18 more bands set for Download Festival

The Summer Festival Guide can reveal 18 more acts which are added to this years Download Festival lineup which takes place this July.

Seminal punk act Against Me!, fronted by the phenomenal Laura Jane Grace, will make their debut at Download, bringing with them their signature crunching guitars and soaring choruses accompanied by thoughtful ruminations on the ideals of social justice.

Legendary grime rockers Monster Magnet will make their first Download appearance in a decade, while atmospheric post-grunge pilgrims Chevelle, whowere due to appear at the very first Download in 2003 but had to pull out at the last minute, finally return in 2014 to claim their birthright.

For Monster Magnet this performance has been a long time coming: We're really happy to be performing at Download 2014. We've haven't played a festival in the UK for ages!

Another act which has a long association with Donington – hard-edged Geordie rock quartet The Wildhearts – return having made their debut at rock’s seat of power in 1994 and who last performed at Download in 2008.

Guitarist CJ reflected on the band’s relationship with the mythical stage: Well they just can't get rid of us. It's only 20 years since we first played Donington and in 2008 they turned the power off on us. Who knows what will happen this year…Bring it on!  

These latest additions to the line-up also provide plenty of heavy riffage, in part through Italian power metal demons Arthemis. Lead guitarist, Andy Martongelli, shared his delight at returning to the festival:

Arthemis at Download Festival 2014! Hell yeah! Do we need to say more? There's nothing better than playing in front of the massive Download crowd. Last year we had a blast and it's such a true honour for us to be back! We'll deliver a very special, face-melting-show for this event so make sure you're there to share the awesome moment with us: Arthemis strikes back!

British juggernaut Orange Goblin also add to the heavy factor, while local Nottinghamshire boys Lawnmower Deth add a sharp dose of good old fashioned thrash metal to the party, with singer Pete Lee taking the opportunity to reflect on the band’s history with the festival:

Back again! Damn do we love Download. Damn do we love Copping. Our 4th time. You do realise them puppies Metallica have only officially managed 3! We’re in pole position baby. And to boot, Twisted Sister and the mighty, mighty Quo are playing on the same day. Is it only March? Come on already June.

On the other side of the rock spectrum, fellow Midlanders Page 44 will also return to add some passionate, stripped back post-punk to proceedings.

Making their first appearance by the racetrack is one of the most exciting young acts on the British music scene, Brighton blues rockers Royal Blood, who have recently been nominated for BBC Sound of 2014 award.

Other home grown talents taking to the Donington stage include symphonic punk rockers, The Dirty Youth, whose singer Danni Monroe is relishing another visit to Download, saying: We're over the moon to be invited back to Download festival for the third time. It has always been our favourite festival! Cannot wait to rock the second stage!

This sentiment was shared by melodic math-punk newcomers Marmozets, who said: We’re looking forward to playing at Download 2014. It was a blast last time and it opened a few doors up for us as a band. 

Meanwhile, further Download debutants announced today are Japanese hard rock duo VAMPS (JPN) (not to be confused with The Vamps. Ever), Irish disco blues punks Kid Karate, ska merchants The Magnus Puto, Irish troopers No Hot Ashes, punk rockers Colt 45, hardcore punks Drones and Bristol rock’n’rollers Tax the Heat.

Drones looked ahead to following in: We are over the moon to be playing the hallowed ground of Donington and the legendary Download Festival, where so many of our heroes growing up have performed. We can't wait to tear it up and cause some chaos, see everyone in the pit!

Tax the Heat said: We’re absolutely ecstatic to be playing such a great festival and with such a great slot too. We look forward to being one of the first bands to play Download this year. See you there!

 

Download Festival announce Bring Me The Horizon and more

Amongst these additions is one of the most complex and genre defying acts to come out of British rock and metal in the last decade, Bring Me The Horizon. This will be their first Donington appearance since the release of their savage beast of a fourth album, Sempiternal.

Oli Sykes said: We’re over the moon about playing Download. Before we got confirmed I had already asked for guest list as there was no way I was going to miss Linkin Park play Hybrid Theory in full. When we were offered to play on the same day and on the same stage just a few hours before, it was a no brainer. I’m crowd surfing to papercut, mark my words!

Also joining the line-up today is rock’s foremost euphonic metal songstress Sharon Den Adel and Within Temptation, who make their triumphant return after a six year absence. 

