FESTIVAL PREVIEW: Takedown Festival 2026 Ones To Watch (Who You Might Not Have Heard Of!)

Everyone knows who their favourites are. You don’t need another ‘go and see President’ — the fact that Saturday early bird tickets sold out in what felt like seconds, announced just as their tour tickets likewise seemed to evaporate, means most people going already know if they like them or not. It’s likely a similar story for the electronic-rock duo of Wargasm, or the recently reunited, much loved pop punk group As It Is. So, instead, let’s look at some of the names you might not know who will be at Portsmouth Guildhall on 3rd and 4th April as part of Takedown Festival.

Friday 

First up, check out the Farnborough-based five piece of Stone Soup. Raspy, gritty vocals and hard-hitting rock layer themselves over Blues — who doesn’t love a good blast of harmonica as they headbang? — as the band serve up their own strangely addictive blend of grunge and biker metal. Check out the 8-minute long, prog-esque epic of Purgatory and strap in, before catching them opening the Total Rock stage on the Friday…

And then stay, because King Kraken just after promise to be just as good. It’s hard to tell what soars higher for the South Wales band — Mark Donoghue’s vocals or Peter Rose and Adam Healey’s guitar lines. With Steelhouse XV on their Summer schedule, any fans of that more classic rock are sure to love every second. It’s hard to choose just one song – so instead, throw on last year’s March Of The Gods. We’re sure you’ll find something you like.

Not a fan of that more ‘traditional’ sound? Fear not — there’s plenty to go and see. If you want a more alternative sound, go check out Grumble Bee on the Metal For Good stage. Having recently returned to his solo roots post-Lonely The Brave, Jack Bennett’s hit the ground running — between releasing his debut album, And Restart, as well as headlining Camden’s The Underworld, along with supporting both fellow stage compatriots InMe — catch them too! — and The Hunna, it’s been non-stop. With Takedown coming in at the tail end of his upcoming solo tour supporting Grey Daze, along with the equally addictive Pavé on Saturday, Takedown promises to be one of the few chances to see him with his band… no pressure. Check out What If I Never Repair?, but don’t sleep on the back catalogue!

And then, for anyone hankering for the more cinematic rock, you’ve got The Fear. Put on the Kellin Quinn-featuring WHITE NOISE, or the similarly capitalised SATELLITE, and it’s hard not to see some dystopian, cyberpunk city ruins burning in your mind’s eye, probably with a gravelly voiced narrator explaining how it all went wrong. And then you’ve got some fun thrown in there for good measure, like with a cover of the James classic Sit Down!

Having had quite a stacked gig calendar last year — supporting the likes of Nonpoint, Snot and Mason Hill, as well as managing to fit in their own run of headline shows in just a few months — they’re a band who’ve cut their teeth on live shows and are itching to show you just what they can do.

Saturday

But, we hear you cry at your monitors, what about something heavier? Well, Saturday’s got that in spades, and it makes picking out highlights all the harder.

Let’s start with the heavy, djent-ily chaotic, and surprisingly entrancing Vexed, playing the Metal For Good stage. Fronted by vocalist Megan Targett, the band delivers a ferocious blend of metalcore, deathcore, and all your other favourite -core genres. With two albums under their belt, both Culling Culture, and the even more aggressive Negative Energy, lets a lot of back catalogue to sift through in advance of April. Good thing it’s barely mid-March eh?

Another heavier favourite is, of course, Vower. Having just finished a short run of shows supporting the inimitable grandson, along with their own headline tour back in November, the mini supergroup — fronted by the unmistakable growl of Palm Reader’s Josh McKeown — only have two EPs to their name, but anyone who’s caught them in the past can comfortably say that that’s more than enough for a band to make their mark. Really, from the time debut single Shroud came out, less than two years ago, it was always going to be this way. They’re made for the big stage. If you want to check them out, a new favourite is Moth Becomes The Flame. Who doesn’t love a builder?

Bridging the gap between the heavy and the anthemic, you’ve got Tropic Gold. The trio have been a favourite of the UK festival scene in recent years, offering up a modern and moody meld of metal and pop-rock, all with pulsing, moody electronica thrown on top, and some infectious ear-worm choruses that dig their way into your consciousness. It would be harder not to enjoy them, particularly with last year’s Bring Me The Horizon-coded EP, SICK TO DEATH OF EVERYTHING, blasting through your headphones.

And, finally, let’s throw Artio into the mix, particularly in light of the brilliant Soul Rot from January. Straddling the line between alt-rock and pop-punk, the Leeds-based foursome are a wonder to watch, and you’d be remiss in missing them; plus, Rae Brazill hides one hell of a set of pipes, roaring over and transcending above the rocky, electronic-y, nu-metal-y instrumentals. Head In The Sand, Finger On The Trigger or Product of My Own Design are probably still the ol’ favourites from the earlier work, but that’s just an excuse to make you check out the back catalogue and get obsessed. Plus, as if you need any more of a reason, Full On Fight For Fun features fellow stage-mates As It Is — who doesn’t love a live collab? Oh, and did we mention the Twenty One Pilots cover?

These acts are barely a glimpse of some of the talent on display over that Easter weekend. Do yourself a favour and check out each and every one of the bands — who knows? Maybe you’ll be catching next year’s headliner just before they blow up? We mean, look at 2023’s headliners of Sleep Token! Ask yourself — can you afford to risk missing the next big thing?

Find out more about Takedown Festival here.