We all know that Download Festival starts as soon as the gates open on a Wednesday lunchtime. With many fantastic events like The Takeover and some of our friends doing awesome DJ sets, District X and The Doghouse are definitely the place to be for the early arrivals.
For Download 2025, it felt like the festival truly began on Thursday night with the long awaited performance of Vengaboys (8) in District X! With everything from homemade, light up Vengabuses made by members of the audience to confetti, pyro and multicoloured beach balls, this was the party that everyone hoped for. Those who remember the Vengaboys 90’s heyday fondly got all the hits they wanted; Boom Boom Boom Boom, We’re Going To Ibiza, Up & Down and of course, We Like To Party all went down a storm. It was SO rammed in The Doghouse that sweat was dripping off the roof of the gigantic tent as we got a double dose encore of We Like To Party featuring Hang The DJ’s, who started the original campaign to get the Vengaboys to Download several years ago. A campaign that paid off in the best possible way. The Vengabus can return to Donington anytime! (JG)
Getting around to Friday and kicking off proceedings in the Dogtooth Stage for Download 2025 are The Haunt (7). All the way from California, they cast a darkly enchanting spell over the crowd, drawing fans in with tracks like Bad Omen, Masochistic Lovers and New Addiction. With their signature goth-glam aesthetic and undeniable stage magnetism, the brother and sister duo delivered a performance that felt both raw and theatrical.
Alternative pop/rock with an emo edge best describes their sound though some heavier elements also do come into play. Anchored by the brooding power of their 2024 album Do Not Resuscitate, the set was a visceral experience equal parts moody, hypnotic, and unforgettable. (JW)
There’s a large crowd gathered at The Apex Stage for the appearance of CKY (5), a set that unfortunately never feels like it gets properly going. The crowd comes alive for the bands’ biggest songs like Sink Into The Underground and especially the set closing 96 Quite Bitter Beings, but in-between those couple of stand out moments most of the songs blur into each other, and Chad Ginsberg’s stage banter feels on the awkward side. It’s a set those in attendance feel like they really want to succeed, but try as they might, CKY don’t manage to get out of second gear. (JG)
As the mid-afternoon sun continues to blaze down onto the hallowed turf, it’s time for Dirty Honey (6) to take to The Opus Stage for half an hour of blues tinged rock and roll. Opening with Won’t Take Me Alive, they quickly get the audience on side, frontman Marc LaBelle lamost immediately getting the audience clapping along arms aloft. The band as a whole ooze The Black Crowes with a touch of early Guns N Roses mixed in for good measure. Unfortunately, the energy seems to drop during Don’t Put Out the Fire and doesn’t 100% come back despite ending on When I’m Gone and Rolling 7s. Hopefully they’ll be over again soon on their own headlining tour and can really show the UK what they’re all about. (GL)
There’s a certain irony in having a cinematic space-themed band perform under the blazing sun. And it wasn’t lost on frontman Dustin Bates either. Still, an unfazed Starset (8) pulled off their second Donington Demonstration with seamless precision. It’s rather apt then that this demonstration kicked off with ‘Brave New World’. A quintessential Starset anthem if you will. Light and dark literally colliding in a galaxy of stellar symphonic strings, low tuned chuggy guitars, distorted space-y synths, and killer growls and cleans. From there, it all blew up, and the sun was still shining as old favourites like ‘Carnivore’ and ‘MANIFEST’ combined with likes of the newer ‘DEGENERATE’ to create a well-fused setlist covering just about every era of Starset. But it was the earth-shattering re-entry that stole the show. Mayday, Mayday, signalled that the debut live transmission of ‘Dark Things’ had arrived for the first time on Earth and the crowd reaction spoke volumes.
