Download Festival, Day 4: Saturday 13th June 2026

17 June 2026

After yesterday’s feast of hard rock and metal, Saturday at Download has a lot to live up to and Pussyliquor are a good omen that today is going to follow suit. Operating with the same kind of rage that characterised Crass’ Penis Envy era, this bunch hit the stage like a tightly wound ball of rage, and when they detonate it is with full force. It’s a wonderfully sweary set with the band reclaiming the ‘C’ word and ‘My Body, My Choice’ leaving no doubts about the ensemble’s hardline Feminist stance. Yet, for all their rage, Pussyliquor have retained a sense of humour and it makes a nice counterpoint to their more manic moments. Pussyliquor are the perfect wake up call.

Over on the Opus stage, American nu-metal pioneers Snot have arrived like a crack of thunder and set about kicking up a storm. After their original tenure was tragically cut short, Snot seem like a band who’re born again and on stage today they are operating with the same kind of energy that characterised their early days. It’s a take-no-prisoners kind of affair with new vocalist being particularly animated, bouncing around the stage like a silver ball between the bumpers, yet it would be unfair to single out one single member because Snot attack like a unified force and have thrown down the gauntlet for the rest of the day. Pretty impressive for noon on Saturday.

Tailgunner are a band who are kind enough to wear their influences on their sleeve (the clue is in the name) and in an age where heavy metal is fragmenting and being diluted by other genres, there’s something refreshingly old school about this bunch. The crowd certainly think so and this is the biggest crowd I’ve seen in the Dogtooth thus far, it’s standing room only as Tailgunner wheel out the heavy artillery with opening shot ‘Midnight Blitz’, and from here on it’s a foot-on-the-monitor, horns-held-high celebration of metal. Offering an abject lesson in their craft, from the twin guitar attack to the pounding rhythm section via the soaring vocals, Tailgunner are a feast for the ears and are on a collision course with the biggest stages, and on the strength of today’s performance, they are going to get there in double quick time. It’s heartening to see plenty of young fans in the crowd, and with bands such as Tailgunner on the scene, the future of heavy metal is in safe hands.

Whilst many people only know of Iran through its current despotic regime, the Persian country has a rich history dating back millennia. It once was an outward looking nation that enriched the world with art and culture, and Lowen offer an intriguing glimpse of what could have been had the country not been seized by fundamentalist, hardline nutcases. Fronted by ex-pat Nina, Lowen draw deep from the well of Persian culture, there’s something about the traditional sounds of ancient Iran that transfer very well to the heavy metal template and they swing with wrecking ball force. With the aid of a dancer and some inventive use of props, a Lowen show becomes a piece of performance art, a three-dimensional experience that casts a spell over the crowd and holds them in a vice-like trance. Such is the enormity of Lowen’s sound, that they leave a huge void in the wake, and one that’s going to be hard to fill.

Maybe it is having to follow truly great bands such as Tailgunner and Lowen, but Conjurer are off the boil. There is obviously some tension within the Conjurer camp; sometimes this can have a galvanising effect and is the tinder that feeds the flame, but it can also knock things off kilter, and with Conjurer it is very much the latter. Aided by an indistinct and thick sound, Conjurer feel limp and lacklustre and are hiding behind a wall of muddy feedback. The early promise the band displayed has long been lost and it gives the feeling that the group are rudderless and are floating towards whatever trends are currently in vogue. The crowd are voting with their feet and the tent quickly empties (like our attention spans) leaving behind a band who’re out of their depth and splashing around in deep water.

It’s the first time in Europe for Return To Dust and they look genuinely excited to be here. That feeling of excitement carries over into their set and they are bang on point from the very first note; there’s a pioneering spirit to the band and are putting a new spin on the alt-rock template. With a definite grunge influence (think Nirvana, Silverchair), Return To Dust definitely pay homage to that era, yet it is merely a springboard towards something new and the group are rocking their signature sound with real drive and purpose. It’s a sound that’s full of peaks and troughs; like the hair-raising fairground rides over at District X, Return To Dust take the crowd on a wild ride that’s full of unexpected twists and turns, and that exactly how a live show should flow. Great stuff.

