than the opening pair of numbers suggest. That said, there are flashes of brilliance. Roman Morello proves to be a chip off the old block, upstaging his father’s guitar-based pyrotechnics by delivering a solo from behind his head, while Killing In The Name inevitably has the entire crowd behind it. Nonetheless, the set needs a little more thought because today’s showing feels just a little thrown together.
We’re certainly getting our exercise in today, as we race back down to the Avalanche Stage once again, this time to catch the triumphant arrival of Ash. Permanently on the road at the moment, not to mention the fact that they’re celebrating the anniversary of their landmark 1977 debut, Ash are on something of a roll, even if it is a little disappointing that they opt for the exact same set they played at Bearded Theory last year.
Still, with the band always a heavier proposition on stage than on record, their fizzing riffs and effervescent melodies take the sizeable crowd on a glorious, singalong nostalgia trip, that takes in the likes of Fun People, A Life Less Ordinary, Goldfinger, Orpheus, and Shining Light, all delivered before the audience have a chance to breathe.
It’s not without its flaws. They do miss a trick by not including Darkside Lightside or Clones – both tracks tailor made for Download – and I could happily live the rest of my life if I never heard their cover of Jump In The Line again – but all is forgiven when they wrap things up with Kung Fu, Girl From Mars and, of course, Burn Baby Burn.
And so, to our final band of the weekend, Mastodon, who deliver a headline worthy performance over on the Opus Stage, demonstrating once again just how damn good they can be.
Right from the start, it’s clear that Mastodon aren’t fucking about. From Once More Around The Sun we get Tread Lightly, the band taking to the stage as gargantuan flame bursts cause the front rows to take an involuntary step back as the heat hits them like an invisible beam. They follow it up with The Motherlode and, dedicated to fallen guitarist Brent, Your Ghost Again – an emotional anthem that has the entire field enthralled.
There’s more. Crystal Skull and Black Tongue show that the band are more than comfortable with bringing the metal, while the closing pairing of Crack The Skye and Blood And Thunder so perfectly bridges the world of prog and metal that, for some ten glorious minutes, the entire crowd is simply lost in the band’s heady, psychedelic brew.
Mastodon have endured more than their fair share of tragedy, but they have emerged, phoenix-like from the ashes, as a potent live force once more. With new material promised, 2026 is set to be the year of Mastodon – what a way to wrap up an epic weekend of hard rock, punk, and metal!
Heading Home
Download continues to evolve. A sold-out year, it was, for the most part, impressively organised, with cleaner, better toilets, plenty of food, well-run bars, and stages that had impressively few issues. While there is no question that the arena was packed (particularly on Friday and Sunday), moving around was less challenging than it appeared from a distance and we were able to find comfortable spots for most of the band we wanted to see. The exception remains the Opus stage which, as with Pantera in 2024, can get massively overcrowded for certain acts. This year, it was Architects who bore the brunt of the problem, but this is a relatively rare occurrence and we generally found that the new layout, with the Avalanche stage infinitely better sited, made for a more comfortable experience overall.
Overall, Download 2026 was a massive success. The line-up was diverse and attracted a diverse audience. It’s good to see younger people getting into heavier music and there were certainly plenty of newer bands helping to keep things fresh. At the same time, the faithful were not forgotten and there was more than enough alternative rock, nu metal, old-school metal and punk dotted across the line-up to keep things interesting.
Ultimately, while there will always be those who complain about a festival rolling with the punches, the proof is in Download’s longevity, with crowds returning year on year both for the music and for the incredibly friendly atmosphere. Long may it run.
