Posts tagged 2026
666 : Download 2026 - Coming of Age

The most interesting thing about this year's Download line up (aside from the depth and variety) is that it is now at a point in its history where it can feast on its own nostalgia. For many years, it relied on call-backs to its predecessor “Monsters of Rock”, with seemingly endless headline appearances by Aerosmith, Def Leppard and Iron Maiden. However, since its mammoth 20th birthday bash in 2023, Download has become comfortable with recycling from its own heritage and celebrating the bands that belong to the generation that has grown up with the festival. 

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666 : Damnation 2026 Headliners Announced!

Expectation inevitably results in disappointment. How many times has an event promised you the greatest lineup ever, only to then present you with a couple of reunions nobody wanted, three outfits with only the original drummer left and their mates' brother's band? It is very easy to talk up your ambition, it is more difficult to land something that fulfils those words. Damnation Festival has made cutting through the bullshit its USP. It doesn't want to be another event with an expensive headliner and a makeshift “that will do” undercard.

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666 : Down and Out in Hammersmith and Manchester

On Friday the Foo Fighters played a late-night show at the O2 Ritz here in Manchester. Whilst the prospect of seeing perennial stadium botherers in a 2,000-capacity venue is in itself unique, its most noteworthy point is how they managed ticket distribution. There was no mad internet dash for tickets, no ludicrous presale (there is no such thing as a presale, tickets are either available or they are not) and no secret codes and loops to jump through. You simply queued up last Sunday at the Ritz and from midday and a REAL person sold you a paper ticket. It was like the last thirty-odd years hadn’t happened, and instantly they did away with all the issues around touts, bots, scammers or fakes.

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