Our all to brief voyage with Starset came to an end with a blast of ‘Toksik’ which saw frontman Dustin Bates head to the thick of the action at the barricades to greet a crowd who will be following them all the way into the breach. Sure, their usual pyrotechnics and immersive theatrics are spectacular, but who really needs all that when you’ve got powerful songs and raw crowd energy driving the show? This is Starset’s universe. The rest of us? We’re just stuck in their orbit. (CF)
Despite their performance almost being stolen by a little girl perched on her crowdsurfing Dad, Rise Against (8) put on a commanding performance. They are of course no strangers to Download with this being their sixth time at Donington. Opening with Re-Education (Through Labor) the quartet get into the swing of things instantly, unleashing rockets of pyro in front of a striking red banner. They dedicate a rousing Give It All to Boston Manor who played right before, and later shout-out Jimmy Eat World ahead of the always-powerful Satellite.
This set was a true reminder of their unwavering commitment to activism through music. Rise Against deliver a politically charged message with songs like Prayer Of The Refugee and Help Is On The Way, and of course an absolutely mega sing-along to 2008’s classic Savior – complete with an extended guitar solo (this isn’t their first rodeo, after all, and they evidently know this audience inside-out). “This band was made for the year 2025,” Tim asserts, “so we’re not going fucking anywhere.” (JW)
Twelve years in the making, Jimmy Eat World (10) make their ridiculously long overdue return to Download. My god was it worth the wait. An hour of Mesa, Arizona’s finest in the afternoon sunshine, with a Greatest Hits set that took everyone through the full range of emotions, was exactly what the doctor ordered for many (including this reviewer). Primarily building the set around the “S Tier” (right kids?) Album run of Bleed American, Futures and Chase This Light, Jim Adkins and co gave the enormous crowd exactly what they wanted. They sounded on fantastic form throughout too.
In amongst the likes of Pain, Just Tonight and Sweetness, it was great to hear a few newer songs hold their own – particularly Criminal Energy and All The Way (Stay) from their most recent, very good album Surviving. Finishing with a Bleed American holy trinity of A Praise Chorus, Salt Sweat Sugar and of course The Middle, this was as good as it gets. (JG)
Having first taken to the stage at Download all the way back in 2004. Swedish progressive metal titans, Opeth (8) have become something of an institution at Donington over the past two decades. Making it a disappointment when their set’s start time on the Opus stage comes and goes without so much as the murmur of a backing track.
It takes nearly twenty minutes to exorcise whatever mystery technical gremlins have taken over. At which point, thankfully, Mikael Åkerfeldt and co take to the stage to the introduction of their latest album, Last Will and Testaments‘ opening track. Sounding as powerful and as technically proficient as they have ever been. The band make a workman like effort to cram in as much as possible into their remaining time.
They deliver a pretty strong mix of material from their back catalogue too. All of which sounds fantastic. From the blackened overtones of I Am Damnation to the delicate melodic twists and turns of In My Time of Need. However, as time ticks on and they launch into Ghost of Perdition it becomes all too clear that four songs are all we’ll be getting today. Which puts a down note on what otherwise could’ve been one of the days standout sets. With the only consolation being that thanks to their professionalism, Opeth were able to rescue what they could and still deliver in the face of adversity. (JL)
19 years on from their debut at Download, Within Temptation (9) return for a fifth time and have graduated to the status of a headliner. Friday nights appearance on the Opus stage is a spellbinding alternative to the shenanigans going on elsewhere. Offering up a cavalcade of modern classics from their deep near 30 year catalogue.
Sharon Den Adel is in fine voice this evening as she guides the band through a meticulously crafted set including heavy hitters like The Reckoning, Faster, Shot In The Dark, Stand My Ground and Our Solemn Hour. There is a reason why Within Temptation has ascended to the metal worlds upper echelon and it’s because of performances like this. Everything sounds sharper, heavier and more precise than it does on record and there is an energy that reverberates and resonates around Donington Park that makes every hair on your body stand up and you realise you are witnessing something special in front of you. Don’t be suprised if the next time Within Temptation appears here they are headlining the whole thing.(SC)
After a lengthy hiatus and over a decade since they last graced the hallowed ground of Donington, Elliot Minor (8) are back with a bang. Following a sell out reunion tour across the UK earlier this year, the Avalanche Stage is packed with smiling faces who never thought this day would come. Blasting the roof off the tent with a rousing rendition of Jessica, the short but mighty set takes us through the greatest hits of Elliot Minor. Ok so as dual front men Alex Davies and Ed Minton point out, they might only have two albums (and one new single How Does It Feel) but the short set is nothing but pure nostalgic joy.