The band said of the announcement: We're thrilled to let the beast loose at Download again! We've got such great memories, we can't wait to play the tracks from our new album Hydra and retake the stage at Download. Give us rain, we will bring fire!

Twisted Sister, whose most famous visit to Donington came at Monsters of Rock in 1983, return to the scene to play Download 2014.

The band cannot wait to get back to their spiritual home in the UK: With this year’s performance at Download, Twisted Sister looks forward with great anticipation the celebration of the 30th anniversary of our worldwide, multi-platinum (6 million) album 'Stay Hungry'. Get ready Download because WE WANNA ROCK!

Other prodigal sons of Donington to return this year are Sepultura, the Brazilian Thrash Deities who played the first Download in 2003 are back with a vengeance in 2014.

Download has acquisitioned another ear-bleedingly good headliner in the ghostly form of Behemoth. The Godfathers of occultist Polish extreme metal will take over the Pepsi Max Stage on Saturday night.

Behemoth’s Nergal said: It's a great honour to be part of the bill for this year's Download. It’s one of the most prestigious Heavy Metal events, not only in UK but in the whole of Europe! This summer’s schedule already looks great, but with Download in it we are looking at something truly epic! The UK never disappoints! We owe you and we shall deliver!

Speaking of stage headliners… Since announcing Trivium to the line-up a few weeks back, the internet exploded with a complete outpouring of love from fans. And Download totally took the hint. Trivium will now headline the Zippo Encore Stage on Sunday, giving more fans the chance to experience one of their legendary sets.

Meanwhile, the insane amount of homegrown talent joining BMTH at Download 2014 includes our very own‘Prepubescent Jim Morrisons’ (to borrow a phrase from their biggest fan, Noel Fielding,) The Howling, who will bring their dashing neo-noir power-punk swagger to the Donington stage this June, while London post-hardcore outfit Zoax, will also return.

Having made their Download debut last year, the band is chomping at the bit to make their second appearance: It was one thing to play Download in 2013 so early in our career, but to be asked back again the following year is just a dream come true. That may sound like a complete cliché, but it's complete honesty. These opportunities mean the world to us.  We are aiming to make our set one that the audience will never forget. We are counting down the seconds to this day.

Fellow Londoners Press to Meco will also be bringing back their distinctive infusion of prog-punk-math-rock. Collibus– whose lead singer Gemma Fox adds another powerful and heavy voice to Download’s already-impressive metal siren wail – will also make their bow this year.

Collibus are thrilled to be sharing the stage with so many musical icons: It's an amazing honour to be playing at Download this year. It is a festival known the world over and to be playing on the same bill as so many of our heroes and musical influences will be awesome. Bring it on!

Some of the other young pretenders within touching distance of superstardom include one of Rolling Stone’s 10 New Artists You Need To Know for January 2014 Reignwolf who, along with soulful Missouri punks Radkey and prodigious homegrown shredders Bad Touch will bring some of the heaviest, grimiest blues rock in the entire musical universe crashing into planet Download this June.

So, with punks, bluesmen, metalheads and rockers already satiated by this latest announcement, it’s only fair that prog metallers get a treat as well, and what a treat it is as Monuments’ former FellSilent frontman John Browne will be joining his djent co-pioneers Sikth on the Download 2014 bill.

Browne was delighted to be reaching the apex of live British rock: After being a spectator for years, we're so stoked to finally play this legendary festival. Download is a festival that every rock and metal band aspires to play, and now were doing it. Thanks to Andy and Dave for believing in what we do. Get ready download, it's going to be chaos.

From new Download recruits to the distinctly battle-hardened – WWE and ex-WWF heavyweight Chris Jericho will be breaking down the Donington walls for a third time with his hard rock wrecking ball, Fozzy.

On their return, Jericho said: We are super excited to return to Download and play the MAINSTAGE for the first time ever!  One of our all-time favorite gigs was Download 2012 and we are looking forward to exploding your heads with pure Fozzy rock all over again this year! Do You Wanna Start A War, Download?  We hope so, because here we come! 

Another experienced campaigner is Dan Reed, who will return in 2014 accompanied by his band, the Dan Reed Network.

