Green Day, a longstanding figure in pop-punk, headlines the festival’s opening night. Despite having been a fixture in rock for decades, this will be the band’s first performance at Download, and their new billing reflects a renewed relevance following the release of Saviors earlier this year. The album was widely praised, with Classic Rock’s Mark Beaumont describing it as “the sound of reassuring rebellion from the midst of the 21st-century breakdown”.

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Following Green Day, Saturday will see Sleep Token’s anticipated ascent to headliner status. The enigmatic UK band has seen a meteoric rise, moving from Download’s smaller stages to the pinnacle of its main stage within just a few years. Known for their atmospheric blend of metal, pop, and ambient music, Sleep Token gained substantial traction in 2023, largely due to viral exposure on TikTok, making their announcement today a surprising one to many metal fans. Their most recent album, Take Me Back to Eden, was released in 2024 to considerable acclaim. Download chief Andy Copping explained to NME that the decision to elevate Sleep Token stems from their recent success and popularity, saying, “It’s time. It’s Sleep Token’s moment,” adding that the festival has often led the way in breaking newer acts, from Slipknot to Bring Me The Horizon.

 

 

 

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Rounding out the top of the bill is nu-metal stalwart Korn, who last performed at Download in 2022 as a main-stage support act. Although they have been part of Download’s line-up since 2004, 2025 will mark the first time Korn headlines the festival. Their career-spanning set is expected to draw from their 30-year history, including fan favourites from their recent Gunnersbury Park performance, which attracted a record UK crowd. The band is reportedly working on new material, adding further anticipation to their Download headlining debut.

.@DownloadFest 2025? Fuck yeah!

Tickets on sale Thursday at 9PM here: https://t.co/aD8KptBxLT.#DLXII pic.twitter.com/MrgwvZdE2d

— The Darkness (@thedarkness) November 12, 2024

In addition to the headline acts, the festival will feature a diverse range of bands and artists, from punk to extreme metal. Notable inclusions are Weezer, Jimmy Eat World, The Darkness, Alien Ant Farm, Bullet for My Valentine, and Frank Carter’s collaboration with the Sex Pistols. Further down the bill, acts such as Cradle of Filth, Steel Panther, Meshuggah, Poppy, and McFly provide breadth to this year’s programming. “There’s something for truly everyone,” Copping remarked to NME, emphasising the festival’s need to adapt and sustain a broad appeal to survive.

But wait, there’s more! UK, you’re in luck because we’re playing @DownloadFest in June (!!!) AND a show in Halifax on 30th June @ Piece Hall. The mailing list pre-sale for all of the headline shows starts tomorrow at 10am GMT/11am CET. Sending the code out in 2 hours, sign up… pic.twitter.com/Ujk9v7MUE4 — weezer (@Weezer) November 12, 2024

Download’s organisers appear to be continuing a trend of expanding the definition of a “rock” festival, following a 2024 event marked by quarrels about genre and sponsor controversies. Last year’s line-up, headlined by Queens of the Stone Age, Fall Out Boy, and Avenged Sevenfold, was criticised for under-representing traditional metal acts. The event faced last-minute challenges, as multiple artists withdrew in response to Download’s sponsorship by Barclaycard, which later withdrew after facing scrutiny.

Photo credit: Raymond Flotat

Syd Barrett Estate launches the Official Syd Barrett YouTube channelhttps://t.co/4utqmCEdlZ
Syd Barrett Music Limited and the Syd Barrett estate are launching a dedicated Syd Barrett YouTube channel. pic.twitter.com/U6FFXZY03j

— Syd Barrett-Official (@TheSydBarrett) May 9, 2023

The channel will feature songs from Barrett’s solo career post Pink-Floyd, and will be accompanied by animated music videos created by Swedish animator Alex Teglbjaerg.

Taken from a press release, Peter Barrett, on behalf of the Barrett Family, explains, “There isn’t all that much filmed Syd Barrett out there. You’ve seen already seen most of the material and the few bits that pop up are quickly placed in the public domain. We want to take his quirky and poetic lyrics and translate them into images”.

Teglbjaerg, on his contribution to the project, added, “I try to take the listener into a Syd Barrett dream of sorts. Syd was a craftsman when it came to writing intriguing lyrics for his songs. Many times utilising cut-up techniques. That’s what I am attempting to do as well. I take what we take for granted, Syd in a room with painted floorboards and find a way to discover more. Not just zoom in, I try to immerse the viewer in that room by using collages and elements from multiple sources. But in the end, the focus is not on the visuals themselves. It lies in Syd’s music and lyrics”.

Watch the animated music video for “Dark Globe” below:

Barrett co-founded psychedelic and progressive rock band Pink Floyd in 1965 with Roger Walters, Nick Mason and Richard Wright, and was initially the main creative force, both lyrically and musically, driving the band forward. Regularly performing at London venue the UFO Club, the group quickly amassed a growing fan base, and released their debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, in August 1967. The album was well-received and reached number six in the UK Albums Chart.

Despite the early success, however, Barrett’s relationship with the band grew worse; his ever-increasing use of LSD distanced himself from the band and by the time the group’s second album, A Saucerful of Secrets, was released the following year, Barrett had been asked to leave. His last contribution to the band’s discography was the single “Jugband Blues“, the only song Barrett had written on the new LP, and a hauntingly self-aware portrait of Barrett being left behind by his bandmates.

Watch the 1967 promo video for “Jugband Blues” below:

Barrett subsequently embarked on a brief solo career, releasing the single “Octopus” in November 1969, the only single he ended up releasing, and followed this two months later with the album The Madcap Laughs (1970). The album was produced with the help of Pink Floyd members David Gilmour and Roger Waters, with Richard Wright helping produce his second, and final, album, Barrett (1970).

Syd Barrett’s genius has influenced and inspired a plethora of artists over the years and this new youtube channel dedicated to his music will undoubtedly prove a poignant tribute to said genius.