The last time Babymetal were at Download they were victims of the English summer and the torrential downpours that forced them off stage a couple of times. Therefore, their set today has the feeling of unfinished business and as a good omen the sun starts to peak through the clouds. First the Kami band arrive, then Babymetal march onto the stage as if they really are extraterrestrials who’ve travelled through the galaxy to be at Download today. With bright outfits that catch and fracture light and their intricate dance moves, Babymetal are a feast for the ears and the eyes and the sheer effervescence and joie de vivre with which they operate radiates good vibes around Donington Park. As with Abba, Shonen Knife and The Ramones, there’s something very life affirming about Babymetal, so much so that their albums should really be prescribed on the NHS. With songs about chocolate and a cutesy image, Babymetal should really have had a shelf life of about 10 minutes, but they’ve now been brightening our world for a decade, and long may that continue.

Sweet Savage might be NWOBHM heroes, but they are certainly not stuck in the past and they come armed with a sound that’s punchy, pugnacious and bang up to date. However, what they have retained from their early days is a punk influence, not so much aesthetically, but sound wise; these are songs that are devoid of any filler, slightly rough around the edges (which, of course, is a good thing) and taking the most direct line to what it is all about. Whilst Sweet Savage got a lot of attention via Metallica covering ‘Killing Time’, that was a double-edged sword and turned the spotlight away from the rest of their work. This set reveals what an impressive discography Sweet Savage has and cuts such as ‘Eye Of The Storm’ and ‘Leave Me Alone’ render the band a contemporary force. It’s ‘Killing Time’ that brings the set to a thunderous conclusion and while Sweet Savage have a bright past, their future looks to be even brighter.

Maybe it is growing up under the yoke of a puritanical, religious dogma, but Poland’s Behemoth have a supremely Satanic sound. Yet, it is not only their sound which is unnerving, but their stage set too; as various pieces of Christian paraphernalia are subverted and inverted. It creates an ominous tone, and that’s even before the band have arrived! It acts as a warning to the curious, yet there are plenty of souls here to worship at the band’s (Pagan) alter, and when Behemoth finally arrived, they look like freshly exhumed corpses, and they sound like it, too, delivering a brand of black metal that casts a dark shadow over the Opus stage (in spite of the bright sunlight). The type of anger with which the band operate cannot be faked and they attack their instruments with great gusto, as if they are sacrificial objects held up to some strange deity. With a weighty rhythm section that lands every beat as if a punch to the solar plexus, each band member is on the same page and attack as a unified force. It makes this set a fine pre-cursor to the band’s return to these shores in the autumn, be there…or the band will throw a hex on you!

There’s a feeling in the air that the whole day has been leading up to this moment, the compass has been pointing towards the Apex stage and the much anticipated appearance of Guns N’ Roses. It means that an air of expectation hangs heavy in the air; for many this will be the first time catching the legends live on stage, and even for the veterans there’s always an air of excitement surrounding a Gunners live show. It makes the countdown to showtime impossibly slow and it is with a sense of relief when the opening riff of ‘Welcome To The Jungle’ fills the air and the band appear in all their glory. While it’s true that Axl’s voice doesn’t carry the same range and Slash has put on a few pounds, the band have enough firepower in their back catalogue to counteract anything the years might have taken away. Their quality becomes immediately evident as ‘Bad Obsession’ and ‘You Could Be Mine’ tumble from the speakers, each song raising the party atmosphere exponentially, Axl moves with savage grace whilst Slash does a great Chuck Berry stroll throughout the set, duckwalking from stage left to right, and then back again. Apart from Van Halen (perhaps), no one can cover a classic rock song and make it their own like Guns N’ Roses. The covers which pepper their set are testament to their power and they tackle Velvet Revolver’s ‘Slither, Wings’ ‘Live And Let Die’ and Bob Dylan’s ‘Knocking On Heaven’s Door’ with great aplomb. ‘Sabbath Bloody Sabbath’ is performed in honour of Ozzy and makes a fitting tribute, before Duff takes vocals on the Sex Pistols’ ‘Black Leather’ before a real surprise appears in the shape of the Jimmy Webb penned ‘Wichita Lineman (originally made famous by Glen Campbell. There’s something so very special about Download when the sun starts to set and the stage lighting come into full effect, and when Guns N’ Roses are blasting out ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’, life doesn’t get much better. It’s a mammoth 26 song set that Guns N’ Roses deliver and means that when final track ‘Paradise City’ rings out, no one is leaving disappointed.

Guns N’ Roses Set List: