Rockshot Ready To Rock At Download Festival XXI!

This weekend will see 80,000 fans flock to the hallowed grounds of Donington Park for Liquid Death Presents Download Festival XXI! Rockshot Magazine will have a team on site and will bring you all the action and here’s a taste of what you can expect.

Fall Out Boy @ The O2

Patrick Stump & Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy @ The O2 (Kalpesh Patel)

Heading In A New Direction
This year’s festival sees two acts being given the opportunity to headline the Apex Stage for the first time. Queens Of The Stone Age and Fall Out Boy both had huge UK Arena tours last year and take top billing alongside Download veterans Avenged Sevenfold. This is a welcome change for many, who have criticised the festival in the past for booking the same headliners.

Queens of the Stone Age @ Wembley Arena

Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age @ Wembley Arena (Kalpesh Patel)

An Epic Undercard
All three days are packed with heavy hitters. From some of the UK’s best such as Royal Blood, Enter Shikari, Frank Carter And The Rattlesnakes to the finest international acts like Black Stone Cherry, The Offspring and Limp Bizkit it really is a stacked lineup. There will be some special moments as Pantera play their first UK show in 20 years, a last UK festival appearance for pop punk icons Sum 41, and Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor plays a solo set.

Stone Sour @ Brixton Academy

Corey Taylor of Stone Sour (Kalpesh Patel)

Rising Talent
Two of Wales’s finest have big slots as Those Damn Crows will take to the Main Stage. Their recent UK tours have been a total sell-out, the venues keep getting bigger and now they play the biggest stage of them all. Holding Absence are obviously highly thought of too, sandwiched in between Silverstein and Billy Talent on Download’s Opus Stage.

Those Damn Crows @ Manchester Academy

Those Damn Crows @ Manchester Academy (Joe Jones)

Left Field Bookings
Let’s start with Busted! Probably not a name many would have expected to see on a Download lineup, but they were a gateway band for many. Headlining the Avalanche Stage on Friday, we fully expect it to be bursting to capacity.

Busted @ AO Arena

Busted @ AO Arena (Joe Jones)

Other surprising bookings include Ireland’s Eurovision entry Bambi Thug, the EMO pop-punk of Charlotte Sands and London Rap trio Frozemode proving the festival is looking at a more diverse range of artists.

Bambie Thug @ Mighty Hoopla 2024

Bambie Thug @ Mighty Hoopla 2024 (Kalpesh Patel)

A Special Surprise …
Festival booker Andy Copping recently teased a secret act will be playing this year. The rumour mill is in full force, with the likes of Slipknot, Green Day, Foo Fighters, My Chemical Romance and Biffy Clyro amongst the names speculated by fans. We don’t have any inside information, but we spot a gap on the Dogtooth Stage on Sunday between 3pm-4pm. We’ll be there, just in case…

The Churnups @ Glastonbury Festival 2023

The Churnups (Foo Fighters) @ Glastonbury Festival 2023 (Kalpesh Patel)

District X
For those camping, District X will provide you virtually non-stop entertainment. From exercise class Rockfit in the morning, chilli and hot dog eating contests during the day, late-night DJ sets, club nights, and surprise acoustic sets, you will be more than entertained. You can even catch England and Scotland’s Euro 2024 fixtures live on a big screen!

We hope all our readers have an amazing time at Download Festival, and we’ll try and bring those of you who aren’t there as close to all the action as possible.

Liquid Death Presents Download Festival takes place this weekend. For Tickets, Set Times and more information, please visit www.downloadfestival.co.uk

Fall Out Boy Headfirst Slide In Stardust At The O2

Avalanche Fire Up Debut Era With Riotous New Single ‘On The Bags Again’

Australia’s hard-hitting rock ’n’ roll upstarts Avalanche have unleashed their most unapologetically wild track to date with On The Bags Again, a rowdy new single lifted from their forthcoming debut album Armed To The Teeth, due for release on 13th February.

Mark Daly Unleashes New Single ‘In The Dark’ Following North American Tour With The Darkness

Rising Irish rocker Mark Daly has kicked off 2026 with the release of his brand-new single In The Dark, a high-energy rock anthem that marks a bold new chapter in his rapidly growing career. Fresh from completing a 27-date tour across the US and Canada supporting The Darkness, Daly returns with a track that balances arena-ready hooks with deeply personal storytelling.

Public Service Broadcasting @ Latitude Festival 2025 (Kalpesh Patel)

Public Service Broadcasting Announce Alexandra Palace Headline Show Celebrating ‘The Race For Space’

Public Service Broadcasting have announced their biggest headline live show to date, set to take place at London’s Alexandra Palace on 26 September 2026. The landmark performance will celebrate 10 (+1) years of the band’s acclaimed second album, The Race For Space, marking a full-circle moment at the venue where the record was first launched.

Knumears Announce Debut Album ‘Directions’ And Share New Single ‘Fade Away’

Los Angeles-based screamo revivalists Knumears have announced their long-awaited debut album Directions, set for release on 3rd April. Alongside the announcement, the trio have shared a powerful new single, Fade Away, featuring guest vocals from Jeff Smith of genre pioneers Jeromes Dream.

Architects Unleash Cinematic ‘Broken Mirror’ Video As UK Festival Date Confirmed

Architects have released the official music video for Broken Mirror, the latest single taken from their current album The Sky, The Earth & All Between. The track captures the band at their most dynamic, balancing moments of vulnerability with towering heaviness and massive, arena-ready choruses.

Cowboy Hunters Announce New EP ‘EPeepee’ And Share Raucous Single ‘Have A Pint’

Glasgow duo Cowboy Hunters have announced their forthcoming new EP EPeepee, set for release on 20th March, alongside the arrival of its latest single, Have A Pint. The track offers a feral and immediate introduction to the band’s world, blending their tongue-in-cheek cowboy-slaughter mythology with the gritty reality of Glasgow’s pub culture.

Slaughter To Prevail @ O2 Academy Birmingham (Nick Allan)

Slaughter To Prevail Level Birmingham On The Grizzly Winter Tour

Slaughter To Prevail’s Grizzly Winter tour rolled into a sold-out O2 Academy Birmingham and delivered a show that was as visually imposing as it was sonically brutal. Known for their uncompromising approach to modern deathcore, the Russian heavyweights arrived armed not only with a crushing setlist, but with full-scale production that underlined just how far the band have risen in recent years.

Robert Smith of The Cure @ Glastonbury Festival 2019 (Kalpesh Patel)

The Cure, Gorillaz And Moby To Headline New Bulgarian Festival PhillGood

Bulgaria is set to make a major statement on the European festival circuit next summer with the launch of PhillGood, a brand-new three-day music festival taking place in Plovdiv from 17th–19th July 2026. Headlined by The Cure, Gorillaz and Moby, the inaugural event brings some of the most influential names in modern music to one of Europe’s oldest and most culturally rich cities.