Rock festivals, live music and the people who make them happen.
News, interviews and festival coverage from across the rock and metal community.
Visit festpod.co.uk (http://festpod.co.uk/) for the latest articles, reviews and features.
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Missing Download? Come Back With Us | Download Festival 2026
Missing Download already? Come back to the field with us - no tent to put up this time.
For Festpod episode 90, Neill Wilkinson, Arran Prime and Rob Hemingway catch up with Paleface Swiss, Return To Dust, Self Deception, Rockin’1000 founder Fabio Zaffagnini and the RockFit crew at Download Festival 2026. There are reactions to a first-UK-show, album ideas born on tour, a plan involving 500 musicians and a Green Power Ranger determined to find the Electric Callboy pit. Because the bands are only part of what makes Download, well, Download.
- Paleface Swiss join us before their set to talk festival crowds, playing the UK and making the most of that first-day energy.
- Return To Dust have just played their first UK show. We get into hearing their lyrics sung back thousands of miles from home, touring with YUNGBLUD and a van that really didn’t want to get up the hill at Red Rocks.
- Self Deception talk turning tour-life ideas into One of Us, letting go of perfection and packing everything into their shortest set yet. They’ve also got their sights on a bigger Download stage.
- Fabio explains how wanting Foo Fighters to play his hometown became Rockin’1000 - and what it takes to get hundreds of musicians playing together.
- RockFit’s crew talk finding your people, making classes welcoming and why you don’t need to arrive as a fitness fanatic to get involved. Plus crowd chats, a tiny duck and the mosh pit mime. An interesting person for a podcast, that.
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Recorded at Download Festival 2026. Tour, release and event plans discussed reflect the time of recording. Contains strong language.
#DownloadFestival #Download2026 #Festpod
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19 Jul 2026
The Dream of Playing Download Festival | Six Bands. One Stage. One Unforgettable Day
Every band dreams of playing Download Festival. For six unsigned bands, that dream became reality at The Takeover 2026.
In this special episode, FestPod follows the emotional journey of six bands as they step off the Download stage and reflect on achieving a lifelong ambition.
Hear from 40,000 Leagues, CELAVI, Pryma, DeadWax, RXPTRS and Black Water County just moments after their performances, as they share the adrenaline, relief and excitement of playing one of the world's biggest rock festivals.
Joining Neil Wilkinson are Arran Prime (Crushed By Waves) and Rob Hemingway (Veiled), two musicians who once stood on the very same stage themselves. Together, they reflect on what The Takeover means for emerging artists and why it's become one of the most important opportunities for new rock and metal bands.
More than a collection of interviews, this is a celebration of the next generation of rock and metal - and the dreams that keep bands going through years of rehearsals, tiny gigs and hard work.
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9 Jun 2026
Why RADAR is One Of Our Absolute Favourite Festivals
Right then! Welcome back to Festpod, the Unofficial Rock Festival Guide. For Episode 88, we are getting stuck into one of the absolute best weekends on the entire music calendar - Radar Festival! We’re looking back at all the brilliant madness from the 2025 edition and looking forward to what’s coming up for 2026.
Neill Wilkinson is joined by the amazing Arran Prime from the band Crushed By Waves to chat about why this indoor Manchester gem at the O2 Victoria Warehouse is so enjoyable. Think about it: no trudging through ankle deep mud, no freezing in a tent, and hotels literally all over the place. It genuinely feels like a giant VIP guest area all weekend.
We’re breaking down the sets from heavy hitters and incredible acts like Carpenter Brut, Zeal & Ardor, As Everything Unfolds, Future Palace, Lake Malice, and Pint Glass (yep, the lads in the high vis jackets with the traffic cones). Plus, we talk about the upstairs gear market, delectable pastries, the legendary Mosh Pit Mime drinking game, and a bit of weirdo science about why circle pits only spin anti clockwise.
Whether you’re watching along on YouTube to see the footage or listening on the move, come and join the chat!
Check out the Festpod links:
Support us on Patreon (and grab the behind-the-scenes Debrief episode!): https://festpod.co.uk
Get your Festpod Merch (Don't be a mug, get a bloody mug!): https://festpod.shop
Our Official Sponsor: Shout out to Fat Frank’s Camping Shop! Order your festival essentials at https://fatfrankscampingshop.com
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Who has been a guest on Festpod
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Joe Hammond
All Ears Avow
Collapse The Sky
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Dacara
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
111,247
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Spotify
4.1 / 5
13 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 62 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
60
Social presence
0
YouTube
82
Engagement
81
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Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Questions about Festpod
Who hosts Festpod?
Neill and Neill Wilkinson and Rich and Rich Holmes host the show. Published by Wilko Productions.
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The show publishes monthly, based on its RSS feed.
Does Festpod take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
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