For, the Dan Reed, the return to the major rock festival scene has been a long time coming: The band members and myself are deeply honoured and thrilled to be a part of this year's Download Festival, which marks our first major festival in over 20 years!

Alongside them come Skillet, the biggest Christian Metal band in the world ready to unleash their epic soaring melodies on the Download crowd for the first time.

Also receiving their Download baptism are 80s rockers Tyketto and Winger, and melodic post-hardcore merchantsWe Came As RomansWCAR vocalist Dave Stephens concurred: We're beyond excited to be on this year's Download Fest. We absolutely love playing in the UK and it's especially amazing to be opening for Linkin Park!

American hardcore legion Defeater will also make an appearance while Cage the Gods will provide a healthy dose of sludgy, balls-out classic rock.

Zebrahead and Twenty One Pilots add an alt-rap twist to this year’s party, which will also play host to some incredible post-metal dreamscapes courtesy of international sensation Skyharbor.

Killswitch Engage set for Download Festival exclusive

Emerging first from this guitar-fuelled tempest are metal giants and 2014 Grammy Nominees* for Best Metal Performance, Killswitch Engage, bringing their seismic roar back to Download in a European Festival Exclusive. That’s right; 50 countries, 750 million people, 90 official languages, a reported 600 music festivals: one European festival performance from Killswitch Engage in 2014: and it’s at Download.

Today also sees The Pretty Reckless, set to drop new album “Going to Hell” in March, join the 2014 line-up. The New York four-piece known for its swaggering grunge-pop is fronted by former Gossip Girl Taylor Momsen, who will sashay into Donington with filthy on-stage antics and filthier on-stage ensembles. The organisers of Download Festival are still awaiting the rider request for Duct tape.

Momsen commented: We're so excited to play Download again, it was one of the highlights of touring our last record and we can't wait to bring Going to Hell to Donnington.

The craziest genre-mutating ragga-metal party in the world, Skindred, will also be crashing ashore at Download 2014, where Donington devotees will get a first live taste of incredible new album Kill the Power which, in an outrageous twist of fate, is out today! (Monday January 27th)

Expressing his excitement about returning to the festival, Skindred’s lead singer Benji Webbe called on the Download faithful to adopt the band’s iconic signature crowd celebration, the Newport Helicopter: The last few years have been an epic time for Skindred. The band has gone from strength to strength collecting more and more friends and fans along the way. This Download announcement has excited us more than ever, as we once again return to the home of ROCK. We shall bring and take to another level the energy and excitement that we are world renowned for. So bring a spare t-shirt and let’s get the Newport Helicopter flying higher than ever before.

And if that triumvirate of rock titans doesn’t rev your engine, there’s plenty more fuel in the Download tank.

South African grunge monsters Seether announced recently that they will be dropping a new album in 2014 and Download will be the UK’s first glimpse of the new material.

Adding a bit of dark wave theatricality to the line-up is gothic-metal-multimedia-storytelling-project, September Mourning, inaugurating a whole new art form into the hallowed Download canon.

Of course no Download announcement would be complete without its compliment of battle-hardened rock legends from across the pond; American Head Charge add to Donington’s already impressive Industrial roster, The Used ride in to the UK on a tsunami of soaring choruses, Joe Bonamassa will be shredding his soul-melting blues guitar for the first time at the festival, and 90’s firebrands Crazytown and Quicksand also make their Download debuts.

Another gracing Donington for the first time is classic metal supergroup Kill Devil Hillfeaturing Vinny Paul and Rex Brown of Pantera fame.

Getting even heavier, outspoken hardcore tyros Emmure and King 810 will also be raining down some good old fashioned American mayhem on Download, with Emmure’s Frankie Palmeri saying: Once again we have been invited to be a part of one of the most prestigious music festivals of all time. We can't wait to step on stage and connect with our fans at such an amazing event. See ya there.

Showing these Download rookies the way will be sharp dressed Texan deathcore bruisers Upon A Burning Body who wowed crowds when they made their Donington debut in 2012. Fresh out the studio from recording album number 3, prepare to have your face melted when they once again take to the hallowed Donington stage.

Contrary to their name influential home grown Prog rockers Anathema will be welcomed back to Download with open arms fresh from recording their first studio album for three years in Norway, with the band looking forward to hooking up with their fellow Prog heavyweights:

What can you say about download that hasn't been said already? It'll be an honour to play there again and anathema can't wait. We have our newest and most exciting material from our 2014 new album to perform too. An intense Setlist, world famous festival, and our mates Opeth on after us! Bring it on!

