Photo: Katja Ogrin / Getty Images

Here’s How Australia Reacted To Its First-Ever Download Festival Lineup

By Tom Williams

The lineup for the first-ever Australian edition of heavy music mecca Download Festival has arrived, and so have the reactions.

Headlined by Korn, Limp Bizkit and Prophets Of Rage, the lineup — which is set to hit Melbourne in March 2018 — is easily one of the heaviest festival rosters we’ve seen since the demise of Soundwave (RIP), but it hasn’t gone down super smoothly with punters.

Some were quick to point out that the lineup is a bit of a sausage fest, with only one all-female act (LA punks Bad Cop/Bad Cop) and three acts featuring at least one female member (Arch Enemy, Clowns and Cursed Earth) listed on the 28-act lineup…

That said, some people have been pretty pleased with the lineup, praising it for its mix of rising bands and more nostalgic acts:

But a large portion aren’t as happy, with many comparing the Melbourne lineup to Download’s European lineups, which are typically much, much larger:


https://twitter.com/Unicorn_Christ/status/928368295073288192




While some had some interesting ideas for how the lineup could be changed…


Curiously, while 28 acts are named on the lineup, the official lineup poster says there are 29 acts on the roster. Music Feeds has contacted organisers for clarification, but some people think they might be up to something…

(UPDATE: Organisers say the 29th act will be a triple j Unearthed act, which is yet to be announced)

Download Festival is set to make its Australian debut across four stages at Melbourne’s Flemington Racecourse next year, with around 25,000 ticket-holders in attendance. Around a third of the festival’s acts are Australian, and you can peep the full lineup below.

Download Melbourne organisers Live Nation, Secret Sounds and UNFD are planning to expand the festival into a national touring event in the coming years, depending on the success of its initial outings.

RELATED: Soundwave’s AJ Maddah Says Download Festival Australia “Needs A Chance To Grow”

RELATED: The Big-Name Acts Download Festival Australia Missed Out On

Get To Know The 2018 Download Festival Australia Lineup

(In no particular order…)

Download Festival Australia 2018 Lineup

Korn (Only Australian Show)
Prophets Of Rage
Limp Bizkit
Mastodon
Good Charlotte
NOFX
Suicidal Tendencies
Gojira
Amon Amarth
Arch Enemy
Falling In Reverse
Neck Deep
Sabaton
Hot Water Music
Of Mice & Men
The Story So Far
Northlane
Trophy Eyes
Nails
Issues
Bad Cop/Bad Cop
Ocean Grove
Psycroptic
King Parrot
Clowns
Chase Atlantic
Cursed Earth
Alpha Wolf

Download Festival Australia 2018

Tickets on sale 9am AEDT Thursday, 16th November

Saturday, 24th March
Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne (18+)
Tickets: Official Website

Get To Know The 2018 Download Festival Australia Lineup

  • Korn

    Korn
    Festival organisers say the nu-metal legends' Download Melbourne show will be the only show of their upcoming trip down under. Korn last toured Australia as part of the now-defunct Soundwave Festival in 2014, and for a while were trying to schedule a 2017 tour of Australia.

  • Bad Cop/Bad Cop

    Bad Cop/Bad Cop
    The only all-female act on the lineup, this LA punk quartet will bring their politically-charged new album Warriors to Australia for Download next year. (Photo: Lindsey Byrnes)

  • Amon Amarth

    Amon Amarth
    No strangers to the pit, these Swedish metal legends have been telling tales of Viking mythology since the '90s. This time around, they'll be returning to Australia with their latest album Magma in tow.

  • NOFX

    NOFX
    Fat Mike and co. were scheduled to perform at Soundwave Festival in 2016, before the event went under. They'll return in 2018, backed by their latest album 'First Ditch Effort'. (Photo: Joe Leonard)

  • Suicidal Tendencies

    Suicidal Tendencies
    The band's ever-changing roster of hardcore punks hasn't stopped them from knocking out 13 studio albums over the past three decades. Their current lineup features Mike "Cyco Miko" Muir, Dean Pleasants, Jeff Pogan, Ra Díaz and ex-Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo.

  • Sabaton

    Sabaton
    This Swedish war machine will leave a trail of destruction in its wake, as it powers its way through crowds with latest album The Last Stand. Bring your helmets.

  • Chase Atlantic

    Chase Atlantic
    This trio of two Aussie brothers and their mate make dark alternative pop that's dotted with rock and RnB influences. They dropped their self-titled debut album earlier this year.

