Top 10 Bands Who Should Headline Download Festival, but Haven't Yet
Download Festival is a music festival I go to not always annually, but I've been 4 times in the past 6 years. The headlining bands have mostly been great, but there does seem to be an occasional problem. That they just get the same bands to headline, and very rarely do you get a new headliner.Here's a list of bands who haven't yet headlined Download Festival, but I think would be right at home if they were to headline. This list is ranked on how big the band currently is and the likelihood of headlining.
Feel free to add any bands who haven't headlined yet, but you think should.
Foo Fighters are an American alternative rock band, formed in Seattle in 1994. The band was founded by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl after the death of Kurt Cobain and the dissolution of his previous band. The band consists of Dave Grohl (lead vocalist, rhythm guitar, main songwriter), Pat Smear (rhythm guitar), Nate Mendel (bass), Taylor Hawkins (drums, backing vocals), Chris Shiflett (lead guitar, backing vocals) and the most recent addition, Rami Jaffee (keyboards). Former members include William Goldsmith (drummer) and Franz Stahl (guitarist). ...read more. I'm honestly amazed this band has never even been considered as a headliner before. They're headlining Reading/Leeds later this year, but I think they'd be much more at home at a rock festival at Donnington. There's no doubt these stadium rockers would get top-billing if they were to get booked, and I'm sure Dave Grohl and co would be able to deliver a set that gets everyone rocking out.
They've headlined Download Festival in Paris last year
Green Day are an American pop punk/punk rock band formed in East Bay, California in 1987. The members include Billie Joe Armstrong (vocals and guitar), Mike Dirnt (bass), Tré Cool (drums) and Jason White (guitar). Green Day are associated with punk rock, pop punk and alternative rock. Some of their influences include The Ramones, Sex Pistols, NOFX, and Bad Religion. They are best known for their songs like ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’, ‘Basket Case’ and their ‘American Idiot’ & ‘Dookie’ albums. American Idiot sold 6 million copies in the U.S. and won a Grammy Award for "Best Rock Album". Green Day have sold over 75 million records worldwide and have won 5 Grammy Awards. They ...read more. It would certainly spice things up at Download to get a punk rock act as the headliner, and what bigger name than Green Day? I think if they were to headline they'd have to be taken with as high regards as someone like Guns N' Roses, and given a 3 hour set time. I'm sure it would make for a great show though.
Evanescence is an American alternative rock/alternative metal band. It was founded in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1995 by singer/pianist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody. Download festival has not yet had a female-fronted band headline the festival, but these gothic metallers would make sense as a headline act. Fresh off doing their arena tours the band are currently working on a new album. Plus given how well Nightwish went down in 2016 I'm sure Evanescence would be welcomed with open arms.
Alter Bridge is an American hard rock/alternative metal band from Orlando, Florida, formed in 2004. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Myles Kennedy, lead guitarist and backing vocalist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall, and drummer Scott Phillips. Myles Kennedy is no stranger to Download Festival. He's been there many times, with Alter Bridge and Slash. The former however have been main stage sub-headliners, so they're really just one step away. As the band have a new album coming out this year maybe their time will finally come to get that push and take the top spot.
Queens of the Stone Age is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, United States, formed in 1996. The band's line-up includes founder Josh Homme, alongside longtime members Troy Van Leeuwen, Michael Shuman, Dean Fertita, and recent addition Jon Theodore. This band have headlined Reading festival before. Whilst they were met with lukewarm reception, I think they'll be ready to headline again soon enough. They certainly have a big enough back-catalogue of songs to fill a headline set, plus plenty of hard rock bangers to keep the crowd entertained.
Bon Jovi is a hard rock/pop rock band formed in 1983, which had a streak of successful albums in the late 1980s. The band originally consisted of lead vocalist Jon Bon Jovi, guitarist Ritchie Sambora (left in 2013), bassist Alec John Such (left in 1994), keyboard David Bryan, and drummer Tico Torres. The band's most famous album is Slippery When Wet, released in 1986, and had multiple hit singles such as "You give love a bad name", "Livin' On A Prayer", and "Wanted Dead Or Alive". The band's success continued well into the 1990s and 2000s, and the group still makes music to this day. They have sold around around 83 million albums worldwide.The band's first four albums blended the glam metal ...read more. Download festival has always been a great place for veteran bands to give us a headline show. One band who have yet to headline is Bon Jovi. No doubt they have the capacity to fill out a headline show from their wide back-catalogue. But with these old bands you never know how much longer they can go on for, so this may very well be a case of striking while the iron is hot.
