The home straight for the 2026 Download Festival! If you’ve made it this far, you may (or may not) have read our previews for both the Friday and the Saturday of the annual Donington bash. If you haven’t, here’s some links so you can catch up: Download Festival 2026 Friday PreviewDownload Festival 2026 Saturday Preview…
Ah, middle Saturday of Download. The sight of so many wonderful performances, and more than a few hangovers brought on by fantastic Donington Friday nights over the years. We are sure that Download Festival 2026 will be no exception to both of these things. If you are yet to catch our Download 2026 Friday Preview,…
It’s almost time to hit the hallowed Donington turf once again! Download Festival 2026 is upon us in less than a weeks’ time, and so the Rock Sins team has been pouring over the line up to bring you what we think will be the acts not to miss as the first full day of…
For any band, a reliable crew can make all the difference between fame and never quite making it. In a tenure spanning over thirty years years now, Texas pop-punk outfit Bowling For Soup have forged a path by excelling in the production of both upbeat comedy-laden anthems and heartfelt emotional balladry, taking them all the…
Twenty years after growing from a small club night in Leeds into the UK’s largest independent rock festival, Slam Dunk Festival 2026 is gearing up for its biggest celebration yet. Returning to Hatfield Park on 23 May and Temple Newsam in Leeds on 24 May. The 2026 edition is set to deliver a nostalgia-packed lineup,…
Spring has sprung and April is here. Which can only mean one thing, Record Store Day is just a couple of weeks away. While debate about the big days relevance rages on, there are some absolute bangers on this years list that rock and heavy metal fans won’t want to miss out on. So, with that…
Our friends over at Download Festival HQ have been teasing their next announcement for just over a week now. We’re pretty sure it is going to be the second (and maybe last?) set of new bands and artists joining the line up. As Download tradition goes, this second announcement feels pretty late. But then, not…
While bargain hunters gear up for Black Friday at the end of this month. Record collectors have the date marked for an entirely different reason. Thanks to a fresh batch of Record Store Day exclusives landing at local indie stores on November 28th. RSD Black Friday generally isn’t held in quite the same regard as…
In the English Summer sunshine, backstage at Download Festival 2025, Rock Sins were delighted to catch up with Opeth master shredder and lead guitarist Fredrik Akesson. We were able to cover many topics with Fred, from returning to the bands’ signature growing vocals, the multiple moving parts and guests of their recent album The Last…
As we do every year, Rock Sins brings you our annual festival guide for as many alternative, rock and metal festivals as we can across the UK. We are getting an early start with the 2026 guide (start as you mean to go on and all that). April Takedown FestivalWhere: Portsmouth GuildhallWhen: 3rd and 4th…