Download festival
Download festival review – monster metal weekend roars back to full volume
At capacity again after two years of Covid, jubilant crowds greet showstopping turns from full-glam Kiss to musically flashy Iron Maiden and the fury of Bleed from Within
Matt Mills
13, Jun, 2022 @1:19 PM
Field of dreams: the best music festivals still available to book
Big hitters such as Glastonbury may be sold out but – from an Afrobeats party in Portugal to Lil Wayne in a Cambridge orchard – there’s a huge variety of outdoor events out there to brighten your summer
Emma Garland, Graeme Virtue and Jenessa Williams
02, Apr, 2022 @8:00 AM
Abba to Zappa: pop, rock and classical music to look forward to in 2022
UK rap’s biggest star goes on tour, Wet Leg drop a deadpan debut and Rosalía gets into reggaeton. Here are the albums, concerts and tours the big hitters have in store
Alexis Petridis and Andrew Clements
30, Dec, 2021 @6:00 AM
Download Pilot review – a joyful noise for fans and bands
Exuberant scenes at the rock and metal festival test event find its 10,000 guinea pigs leaving Covid blues far behind
Matt Mills
20, Jun, 2021 @5:09 PM
‘It’s going to be weird’: Download festival opens with no social distancing
10,000 rock and heavy metal fans look forward to weekend of moshing without masks at Covid pilot event
Jessica Murray
18, Jun, 2021 @7:23 PM
Peter Gabriel: festivals risk ‘losing everything’ without government insurance
Industry figures warn nightclubs and music venues also being pushed towards ‘financial cliff edge’ by delay in lockdown easing
Laura Snapes and Jasper Jolly
17, Jun, 2021 @10:31 AM
Download festival to return as 10,000-capacity test event – with moshing
Metal festival in June, operating at eighth of usual size, will be first three-day camping festival as pandemic restrictions relax
Ben Beaumont-Thomas
26, May, 2021 @9:49 AM
Isle of Wight festival moves to September as Download and Primavera cancel
Events originally scheduled for June are postponed and cancelled, as sector continues to press UK government for insurance scheme
Ben Beaumont-Thomas
02, Mar, 2021 @2:21 PM
Metallica: the night the masters of metal gave me hope for the future
Continuing our series on the artists who had a formative influence on our music writers, Matt Mills recalls how a cataclysmic set at his first ever festival helped him overcome his deepest anxieties
Matt Mills
02, Feb, 2021 @9:36 AM
Download and Isle of Wight festivals cancelled due to coronavirus
Metal and pop events called off, joining Glastonbury, the Great Escape and more on the cancellation list
Ben Beaumont-Thomas
26, Mar, 2020 @1:42 PM
Download festival review – fire, fury and hymns to the dark side
Headliners Slipknot and Def Leppard lead the way on a long weekend of big riffs and shouting
Dom Lawson
17, Jun, 2019 @11:13 AM
Reading and Leeds, Latitude, Download and Wireless festivals to go plastic-free
Global promoter Live Nation pledges to eliminate single-use plastics from festivals and venues by 2021
Laura Snapes
24, May, 2019 @11:20 AM
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