Alex and Ed’s cheeky poppy harmonies are perfectly on point, while drummer Dan and bassist Ed Hetherton bring a banging rhythm Running Away has everyone jumping before keyboard wizard Ali Paul launches into the catchy tones of Time After Time. Closing the set is the epic Parallel Worlds, everyone is dancing, singing then shedding a tear or two as they realised this could be the end. We might be Still Figuring Out why Elliot Minor ever went away, but we really hope they’ll be back before another decade has passed. (LF)
While Within Temptation are wow’ing the Opus stage, a huge crowd has packed into the Avalanche Stage for McFly (8). It’s not quite the absurd overflow of Busted from last year, but it is still absolutely rammed in there. Fully playing up to the occasion and clearly enjoying himself, bassist Dougie Poynter takes full advantage of not being in front of his usual type of audience to curse as often as possible, even leading the crowd in getting them to tell poor Tom Fletcher to “f*** off”.
There’s a huge amount of musically messing around as they cover everyone from Jimmy Eat World to Bon Jovi, and while this is fun, its the McFly originals that hit best. Obviously and Shine A Light are massive successes, but the best moment of the set is when McFly call for a wall of death, only to then hit the intro to All About You. As things come to an end, there was just time for them to mix 5 Colours In Her Hair with Master Of Puppets. Yes, you heard that right. Like Busted last year, McFly showed they absolutely belong at Download. One of the most fun sets of the weekend. (JG)
Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s time for the main event… We’ve all seen the videos of the pink rabbit hyping everyone up, but no amount of people in costumes dancing about the stage can compare to the excitement of Green Day (9) making their Download Festival debut. They immediately throw out their current tried and tested tour setlist to open with American Idiot and Holiday and all of a sudden the 20 year gap since I last saw them live disappeared as Billie Joe Armstrong leads the band through hit after hit.
This includes stop offs to get people on stage (Know Your Enemy), have the crowd chant “you fat bastard” and even a cheeky outing for Revolution Radio. There’s also an absolute treat in a relatively rare airing of J.A.R. from the soundtrack to 1995 movie, Angus. At no point is the crowd not eating out the band’s hands nor seeming bored or quiet as Green Day cover something off most of their back catalogue. Sure, there’s nothing from Uno, Dos or Tre, as they probably wouldn’t have been well received, but that said, when they are on a form this good, even some of those songs would have hit home. (GL)
For most, the evening ended with Green Day, but for a good few thousand night owls who packed into District X, there was the late night treat of a marvellous acoustic performance from Funeral For A Friend (8.5). Joined once again by Holding Absence’s Lucas Woodland on vocals (an arrangement that surely has to be made permanent sooner rather than later), the Welsh six piece treated a packed Doghouse to some beautiful renditions of old favourites.
With the bands’ acclaimed album Hours having been released 20 years to the day, the set was heavily themed around songs from that album. Rarely have the likes of Roses For The Dead sounded so good. The Hours tracks were punctuated with spine tingling versions of Juneau and Into Oblivion (and at this point there was barely a dry eye in the tent). Finishing off with History, Lucas and the boys sent everyone off to bed (or to further partying) full of the feels. A very special performance. (JG)
So ended a marvellous first day at Download 2025! Stay tuned for the full review of days two and three, coming your way very soon!
Words by Jamie Giberti (JG), Greg Latham (GL), Simon Crampton (SC), John Layland (JL), Claire Frays (CF), John Weightman (JW), Lisa Fox (LF). Photos by Jemma Dodd.
