Since the beginning of its mosh-heavy operation, Download has become the home of the most innovative rock and metal talent in the UK, if not the entire world. The festival’s history is etched deeply into the hills of Donington racetrack as each year passing brings both the best breakthrough talent and rock royalty alike. With it, more and more exciting female acts are paving the way for future generations.
Whilst alternative music has struggled to represent women in lineups, it is important to remember the history of the women who broke hallowed ground, turned the volume up and screamed into their microphones that the industry is changing and challenging how we build our lineups and make way for the more diverse headliners of tomorrow.
Here is a shortlist of women who made the download of today possible - but it is also important to remember the phenomenal impact that the female acts of Download have commanded across all stages - including In This Moment, Nova Twins, Against Me, Blood Command, Butcher Babies, Baroness, Rolo Tomassi, Hot Milk, As Everything Unfolds and Scene Queen. Plus many more that have made Donnington their own.
2003 - Angela Gossow, formerly of Arch Enemy
It’s 2003, and the first iteration of Download Festival was ready for fresh blood. A new generation of black-clad greebos took to Donnington Park to witness the UK’s largest metal festival, crown and sceptre in hand. On the second stage, Swedish melodic death-metalers’ Arch Enemy played an early set, hot off the release of their brilliantly brutal 2003 record ‘Anthems of Rebellion’.
At the time, Arch Enemy was fronted by Angela Gossow - a behemoth of the death metal community, who had auditioned for the band four years previously and “wiped the floor with the other contenders”. Her devastating mix of piercing screams and demonic low growls gave unmatched dimension to the band, even after her diagnosis of nodes in 2002, that almost stopped her career entirely. Gossow would front Arch Enemy until the release of 'Khaos Legions' in 2011, replacing current vocalist, Alissa White-Gluz. Arch Enemy would play again in 2004, and again in 2006- safe to say we’re well overdue for their glorious return!
2006 - Cristina Scabbia, Lacuna Coil
The incomparable Cristina Scabbia took to the Donington Stage a week after her 33rd birthday, just after the release of Lacuna Coil’s iconic 2006 album, ‘Karmacode'. Having played the festival the year before, the gothic-metal group were no strangers to the magnitude of the Download second stage, playing the majesty of their then-four album discography. Leaning into their eclectic roots, Lacuna Coil would play an electrifying cover of Depeche Mode’s ‘Enjoy the Silence’. The band would go on to play the festival four more times, with Cristina setting the record for the most times a woman has performed at Donnington, tying with Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale.
2007 - Hayley Williams, Paramore
The first - and only - time Paramore played Donington was in 2007, fresh off the release of their history-making ‘Riot’ album. Their unbearably-short five-song setlist was the breakthrough set for the band in the UK, a long season of festivals had pushed the eyeliner-clad band into the mainstream. Emo was beginning to shape lineups, with My Chemical Romance headlining Download on the same day (what a time to be alive). Vocalist Hayley Williams made the most of the set, dedicating ‘For A Pessimist, I’m Pretty Optimistic’ to a band from the UK press junket, with the words “You know who you are.” The band would cut through the crap with their hit song “Misery Business”, but the highlight of their day, as stated in an interview with NME, would be watching DragonForce perform.
2010 - Lzzy Hale, Halestorm
Lzzy Hale needs no introduction - 2010 would mark the first out of five times that Halestorm would perform at Download in the UK, eight with the global editions of the festival including Australia and Japan. The vocalist would give a dazzling performance in her red and black knee-length gown, enchanting the entire crowd, with her gritty powerful vocals. Lzzy made her presence known at Donington, after the release of the Pennsylvanian rocker's self-titled album. The band are a fan favourite, singing loudly as an advocate of mental health and known for their consistent touring, sometimes pulling off as many as 250 shows a year. The festival will always be a home for Halestorm as the first ever female headliner of Download’s second stage in 2019.
2011 - Skin, Skunk Anansie
It feels pretty full circle, as the British rock band are touring next month, but Skunk Anansie graced the Donington lineup third from top on the main stage in 2011. Reforming in 2009, the band went back to their roots for their fifth studio album 'Wonderlustre'. Vocalist Skin describes her band as “clit-rock”, a rebellious amalgamation of heavy metal and feminist rage. Not afraid to stand up for what they believe in, their fifteen song setlist opened with ‘Yes It’s Fucking Political‘ throwing an eclectic mix of classics and new material. This would be the only time that Skunk Anansie would play the festival, but as Mavis Bayton, author of frock rock would state: “women like Skin, Natacha Atlas, Yolanda Charles, and Debbie Smith are now acting as crucial role models for future generations of black women.”
2016 - Su-metal, Moametal and Yuimetal, Babymetal
Download icons Babymetal brought the Harajuku-infused noise to Donington's sleepy hills. The Japanese three-piece, consisting at the time of Su-metal, Moametal, and Yuimetal changed the state of the modern heavy scene with their breakthrough track ‘Give Me Chocolate’, which they performed as special guests for DragonForce in 2015. Andy Copping brought them back the following year to do an entire set, adding the ‘cute’ to the Festival’s greebo-inflused lineup. The three-piece would play twice more, once in 2018 and again in 2024 in the middle of a thunderstorm. A whirlwind career for the band with Moa Metal headlining her first arena at the age of 14. One thing's for sure: Download was never the same again after Babymetal became a regular feature.
2022 - Courtney LaPlante, Spiritbox
The rise of Spiritbox came out of the darkness of the pandemic. In 2021, the release of their debut album 'Eternal Blue' was the lighting of a long fuse, that in the UK would truly know the extent of the damage during their packed debut set at Donnington. The Avalanche tent witnessed history that day as Courtney LaPlante and her band Spiritbox played an excruciatingly short set, that became one massive sweaty mosh. With the harsh restrictions of lockdown, this was a set that the crowd needed. Spiritbox will return in 2025, but this time for their main stage debut.
2023 - Amy Lee, Evanescence
2023 marked the impressive 20 years of Download. Whilst the music scene has constantly been thriving, the inclusion of women and queer people on alternative lineups has recently gone from strength to strength. Across the bill and on all stages, diversity at Download has been an all-time high. Evanescence, headlining the second stage in 2023 could not be more evident. The black-clad bedroom emos that grew up on the festival were out in full force singing along word for word to vocalist Amy Lee. It was the first time the band had played the festival, and they received an overwhelmingly positive reception, with crowds swarming the entire second stage’s allotted ground. As her melodic vocals dispersed into the swelteringly hot early evening that year, she made her mark on the increasingly hallowed halls of Donington.
Download will be back for 2025 featuring the glorious return of Spiritbox, plus many more acts including Poppy, Sophie Lloyd, Jinjer, Mothica, Kittie and many more. Headliners include Green Day, Sleep Token and Korn.
Tickets for the festival can be found here.
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