Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Blink-182 will be making their Download debut in 2027
ByIan MurphyBBC Newsbeat- Published10 minutes ago
Blink-182, Evanescence & Bring Me The Horizon have been announced as headliners of next year's Download Festival.
The trio are among more than 100 rock and metal acts set to play the event at Donington Park, Leicestershire from 9 to 13 June.
Other acts on the bill include The Prodigy, 5 Seconds of Summer and a special performance by heavy metal legends Mötley Crüe.
US pop-punk band Blink-182 will be making their Download debut, while Evanescence will become the festival's second female-fronted headliner.
The American rock band were founded by singer Amy Lee in the mid-1990s and had a UK number one with their best-known single Bring Me to Life in 2003.
It's the second year in a row a female-led band has headlined the festival, after Linkin Park topped the bill in 2025.
The nu-metal group have reformed with Emily Armstrong as their lead singer, after the death of former frontman Chester Bennington, who took his own life in 2017.
The choice of Emily upset some fans, who pointed to her alleged ties to the Church of Scientology and past support for convicted rapist Danny Masterson - someone she distanced herself from.
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Amy Lee founded Evanescence more than 20 years ago
Next year's Download will be a first for Blink-182, who emerged from the California skate punk scene in the 1990s.
They've had two UK top 10 singles and had their first number one album in 2016, 21 years after their first record.
Their drummer Travis Barker is married to Kourtney Kardashian and survived a plane crash in the US that killed four people in 2008.
British rockers Bring Me The Horizon are more familiar to Download regulars, headlining for the second time in five years.
The four-piece band, formed in Sheffield, announced earlier this year they're celebrating 20 years of the debut album Count Your Blessings by re-recording it.
That 2006 record was in the deathcore genre, known for its heavy and aggressive sound, but the band have since moved towards metalcore, pop and electronic rock.
Some fans questioned if the original lyrics, which frontman Oli Sykes admitted could be interpreted as misogynistic, were still appropriate.
But the 39-year-old lead vocalist told the BBC Radio 1 Rock Show that going back to their roots was "a lot of fun" as they "got to remake the album how we wanted it to sound back then".
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Bring Me the Horizon, fronted by Oli Sykes, headlined Reading and Leeds Festival last year
Download bills itself as a festival "spanning the full spectrum of rock, metal, punk, emo, hardcore, alternative and classic rock".
It called this year's line-up "bigger, better and bolder than ever" and said it features "something for everyone, from huge artists to electric newcomers".
Other acts announced include Turnstile, Faith No More, Body Count ft. Ice-T and Malevolence - with the festival saying more will be revealed.
Some pre-sales are currently available but tickets go on general sale at 10:00 GMT on Sunday.
In recent years Download has also featured pop acts and surprise guests, with the Vengaboys an unlikely addition to 2024's line-up.
And Dogstar - the band formed by actor Keanu Reeves - performed in 2026.
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