Categories
Live Reviews

Download Festival

Donington Park

13-15 June 2025

Follow us on Social Media

DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL 2025 – the big review

After a washout of a year last year, those making the annual pilgrimage to Donington Park this year were checking the weather forecasts regularly. Would it be scorching? Would there be storms? Rain? Snow? The forecasters had us prepared for anything this weekend.

As always though as we enter the hallowed grounds of Download Festival, we are prepared to rock! For over twenty years now this monster event has welcomed the best of the alternative scene for a weekend of revelry and kickass music and 2025 on paper looks no different.

The arena itself though does look a little different. The now standard layout remains the same, but everyone is quick to notice and appreciate the upgrades in toilets and a few other little touches such as a screen outside the Avalanche Stage and the new fancy video totems on the main stage.

FRIDAY

The weather on Friday is hot, hot, hot… so it’s nice to start our weekend off in a tent! Karen Dio is a bundle of energy as she opens proceedings on the Avalanche Stage. The early crowd enjoy every moment of her short but sweet set and Download Festival 2025 is a go!

The line-up across the Avalanche Stage this week is great and features some of the best young bands on the scene. One of the most exciting is next as unpeople bring the riffs and the audience bring the party as we get into full swing today.

After a quick sojourn over to the main stage where CKY bring back memories of Tony Hawk games and teenage tomfoolery. The current line-up continues to defy the odds and as the sun beats down, they get the vocal cords of another crowded year warmed up.

There’s plenty of singing to be done next as we return to the Avalanche tent for Scottish breakouts Dead Pony. The likes of ‘MK Nothing’, ‘RAINBOWS’ and ‘MANA’ have the crowd repeating every word and the band can leave the stage knowing that they’ve smashed their opportunity.

Speaking of smashing opportunities and it’s back to the main stage for Boston Manor. Wow. The boys from Blackpool read the assignment and they understood every word. With a busy crowd, the sun shining and the beers flowing, Boston Manor deliver the biggest set of the entire weekend.

Every one of the nine tracks is delivered with passion and energy and the audience give the band everything that they have. This is just goosebump inducingly good. This set is one of those moments that you have to stand back and take in. It’s one of those moments in which a band solidifies their future and ensures that when they return, they will be playing even higher up the bill!

The run now on the main stage will become the stuff of legend and Rise Against are next up. A band who can be a little hit or miss, especially with their festival sets are fully on top of their game today. Blasting out the likes of ‘Prayer of the Refugee’, ‘Satellite’ and closer ‘Savior’, they all sound huge today and Friday is setting a tough measure to follow.

A quick trip for Trophy Eyes on the Avalanche Stage shows that the tent is still in full swing before it’s time for Jimmy Eat World to make their return to Download. Bringing in the likes of ‘My Best Theory’ and ‘Get It Faster’ helps their set to flow and of course ‘The Middle’ presents one of the biggest moments of the festival.

The nostalgic feel continues next with the ever-delightful Weezer bringing hits such as ‘Hash Pipe’, ‘Beverly Hills’ and ‘Buddy Holly’ to the main stage crowd. A Download appearance is a long overdue thing for the band and their first time didn’t disappoint.

Download Festival debuts is the Friday night theme and we can’t help but check out McFly in the Avalanche tent next. The crowd is expectedly large, if considerably smaller than Busted last year. McFly mix some snippets of rock classics amongst their own hit songs and those gathered have a whale of a time.

The biggest and longest overdue Download Festival debut however is reserved for our Friday night headliners Green Day. There is a real sense of occasion as the band hit the stage, and you feel that this is a true moment in time for the festival.

When a band can begin a performance with a run of ‘American Idiot’, ‘Holiday’, ‘Know Your Enemy’ and ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’ and make a two-hour set go by in a flash then you know that they are special.

It’s not often rain is welcomed at Donington but perhaps the moment of the festival is the shower that begins with precision just as Billie Joe sings the line “…Here comes the rain again…” during ‘Wake Me Up When September Ends’!

Green Day’s ability to make a packed field feel like a small venue is a gift and tonight they simply make headlining a major festival look easy. As the fireworks and ‘Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)’ close out a fantastic day, we can’t wait to do it all again tomorrow!

SATURDAY

Friday felt big and by comparison Saturday feels a little more subdued. We have a much talked about headline set to come and there are still some exciting acts spread across the stages however.

After a mysterious gap on the Opus stage results in nothing, we start our day as Static Dress continue their ascent up the line-up by opening the main stage. They do their best to wake up a clearly hungover early crowd and can leave knowing they didn’t fluff their lines.

