Twenty-one years ago, the very first Download festival crash landed into Donnington. With the much-loved Monsters of Rock having unceremoniously fizzled out in 1997, when organisers tried to expand to a two-day event only to find themselves lacking viable headliners, Download emerged in the wake of 2002’s massively successful Ozzfest event and, this time, event co-creators Stuart Galbraith and Andy Copping had no shortage of names with which to pack the bill.
Sensibly, the first Download nodded both to Monsters of Rock and the upcoming bands of the day. As such, the Saturday was headlined by MoR veterans Iron Maiden, while the Sunday was topped by Audioslave, then supporting their well-received debut. Also on the bill were the likes of Deftones, Ministry, Sepultura, Arch Enemy, NOFX and, hidden away on the second stage, a little-known act called Metallica, who dropped a surprise set airing tracks from the then-unreleased St Anger (it dropped just a week later, on June 5th 2003). It was a hell of a party and, it’s fair to say, that with its mix of classic acts and fiercely competitive newcomers, Download set a pace that it’s managed to maintain with no small amount of success ever since.
Returning to a three-day event after its four-day anniversary marathon, Download 2024 sees the festival maintain its tradition of bringing together the very best bands from across the rock and metal spectrum. By championing both veteran bands and breaking artists, it has at least one eye on the sustainability of the scene, while the diversity of the line up means that you’ll always find something you want to watch, whatever your tastes. Here we dig into the line up to offer up fifteen bands that really should be on your watchlist.
Friday:
Queens of the Stone Age – Apex Stage 21:10 – 22:50
OK, so picking on the Friday mainstage headliner may seem like a no brainer, but this is the first time topping the Donnington bill for Josh Homme’s Queens, making this an event for band and audience both. With a number of cast iron classics to their name, not to mention excellent new album In Times New Roman (which dropped last year), their headliner status is assured and, anyway, it’s just Donnington catching up with what promoters in Europe have known for some time – QOTSA rule. Expect a mix of crunchy stoner rock, timeless anthems (Feel Good Hit Of the Summer, Go With The Flow, Regular John), and the occasional art rock digression, as the band take the Donnington masses on a trip to the desert and beyond.
Mr Bungle – Opus Stage 18:30 – 19:15
Mike Patton returns to Donnington, this time with his long-standing experimental outfit Mr Bungle. Last seen unleashing proto-thrash with the excellent The Raging Wrath Of The Easter Bunny Demo (2019), quite what version of Mr Bungle we’ll get is anybody’s guess, but it’s Mike Patton, so it hardly matters. Whether unleashing bruising thrash, or material from their influential art rock albums, Mr Bungle bring with them a genuine air of unpredictability that is increasingly rare in an era of ultra-processed performances.
Soft Play – Opus Stage 17:15 – 17:55
What mate? With Punk’s Dead, Soft Play effortlessly showed how to deal with trolls, shaping the barely articulate comments that littered their social media channels into a punk rock banger. Still bruising, no matter what the name, albeit with a mercurial edge that attracts a wide audience; the Mercury Prize-winning Soft Play look set to dominate the summer with Heavy Jelly (slated for a July release). Get an early look in when Isaac and Laurie unleash their insanely addictive tunes on the Opus Stage, and expect to find yourself screaming along whether you know the songs or not.
Ithaca – The Dogtooth Stage 17:10 – 17:35
Led by vocalist Djamila Boden Azzouz, Ithaca are one of the fiercest and most intelligent metalcore bands to have emerged from the UK. With 2022’s They Fear Us achieving widespread, and well-deserved acclaim, Ithica wear their hearts on their sleeves, digging into difficult topics (including sexism and racism) with unflinching honesty. Expect an emotional, cathartic performance from a band who have the passion and the talent to go on to bigger things.
Biohazard – The Dogtooth Stage 21:45 – 22:30
American hardcore institution Biohazard were one of the first bands to effectively fuse gritty urban hardcore with hip hop, and their self-titled debut and its follow up, 1992’s Urban Discipline, are rightly consideredclassics of the genre. Although they’ve had an uneven journey, Biohazard reunited their most successful line up of Billy Graziadei, Evan Seinfeld, Bobby Hambel, and Danny Schuler for a number of shows back in 2022. With both a documentary and a new album in the works, it seems that Biohazard are back for good. However, with the band playing the Dogtooth stage, get there early because it’s going to be rammed.
Saturday:
Pantera – Opus Stage 19:35 – 20:50
The naysayers have been out in force ever since this project got off the ground, but for anyone who’s actually attended a show, it has been a surprisingly emotional and cathartic chance to pay tribute to one of the biggest metal bands of the 90s. With legendary guitarist Zakk Wylde making the riffs his own, and Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante behind the kit, Phil Anselmo and Rex Brown have a rock-solid band with which to dig into their own illustrious past. Look forward to the whole of Donnington ringing to the sound of “walk” once more – it’s going to be immense.