Bullet for My Valentine are a Welsh metalcore band from Bridgend, formed in 1998. The band is composed of Matthew Tuck (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Michael Paget (lead guitar, backing vocals), Michael Thomas (drums) and Jamie Mathias (bass guitar). Former members include Nick Crandle and Jason James; both were on bass. They were formed under the name Jeff Killed John and started their music career by covering songs by Metallica and Nirvana. Jeff Killed John recorded six songs which were not released; two of these tracks were reworked later in their career as Bullet for My Valentine. Financial difficulties dictated the name change, which was followed by a change in music direction. In 2002, ...read more. This band have been playing at Download for many, many years, slowly working their way up the ladder. They've been main stage sub-headliners before, but Matt Tuck has made quite evident that he's hungry for that headline slot. I think they deserve a chance to headline, because each time I've seen them live they've been brilliant, but perhaps wait until they get another album released.
Korn is an American nu-metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The band's current lineup includes founding members Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Brian "Head" Welch, and Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, with the addition of Ray Luzier, who replaced the band's original member, David ...read more.
Parkway Drive is an Australian metalcore band from Byron Bay, New South Wales, formed in 2003. As of 2015, Parkway Drive has released five full-length albums, one EP, two DVDs, a split album and one book, titled Ten Years of Parkway Drive.
Ghost is a Swedish heavy metal band that was formed in Linköping in 2008. The band consists of five masked instrumentalists known as the Nameless Ghouls, and a demonic anti-pope known as Papa Emeritus. They have released four studio albums, one live album, and two EPs. Each album introduces a new version of Papa Emeritus... read more
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock band, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. These industrial giants certainly would be big enough to take the headline slot. I think this could be another case of striking whilst the iron is hot, because I heard Trent Reznor is thinking of ending Nine Inch Nails. So for one last hurrah this would be a perfect opportunity, and maybe they could play The Downward Spiral in full.
Shinedown is an American hard rock band from Jacksonville, Florida, formed in 2001 and founded by members Brent Smith, Brad Stewart, Jasin Todd, and Barry Kerch. Shinedown have been making quite a name for themselves in recent years, with their well received album Attention Attention and their mainstream hit Get Up! They have been getting higher up the main stage billing at Download festival, and whilst it may not happen soon, I think this band still have years ahead of them. And given enough time I can see them eventually getting the top slot, if they continue to build upon their foundations.
Die Antwoord (pronounced [di ˈantvuərt], Afrikaans for "The Answer") is a South African alternative hip hop group formed in Cape Town in 2008. The group is comprised of rappers Watkin Tudor "Ninja" Jones and Anri "Yolandi Visser" du Toit, a male/female duo. They were initially joined by producers HITEK5000 and Lil2Hood. Their image is centered around the South African counterculture movement known... read more
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (lead vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards), Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments), Colin Greenwoood (bass guitar), Phil Selway (drums), and Ed O'Brien (guitar).
Marilyn Manson is an American rock band from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Formed in 1989 by frontman Marilyn Manson and Daisy Berkowitz, the group was originally named Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids with their theatrical performances gathering a local cult following in the early 1990s. ...read more.
Incubus is an American alternative rock band from Calabasas, California. The band was formed in 1991 by vocalist Brandon Boyd, lead guitarist Mike Einziger, and drummer Jose Pasillas while enrolled in Calabasas High School and later expanded to include bassist Alex "Dirk Lance" Katunich, and Gavin "DJ ...read more.
Godsmack is an American alternative metal/hard rock band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band is composed of founder, frontman and songwriter Sully Erna, guitarist Tony Rombola, bassist Robbie Merrill, and drummer Shannon Larkin.