Download 2014 will also play host to a wide range of the very hottest rock and metal from mainland Europe, including Dutch metal screamers and Donington rookies, The Charm, The Fury, Japanese berserkers Coldrain, Swedish power-metallers Sabaton and freewheeling Danish alt-rockers New Politics.

Caroline Westendorp from The Charm, The Fury said: We are super excited to be returning to the UK to play Download Festival, the festival is always filled with so many bands that we take influence from and we cannot wait to give the fans a show to remember!

But Download isn’t just about being as culturally diverse as the British Museum’s Halloween Party, with local superstars of tomorrow MalevolencePolar, Heart in Handand Lyger all appearing at this year’s festival.

Heart in Hand reflected on becoming part of a select group to make the transition from Download fan to performer: Having all been to the festival in our younger days, it's an amazing feeling for us to now be a part of the musicians making up the bill this year. Genuinely all very excited in our camp to play such a legendary festival and then enjoy the whole weekend once the pressure's off a bit!

Bowling for Soup, Bad Religion and more for Download Festival 2014

The Summer Festival Guide 2014 is excited to reveal the next additions to the Download Festival lineup including Bowling for Soup, Black Label Society, Opeth, Bad Religion and more!Bowling for Soup

Leading the armada are pop-punk legends Bowling for Soup, who have chosen to celebrate their 20th birthday at Donington, wisely putting faith in Europe’s biggest Rock Festival to bring the party.

Lead singer Jaret Reddick said: We are really stoked to be coming back to Download this year…first and foremost, our little band turns 20 this June, so what better way to celebrate! Music, beer and Portaloos! Also, it's a great opportunity to show our amazing UK fans that, although we don't have plans to tour any time soon, they will still get to see our pretty faces once in a while. Can. Not. Wait!

Celebratory Birthday circle pit, anyone…?

Elsewhere on site, two of this year’s most massively anticipated spring album releases will be followed with huge live performances; Black Label Society, led by notorious shredder Zakk Wylde, and Swedish prog-metal mad scientists Opeth will both bring never-before-seen sets to Download 2014, making the crowds at Donington amongst the first to experience the new material in the flesh.

Bad Religion @ Download Festival

Forming the L.A. regiment of today’s new Download battalion are Celtic-punk seven piece Flogging Molly and Download Festival virgins Bad Religion – making their Donington debut 35 years after they first started their melodic punk crusade against tyranny and hypocrisy.

Lead singer Greg Graffin was keen to acknowledge the UK, and in particular Donington’s place in music history: Our UK fans are among the most dedicated and appreciative audiences the world over. We consider every trip to the UK a special treat, and the tradition of Donington will make this appearance all the more special. Bad Religion is steeped in tradition, so we greatly look forward to it!

Also joining them will be PHA and the Illegals, the latest project from Pantera and Down Frontman, Phil Anselmo.

Powerman 5000 are another act who will receive their Download Festival baptism in 2014, with lead frontman Spider One joining big bro Rob Zombie at the coalface of Donington’s grizzly industrial underworld.

There will be less pond-crossing and more M1-gridlock-negotiating for the return of home grown Metalcore 5-piece Bury Tomorrow this June, in a set that will feature the likes of massive new single, Watcher and more great tracks yet to be revealed from impending album Runes, which lands on May 26th.

Vocalist Dani Winter-Bates commented: We're absolutely stoked to be invited back to play Download Festival. It was one of the staple points of last year for Bury Tomorrow! So we can't wait to get back to Donington and smash it!

The BossHoss, who have been purging pop songs of their innocence and churning out badass Country Trash Punk Rock for the past decade will also appear at Download 2014. Sascha Vollmer aka Hoss Power from The BossHoss said: We had a blast playing at Download in 2011 and the energy there totally blew our minds! We can always rely on a kick-ass party at our UK shows, so we're more than ready to come back and have another good old riot with you crazy bunch of rock and roll maniacs!

More? Ok, well listen up – today’s announcement also confirms another handful of awesome appearances from classic North American metal caballeros Skid Row, Tesla and Danger Danger as well as Jill Janus’ thrash-influenced Huntress, filthy blues-rockers The Graveltones and newcomers Anti-Mortem.

