While it may have felt like a swing for the fences when it was announced last year, British alternative metal stars Sleep Token appear to have hit it out of the park with their time onstage as a first-ever headliner at the annual ‘Download Festival‘ in Donington Park over the weekend.
Much was said about the cryptic band getting the nod to headline the flagship UK metal and rock festival this year alongside tenured artists in diamond-certified punk rockers Green Day and pioneering nü-metal outfit Korn. In fact the controversy over them getting the spot was great enough that upon being revealed as a headliner late last year, ‘Download Festival‘ founder Andy Copping took to championing them in the press. He said in part at the time
“I think it’s important for the festival to bring new bands through to headline. Back in the day, I did it with Slipknot. I did it with Avenged Sevenfold and Biffy Clyro. In 2023 we did it with Bring Me The Horizon. Now, every one of those bands across the world is perceived as a festival headliner.
That’s what I felt this time with Sleep Token. It feels like we’re the first major festival that’s taken the bull by the horns and gone, ‘OK, it’s time. Its Sleep Token’s moment’. I know it’s going to be amazing for them, amazing for the festival and amazing for the fans.”
Of course the landscape has changed dramatically in Sleep Token‘s favor between now and then. The band quickly sold out their first-ever attempt at a U.S. headlining tour, their latest album “Even In Arcadia” debuted atop the charts in numerous countries across the world, including making chart history in the United States. And as evidenced by the initial dates of their 2025 touring, their stage production now rivals many of the top touring artists out there.
Still, the band’s rapid rise to fame and penchant for unconventional melodies hasn’t sat well with the more ardent of metalheads, leading to a growing backlash against the band in heavier circles. That negativity has been palpable enough that God Forbid/ex-Bad Wolves guitarist Doc Coyle recently penned this op-ed for Metal Hammer, rallying for the band while slamming the metal scene’s tendencies to gatekeep anything that gains popularity.
Last night’s headlining set at the aforementioned festival last night, June 14th, ran as follows:
“Look To Windward”
“The Offering”
“Vore”
“Emergence”
“Alakline”
“Hyponosis”
“Rain”
“Caramel”
“The Summoning”
“Granite”
“The Love You Want”
“Higher”
“Damolces”
“Thread The Needle”
“Take Me Back To Eden”
Various fan-filmed clips from yesterday’s show can be viewed below:
