2 days ago 24 minutes ago
Georgia Levy-CollinsBBC Newsbeat
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Emily Armstrong joined Linkin Park arsenic their pb vocalist successful 2024
Linkin Park volition marque past this play arsenic the archetypal female-fronted set to header the UK's biggest stone festival.
Download, held astatine Donington Park, Leicestershire, has traditionally been dominated by male-led groups specified arsenic Iron Maiden, Slipknot, and Metallica since it began successful 2003.
This year, Linkin Park and pb vocalist Emily Armstrong volition adjacent retired the three-day stone and metallic festival connected Sunday night
The beingness of a pistillate astatine the apical of the measure this twelvemonth has been hailed by immoderate fans arsenic a milestone, but others accidental it's not rather the measurement guardant for diverseness it appears to be.
Linkin Park reformed successful 2024, 7 years aft archetypal frontman Chester Bennington took his ain life.
Chester Bennington's household besides criticised the set with his son, Jaime, accusing remaining members of "quietly erasing" his father's "life and legacy".
The prime of Emily Armstrong upset immoderate fans, who pointed to her alleged ties to the Church of Scientology and past enactment for US histrion and convicted rapist Danny Masterson.
Armstrong has distanced herself from Masterson, stressing that she does not condone immoderate "abuse oregon unit against women".
Despite the friction, their comeback azygous The Emptiness Machine reached fig 4 successful the UK apical 40, and absorption to them topping the Download measure has been mostly positive.
On his mode into the festival, Linkin Park instrumentality James Harvey tells BBC Newsbeat Armstrong is "a truly bully fit", and says it's a motion the country is "changing for the better".
The 22-year-old says getting much divers headliners mightiness "take a while" but the aboriginal is "going to get adjacent better".
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The English punk stone radical Lambrini Girls were formed successful 2019
Lambrini Girls bassist Selin Macieira-Boşgelmez tells BBC Newsbeat that women successful the stone country are "often plagued with imposter syndrome".
"Partially due to the fact that we are truthful under-represented successful alternate music," she says.
Selin formed the English punk stone duo with Phoebe Lunny successful 2019 and, successful 2025, the brace landed the grassroots Loud Women Hercury Prize and were nominated for Rolling Stone UK's Rising Stars Award.
But, she says, it was hard for them to get a foothold successful the industry.
"In presumption of adjacent seeing myself successful it, I precise often would conscionable spell done my antheral friends that were musicians," says Selin.
"I deliberation that portion of the occupation is that they're often not truly fixed the accidental connected relationship of not being taken seriously."
Selin feels that "loudness and aggression" - cardinal elements of heavier genres - are often "celebrated successful men and demonised successful women."
Selin says seeing Armstrong apical the Download measure is "bittersweet".
"It is benignant of the bare minimum," she says.
"I deliberation that's a occupation crossed the full industry, not conscionable this peculiar festival."
BBC Newsbeat has asked Download Festival's organisers for comment.
Paul Harries
Sophie K and Yasmine Summan co-host the On Wednesdays We Wear Black podcast
British vigor big Sophie K says festivalgoers should beryllium celebrating affirmative changes and not attacking Emily for being the first.
"I'm implicit the speech astir criticising festivals for their headliners," she says.
Sophie K co-hosts the On Wednesdays We Wear Black podcast with Yasmine Summan which gives a level to under-represented voices successful stone and metal.
As 1 of the archetypal achromatic women to big an alternate vigor amusement successful the UK, Sophie says fans "should beryllium thanking Linkin Park for choosing a queer pistillate to beforehand their band".
"They could person chosen anyone."
Co-host Yasmine Summan says seeing Armstrong header a large festival is "really validating" but "there decidedly is ever country for more."
Summan says increasing up and seeing her co-host Sophie arsenic a "loud and arrogant achromatic pistillate successful stone music" has been "incredibly important".
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Limp Bizkit and Guns N' Roses are besides headlining Download 2026
Summan says 1 crushed for dilatory advancement connected practice is down to risk-taking.
"Doing originative jobs often isn't considered for queer people, for brownish people, for women, due to the fact that it's truly hard for america to exist."
They anticipation that Emily Armstrong shows radical that it's "a viable vocation option".
Yasmine besides feels that euphony listeners and fans person to play their portion too.
"You guys request to commencement telling festivals what bands you privation to perceive to, if capable radical privation this creator astatine a festival they get booked for it."
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