LIVE FROM THE PIT: Takedown Festival 2026

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 stages quick and easy, meaning it was possible to catch a bit of everything without feeling stuck in one place. All three stages were drawing strong crowds throughout the day, not just the main room, which gave the whole event a constant energy and showed just how well the Takedown Team did with this years lineup! Also credit has to go to the staff as well, who kept everything running smoothly and were consistently helpful across the venue.

It is a festival that has built momentum over the past few years, and that growth was clear to see here. Looking back to 2023 with the mystery of a masked band (SLEEP TOKEN) closing out the weekend, there has always been a sense that Takedown likes to create moments, and this year felt no different with another mysterious and masked band set to close the weekend (PRESIDENT). Bigger crowds, packed rooms and a lineup that kept people moving all day all pointed towards a festival that is gearing up to keep growing year on year. 

There was also a more emotional side to the day. Following the tragic passing of Phil Campbell, the festival made the decision to rename the main stage the Phil Campbell Kerrang Stage in his honour. Following the Takedown team taking to the stage to talk about how much hard this had hit them all we had minute of applause brought the crowd together in a genuine moment of respect, while a remembrance wall gave people the chance to pay tribute in their own way. 

BACKLIGHT VICE

Opening the festival is never an easy task, but BLACKLIGHT VICE stepped up and set the tone for the day straight away. Coming in with heavy riffs from the off, no time was wasted getting people moving and the energy into the room, even as the early crowd was still building. It was the first time seeing them for many in the crowd but to everyone they came across tight and confident, exactly what you want from an opening slot. By the end of the set, the room had properly woken up and the day was underway. A strong start and a band that will be making its way into future playlists without any doubt! 

KILL THE LIGHTS

Moving over to the main stage openers, KILL THE LIGHTS kept the momentum going and pushed things up another level. The riffs landed hard and the vocal style stood out throughout, switching between heavier moments and cleaner sections without losing impact. It felt like a band that already knows how to work a stage like this, delivering a polished set that connected well with the crowd. There is a real sense that they are building towards bigger things, and performances like this make it easy to see them climbing higher up festival bills in the coming years.

ASOMVEL

Later in the day saw ASOMVEL bring a classic old school rock sound to the main stage as the second act of the day. Big riffs and just straight up rock. Their cover of Born To Raise Hell landed perfectly as a tribute for Phil and felt like a real moment in the set. Visually they looked the part as well, with a full stack of amps backing them up and adding to that traditional feel. It was a confident performance with strong stage presence. 

THERAPY?

Stepping in after the devastating loss of Phil Campbell, THERAPY? closed out Day One with a performance that balanced respect and experience perfectly. You could tell straight away this was a band that has been doing this for years, delivering a solid and polished set from start to finish. Opening with a fantastic cover of JOY DIVISION, Isolation before later in the set the return of Rain Hits Concrete after not being played live for nearly 16 years gave the crowd a real moment. It felt like a fitting way to end the day, leaving everyone ready to go again for Day Two.

MONOCHROME

MONOCHROME was one of the opening bands, they opened up the METAL FOR GOOD stage and kicked it off with a bang. The female fronted 5 piece hailing from Bristol stomped onto the stage to a very full room, more than the band expected as they said themselves, it seemed everyone was ready to kick off the day with a bang. “Take down wake the fuck up!” were the first words front woman Eliza screamed as she entered the stage. Despite it only being just past 1pm the crowd were more than ready to head bang and move along, It was definitely a memorable set for the band and the crowd!

LASTELLE

One of the bands set in the middle of the day seemed to catch more of a crowd than expected, being at 4pm on the mainstage and almost filling out the room was LASTELLE. It was the first set in the day where the crowd singing along was noticeable and spread from front to back, even the ones that weren't seemed impressed, and so were we! The band's energy filled the room as the 5 piece from Oxford all head banged in sync and lead vocalist Adam Rigozzi threw himself around the stage, completely matching the devastation of the hardcore tracks. The band had 3 vocalists including the drummer who delivered some of the more vocally strong lines, Mike Hayden is a talent to pay attention to, his vocals being incredibly clean and powerful all while furnishing the setlist with his intense drumming. LASTELLE are definitely a band to keep your eye on if you're not already aware of their game. 

BEX

BEX offered one of the more memorable sets of the night, facing technical difficulties and delays but the band still powered through and delivered a great performance. BEX herself brought her signature punk attitude and explosive personality to the stage. She paraded up and down the stage with confidence as the crowd gave back the same energy to her, mosh pits exploding throughout pretty much without pause once the music started. “We’re just winging this” she stated as they continued with technical difficulties despite the flawless performance from herself and the band “I will play until I’m done playing” she stated. Her brit pop inspired outfit helped her to shine as she sung her lyrics to songs like the unreleased 90’s Super Star and Slave 2 the Grind. The energy was contagious and her momentum is far from slowing down, definitely an artist in the punk scene to watch out for!

THE HARA

THE HARA had the pleasure of playing the headlining set on the TOTAL ROCK stage and they brought their absolute A game just for it. These boys are far from scared to show their true selves and stand out from the rest, their energy is unmatched and their fans love to bring the exact same attitude. The takedown stage was absolutely not immune to their antics with lead vocalist Josh Taylor doing whatever he wanted on and off the stage. Whether it was getting in his own wall of death, climbing on speakers or even taking a moment to grab a Guinness from the fridge at the bar there was not a moment that wasn't filled with chaos. They performed songs like Rockstar and Trophy that had the crowd singing and dancing along, the mosh pits were absolutely brutal, if you wanted to get to the bar you had to time it right or you might end up on the floor! As always THE HARA killed their set, they are a band of consistence and absolute panda-monium, if you haven’t been able to see these boys live you’re really missing out. 

GRAPHIC NATURE

From one headliner to the next GRAPHIC NATURE played the headlining slot at the METAL FOR GOOD Stage. The band came onto the stage as the room was already sweating, packed out from wall to wall, front to back, even piling out the door. We had the chance to chat to a few of the bands that played through the day and an outstanding majority said GRAPHIC NATURE were in their top bands of the line up, and for good reason. Frontman Harvey Freeman is an absolute beast on stage, bringing such a signature unique sound to their detrimental tracks. The onslaught was immense with push pits, circle pits and everything in between as well as HARVEY himself ending off the set by riling up the pit himself. Tracks like 404, Something I’m Not, Killing Floor and Human each one of them starting with a loud cheer from the fans in the crowd. These are another band that bring such a distinctive energy to their sets, if you haven’t seen these guys before, they should definitely be on your bucket list. 

PRESIDENT

Of course the headliner of the main stage was left to PRESIDENT, a lot of people looking at the line up might have questioned their name being so high on the bill however, the fans absolutely proved that booking them wasn’t a risk at all. From before the event started you could spot their merch all over the venue, while other fans opted to stay at the barricade the entire day just to see PRESIDENT up close. Opening with Fearless the fans treated it like a religious experience, throwing their arms in the air and shouting the lyrics as loud as they could. The band themselves had an impressive stage set up with their logo in neon lights giant and looming over them on stage and of course their trade mark podium that the frontman stood at during certain parts of songs and interlude tracks. They also took a moment in their set to cover Change by DEFTONES which was very well received by fans and non-fans alike, bringing a different sound to the song with the frontman's unique vocals. They ended their set with their debut single In the Name of the Father, one last time the crowd all sang in unison but this one was definitely the loudest of the set, ending out the phenomenal two day festival on the highest of highs.  

Words: Amy Smyth and Joshua Cunningham

Photos: Joshua Cunningham