Huntress-in-chief, Jill Janus said: Huntress is honoured to play Download Festival again! We had a killer show last year, and will bring the fury to UK music fanatics once more. 
Spread it, shred it, behead it!

Larado Romano of Anti-Mortem said of the announcement: Anti-Mortem is extremely excited and beyond ready to play Download this year, it will be the biggest festival we've played to date and our first as a group in the U.K. Watch out UK, we'll be kicking ass Oklahoma style and our rage is American made!

On his latest recruits, Download promoter Andy Copping said: This is shaping up to be the most diverse Download yet – a real tableau of the past, present and future of rock and metal. You can see that in our headliners; Aerosmith, Linkin Park andAvenged Sevenfold, and in today’s announcement where we combine such renowned acts as Bowling for Soup and Opeth withnewer acts like Bury Tomorrow.

The Offspring, Status Quo, Steel Panther and more for Download 2014

Download Festival’s 12th year is shaping up to be one of its best as the 2014 line up for Europe’s biggest rock festival continues to swarm over every inch of the rock, metal, punk and alternative music landscape like a zombie crusade.

Pop Punk royalty The Offspring will be returning to Download after a long absence from the festival, having appeared just once before in 2008.

The Offspring @ Download Festival 2014

Guitarist Noodles commented: It's been six years since we first played Download and we can't wait to return and rip it up. Stoked!

Rock legends Status Quo, who released their 100th single in 2013, make their Download Festival debut after over 50 years of producing some of the biggest guitar anthems in history and will be performing a purely greatest hits set.

On the prospect of returning to Donington, frontman Francis Rossi said: When Status Quo once again take to the Donington stage, it will have been 32 years since we headlined the Monsters of Rock Festival on August 21st 1982. That year saw the Falklands War, the launch of the Commodore 64, Aston Villa winning the European Cup and the raising of the Mary Rose. You might say a lot has changed since then but we are still rocking, and still playing the Quo hits. See you there.

The Quo will be joined by Metal titans Trivium who return to Donington for a very special performance of the set they played at their legendary first Download Main Stage appearance in 2005.

Bassist Paolo Gregoletto said: We are thrilled to be returning to Download for our 5th time. In honour of both the festival and fans that embraced Trivium first, we have decided to play our 2005 set list from start to finish, preceded by a set of some our other festival favourite tunes.  However, to make it all the more unique,  we will be playing this "one time only" set on the Red Bull Stage,  the most intimate and intense setting possible for revisiting this special moment in time.  We have had some of our best experiences as a band on the hallowed grounds of Donington, and this is shaping up to be one of our most exciting ones yet!  Do not miss it!

Swedish metallers In Flames will also be joining the bill. Speaking on their return to the Home of Rock, frontman Anders Friden, added:

It has been a while since we last played the UK, so we are all excited and looking forward to coming back to play at Download Festival 2014.

Covering the classic metal end of the spectrum will be Steel Panther. A firm fan favourite, the spandex-clad, Sunset Strip rockers will be storming the sacred Donington stage for a fourth time.

Drummer Stix Zadinia said: Fish and chips. Tea and biscuits. Monty and Pythons. Steel Panther and Download Festival. These are four examples of how nature has been able to strike the perfect balance of harmony and elegance between two glorious and powerful things. We are so excited to come back and play Download Festival 2014. This was the place where we were truly introduced to the UK and it always feels like a homecoming to us. We in Steel Panther, are going to attempt to rock you so hard, that it will take you approximately one whole year to recover, only to muster enough energy to come back to DL2015 the following year to try to handle the power again! Roll on June!

Also joining the bill are melodic death metallers The Black Dahlia Murder,  Sheffield’s finest While She Sleeps, Arizona’s Blessthefall, Japanese electro metalcore outfit Crossfaith, Californian soul punks Letlive, Metalcore giants Miss May I and, of course, after the phenomenal demand of #whynotdyingfetus Dying Fetus .

All of these huge bands will join headliners AerosmithAvenged Sevenfold and Linkin Park – playing their celebrated debut album Hybrid Theory in full –  as well as special guests Alter BridgeRob Zombie and Fall Out Boy – all of whom were announced earlier this month.

