The self described “lyricist, writer, scarecrow” interrupted his band’s performance at the Dogtooth stage on Saturday 14 June to call to the crowd, “I want to beg a few minutes of your time. This is really fucking important, at least for me. I’m gonna embarrass my partner now. Sofiya, come out here.”. A cloaked figure appeared bearing the ring which he wittingly announced came “all the way from Mordor”. The crowd in hysterics, Filth began with apprehension as he asked, “Sofiya, love of my life, my queen. Will you….”

Belousova said yes immediately, and the band celebrated the life-changing moment with ‘Malignant Perfection’, a romantic march of glory from their latest album ‘The Screaming Of The Valkyries’. 

Watch the moving live proposal here.

Filth revealed in an interview with Metal Sucks, that the proposal was a surprise to not only the crowd, but his friends and family, as he says, “Nobody knew about it. I forgot to tell the band, and my family, including my mum, who was here. So, I quickly had to let them know, as they were watching from the side of the stage as well.”.

The metal singer went on to share his nerves for the occasion, as he considered when the proposal should be, though ultimately he thought, “I’m going to kick myself if I don’t do it at such a prestigious event.’ But, then it’s also like, ‘fuck, this could go horribly wrong.’ As in, she could say no, or the audience could go, ‘play another song, get on with it.”

Fortunately the proposal went off without a hitch, as fans found the live proclamation of love to be a very sweet moment.

Dani proposed live
byu/The_Ghost_of_WWE incradleoffilth

 Love has definitely been in the air for the band, as guitarist Marek “Ashok” Smerda and keyboardist Zoe Federoff got married earlier this year in Tucson, Ariz. Filth told Full Metal Jackie at Loudwire, “it’s a sure sign that things are going well in the band and we all attended. It was brilliant.”

Cradle of Filth’s Download performance was full of surprises, as the band had a close call with pyrotechnics. Filth explained the theatrical malfunction with Metal Sucks, saying “The pyro turned up 10 minutes before we went on, which normally is a no-go, but we were like ‘fuck no, we want this.’ But [they] hadn’t mapped out any of the safety areas. It’s supposed to be 5 feet [away], but it was about a foot. I cinched my eyebrows at one point”. One fan captured these moments on TikTok captioning, “CRADLE OF FILTH WAS LITERALLY ON FIRE”.  

@terrorizedwizards CRADLE OF FILTH WAS LITERALLY ON FIRE #downloadfestival #download #cradleoffilth #blackmetal #bm#deathmetal #festival#concert ♬ original sound – TERRORIZED WIZARDS

Cradle of Filth has an exciting line-up of musical ventures this year with a new song featuring Ed Sheeran on the horizon and a North American tour this August and September. Find more updates on the band’s official website.

Following the fallout from their statement on toileting, which many deemed discriminatory to trans people, Download have released another statement. This time, reassuring concertgoers that there will be safe, accessible toilets for all – with gender neutral toilets provided as well as single sex toilets.

We stand with all members of our community and want everyone to feel safe, supported and welcome at Download pic.twitter.com/TSMIhZFLJZ

— Download Festival (@DownloadFest) May 28, 2025

“At the heart of Download is acceptance – we stand with all members of our community and want everyone to feel safe, supported and welcome at the festival,” the statement reads. “We want to reassure all of our customers that at Download, the majority of toilets will be gender neutral and available to all. There will also be single sex toilets provided. Download Festival has always been and remains for everyone.

“We sincerely apologise that a previous communication on this was not clear. We are looking forward to seeing you at Download this year.”

On May 27, the festival announced that they would be “following the interim guidance issued by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC)” which states that “trans women (biological men) should not be permitted to use the women’s facilities and trans men (biological women) should not be permitted to use the men’s facilities”.

This statement sparked anger amongst many, including artists on their bill, such as NOAHFINNCE, Pinkshift and Witch Fever, who called out the festival one social media.

On X, NOAHFINNCE shared his concern for the safety of trans concertgoers, posting: ‘I had a great time playing last year but will not be attending again if I have to queue up for the ladies’ and my trans sisters have to risk outing themselves in the men’s. All this does is put trans people in danger’.

Pinkshift also commented on the issue through Instagram: “Playing @downloadfest was fun last year but what fucking music festival polices gendered bathrooms? That’s crazy and so unsafe, thanks @noahfinnce for being the only artist I’ve seen talk about this… if Download is part of your life then speak up, they think they can get away with discrimination in the ripe year of 2025”.

It’s not only artists who have taken issue with Download’s toileting policy – high street retailer Lush has reportedly cancelled its collaboration with Download this year after the controversy. Lush had produced a “revival kit” in collaboration with the festival, containing a bath bomb, soap and an ‘Ace Of Sprays’ body spray packaged in a reusable roadie’s box. The kit was available to purchase online and was set to be sold at the festival too.

Now, it seems the collaboration has come to an early end – a user on X shared that they asked Lush’s customer service about the issue, to which they responded: “We are terminating our collaboration with this event so will no longer be participating.”

thank you @LushLtd for taking a stand !! #downloadfestival pic.twitter.com/w977rqMqWj

— stream RIP YOU TO SHREDS! (@htmljones) May 29, 2025

This isn’t the only dispute that Download has found themselves in throughout recent years – in 2024, the festival received backlash for their sponsors, Barclays Bank, having ties to Israel amidst the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. You can read more on that here.

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