BEX is fully prepared to win over a docile pre-midday audience in the Avalanche stage and brings her infectious energy and a couple of “Big BEX” colleagues to get the crowd engaged. Her short set is a resounding success, and the future looks very bright for an act Full Pelt have highlighted since the beginning.

Two more such exciting young acts, VENUS GRRRLS and Split Chain sandwich some hardcore icons on the main stage. Hatebreed cause chaos with their brutal set, but it’s both the two younger acts that really show themselves as ready to step up next.

Another set that will stand the test of time and prove to be a defining career milestone is that of Poppy on the main stage. The sort of act that old school Download Festival attendees would’ve bottled relentlessly, Poppy is incredible this afternoon. Even the most hardened sceptics in the audience appear to be won over by a superb set.

AWOLNATION are our next stop off over on the Opus stage and they lean heavily on their breakthrough record, ‘Megalithic Symphony’ much to the delight of the crowd. ‘Sail’ naturally provides another one of those big moments.

Teen Mortgage are good fun in the Dogtooth tent before we catch the beginning of Smash Into Pieces on the Avalanche stage. They say dress for the job that you want and not the one you have – well Smash Into Pieces bring a show ready for the main stage and the crowd love it today.

For a number of years fans have clamoured for Don Broco to be given a logo spot on the main stage. Those fans knew that the band could own such a slot and to nobody’s surprise that’s exactly what the band do. In a similar vein to Boston Manor yesterday, the band know what they need to do today, and they simply smash it.

Shinedown next are given a big opportunity to step up to sub-headline the main stage. We remember first seeing them low down the bill in 2009 and since then they’ve worked their way up the line-up. With a performance and show like they deliver today, you wouldn’t put it past them one day topping the whole thing!

A unique experience is on offer next as festival favourite Frank Carter is back. Not with his Rattlesnakes however, nor one of his other past bands but instead with the legendary Sex Pistols! Present day John Lydon may not endorse this collaboration but a rammed full Opus stage at Download Festival most certainly does.

Speaking of unique experience, a different sort of experience is next as Sleep Token act as a beacon for all young acts that says that headlining is not unattainable. The rise or even explosion of Sleep Token is a refreshing phenomenon and the volume of their t-shirts on parade this weekend show that they deserve this shot.

They are however something of a marmite band and those that love them, really love them and if you don’t “get it” then you actively seek to tear them down. Their set this weekend will only split the crowd even more.

What it is not is the statement that Bring Me The Horizon delivered. It’s also not one of the instantly forgettable sets that have topped the bill. Musically and stylistically the band are captivating. However, those very aesthetics and the whole no audience engagement element of their mystique also make the performance quite inaccessible to those not already clued in.

It’s a shame that the performance doesn’t win universal acclaim because in some ways it needed to. The reality is though that this festival needed to evolve and bring in fresh blood and the fact that Sleep Token were given this chance and they didn’t completely fumble the ball must be seen as a win for the future.

SUNDAY

The heat and the mammoth scale of the festival looks to be taking it’s toll on the audience and the arena is relatively quiet as Sunday gets underway with the mesmerizing Harpy in the Avalanche tent.

After a downpour during Sex Pistols last night, the rain is still lingering this morning which may also mean some stick to the comfort of their tents to sleep off lasts nights fun. Orbit Culture and Archers both bring a crisp brutality to the morning air and do their best to blow away the Sunday morning cobwebs.

Before we get back into our musical entertainment, let’s shout out the food and drink offerings with the new dedicated bars and areas continuing to provide individual feels to the arena. The Guinness bar is a favourite for us and we are won over by Supermac’s who we hope will be back again next year!

Right, back to the music and we are back at the Opus stage for an always visceral Nothing More. The group only have limited time but they undoubtedly make the most of it with the likes of ‘If It Doesn’t Hurt’ showing their ability to enthral and entertain.

The afternoon phase of Sunday is then something of a mixed bag with Vower making the most of their Dogtooth slot, Jinjer doing a good but perhaps slightly underwhelming turn on the main stage, Alien Ant Farm and Jerry Cantrell both delivering alright sets that perhaps dip due to understandable lethargy from the crowd, and a superb House of Protection statement set.

As we head into the final run of bands for the weekend Spiritbox do what they need to do in their big main stage spot and Airbourne do what Airbourne do over on the Opus stage. Neither set will likely prove that memorable, but both are a good time.

The heat this weekend whilst not quite at 2023 levels is certainly a factor in Sunday feeling quite sluggish. Many fans seem exhausted and the bands on offer whilst technically sound lack the ability to grab these fans by the collar and drag them from their stupor – case in point the very good Unprocessed who play to a rather tepid gathering in the Dogtooth tent.