Also check out Download’s latest viral campaign, Download Family Album. This crowd sourced photography collection will allow members of the scariest non-Addams family on the planet to share awesome rock iconography and Download memories over Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The Download team will use a tailored #Hashtag to set a new project every week, with themes including Thrash Tats, Air Guitar Antics, Rock Kids and Main Stage Mayhem, so get involved and get snapping!

Avenged Sevenfold, Linkin Park and Aerosmith to headline Download Festival 2014

Avenged Sevenfold, one of the mightiest forces in modern rock, have  been announced as the first headliner for Download 2014.  Friday 13th June 2014 will mark a momentous occasion in the history of Avenged Sevenfold as they continue their tradition of spectacular Download performances, by becoming headliners for the very first time, not just at Download, but at any UK festival.

Saturday night at this year’s festival will be headlined by the Grammy Award winning Linkin Park, who will be playing their multi-platinum debut album ‘HYBRID THEORY’ in its entirety as part of their set.

Linkin Park @ Download Festival 2014

The legendary Aerosmith will be closing the festival in 2014, when they headline on Sunday 15th June.  Joining them on the main stage as main support will be hard rockers, Alter Bridge.

Aerosmith are one rock’s most infamous and revered bands. Fronted by the iconic partnership of frontman Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry, their generation spanning career has seen them sell in excess of 150 million records, making them the best selling American rock band in history. Despite having been a band for over 40 years, their incredible, ever expanding collection of hits continues to appeal to hoards of fans both old and new. Their headline performance at Download 2014 will be their first on UK soil since 2010, speaking on their return to Donington Park, Joe Perry said

“It’s been too long since we've been to England and we're sincerely f**ing charged to be coming back! See you there"

Joining Aerosmith in ending what is already set to be an incredible weekend, will be the heavy riffing, arena conquering Alter Bridge. The band released their 4th studio album, ‘Fortress’ earlier this year to huge critical acclaim. It’s been the band’s highest charting album in the UK, hitting the #1 spot on the rock charts and saw them sell out arenas across the country on their recent UK tour.

Aerosmith

DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL: One week to go! New acts announced

With ONLY ONE WEEK TO GO, Download Festival announces a further 10 bands for the weekend as well of details of its on site activities and the return of the mighty Download FM powered by TeamRock. There’s still chance to get your ticket for the biggest weekend in the rock and metal calendar, visit www.downloadfestival.co.uk now for more information.

Joining the lineup are I Am I, fronted by former Dragonforce singer ZP Theart, Welsh rockers Falling With Style, three-piece Press To Meco, Leicester locals Surrender The Coast, Essex rockers Searching Alaska, Southampton group Forever Can Wait, Blackburn band Sky Valley Mistress, Scottish rockers Semper Fi and Akord, and energetic four piece rock/punk band New Killer Shoes.

This year’s Download Village entertainment is set to be bigger and better than ever as the Doghouse returns with its club night hosted by Revolution, Liverpool’s biggest rock night.  Revolution’s Doghouse Residency is three nights of crazy, debauched and wild theme parties with a different theme each night. Revolution DJs will be slamming a mix of metal, punk and hardcore into the early hours Friday-Sunday, joined by some very special guests. Themes include Hawaiian Beach Party, Pirates of The Doghouse Party and the Download Zombie Apocalypse Party. Further information can be found at facebook.com/revolutionrocksliverpool.

The comedy tent also returns on Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 June, with the Silent Arena taking over the tent for weekend activities from Friday 14-16 June. If villagers aren’t too busy buying some vintage merch or limited edition t-shirts, they can snuggle up at the Download Cinema, located in a Village corner.

For the first time Download Festival will this year have a zip line in the arena. Festival goers can zip across the sky taking in an adrenalin filled aerial view of the Donignton site. The first 12 people in the queue each day will receive a discounted price of £10 instead of the usual £15.  

Download Festival are also excited to announce the return of the ever rocking Download Radio powered by TeamRock, broadcasting on 87.7FM across the Donington site, and online at www.DownloadFM.co.uk. Requests can be made via twitter @DOWNLOADFM & by email to [email protected].

