Bullet For My Valentine, Enter Shikari and Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes have been announced as the headline acts for the government-approved Download Pilot festival to be staged at Donington Park on June 18-20.
Other acts confirmed for the 10,000 capacity event, being staged as part of the UK government’s scientific Events Research Programme include The Wildhearts, Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls, Skindred, Creeper, While She Sleeps, Neck Deep, Twin Atlantic, Employed To Serve, Boston Manor and Sleep Token. In all, 40 bands are set to perform across the weekend, all of them from the UK.
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes will headline the festival on the Friday night, Enter Shikari will close the Saturday night, and Bullet For My Valentine will bring the weekend to a climax with their Sunday night headline appearance.
“We're beyond honoured to be part of this historic music event to kick start the live music industry and bringing back live music to people lives,” says Bullet For My Valentine frontman Matt Tuck. “The world has been quiet for too long, time to bring the noise!”
Enter Shikari frontman Rou Reynolds adds, “After 18 months trapped inside, we cannot wait to be back in our favourite element; playing music beneath an open sky. It’s also fitting, as we have a long history with Download… 2021 being the 15th anniversary of our first time there - which also happened to be our first ever festival show! We’re incredibly proud to be headlining an event that helps to get live music back on its feet in the UK.”
And Skindred’s Benji Webbe says, “There is nothing that beats the experience of a live rock n roll show especially after all the lock downs , it’s something that cannot be downloaded and does not work either as a live stream . So to be involved in this much needed and very special pilot event is an honour . We cannot wait to celebrate and bring the party to Donington Park Skindred style again this June.”
Download booker Andy Copping had this to say: “We’re incredibly excited to safely welcome back fans to Donington Park and honoured to play a vital part in the return of live music to the UK. Putting together a line-up of 40 outstanding bands including headliners like Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, Enter Shikari and Bullet For My Valentine, is something the Download brand is uniquely able to do and made possible by a thriving UK rock scene and deep pool of in-demand talent. With moshing back on the cards, this is going to be a true celebration of festival spirit and something special to be a part of.”
The full Download Pilot festival line-up is:
Friday, June 18: Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, Neck Deep, Sleep Token, Boston Manor, Holding Absence, Hot milk, Malevolence, Death Blooms
Saturday, June 19: Enter Shikari, While She Sleeps, Creeper, Stone Broken, Twin Atlantic, Yonaka, Those Damn Crows, “A”, Vukovi, Tigercub, Wargasm, The Hara, Bleed From Within, As Everything Unfolds, Conjurer, Lotus Eater.
Sunday, June 20: Bullet For My Valentine, Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls, Skindred, The Wildhearts, Trash Boat, Massive Wagons, Elvana, Jamie Lenman, Lonely The Brave, Higher Power, Loathe, Chubby and The Gang, Employed To Serve, Cassyette, Saint Agnes, Static Dress.
Ticket-holders for Download 2022 will be given priority access to purchase tickets for the event on June 1 with general sale starting on June 3 at 12pm. Tickets are priced at £120 (plus booking fee).
All tickets are weekend camping tickets only: no day tickets will be released and attendees will need to stay on-site for the duration of the festival.
As a Government scientific Events Research Programme event, festival-goers will need to consent to take part and must be over 16. Moshing, we’re told, is very much allowed, indeed encouraged.
Whilst festival goers will not be socially distanced or required to wear face coverings once inside the festival, they will be required to follow existing Government guidance when travelling to and from Donington Park and adhere to rules set out by the festival organisers. Attendees must take a lateral flow test on the morning of the event and receive a negative result to enter the festival. As part of the wider scientific research on the trial events, the Download Pilot attendees will also be asked to take a PCR test before and after the event to gather further evidence on the safety of the festival camping experience, reduced social distancing and the removal of non-pharmaceutical interventions like face coverings. They will also have to provide contact details for NHS Test and Trace to ensure everyone can be traced in the event of an audience member receiving a positive test after the event.
For full details and conditions of entry visit the festival website.