It takes a firm festival favourite like Bullet For My Valentine to get momentum building again and the fans are treated to another run through of their seminal album, ‘The Poison’. Frontman Matt Tuck has never made any bones about his desire to headline, and he makes another bold proclamation at the end of their set. Up until recently you’d have probably laughed this suggestion off but with the band regaining their own momentum and the festival in a new era it’s entirely possible.

Another Welsh group reclaiming their past glories is Kids In Glass Houses and we catch them closing out the fantastic Avalanche stage for the weekend with a crowd-pleasing set.

Then there was one left. Closing out the entire festival are the band that Bullet will be hoping to emulate – Korn. A prime example of a band who lost out when Monsters of Rock died. If a Donington event had existing when Korn were at their peak, then perhaps they would’ve topped the bill before now but at last in 2025 it’s happening!

It seems that every single person at the festival wants to see the band take their opportunity with both hands and that love from the audience erupts as the opening echoes of ‘Blind’ ring around the arena.

A simplistic but effective production means that the band let their songs speak for themselves and as they blast out ‘Here to Stay’, ‘Got the Life’, ‘Clown’ and ‘Did My Time’, the band and audience find themselves in a combined state of euphoria.

A splendid outing for rarity ‘Twisted Transistor’ is a highlight but by the time they bring everything home with ‘Freak on a Leash’ the band have solidified themselves as bonified headliners at a festival that they are synonymous with.

There is perhaps no better way to finish the weekend and close the chapter on another Download Festival. This year’s will last long in the memory and is up there with the best. For the diehard attendees, Download Festival is their diary marker that they plan their year around. So the question now turns to who will make their mark next year?

Share our review on Social Media

Find Full Pelt Music on YouTube!

Check out our two Podcasts!

Categories
Magazine

Full Pelt Magazine

Vol. 4

Follow us on Social Media

Our weekly music News Report has evolved into the Full Pelt Magazine, and you can download the fourth issue now for free!

Volume four includes an update from cover stars Creeper, a review of ‘Confessions of the Fallen’ from Staind plus a special feature on Metal for Good!

We have our News Report rounding up new releases from Bruce Dickinson, Blink 182, The Dollyrots, Chelsea Wolfe, Alien Weaponry, Helmet, VEXED, The Cadillac Three, P.O.D., The Vaccines, Against The Current, The K’s, Casey, Jack Valero, Little Man Tate, The Sleeping Souls, Interlaker, The Pale White, Florence Black and North Atlas!

Plus new live announcements from Bury Tomorrow, Poppy, Hot Water Music, Jake Bugg and Grade 2.

Finally, we round up the latest additions to our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist with BIG SPECIALHumour and headcage!

Share the Full Pelt Magazine on Social Media

Find Full Pelt Music on YouTube!

Read our review of The Strokes live in London

Categories
Live Reviews

Reading Festival

Saturday 27th August 2022

Follow us on Social Media

READING FESTIVAL – SATURDAY – FESTIVAL REVIEW

Reading & Leeds Festivals are the traditional end of the UK Festival season, and this year is a milestone year as a full calendar takes place for the first time since 2019. Let’s not dwell on why, instead let’s head straight into the action on a packed and hot Saturday at Reading Festival.

Sold out well in advance, Saturday at this year’s event is a particularly hot ticket with a stunning line-up throughout and topped by Arctic Monkeys and Bring Me The Horizon.

We are in the arena bright and early for surprise opening act Wargasm who storm the main stage with a set packed full of energy and attitude. The band appears to be on a world conquering mission, and nobody can argue their work ethic. It’s also damn hard to argue with their captivating stage presence and musical outlay.

WATCH ‘FUKSTAR’ FROM WARGASM ON YOUTUBE
WARGASM – ‘Fukstar’

Find Full Pelt Music on Youtube

We then head into the ‘Festival Republic’ Tent for the next couple of acts. With the new two main stage structure at Reading & Leeds Festivals the separate ‘Pit’ and ‘Lock-up’ stage has sadly been a much missed casualty. There is much less choice now for the music connoisseurs amongst the crowd; which isn’t a problem with a stacked line-up like today but is very evident on Friday and Sunday.

This change does mean there is less cohesion in the line-up with heavy rockers Static Dress followed by lad rock upstarts The Skinner Brothers in the tent. Despite their difference styles both deliver energetic and well-received performances for the early risers.

There is more indie-fuelled sing-a-long action next back on the main stages with The Lathums pulling in a decent crowd. Whilst there is nothing earth-shatteringly new about what they do, The Lathums do this modern stock-indie reasonably well.