TeamRock Radio will launch at Download Festival on Sunday 16 June at the unconventional time of 11.58pm, with Iron Maiden’s iconic song from the band’s fifth album, ‘2 Minutes to Midnight’ reinforcing its very different approach to broadcasting.  Once the festival ends, TeamRock Radio will be born and directly after spinning the Iron Maiden classic to open the station they will broadcast The Best Of Download 2013, a retrospective show that tells the story of their years festival from the moment the gates open until the final act play their last chord.

Vodafone VIP is once again giving all our UK customers unrivalled experiences at some of Britain’s best festivals this summer, along with other great events. The Vodafone VIP Recharge Truck will return to Download Festival in 2013, helping customers ensure their mobile phone is charged throughout the festival weekend. Customers can also enjoy an unrivalled view of all the performances on the main stage by visiting the Vodafone VIP Viewing Platform. Also, don’t forget to download the official 2013 Download Festival app – powered by Vodafone.

Pepsi Max is proud to be the Official Cola partner of Download. Follow them on Twitter @PepsiMaxUK to find out about the Pepsi MAX stage and how they’ll be Maxing your festival experience. #maxmusic

The Red Bull Studios Live stage focuses on showcasing new and emerging talent. Eight unsigned bands also join the diverse line-up having earned their spot through the Red Bull Studios Live stage at Download opportunity.

Zippo are also ready to rock Download for a 3rd year. Head over to the Zippo Encore Area for competitions like the hugely popular ‘Zippo Custom’ that allows you to design your own Zippo lighter, side-of-stage tickets up for grabs, face painting and lots more. You will also be able to purchase Zippo lighters, including the cool Download limited edition, perfect to hold up high during your favourite performances to create the ultimate Zippo Encore moment with your mates.

Jägermeister is bringing its brand new ‘Deep Freeze’ interactive bar experience to Download this summer. This unique activation is 50 square metres and boasts a 10 metre bar, maze, interactive photo wall, VIP area, free Wi-Fi and an incredible ‘Ice Bar’ which is chilled down to -10°C. The Jägermeister stage will also feature as the acoustic stage at Download.

 

A limited amount of tickets are still available for Download 2013. Visit www.downloadfestival.co.uk now to purchase yours.

FINAL BANDS ANNOUNCED TO PLAY THE RED BULL STUDIOS LIVE AT DOWNLOAD

On Friday 25 May eight young bands from all over the country gained a once in a lifetime chance to play live at Download festival this June with the Red Bull Studios live at Download opportunity.  Six bands with the highest online votes from the public were picked, whilst two were chosen by the judges as wildcards.  Searching Alaska from Essex, Akord from Grampian, Semperfi from Aberdeen, Surrender The Coast from Leicester and Forever Can Wait from Ponypridd were all chosen by public vote.  Press To Meco from Horsham/Croydon and Sky Valley Mistress from Manchester/Lancashire were added to the Download bill by the judges.
 
The judges were Kerrang Radio presenter Katie P, Rock Sound magazine editor Ben Patashnik, Red Bull Records label manager and music industry aficionado Angie Somerside, plus hyped rock band and Download Festival veterans Don Broco.
 

A huge 700 bands entered in total.  The public then voted and 100 of these went through to the judging panel who handpicked 15 they felt showed most potential.  Those 15 undertook a professional studio experience in London at Red Bull Studios which included expert mentoring, professional photos and recording a live track in the state-of-the-art studio. Short films of each of the bands performances were put online and the public voted for six of the final eight.
 
The final eight bands will play the Red Bull Studios stages at Download festival 14-16th June, to crowds of thousands. 

 
Searching Alaska from Essex
http://download.redbullstudios.com/band/searching-alaska_top-15/
Akord from Grampian, Scotland
http://download.redbullstudios.com/band/akord_top-15/
Semperfi from Aberdeen, Scotland 
http://download.redbullstudios.com/band/semperfi_top-15/ 
Surrender the Coast from Leicester 
http://download.redbullstudios.com/band/surrender-the-coast_top-15/ 
Forever can Wait from Southampton 
http://download.redbullstudios.com/band/forever-can-wait_top-15/ 
Falling with Style from Pontypridd 
http://download.redbullstudios.com/band/falling-with-style_top-15/
 
Two chosen by the judges:
 
Press to Meco from Horsham/Croydon
http://download.redbullstudios.com/band/press-to-meco_top-15/ 
Sky Valley Mistress from Manchester/Lancashire 
http://download.redbullstudios.com/band/sky-valley-mistress_top-15/ 
 

Thunder, Devin Townsend and more added to Download Festival

Download Festival continues to score out of the park with the announcement that a further 25 acts have been added to this year’s line up, including Thunder, Kvelertak, Devin Townsend and We Are The Ocean.

