Sleep Token’s unconventional show closes the second day of Download Festival – live review of Saturday’s performances

After Green Day‘s flawless performance, I was super excited to get treated to another day of incredible acts and musicians at Download Festival. And we were, almost for the whole duration of Saturday. But as usual, let’s start at the very beginning…

Lølø

The great thing about festivals is that you will discover new fantastic bands even when you don’t intend to. That’s exactly what happened to me when Niko (the amazing photographer whose photos you will see on this page) talked me into going to catch Lølø‘s set. We couldn’t have picked a better way to start the second day of the festival! Lølø even played snippets of Green Day‘s “Brain Stew” and Ramones‘ “Blitzkrieg Bop“, which we both heard the previous night. I want to catch her again but as headliner, as she deserves more time on stage!

Photo: Niko Sihvonen.

Holy Wars

We continue the day by going to the Dogtooth stage, where Holy Wars is performing. While I wasn’t familiar with the band, they managed to capture my attention from the first moment. What a solid group they are on stage! The audience’s instant connection to the music was what was most notable. Holy Wars created a captivating atmosphere, and even though they were performing on one of the festival’s smaller stages, they knew how to entertain. Each song felt urgent and purposeful, and the band’s reputation for tackling both political and emotional ground was evident in their set. Holy Wars proved they were a fitting addition to the Download lineup!

Photo: Niko Sihvonen.

Kittie

It’s about to get rough: the next band on our to-watch list was the Canadian all-female group Kittie. The Dogtooth stage was once again packed for the band, which testified to how loved this band is. There were a lot of people near me who knew all the lyrics to their songs and jumped and screamed so loudly; I felt a bit like a fish out of water, but nevertheless I did enjoy their set quite a lot. You might want to keep an eye on Chaoszine in the following days because we might have more content about Kittie to show you. In the meantime, don’t miss a chance to catch one of their shows!

Photo: Niko Sihvonen.

Sex Pistols

If you’ve read my report of day 1 of Download, you’ll know how big of a Green Day fan I am. When I was a teenager, other than Green Day, I started researching other punk bands, and of course, I stumbled upon Ramones, Sex Pistols and the Clash. So it’s no surprise really that I rushed to the Opus stage to witness their performance. I know that technically this isn’t the full lineup, but if you actually catch one of their shows, you will be surprised on how amazing this group is. Frank Carter is not only an outstanding vocalist, but he’s also an excellent frontman and entertainer. He also went into the audience and generated some circle pits. But since it was slightly raining, it was quite dangerous. He got out of it and shouted, “Lesson learnt!“. The band was really giving it all, and I really liked how Carter was very respectful of the group and the songs. He introduced everyone, and he really did a fantastic job in fitting in with this historic group. I am eager to catch them again as soon as possible!

Photo: Niko Sihvonen.

Sleep Token

And so, without hesitation, we moved onto the Apex Stage to witness the glorious Sleep Token. Their headline performance left much to be desired, particularly for those unfamiliar with the band’s enigmatic approach to live shows. In my opinion, what should have been a triumphant festival closer instead felt like a confusing and disconnected experience that failed to unite the diverse Download crowd. While so many people were enthusiastically singing along and wearing the band’s merchandise, I was somewhat disappointed by the complete absence of crowd interaction. This approach may work for dedicated Sleep Token fans who understand the band’s mysterious persona, but for a festival headline slot—where you’re playing to a mixed audience—it felt dismissive of the very people who made their headline status possible. For Sleep Token devotees, this may have been exactly what they wanted. For everyone else, it was a bit baffling and curious conclusion to what could have been a memorable festival day.