Download Festival 2025 defend Sleep Token as a headliner – some say they aren’t ready, your thoughts

Download Festival 2025 defend Sleep Token as a headliner – some say they are not ready, your thoughts?

Download Festival 2025 was announced recently and one of the headliners announced was the band Sleep Token being ..they are a rising British alternative metal band .. and have been around since 2016.

…the other headliners are Green Day & Korn, Sleep Token are relative so new compared to them …

Sleep Token began to only see some success in 2023, after the initial singles from their 3rd studio album “Take Me Back To Eden” ..

Since then, the band are a top billing …. In December of 2023 the band sold out the 12,500 capacity OVO Arena Wembley.

the band also joined RCA Records. … even with these accomplishments many festival goers feel Sleep Token are just a short lived band …. and many commented their questions on social media if they should be a headliner after the ‘Download Festival‘ announcement.

Some argued that other bands with with longer careers deserved the spot instead and doubted that the band were ready for the headlining role …. and many defended the band .. . Now ‘Download Festival‘ founder Andy Copping has spoken on his decision to book the band as a headlner to NME …

Speaking with NME, here https://www.nme.com/news/music/download-festival-boss-2025-lineup-pressures-sleep-token-3812318

Copping stated :

“It was seeing their meteoric rise over the last two years that made me think, ‘This is a band that deserves to be elevated. They’ve got a sold-out arena tour in a couple of weeks which we already know will be a sight to behold.”

He continued:

“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.”
“The festival has to evolve because people’s tastes and people’s expectations evolve all the time. The festival will die if we don’t move with the times, so we have to be innovative. We have to see what’s going on across social media and analyse the way people are consuming music in the TikTok age.

All of that is super important. Luckily, we’ve put together a very wide and varied young team who are giving input into what they feel the festival should be. We also talk to the fans all the time and ask them what they want to see. We seek out feedback on what we’re doing right and what we’re doing wrong. From that, we’ve found a formula that’s been working for us.”

Download Festival 2025 defend Sleep Token as a headliner – some say they are not ready, your thoughts?