Download Festival 2025 Review

And just like that, another Download is in the bag. Another immense weekend spent on the hallowed grounds of Donnington Park, where the weather held up (mostly), the drink flowed, and the bands brought their A-game. The best Download yet? Subjective, of course, but it was certainly a strong one.

I wish I (Carl) had been able to go, but life commitments ensured that would not be the case. However, we did have someone there who spend the weekend checking out a ton of bands, enjoying the experience, and eating her body weight in gyoza. Can you blame lady_hellion?

So, over to her to tell you all about Download Festival 2025.

Another year done and dusted! I had a great time, as per usual. I found some new bands and checked out plenty of bands I already loved, but before I get into those, I want to talk about the overall festival experience.

This year I thought there was a really a nice atmosphere about the place. Maybe because it wasn’t as busy as previous years, maybe because the weather was nice (mostly), or maybe because everyone was just glad to be back at Download. Whatever the reason, everyone I met was nice. As were the staff and stewards I interacted with, all friendly and polite.

How about food and drinks? One bar on the Friday really misjudged the staff it needed but that seemed to be sorted pretty quickly and what was on offer/prices was par for the festival course. Which also applied to the food prices too, but as we all know, if it tastes good and fills the belly, it’s less of a rip off. Overall there was a good range of food and massive shout out to Big Mouth Gyoza, their dumpling and curry fries are worth trying if you see them at a festival!

Now the important stuff… toilets! Which were clean all weekend, both in arena and guest and I never queued that long. Although tactically missing the last songs of bands to get to one probably helped that.

So, on to the bands. Now I will admit to be being underwhelmed by the headliners pre-arrival, but in the end, I found myself still thoroughly enjoying the experience, even if they weren’t for me.

Thursday

I went down earlier with some friends and spent the evening/night in the village, which was very busy as there were no main arena bands. As busy as it was though, the atmosphere was nice and there was plenty to do, such as pop-up pubs and a fairground. There was also the Vengaboys, playing to a rammed tent. I caught two songs from outside, a silly but fun addition.

Friday

The first band I saw of the festival (proper) was SiM, the Japanese reggae punk metal band. I enjoyed the energy and the heavier elements of their sound, but some of reggae-tinged parts didn’t work for me. I will say that they did a great job of warming up the main stage crowd though.

Battlesnake came next and proved to be a real highlight of the festival for me. Delivering gloriously fun and camp metal that really got the crowd going. Alongside that, their stage antics were quite something. Ending their set with all their costumes off, having one of the guitarists being pushed on a cab around stage to a heavy cover of AC/DC’s Let There Be Rock. The Aussies knew what to do to entertain.

From that to bluesy rock, Dirty Honey being the perfect band to enjoy in the sunshine. Followed by some energetic alternative rock and punk via The Meffs, heavy chaos via Graphic Nature (it’s always good to see younger bands move up the stages), and emotional intensity via Svalbard. The latter is a bittersweet set as Serena announces that it’s the first and last time they’ll be playing Download as they’re splitting. They sound great and if you can get to one of the dates on their final tour at the end of the year, do.

Then there is Alcest, a band that mesmerises. Seeing this band live is always amazing and I forget I was in a field as their gloomy, but gorgeous sound, washed over me.

Saturday

Loathe, what a way to start the day, energetic and heavy. There’s no time for hungover heads when this band is doing its thing. I then went to see Bastardane, a band I was unfamiliar with and really enjoyed, delivering sludgy grungy goodness. Before an old favourite and festival staple stepped up to show the youngsters how anthemic hardcore is done. You know you’re always in good hands with Hatebreed.

A trip to the Avalanche stage was more than worth it thanks to Split Chain, clearly having a blast on stage and getting the crowd moving. Whereas Teen Mortgage’s noisy punky sound was cool, the two-piece bringing plenty of bouncy energy. Before Anaal Nathrakh decimated all who dared venture near them. Hell, before the first song even started, the pit was opening up. My time there was limited, but they delivered superb brutality.

I did want to see Kittie, but the tent was rammed so I waited outside and heard a mix of tight new tracks and old classics. No such issue for Cradle of Filth though, and once I am in, they do what Cradle do so well. It’s always nice to see Dani in good spirits too.

Then we get to Sleep Token. Ok, I went in with an open mind wanting to be blown away by it, but they did nothing for me. Even the screens at the side of the stage had so many effects going on that you couldn’t see the show properly. An issue when you’re vertically challenged! I tried, I really did, but I am simply not a fan, and I don’t think the show was any good. Still, plenty of people seemed to be loving it, which was great to see.

Sunday

I began my Sunday (a lot fresher thanks to being a hotel this time around) with Nothing More, a new find or me with catchy tracks and a very watchable front man. Needed on a Sunday, as a fair few people around the site are flagging.

Over to the mighty Vower next, who sounded incredible. Soaring vocals leading into heaviness, it was a real treat. Speaking of treats though, over on the main stage, it’s Power Trip who really get the crowd going, before Municipal Waste make security work hard with waves of crowd surfers, circle pits and fun thrash metal in the sunshine.

At this stage I was dashing about the place to try and catch as much as possible, so I only caught a bit of Meshuggah on the main stage, sounding immense as usual. Then, I caught Jerry Cantrell, where a nice atmosphere and Greg Puciato on vocals, adds layers. However, I do wish there was less Alice in Chains tracks in his set though. It’s no secret that AIC are my favourite band ever, but I really wanted to see a Jerry set!

A last minute addition, but bringing the head banging frenzy, Ingested go really hard and looked like they were loving it. As do Fit for an Autopsy, keeping the heavy going with groove and using up the last of my head banging reserves.

Finally, it’s Korn, a band who certainly deserve the headline spot, and wrap up an epic weekend in style. The sound was great, the band were so tight, and I thought the guitars sounded extra dirty. The time flew by and Jonathan Davis energy was infectious, displaying genuine gratitude to have the opportunity.

Roll on 2026!