Download Festival

> Multiple bands have pulled out of Download festival over Barclaycard being used as its official payment partner, in protest against Barclays providing financial services to defence companies supplying Israel. > > Download, the UK’s biggest rock, metal and punk festival which takes place from 14 to 16 June, lists Barclaycard as one of its official sponsors alongside Liquid Death, Red Bull and others. > > Leeds band Pest Control wrote: “We cannot sacrifice the principles held by this band and by the scene we come from and represent, just for personal gain.” > > As a result of their boycott, punk bands Speed, Scowl and Zulu also pulled out of the festival over the Barclays sponsorship, criticising the bank for the financial services it provides. > > British metalcore band Ithaca joined the boycott on Tuesday evening. “Once we were made aware of Barclays’ involvement in Download we knew we could no longer participate,” the band said in a statement to the Guardian. “This moment of solidarity is an opportunity for festival organisers to reflect carefully on who they take money from and see that the younger generation of bands will no longer be silent.”

> There’s only eight days to go now until Download, and the festival are getting fans excited with the release of next weekend’s set times. > > We can now see how long our favourite bands are playing for, and agonise over who will win out in various set clashes (hopefully not too many, though). > > All the music will kick off properly on Friday, June 14 from 1pm with The Blue Stones, Hanabie., Storm and Defects opening up the Apex, Opus, Avalanche and Dogtooth stages respectively. Throughout the day you’ll be able to see everyone from The Struts and Scene Queen to The Callous Daoboys and Polyphia, before mighty headliners Queens Of The Stone Age bring the riffs between 9:10pm and 10:50pm on the Apex Stage. > > You’ll have to wake up early the next day, though, as Download’s Saturday begins at 11am, with Bambie Thug opening the Apex Stage and Heriot, Mallavora and Celestial Sanctuary getting the party started elsewhere. WARGASM, Bleed From Within, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, GEL, BABYMETAL and more will keep everyone entertained throughout the day, before Enter Shikari (5:05pm – 6:05pm), The Offspring (6:40pm – 7:55pm) and Fall Out Boy (9:20pm – 10:50pm) go on to deliver endless Apex Stage bangers. > > Then, on the Sunday, June 16 – we’re on to the final day already? Boo… – all the action once again starts at 11am via Lord Of The Lost, Kelsy Karter & The Heroines, Delilah Bon and Until I Wake. Keep your eyes peeled for a lunchtime racket with Code Orange on the Apex Stage at 12pm, with much more to come from Kerry King (2:25pm – 3:10pm) making his solo debut, and then all the hits from Bowling For Soup (3:40pm – 4:30pm), Sum 41 (5pm – 6pm), Electric Callboy (5:25pm – 6:05pm), Corey Taylor (6:30pm – 7:15pm), Limp Bizkit (7pm – 8pm) and many more across the four stages. > > Finally, Avenged Sevenfold will bring Download to a close with an almost-two-hour set on the Apex Stage between 9pm – 10:50pm, giving UK fans their first live taste of last year’s mind-melting Life Is But A Dream… album.

I missed getting tickets but I hear it was absolute carnage even getting in due to the increased attendance

Your guesses / predictions / wish list?

I went 2022 but was skint this year. Sitting on the fence so far for '24.