By Rich Hobson
Download Festival 2019 looms ever closer and the festival is truly beginning to take shape with the announcement of a further 17 bands to an already stacked line-up.
Heading things are Simple Creatures, the supergroup created by Blink 182’s Mark Hoppus, will be headlining the Avalanche Stage on the Saturday night, provisionally putting them up against the likes of Carcass, Slipknot and Halestorm.
Also added to the line-up are premiere riff-slingers Graveyard, Dinosaur Pile-Up and Goodbye June, each taking up spots across the line-up to ensure that rock’s classic roots are upheld admirably. More contemporary stylings come in the punk-oriented announcement of pop-punks The Wonder Years, as well as Roam, Cloud and Hot Milk. Heavy metal eclecticism gets a healthy boost too, in the form of Kvelertak (making their first UK festival appearance with new vocalist Ivar Nikolaisen) and Mongolia’s folk-tinged The Hu.
It’s not all bands for Download 2019 however – as with the past few years, the festival will also host live NXT events, with this year marking the first time NXT UK will be invading the fields of Donington. The star-studded roster includes WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne, NXT UK Women’s Champion Toni Storm and the likes of Tyler Bate, Trent Seven and Rhea Ripley.
Bristling with talent, Download 2019 is looking absolutely massive, with Def Leppard playing ‘Hysteria’ in full, Slipknot returning with a new record and Tool’s first UK show in 13 years, as well as a host of excellent bands like Power Trip, Alien Weaponry, Conjurer, Clutch and Smashing Pumpkins.
Tickets are on-sale now, visit the website for more details.
Check out the full line-up HERE.