Now back for its fourth year since returning to the scene, Takedown Festival 2026 kicked off at Portsmouth Guildhall over Easter Weekend, with a clear sense that this is a festival continuing to grow year on year. From the moment doors opened, there was a real buzz around the place, the kind you only get when people have been waiting for festival season to come back around. The Guildhall once again proved why it works so well for Takedown. The layout made moving between stag

Birmingham’s MIRRORTALK opened the show, bringing a polished take on emo revival that pulls their grunge and shoegaze influences together into a shimmering wall of fuzzy guitars and 00's nostalgia. It is not the most original formula in the world, but when it is delivered with this level of heartfelt enthusiasm, it is hard to not end up won over. Making the most out of an unfamiliar crowd to test out fresh material that takes in some modern hardcore influences, adding in the

Takedown Festival is the high-octane kick start to the festival season. Taking place at the Guildhall in Portsmouth across the 3rd and 4th April, the festival takes over the whole venue to give you three stages of non-stop music. Takedown is a festival that loves to showcase new talent alongside big-hitting names. With such a varied roster of artists, there is something for everyone, young and old, to enjoy alongside new names to discover and add to their playlists. It’s a f

Often compared to HOLDING ABSENCE , CASKETS and UNDEROATH , with their atmospheric melodies, heavy breakdowns, and experimental sounds, the UK’s most emotionally resonant post-hardcore band LASTELLE are heading upwards fast. Best known for their cinematic soundscapes and raw lyrical depth, the band has been captivating audiences across the country on their Exist UK Tour, which took them to Exeter, Glasgow Sheffield and more. We’re diving into the heart of their live performan

Hailing from Oxfordshire, atmospheric post-hardcore band, Lastelle , spent the last night of their Exist tour in the darkened Room 3 of Corporation in Sheffield, closing out the nine date run with an evening of sad songs, heavy screaming and lots of crowd participation. Best known for their lyrics confronting the ‘emotionally uncomfortable’ with lines about the struggles of facing loss, living with neurodivergence and the art of discovering yourselves, Lastelle made a cold, F