Linkin Park to make history at UK's biggest rock festival

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. Is Download's first female headliner a milestone or a 'bittersweet' moment? 23 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleGeorgia Levy-CollinsBBC Newsbeat Getty ImagesEmily Armstrong joined Linkin Park as their lead singer in 2024Linkin 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 nightThe 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".

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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 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". 'It's the bare minimum'Getty ImagesThe English punk rock group Lambrini Girls were formed in 2019Lambrini Girls bassist Selin Macieira-Boşgelmez tells Newsbeat that women in the rock scene are "often plagued with imposter syndrome".

"Partially because we are so under-represented in alternative music," she says. Selin formed the English punk rock duo with Phoebe Lunny in 2019 and, in 2025, the pair landed the grassroots Loud Women Hercury Prize and were nominated for Rolling Stone UK's Rising Stars Award. But, she says, it was difficult for them to get a foothold in the industry.

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"In terms of even seeing myself in it, I very often would just go through my male friends that were musicians," says Selin. "I think that part of the problem is that they're often not really given the chance on account of not being taken seriously. "Selin feels that "loudness and aggression" - key elements of heavier genres - are often "celebrated in men and demonised in women.

"Selin says seeing Armstrong top the Download bill is "bittersweet". "It is kind of the bare minimum," she says.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.