Metal Anarchy

As previously reported, Sleep Token will be serving as one of the headliners at this year’s Download Festival in Derby, UK. As such, founder Andy Copping has been taking time to defend the band’s top billing slot. In his latest comments on the matter, he says he believes “this is their moment.”

Copping said the following in part [via Kerrang!]:

“When Wembley went on sale and sold out in 10 minutes I was like, ‘This is beyond anything that anyone could have thought in terms of their popularity explosion.’ And not just in the UK – I’m seeing it in America, Australia and Europe as well. Suddenly, something is happening. I saw the Wembley show, it was amazing, and obviously Vessel had that wobble, but I thought it was great that he was still onstage while the crowd were singing the songs.

We then started talking to them about Download 2025. The arena tour had gone on sale and blown out two O2s, and it sold out everywhere. This is their moment, this is their time. We, as a festival, have to be bringing bands through and believe in what we’re doing, but we don’t do it in a haphazard way.

It’s very measured, it’s calculated, and I think it’s Sleep Token’s time. We spoke with them and they agreed to do it. It’ll be massive for them and for the festival, and I think that any detractors, when they see it, will get it. They’ll understand what it’s all about. It’s a lightning-in-a-bottle moment for our scene where a band has come in and done that.

I think they’ll win over non-fans at Download with how dynamic the show is. Out of curiosity people will watch, and mark my words, they’ll say after they play, ‘I was not familiar, but they’re now my new favourite band.’ They have something about them that’s going to win people over. People will become part of the gathering, part of the Worship.

A lot of people go, ‘It’s a new band,’ but they’ve had three albums. If you want to take it back, Guns N’ Roses exploded on album number one, Nirvana exploded on album number two, and here we are with a band on album three. I think that our scene is really lucky to have a band like Sleep Token come through and rise to the top.

We’re going to see a lot of festivals across the world making them a headline act. We were first and we love being the innovators. What we did with Slipknot, what we did with Avenged Sevenfold, and most recently with Bring Me The Horizon, all those bands deserved to headline Download and we were the first to give them that opportunity.

And we’ve been absolutely proved right. Sleep Token are going to be the next great festival headliner across the world, and how great it is that they’re British, too. It’s part of the new British Invasion. That’s how we came to the decision.”