With Download Festival officially less than a month away, we’re super excited to see the many bands and artists performing.
This year, we’re treated to the return of dozens of acts who have played the festival before but will be sure to delight us all again this year.
Here we bring you 10 of the acts we’re looking forward to seeing again – and why.
Pendulum
Credit: Derek Bremner
Pendulum’s live drum‑and‑bass‑meets‑metal assault made a huge impact at Download 2008, when they first shook the Donington stages. They were back in 2009 and again in 2011, and 2023, each time bringing a crossover energy that helped widen the festival’s sonic palette far beyond traditional rock and metal.
In 2023, they were joined on stage by a guest in Bullet For My Valentine’s Matt Tuck following the release of their collaborative single Halo. They were a ball of energy and will be bringing the same to main stage at 4pm on Friday.
Lake Malice
Lake Malice made their Download debut in 2023 and brought their genre-bending beauty to the fourth stage. They mix hyper pop and metal and it is a show to behold, full of energy and relatability with lyrics focused on past events but in a way that makes anyone who has been through anything similar relate.
They will be bringing their unique blend of alternative music to the Dogtooth stage on Friday at 5pm.
Architects
Architects’ route through Download culminated in a huge 2023 appearance, where they finally took a prime position as sub-headliner on main stage reflecting their status as one of Britain’s leading heavy bands. That set, full of material from their more recent albums, felt like a home‑turf coronation years in the making.
It came after more than a decade of sporadic appearances, beginning in 2007 in the middle of the third stage, before returning to the third stage two years later, this time as sub-headliners.
Their first main stage appearance was in 2013 as the second act on the Friday, before they too went international, appearing at Download France in 2017 and Download Spain in 2019.
This year, they will be headlining the Opus stage from 7.45pm on the Saturday, ready to bring their stadium-ready metal to the hallowed grounds of Donington.
Bush
Bush’s 2022 Download appearance marked a nostalgic return for a band with deep ’90s alternative rock roots. Their set leaned on classic singles while folding in newer material, giving Donington a polished, radio‑friendly change of pace among the heavier acts on the bill.
They will be bringing the sing-a-long to the Opus stage at 5pm on Saturday.
Creeper
Creeper’s first Download slot in 2015 saw them channel goth‑punk theatrics and big choruses into a cult‑ish mid‑bill show. They jumped up to main stage in 2017, reflecting the hype around the goth punks following their backing from Motley Crue’s Nikki Sixx and the self-made murder mystery from debut album The Stranger in 2016.
In 2017, they also went abroad for Download France and Download Spain in 2018, where they shared the stage with Bullet For My Valentine and Guns ‘N Roses. In 2021, they were one of the bands to perform the smallest UK Download at Download Pilot, returning for the full festival in 2022, sub-headlining third stage under Funeral For A Friend.
By this time, Creeper were one of the bands to bypass the usual ‘year on, year off’ cycle as they returned again in 2023, this time, headlining the Dogtooth Stage. By their return to main stage in 2024 they’d sharpened the storytelling and visuals, giving Donington something closer to a rock opera in miniature, complete with devoted, costume‑wearing fans down the front.
Now they’re going to bring their theatrical saga to the Opus stage on Friday at 3.50pm and as headliners on the Dogtooth stage on Sunday at 8.30pm.
Feeder
Credit: Harlequins F.C
Feeder played Download 2005, bringing big‑chorus British alt‑rock to a bill otherwise heavy on metal. Their set showed the festival’s willingness, even in its early years, to include melodic crossover acts who could still connect with a rock crowd, although they were hesitant as to whether they would win the crowd over, but did so well.
Now, 21 years later, the Welsh rockers will be headlining the Avalanche stage on Friday at 7.55pm.
letlive.
Credit: DJay Brawner
letlive. appeared at Download in 2011 and again in 2014, gaining a reputation for unpredictable, high‑intensity performances. Jason Butler’s wild stage presence and the band’s genre‑bending post‑hardcore made those sets cult favourites among regular attendees.
After breaking up in 2017, Butler would bring more chaos to Download with Fever 333 in 2019 and 2021, but he will be returning with the beloved letlive. in 2026, following their reformation in 2024.
Black Veil Brides
Credit: Jonathan Weiner
Metallers Black Veil Brides made their Download debut in 2011 on the second stage, returning again in 2012 on main stage, and again in 2015. In the early years, Download fans didn’t always take kindly to the band and their glam rock-inspired makeup, with some throwing bottles at frontman Andy Biersack, who hit back at those taunting them in 2012. However, fans seem to have come round to them over the years as their sound evolved, with appearances on main stage in 2018 and 2022.
They will return to main stage in 2026, bringing with them their heaviest music to date with new album Vindicate out now and set to feature alongside some of their hits throughout a 20+ year career. They will be on the Apex stage on Saturday at 2.30pm.
Ice Nine Kills
Credit: Scott Shafer
Theatrical metallers Ice Nine Kills always put on a show – whether its in a tiny club such as The Globe in Cardiff in 2016, or on the main stage at Download like in 2023.
They made their Download debut in 2022 on the second stage, before putting on a gory performance on main stage the following year in the blazing Sunday sun, fully leaning into their act of recreating beloved horror movies through song.
They will return to main stage in 2026 as the third to last act on Sunday, appearing at 5.05pm, with the fading light set to give a more haunting atmosphere to their already enchanting set.
Those Damn Crows
Credit: Jansen Bulpin
Now some people could say I’m bias by including two lots of fellow Welshies in this list (as we’ve already covered Feeder), but Those Damn Crows, much like Feeder, are definitely ones to see whenever you get the chance – even if it is multiple times a year.
With insanely relatable tracks, and catchy modern rock, theirs is a return to be happy about.
Those Damn Crows made their debut on the Dogtooth stage in 2019 and played the pilot in 2021, before jumping to main stage in 2022, delighting the crowds with their stadium-ready rock anthems. They also returned in 2024 on main stage, but this year will be delighting crowds on the Opus stage at 2.45pm on Saturday.
Download Festival 2026 takes place between June 10-15 at Donington Park, Castle Donington.