Headlined by Slipknot, Iron Maiden and Rammstein, Download Festival takes place 14-16 June 2013 in Donington Park. Weekend and day tickets are available at www.downloadfestival.co.uk.

Having last played Download as one of festival promoter Andy Copping’s ‘secret acts’ in 2009, classic rock favourites Thunder will be returning to Donington soil on the Saturday – hopefully guitarist/singer Luke Morley will have recovered from riding 161 miles on a pedal bike from London to Donington as part of the “Heavy Metal Truants” charity bike ride organized by Iron Maiden manager Rod Smallwood! For more information about Heavy Metal Truants go to www.heavymetaltruants.com.

Following their Download debut in 2011, hardcore Norwegian punkers Kvelertak will be back with a vengeance to perform tracks from their new album Meir. The inimitable Devin Townsend will also be back at Download, this time taking it down a notch to perform on the acoustic Jagermeister stage. Also confirmed for this year’s Download with a wealth of new material to please the crowds at the Jagermeister stage will be Essex four-piece We Are The Ocean.

No stranger to Download, London’s Zico Chain are confirmed for the Friday, fresh of the back of their support slot on Steve Harris’ solo tour. Hot new metal act Blood Command – another Norwegian export  – will be looking forward to showcasing their live act this year. Blending stoner metal and garage rock, Black Moth are confirmed for the Saturday, as are hard riffers The Wild Lies.

New London punk band The Howling are confirmed, alongside local Birmingham pop-punkers Page 44 and the fierce Wounds.

The acoustic Jagermeister Stage at Download is a great chance to catch up and coming rock acts as well as stripped down performances from acts from the other stages over the weekend. In addition to Devin Townsend and We Are The Ocean, the Jagermeister stage will see the following acts: Hear Kitty Kitty, Toseland, Rob Lynch, Acoustic TV, Straight Lines, Fahran, The Killing Floor, The Afterparty, Pig Iron, Night x Night, Crash Mansion, The Graveltones, Arthemis and Avosetta, alongside acoustic performances from Walking Papers, Buffalo Summer, Crowns, Heaven’s Basement, Skin and Red White & Blues.

Black Stone Cherry, CHTHONIC and more added to Download 2013 lineup

Headlined by Slipknot, Iron Maiden and Rammstein, Download Festival takes place on 14-16 June 2013 at Donington Park. Day tickets are on sale from 9am on Thursday 28 March and are available at www.downloadfestival.co.uk. Weekend tickets are available now and selling quick!

Back for their fourth epic appearance at Download Festival are American rockers Black Stone Cherry with some loud, hard, in-your-face rock music. The band’s 2011 set left crowds gasping for more with a relentless onslaught of big guitar riffs at maximum volume. Taiwanese group CHTHONIC & The Oriental Orchestra and Norway’s legendary Satyricon will treat fans to some pure unadulterated black metal, while bestowing utter mayhem and full scale metal force at Donington are DragonForceGhost are also confirmed for 2013 having just completed a successful UK tour culminating in a sold out Brixton Academy in London. 

American rockers Masters Of Reality join the bill performing tracks spanning their six studio albums, and ready to ‘Stand Up For Rock N Roll’ are US group Red White & BluesFearless Vampire Killers will tear it up with some theatrical alt-rock, punk rock band of the moment Fidlar will bring their Californian jams to UK shores, and Brit hardcore group Palm Reader are getting ready to churn up the Donington mosh pit.  

Californian‘70s-style blues rockers Rival Sons are also confirmed, they joined Black Stone Cherry on their UK tour last year playing to packed out crowds across the country. American rockers Little Caesar are confirmed for some ballsy rock music, and the new supergroup Krokodil featuring members of Sikth, Johnny Truant, Cry for Silence, Gallows and Hexes will make their first Download appearance as a band.

Pop-punk piece Patent Pending are also added to the bill fresh from their tour with Bowling For Soup. Brit metal heads Idiom also join the bill, fresh from touring with Skindred, and last but by no means least are UK rockers Voodoo Six and Hammer Of The Gods.