Pictures by Enda Madden. Review by Howard Keogh.

Download festival is still evolving. This year’s lineup sees a hugely diverse selection of styles and genres meet in a maelstrom of musical mayhem. 2006 also sees new partnerships with the final fantasy gaming franchise and author Rebecca Yarros. In a nod of respect to past glories, the Lemmy Forever Initiative brings a miniature urn containing the stars ashes to the Download site.

DAY 1 – FRIDAY

Creeper

Blood thirsty rockers Creeper are busy at this year’s Download, playing two sets, and hosting a DJ set. Their set unfolds like a gothic comic book brought violently to life featuring “Mistress of Death,” and “Headstones” where Will von Ghould prowls the stage with the confidence of a man who knows exactly what kind of story he’s telling. “Razor wire” sees Hannah Greenwood deliver a standout vocal performance. It seems vampires do come out in the daylight.

Periphery

From the off it’s a brutal assault of guitar backed by soaring vocals. Periphery deal in precision, brutality, and shifting time signatures. Riffs appear, disappear and mutate before your brain has properly processed them. Today we witness the first live performance of material from the new album “A Pale White Dot.” Unfortunately, guitarist Jake Bowen was missing due to a family emergency; however, that doesn’t stop the delivery of a killer set. By the end, Periphery has demonstrated once again that technical proficiency need not come at the expense of emotion.

Daughtry

Chris Daughtry has vocal agility, power, and huge range…gifts that are all on display today. Daughtry understands something many bands forget: songs matter, big choruses matter. His voice remains a formidable instrument, carrying effortlessly across the field. The song “Pieces” is dedicated to anyone who has experienced loss or darkness. Warm sun adds to the feel-good factor as the crowd clap along and get to participate on “Over to You.” The highlight of the set however is the evocative “Heavy is the Crown.”

Halestorm

Lzzy and Arjay Hale first surfaced at Download back in 2012. Since then, Lzzy has developed that increasingly rare quality of absolute command. Some performers ask for attention. She simply grabs it. From the moment she steps forward the stage belongs to her. “Fallen Star” opens the set, before Lzzy gets her voice warmed up with a massive scream that launches intro “I Miss the Misery.” All the favourites are there with “Love Bites” up next. New music “Watch out!” from 2025 album “Everest” is dedicated to “all the bitches in the audience” before we hear “Freak like me.” Lzzy pushes her voice close to breaking point on “I Get off” to a rapturous reception from the crowd. The voice remains astonishing: powerful enough to cut through any mix and nuanced enough to carry genuine vulnerability.

Limp Bizkit

After a rousing performance in 2024, Limp Bizkit are enjoying a huge resurgence and return to triumphantly as first time Download headliners to carry on the party. A countdown onscreen hits zero and a bizarre image of mother and baby flashes onscreen before a dedication to former bass player Sam Rivers and band friend Dougie Miller. Limp Bizkit emerge to a reception that borders on delirium. It would be easy to dismiss them as a relic from the turn of the millennium. Yet standing in a field filled with thousands of people losing their minds to those songs, such arguments feel academic. “Break Stuff” appears early, setting the tone for what is to come, and the crowd are lapping it up.

A lyric board onscreen ensures the whole crowd can sing along to a rollicking performance where Fred Durst has the crowd wrapped around his little finger. The set is chaotic, self-aware and relentlessly enjoyable. The crowd wants riffs, they want choruses, and they want to jump around screaming lyrics that some here today first learned twenty-five years ago. That is exactly what they get!

Cavalera

Max and Igor Cavalera return play the Dogtooth tent which is full of die-hard fans, and they carry with them an entire legacy. Opening with the thunderous “Refuse, Resist” these icons of tribal thrash blast their way through an electric set. The songs remain ferocious. Age has done nothing to soften their impact on a crowd responding to the ancient rhythms. Time has not stilled the fire in their bellies as the Dogtooth crowd mosh through “Territory” and Black Sabbath classic “Symptom of the Universe.”

