Words by Tom Donno & Marta Tavares
Across all of our coverage at Download this year, we're going to do our best to bring you stuff from across all four stages. From the obvious heavy-hitters which'll attract swathes of people through to some more hidden gems dotted across the two tents. Without any further ado then, this is Part 2 of our Preview and it's all things Friday! We'll take you on a journey from early afternoon to night on each day!
CKY - Apex Stage - 14:00pm
Not to make anyone feel old reading this but the mighty CKY are a few short years away from 30 years of active service and what a career it's been. Highs, lows, more highs, more lows and everything in between. One thing we know for sure is their set in the early stages of Friday at Download this year will be nothing but glorious - a band perfectly suited to get the bar set high for fun on Friday afternoon. And yes, you'll still have "that" riff in your head when you're back at work the following week.
Stand out tracks: 96 Quite Bitter Beings, Flesh Into Gear, Rio Bravo
The Meffs - Avalanche Stage - 15:20pm
Hey, hey! Don't miss out this aggy pair, they seem to make more noise than a four-piece. They are Lily Hopkins on the guitar and vocals and Lewis Copsey on drums and backing vocals. We are suckers for some good Britpunk and chaotic moshpit action, so we will definitely be there.
Stand out tracks: Broken Britain, Broken Brains, Clowns, Deathwish
Bad Nerves - Avalanche Stage - 16:10pm
Are Bad Nerves the best punk n' roll band from Essex at the moment? We'd say that's probable yes. We're sure you'll also probably agree if you wander down to the Avalanche Stage in the mid-afternoon Friday sunshine (yes we're hopeful) - here you'll be met with some ferocious smash-mouth punk tracks oozing with attitude. A band who feel like a fun throwback to early 2000s disorder.
Stand out tracks: You've Got The Nerve, Baby Drummer, Can't Be Mine
Windhand - Dogtooth Stage - 17:10pm
Dropping heavy grooves and stoner riffs since 2008, Windhand are a doom metal band from Richmond, Virginia.
Their haunting vocals and melodic guitars will guide you on this ethereal and atmospheric trip puntuated by lyrical references dripping with mythology. Enjoy the ride, we'll meet you on the other side.
Stand out tracks: Orchard, Diablerie, Woodbine
Crossfaith - Avalanche Stage - 17:50pm
From Osaka to one of the best fields to find yourself in here in the UK; here's a slap of electronicore across your face. They promise to show up, deliver an intense fusion of metalcore and electronic beats, like someone once aptly described, they're like "Slipknot tearing the Prodigy limb from limb". It will be loud, engaging and frenetic that's for sure.
Stand out tracks: Omen, Monolith, RedZone
Opeth - Opus Stage - 18:15pm
When making an attempt at drawing a comparison to how perfect a band can sound, we've often cited Opeth's performance at Download Festival in 2019. With the band set to hit the same stage around the same sort of time this year, this is our public service announcement that this will be quite easily one of the sets of the weekend. Unique, spine-crushingly heavy, beautifully melodic and brilliantly technical Metal at its finest.
Weezer - Apex Stage - 19:00pm
Given the fact that Weezer have been in the game for over 30 years at this point, it feels utterly absurd to be typing that this will be the first time they've graced us with their presence at Download. A long overdue welcome to Donington, Weezer are currently still in the midst of celebrating the anniversary of the frankly brilliant Blue Album so it's safe to expect that its tracks will feature heavily in what will no doubt be a hit-laden set. A perfect festival band; Weezer bringing all of the joy as evening starts to set across the site will be a 2025 highlight.
Green Day - Apex Stage - 20:50pm
As absurd as it is to say this will be Weezer's first time at Download, echo that X10 for Green Day. A band who have so often seemed to elude Copping and co. over the years, Green Day are by some distance the biggest headliner this festival have booked since their big anniversary 4-dayer a few years ago.
The legendary three-piece (but far more of them in the live arena) spent much of 2024 celebrating birthdays for both Dookie and American Idiot and judging by recent setlists over in the US, you can expect a large amount of their time at Download will be spent blasting through hit after hit after hit lifted from both. Given Green Day's overall draw, some reports indicate that this year brings a particularly high volume of first-time attendees which explains why they've perhaps been a bit of a golden goose. Checking recent live footage, this is a Green Day bang on form. They'll be setting the bar extremely high from a headliner point of view come Friday night.
If you haven't done so yet, there are still a handful of tickets remaining for Download this year. Head over to https://downloadfestival.co.uk/tickets/ and get involved.