Linkin Park will make history this weekend as the first female-fronted band to headline the UK’s biggest rock festival.
Download, held at Donington Park, Leicestershire, has traditionally been dominated by male-led groups such as Iron Maiden, Slipknot, and Metallica since it began in 2003.
This year, Linkin Park and lead singer Emily Armstrong will close out the three-day rock and metal festival on Sunday night.
The presence of a woman at the top of the bill this year has been hailed by some fans as a milestone, but others say it’s not quite the step forward for diversity it appears to be.
Linkin Park reformed in 2024, seven years after original frontman Chester Bennington took his own life.
Chester Bennington’s family also criticised the band with his son, Jaime, accusing remaining members of “quietly erasing” his father’s “life and legacy”.
The choice of Emily Armstrong upset some fans, who pointed to her alleged ties to the Church of Scientology and past support for US actor and convicted rapist Danny Masterson.
Armstrong has distanced herself from Masterson, stressing that she does not condone any “abuse or violence against women”.
Despite the friction, their comeback single The Emptiness Machine reached number four in the UK top 40, and reaction to them topping the Download bill has been generally positive.
On his way into the festival, Linkin Park fan James Harvey tells BBC Newsbeat Armstrong is “a really good fit”, and says it’s a sign the scene is “changing for the better”.
The 22-year-old says getting more diverse headliners might “take a while” but the future is “going to get even better”.