DAY2–SATURDAY

The Wildhearts

Today we celebrate life with Ginger who unfortunately was recently diagnosed with Mantle cell Lymphoma. It’s an early start, but one supported by a big crowd and a warm media presence. Ginger shouts “Some of us didn’t make it here today” and tells those that did to raise their hands in celebration of life. The band tear through their set with the energy of musicians determined to prove they still belong among the festival’s heavy hitters. “Suckerpunch” and “Diagnosis” go down well and even Ginger’s dog even gets to appear on stage. This is rock n’ roll at its finest.

Tailgunner

Tailgunner ticks almost every box on the classic heavy metal checklist. Heavy metal has spent decades borrowing from its own past, but Tailgunner wear their influences with genuine pride rather than irony. Rushing onto stage with a sense of urgency that doesn’t relent, vocalist Craig Cairns dashes around the stage, like a scalded cat. The band’s performance feels like a transmission from an era when guitar solos were mandatory and every chorus demanded a raised fist. The enthusiasm is infectious. New album title track “Midnight Blitz” and “Tears in rain” are just some highlights. Recent lineup changes led to rumours that a Download appearance might not happen, however, luckily for all, this was averted. Download crowds can be notoriously difficult to win over early in the day, however Tailgunner completely nailed it.

Those Damn Crows

Eerie squawks of crows herald the arrival onstage of a band riding the crest of a wave. The Welsh rockers have spent years building momentum the hard way and Donington feels like another significant step forward. A huge crowd are here to witness the band’s first live show in eight months. Shane Greenhall announces “it’s been a while; I wanted to smell the grass.”  A great and melodic set that includes “Man on Fire”, “No Surrender” and “Sin on Skin” is completed with Shane delighting the assembled masses by the announcement of new material in the works and a potential UK tour in October. This powerful show is bound to have won over many new fans.

Self-Deception

Modern rock can often struggle to stand out, but this Swedish outfit understands how to command attention. The set is built on huge hooks, electronic textures and enough energy to power half the festival site. Opener “One of Us” is heavy, so the band sprays down the crowd with water pistols afterwards. The crowd response grows song by song. The band moves with confidence feeding off the audience. Singer Andreas Clark asks, “Anyone Married?” as the genre shifts the energy again for the song “Wedding.” Later he instructs the crowd to make room for Patrik Hallgren on bass, who takes up position playing from the centre of a furious circle pit. The atmosphere is electric and we leave with a sense that many may have arrived curious, but all will have left converted.

Architects

Architects headline the Opus stage tonight to a massive crowd and the anticipation is palpable. Few British rock bands have evolved as dramatically over the past decade; Sam Carter remains one of metalcore’s most compelling front men. The set opens with “Elegy” and the ferocious “Whiplash,” before Carter dedicates “Doomsday” to former band-mate Tom Searle. The set is stopped twice due to health concerns from security as multiple circle pits erupt. Overall, however Architects deliver a set that balances crushing heaviness with enormous melody.

Blood Incantation

The stage is set with otherworldly backdrop and two giant obelisks either side of the stage. This band take the whole idea of progressive to the next level, weaving strands of Psychedelic material with death metal, electronic flourishes and a dash of Hawkwind to create a truly malevolent force.

The band has virtually created their own genre that takes the listener on a roller coaster ride through the cosmos with musical elements of light and shade.

Guns ‘n’ Roses

Forty years in and back to headline Download, for many in attendance, this is the reason they’re here. Uncharacteristically for Axel, the band arrives onstage ten minutes early, for what has what has been billed as a three hour plus set. The opener “Welcome to the Jungle,” “It’s So Easy” and “You Could Be Mine” brings us back to the eighties. GNR first performed a Donington festival way back in the “Monsters of Rock” days in 1988. Now mid-way through a world tour and some cracks are starting to show in Axels’ vocals as he struggles to hit the higher notes.