WATCH POPPY PLAY ‘BLOODMONEY’ AT READING FESTIVAL
Poppy – ‘BLOODMONEY’

Whilst there were no moulds broken on one main stage, over on the other is Poppy, an artist who has broken every mould she’s been in. Yes, originally a Youtube sensation, then a bubblegum pop idol and now a heavy metal phenomenon, Poppy crosses many boundaries. Today she oozes rockstar appeal as she owns the stage with their eclectic musical offerings, proving along the way that she retains a very bright future.

A bright future is also ahead for Sueco, who attracts a good sized audience in the tent next for his debut UK performance. Over the next thirty minutes Sueco has that crowd in the palm of his hands as he runs through fans favourites including TikTok sensation ‘Paralyzed’.

Enter Shikari are a band more concerned with the future of the planet than that of their career and they take a main stage next for a politically charged call to arms with epic musical accompaniment. New single, ‘The Void Stares Back’ including guests Wargasm sounds absolutely huge as do tracks from previous album, ‘Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible’.

WATCH ENTER SHIKARI PLAY ‘{ THE DREAMER’S HOTEL }’ AT READING
Enter Shikari – { The Dreamer’s Hotel }’

Read our review of Enter Shikari live in London

A passionate speech is curtailed through either a power failure or for the conspiracy theorists – censorship. Either way even with a stifled end to their set, the band show once again that they are one of the best live acts on the planet.

We’ve mentioned the stacked line-up today and part of the reason for such excitement is the collection of a number of bands in the best live act conversation. Next up on the other main stage are Fontaines D.C. who receive a hero’s welcome by swelled crowd.

WATCH FONTAINES D.C. PLAY ‘BOYS IN THE BETTER LAND’ AT READING
Fontaines D.C. – ‘Boys In The Better Land’

Read our review of ‘Skinty Fia’ from Fontaines D.C.

New album, ‘Skinty Fia’, takes centre stage as the band deliver the likes of ‘I Love You’, ‘Jackie Down the Line’ and ‘Roman Holiday’. A young fan coming out the crowd to ace guitar on ‘Boys in the Better Land’ provides one of the highlights of the festival, and the band leave the stage having proven themselves to be in the pool of future headliners.

Another band no doubt destined to headline Reading Festival in the not too distant future is Wolf Alice. Whether rocking hard on ‘Smile’, serenading us with ‘Safe From Heartbreak (If You Never Fall in Love)’ or showing their all round brilliance on ‘The Last Man on Earth’, Wolf Alice are a band that can literally do it all.

WATCH WOLF ALICE PLAY ‘HOW CAN I MAKE IT OK?’ AT READING
Wolf Alice – ‘How Can I Make It OK?’

Read our review of Wolf Alice live in Norwich

A twelve song set absolutely flies by this evening and with a rammed field of fans left desperate for more, surely a full headline show from the band is a must next time they come to town.

That’s one thing Reading & Leeds Festivals have always excelled at – giving new headliners their shot. That’s exactly what they do next with heavy hitters Bring Me The Horizon finally being given the main stage headline festival set they earned years ago!

What those who gather for the performance are greeted with is a band at the peak of their powers, both creatively and as a live act. The band proceed to deliver a memorable set for all the right reasons. This is a victory for Bring Me The Horizon and for heavy music and the band do all in their powers to fulfil all expectations.

WATCH BRING ME THE HORIZON PLAY ‘BAD HABITS’ WITH ED SHEERAN AT READING
Bring Me The Horizon – ‘Bad Habits’ feat. Ed Sheeran

Read our review of Bring Me The Horizon live in London

The setlist is flawless, the visuals are stunning, the crowd interaction is on point and the band sound incredible; this is a real moment. A moment made even bigger by the band bringing out Ed Sheeran for a dose of ‘Bad Habits’ to the ear-piercing sound of teenage girls screams.

This is the sort of performance that you don’t want to follow but that’s just what Arctic Monkeys have to do next. Being one of the most hotly anticipated acts of the weekend and one much craved by fans in recent years, surely this would be easy for megastars such as Arctic Monkeys.

WATCH ARCTIC MONKEYS PLAY ‘R U MINE’ AT READING
Arctic Monkeys – ‘R U Mine’

Sadly for those in attendance what the band deliver is a lukewarm showing. The opposite of Bring Me The Horizon, the setlist is poor, the visuals are basic, the crowd interaction is nearly non-existent and the sound is too low. A stunning day such as this needed a big finish and that should in hindsight of been Bring Me The Horizon.

Arctic Monkeys are a huge act with a back catalogue you can hold against anybody else, but today it feels like a phoned in effort. It isn’t a bad show by any stretch of the imagination; it’s a good show that should’ve been a great show.

Hopefully the band can rediscover their spark with new album, ‘The Car’ on the way, but tonight belongs to a different Sheffield band!

Share this review on Social Media

Read our review of All Points East with Gorillaz