The Offspring – Apex Stage 18:40 – 19:55
The Offspring may have left their hardcore roots long behind, but they’ve proved themselves smarter than the rest, and they still have plenty of songs with bite, especially if you dig beyond the singles. However, when it comes to festivals, The Offspring are happy enough to get the party started, and they have more than enough classic anthems to have Donnington singing and jumping for hours. With the short, sharp Let The Bad Times Roll combining anti-Trump rhetoric with blazing hooks, The Offspring are the perfect band to revive any flagging festival goers and keep them going late into the night.
Dying Fetus – The Dogtooth Stage 18:50 – 19:30
If The Offspring are rather too day glo for your tastes then, over at the Dogtooth Stage, something wicked this way comes as Dying Fetus come to give Download a damn good kicking. Arriving on the back of the frankly stunning Make Them Beg For Death, their first album in six long years, expect to see queues reaching far out of the tent and get there early for the most intense moshpit of the weekend.
Bleed From Within – Opus 13:40 – 14:30
Scottish brutalists Bleed from Within sit comfortably on a day that includes Dying Fetus and Fear Factory. Drawing on a range of ferocious influences, but not afraid to allow a hint of melody to creep into the mix, Bleed From Within are a modern metal highlight.
Fear Factory – The Dogtooth Stage 20:55 – 21:45
Cyber-metal legends Fear Factory are back with a new line up, cementing their legacy and promoting the excellent Aggression Continuum (2021) album. Led by charismatic guitarist Dino Cazares, the new look band features Tony Campos (bass), Pete Webber (drums), and Milo Silvestro (vocals). While there will be those who lament the departure of Burton C. Bell, Milo has, by all accounts, been doing an impressive job taking the band forward into their fourth decade. Expect Dino, whose passion for the band remains undimmed, to take the audience on a whirlwind tour of the band’s greatest moments.
Sunday:
Kerry King – Apex Stage 14:25 – 15:10
Given that Slayer played their last UK show at Download 2019, it’s fitting that Download 2024 should mark Kerry King’s return to action. With the solid From Hell I Rise album under his belt, and a shit-hot band (featuring Death Angel’s Mark Osegueda, Hell Yeah’s Kyle Sanders, and ex-Machine Head six-stringer Phil Demmel), Kerry King will bring his evil bag of riffs to download. Surprisingly low down the bill, this is a band to haul your ass to the arena for. Welcome back Kerry – we’ve missed you!
Machine Head – Opus Stage 19:45 – 20:55
No strangers to Donnington, having made their debut at Monsters of Rock in 1995, Machine Head return to flatten the Download audience. One of the best live metal bands treading the boards, there’s no doubting Robb Flynn’s unerring commitment and, with 2022’s Of Kingdom And Crown having received a strong reception, Machine Head are riding high once more. Expect bruising anthems from across the band’s career as Machine Fucking Head lay waste to the race track.
Alien Weaponry – Opus Stage 11:50 – 12:15
Airing at an unfeasibly early hour, New Zealand’s answer to Sepultura take to the Opus stage to wow the audience with their bruising blend of Mauri groove and potent metal. A unique band, as at home sharing a stage with Gojira (with whom they toured last year) as Cattle Decapitation, be sure to shake off the hangover early for this bunch.
Code Orange – Apex Stage 12:00 – 12:40
Poly-genre mentalists Code Orange have dabbled in hardcore, metalcore, industrial and alt rock over the course of five albums, the most recent of which (2023’s The Above) saw the band continuing their evolution to widespread acclaim. With Steve Albini (RIP) at the desk, and Billy Corgan dropping in to lend a hand on Take Shape, Code Orange are one of those rare bands that have gained a global presence in spite of their own best instincts. Expect the unexpected from a genuinely original and fearless act.
Limp Bizkit – Apex Stage 19:00 – 20:00
Ah man, Limp Bizkit. The band have seen it all over the years, from the globetrotting highs of Significant Other to near-pariah status as the nu-metal party fizzled out. Recently, the band have enjoyed a renaissance of sorts as court jesters, entertaining massive crowds at various festivals, and releasing the online only Still Sucks. While it became both easy and fashionable to cast the band as frat boy rockers, it’s worth remembering that Fred Durst is far smarter than most are prepared to give him credit for, while the band had an uncanny knack for pitching songs with insanely addictive melodies (see: Take A Look Around, Break Stuff, My Generation, and Eat You Alive) – traits that allowed Limp Bizkit to resurface where so many of their peers vanished into obscurity. Expect to see an entire field inexplicably air-steering to Rollin’.
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