  • Gojira

    Gojira
    The French quartet have been messing with our heads through their intricate metal compositions since 1996, and have played at the now-defunct Soundwave Festival (RIP) in the past.

  • Arch Enemy

    Arch Enemy
    Fronted by Canada's Alissa White-Gluz, this Swedish band have spent two decades travelling the world with their melodic death metal, including their 10th and latest album Will to Power.

  • Neck Deep

    Neck Deep
    These English pop-punks might have an average age of just 23, but they're rising so quick it's making our heads spin. They unleashed their third album The Peace and the Panic in August. (Photo: Megan Thompson)

  • Mastodon

    Mastodon
    The prodigious metal stoners released their seventh album Emperor of Sand this year, and will be touring Australia for the first time since 2015.

  • Falling In Reverse

    Falling In Reverse
    No stranger to controversy, Falling In Reverse's frontman Ronnie Radke will be the centre of attention during his band's Download set. In September he had a drink thrown at him after telling fans to "sit the fuck down".

  • Good Charlotte

    Good Charlotte
    The Madden brothers were "hustling" for a spot on the 2014 Soundwave Festival lineup, but it didn't happen. They'll return with their latest album Youth Authority, for their first Aussie show since 2012.

  • Prophets Of Rage

    Prophets Of Rage
    This furious supergroup features members of Rage Against The Machine, Public Enemy and Cypress Hill, and they recently revealed they were planning their Aussie debut for 2018 off the back of their debut self-titled album.

  • Psycroptic

    Psycroptic
    Hailing from the dark depths of Tasmania, these death metal heads have a stack of albums under their belts, and have toured with the likes of Nile and Deicide. Their latest album was released in 2015.

  • Hot Water Music

    Hot Water Music
    These Florida punks have been in the game a looong time. They released their latest album Light It Up earlier this year, and that's exactly what they plan to do at Download next year.

  • Ocean Grove

    Ocean Grove
    This Melbourne crew's debut album The Rhapsody Tapes has made some serious waves this year (an ocean's worth, you could say), and they're ready to rep some nu-metal for their hometown. (Photo: Thomas Elliott)

  • Clowns

    Clowns
    These Melbourne punks aren't clowning around. Their molotov cocktail of punk, hardcore, rock and melodic pop came to the fore earlier this year with their latest album Lucid Again, which they were kind enough to chat about in this track-by-track breakdown.

  • King Parrot

    King Parrot
    The Melburnian trouble-makers are off chops, and are known for a thrash punk frenzy that's as arousing as it is brutal. Just watch this video for proof.

  • Nails

    Nails
    This savage California grindcore outfit have gone hell for leather since forming in 2009, and will be touring Australia in support of their latest record You Will Never Be One of Us.

  • Of Mice & Men

    Of Mice & Men
    Now without their former frontman Austin Carlile, these California metalcore heroes last toured Australia with A Day To Remember in 2016. (Photo: Lindsey Byrnes)

  • Limp Bizkit

    Limp Bizkit
    Fred Durst and company went rollin' through Australia in 2013, and since then fans have been holding out for their long-awaited sixth album 'Stampede of the Disco Elephants'. (Photo: Chiaki Nozu / Getty Images)

  • Issues

    Issues
    This Atlanta outfit are known for their hybrid of metal and punk, with huge melodies and touches of hip hop and RnB rhythms. Just don't doubt their heaviness.

  • Northlane

    Northlane
    This Sydney metalcore crew needs little introduction, having toured up a storm in the wake of their latest album Mesmer. They dropped a Silverchair cover recently -- could we see it played live at Download?

  • Trophy Eyes

    Trophy Eyes
    This Newcastle five-piece have been selling out tours and playing international festival since they released their latest album Chemical Miracle last year.

  • The Story So Far

    The Story So Far
    The hardcore-infused pop-punk group have been rocking out since 2007, and have three albums to their name. And that's The Story So Far.

  • High Tension

    High Tension
    These Melbourne metal punks have been dealing blows for the last six years, and they're not stopping anytime soon.

  • Make Them Suffer

    Make Them Suffer
    The Perth metalcore outfit released their third studio album ‘Worlds Apart’ in 2017, and completed a 140-date world tour (!) in the same year.

  • Cast Down

    Cast Down
    This Melbourne hardcore/punk/metal outfit were the final band to be added to Download's debut Melbourne lineup, after claiming victory in a triple j Unearthed competition.
Tom Williams
Tom Williams

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