DAY 3– SUNDAY

Mammoth

Arriving on stage with a humble “Hi”, it’s straight down to business with virtuoso guitar licks from the family gene pool. Wolfgang Van Halen has spent much of his career exceeding great expectations as the son of a guitar icon, yet Wolfgang himself remains an engaging presence, displaying humility and confidence. Mammoth’s continued success has been built on the undeniable fact that the songs are great. The band’s performance is packed with huge riffs, choruses and the kind of effortless musicianship that comes from years of dedication rather than inherited reputation. It was two years ago when Mammoth first played Download. Opener “The End” is swiftly followed by “Another celebration at the end of the world.” and a well-received set closes with “Don’t Back Down.”

 Dogstar

A quick sound check from a certain Keanu Reeves bass creates quite the stir before the set starts. Such is the buzz surrounding Dogstar, that every photographer onsite is in the pit. New album “All In Now” provides most of the material played today. The main attraction here seems to be Reeves however in reality it is just three friends playing straight-ahead rock n’ roll. The show is enjoyable and convincing if unremarkable. Their performance is understated and melodic, but you can’t avoid the feeling that the band are trying to underplay their celebrity member.

The Pretty Reckless:

This band seems to have grown up with Download festival now returning to the Main stage slot level. The husky vocals of Taylor Momsen are punctuated with great guitar licks. Momsen possesses the sort of charisma that cannot be taught, and a voice as smooth as smoke & whiskey. Mid-set Momsen takes a walk in the pit to meet the punters. “Witches Burn” is dedicated to the ladies, and audience participation is the order of the day during the classic “Make Me Want To Die.” The Pretty Reckless has long occupied a unique space between classic hard rock and contemporary alternative music. Today they sound completely at home.

Ankor:

A relentless dance beat provides the intro before Ankor explodes onto stage with a show full of infectious fun and energy. Sticky sweet lyrics provide a counterpoint to raw vocals, ably delivered by Jessie Williams who immediately commands attention. She pouts and struts across the stage like a naughty girl, mixing singalong choruses with intense growls, while the rest of the band provides the energy of a small power station.

The Band have spent years quietly building a reputation as one of modern metal’s most exciting prospects and today feels like a significant step forward. What stands out most is their confidence. Circle pits evolve as energy levels hit fever pitch. Bass player Julio Lopez takes off on a crowd surfing journey towards the end of a frantic show.

Tom Morello:

Tom Morello doesn’t merely perform songs, he presents ideas. The riffs that helped define generations of alternative music remain astonishingly powerful, but it is Morello’s ability to connect those songs to larger themes that elevates the performance. Veteran fans who remember the original impact of Rage Against the Machine stand alongside younger attendees discovering these songs for the first time. The solos are still extraordinary and the energy remains intact. The thunderous riff to “Soldier in the Army of Love” blasts its way across the arena before Morello addresses the audience. “Anyone love rock n roll and hate fascism?” He proceeds to create “An anti-fascist earthquake.” The audience erupts bouncing up on cue together. Morello is a political force for good and perhaps needed more today than ever.

Linkin Park:

How time flies! It’s been 12 years since Linkin Park last headlined Download festival. They return with new singer Emily Armstrong following the tragic loss of Chester Bennington in 2017. Questions surrounded their future, their return, and whether the old songs could ever feel complete again. New track “The Emptiness Machine” opens this celebration, firstly for the bands return and secondly, as pointed out by co-vocalist Mike Shinoda, for the first Female to Headline Download festival.  The production is spectacular and the sound tight, and focused. The set includes all the classics like “Numb” and “Papercut.” The set closes with “Faint.” By the end of this performance, all those questions have disappeared, and Linkin Park has smashed any doubts. Eventually the house lights come up and the spell breaks, but what a way to end Download 2026.

And so, another Download festival comes to an end, stages are already being dismantled, campsites are emptying, and multitudes of fans begin their individual journeys home. Some near, some far, but all happy having had a great weekends entertainment. Hell, there was even a secret set from those mighty Newport Helicopter pilots “Skindred” added for good measure.

In cars, campers, trains, and airports, discussions about the weekend experiences will begin, and the memories will hopefully last forever.

Roll on Download X1V!