Download festival review – Guns N’ Roses flop and Letlive thrive as metal’s biggest fest enters the future (opens in new tab)

Donington Park, LeicestershireOften criticised for booking the same old legends, the festival hosts a broad span of music’s heaviest genre, plus hip-hop, Indian folk – and, finally, its first female headlinerNot long ago, it was a running joke that Download, the biggest rock and metal festival in the UK, kept overlooking new blood and digging up the same 80s giants. But recent editions have finally started emphasising first-time headliners and making at least minor strides in representation. ...