Andy Copping Defends Sleep Token's 'Download Festival' Headline Slot: 'This Is a Band That Deserves to Be Elevated'

Speaking with NME, Copping stated of what led him to make the controversial choice: "It was seeing their meteoric rise over the last two years that made me think, 'This is a band that deserves to be elevated."

Despite Sleep Token‘s recent rise to fame, their status as one of the three headliners for next year’s ‘Download Festival‘ has left some scratching their heads. The band’s rapid ascent began with the viral success of singles from their third studio album “Take Me Back To Eden” on TikTok.

However, while the group have enjoyed a meteoric rise in popularity over the past year, complete with a sold-out arena tour and a move to RCA Records, some fans believe other bands are more deserving of the coveted headlining slot.

Those individuals made their voices heard on social media following the announcement yesterday (November 12th). Now ‘Download Festival‘ founder Andy Copping has addressed the decision.

Speaking with NME, Copping explained what led him to make the controversial choice.

“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’ time, 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.”

He later added of the pressures of running a festival of this scale in the modern age:

“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 analyze 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.”

Last year’s ‘Download Festival‘ felt the impact of social media due to a campaign waged by several bands that were booked to play the fest. Various artists, including the likes of Scowl, SPEED, Pest Control, Dying Wish and more all took to protesting the event and withdrawing from the bill in light of the involvement of Barclayscard being a primary sponsor for the event.

Those artists above took issue with Barclays‘ financial involvements in the facilitation of weapons used by Israel in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. In response, ‘Download Festival‘ parted ways with Barclayscard.

As for Copping‘s stance on the growing need to elevate younger artists to headlining status, he’s certainly not wrong. Metal and rock have experienced a general decline in mainstream interest over the past two decades, with festivals now often being left to lean on tried and true evergreen artists to anchor their bills.

However, with the generation of guaranteed headlining artists slowly beginning to age out, there’s been a growing concern of the lack of suitable replacements to eventually take their place. It’s a worrying situation that Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson publicly lamented earlier this year.

He cited several reasons as being potential factors in the situation, including the financial risks promoters face in taking a gamble on newer artists, the overall greed of the music industry, and a shrinking amount of smaller venues that allow artists the chance to build themselves up.

Next year’s ‘Download Festival‘ will take place at June 13th-15th at Donington Park in Derby, UK. The initial lineup announcement also includes sets from Weezer, Bullet For My Valentine and many more.

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