As previously reported, Sleep Token will be serving as one of the headliners at next year’s Download Festival in Derby, UK. As such, founder Andy Copping has since explained his decision to put the group at the top of the ticket, saying they are “a band that deserves to be elevated.”
Copping told NME the following:
“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 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 also added:
“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 analyse 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.”
Metal Anarchy 
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